Fill your library from a CSV file

Starting with Halocline 2026.4, the CSV import lets you create many library objects in one step: you describe your parts in a CSV file, Halocline imports the matching CAD files and sets name, part number, weight, attribute and MTM values right away. If you like, each part ends up directly in a load carrier, ready to be placed in a rack.

This is the fastest way to create all the materials for a project with their metadata, as the basis for process analysis and the material list. The best way to create the CSV file is with information from your PLM or ERP system.

Instructions

• Prepare the files: Put the CSV file and all CAD files it references in the same folder. You can also reference .haloitem files, for example if you want to use a placeholder object so that it is included in the process recording.
• Choose a collection: In Halocline Desktop, open the library and choose the collection the new objects should go into. A collection of its own is a good idea for a project.
• Start the import: Choose "Import → CAD data". In the dialog, select the CSV file.
• Check the preview: Halocline shows you the rows of the file in advance. Rows with problems, such as an invalid weight or an unknown load carrier, are marked.
• Import: While the import runs, you see a placeholder in the library. At the end, Halocline reports how many rows were imported and how many were skipped. Note: you only see the preview images of the new library items after the next start of Halocline Layout.

Structure of the CSV file

The first line is a header, followed by one line per part. The columns are read in their order. Only the first column is required. If a line ends early, the remaining values on the library object stay empty. You can skip columns by setting one delimiter for each empty column.

* MTM catalog IDs: see https://mtmmotion.mtm.org. These fields are only relevant for users with our MTM add-on.

Example:

File,Name,Part number,Weight,Attribute,MTM type,MTM usage,Load carrier,Quantity
Bracket_left.step,Bracket left,4711-0815,250,galvanized steel,,,KLT 4315,20
Screw_M8.stp,Screw M8x20,933-M8,12.5,,,,,

Delimiters, numbers and special characters

• Delimiter: comma, semicolon, tab or vertical bar (|). Halocline detects the character from the header line, so a CSV saved from Excel works directly, whatever your language settings.
• Weight: decimal point (2.5) and decimal comma (2,5) are both allowed. Thousands separators are not: 1,234.5 or 1,234 is reported as invalid, and the part is imported without a weight. Write large values without separators, for example 1234.5.
• Special characters: files in UTF-8 and from Excel (Windows-1252) are read correctly, including accented characters and umlauts.
• Quotes: if a value contains the delimiter, put it in quotes. If a quote appears in the middle of a value, the preview marks the row for you to check.

Creating parts directly in a load carrier

If you name a load carrier in column 8, Halocline creates a library object in which the part sits in the load carrier, with the quantity from column 9. Halocline calculates the total weight from that. You can put this object straight into a rack in the layout. If you also want the part as a separate object in the library, simply add a second row to the CSV.

The load carrier must exist in your library. If the name exists more than once, your own collection comes first, then your organization's, then the public library. If the name does not exist, the row is skipped and no entry is created in the library.

The object is aligned in the load carrier along its longest axis. There is no size check.

Using existing library objects

Instead of a CAD file, a row can also name a .haloitem file, that is, an exported library object. Filled columns then overwrite the values from the file, empty columns keep them. This can be useful as a simple placeholder object, to include process steps with metadata in recordings.

What happens if something goes wrong?

• If a file is missing or cannot be read, only that row is skipped. The rest is imported.
• An invalid number, for example for the weight, is reported and left empty. The row is still imported.
• Every row is saved on its own. If you cancel the import, the parts imported so far are kept.
• After the import, Halocline shows how many rows were skipped and why.

Tips

• One collection per project: This way you find a project's materials together and can edit them together later.
• Take values from your ERP: Part number, weight and attribute appear later in the material list and in the process export. The more complete the CSV, the less you need to add afterwards.
• Fill in later: You set missing values for many objects at once with "Edit several objects at once".
• Don't import at the same time: Don't start a CSV import together with another CAD import. Only one CAD import runs at a time.