Managing Library Items

This page covers the full lifecycle of items in the Item Library — creating, editing, searching, bulk importing, and deleting.

Creating an Item

1. Go to Item Library in the left sidebar
2. Click + New Item
3. Fill in the item form:

Required Fields

• Name — a clear, descriptive name. Use a consistent naming convention across your team (e.g., "Carton — 600×400×400 Standard")
• Type — Cuboid (box), Cylinder (drum, roll, pipe), or Irregular (use for items with STEP files)
• Dimensions — for cuboids: length, width, height in mm. For cylinders: diameter and height in mm. You can enter in inches if your preferences are set to imperial — LOP converts automatically
• Weight — per-unit weight in kg (or lbs in imperial mode)

Recommended Fields

• SKU — your product code or stock identifier. Appears on packing lists and export documents
• Fragile — check this if no items should ever be placed on top. The optimizer treats this as a hard constraint
• Stackable — check this if items can be placed on top of this item. If unchecked, nothing is placed above it
• Max weight on top — if stackable, optionally set a weight limit for items above (kg). Leave blank for unlimited
• Orientation preference — controls how the optimizer is allowed to rotate the item:
  • Any rotation — optimizer chooses the best of all 6 rotations
  • This side up — item always placed with original Y-axis pointing up
  • Vertical only — item must stand upright, no laying flat
  • Horizontal only — item must lay flat, no standing upright

Optional Fields

• Separation tags — add tags like hazmat_class_3, food_grade, wet to enforce minimum separation distances from incompatible items
• Crush strength — maximum sustained pressure (kg/m²) this item can bear. The optimizer will not stack heavier loads above the threshold
• Color — color used in the 3D editor viewport. Helpful for visually distinguishing item types
• Notes — free text for internal reference, handling instructions, or sourcing notes

4. Click Save Item

The item is immediately available in the library and can be added to any plan.

Editing an Item

1. In the Item Library, click the item's name or the edit (pencil) icon
2. Modify any properties
3. Click Save Item

Searching and Filtering

The Item Library includes a search bar and filter controls at the top of the list.

Search matches against:

• Item name
• SKU
• Notes text

Search results update as you type — there is no need to press Enter.

Filters let you narrow the list by:

• Item type (Cuboid / Cylinder / Irregular)
• Fragile (yes/no)
• Stackable (yes/no)
• Has 3D model (yes/no)
• Separation tags (select from existing tags)

Sort options:

• Name A–Z (default)
• Name Z–A
• Most recently created
• Most recently modified
• Most used in plans
• Weight (lightest to heaviest)
• Weight (heaviest to lightest)

Viewing Usage Count

Each item card in the library shows a usage count — the number of load plans that include this item. Click the count to see a list of those plans. This helps you understand which items are actively in production use and which may be candidates for cleanup.

Bulk Import from Excel or CSV

If you have a large catalog of items, importing from Excel or CSV is faster than creating items one by one.

1. In the Item Library, click Import Items
2. Download the template file to see the expected column format
3. Fill in your item data in the template (or map your existing spreadsheet columns in the next step)
4. Upload the file
5. In the column mapping screen, confirm which spreadsheet columns map to which item properties
6. Click Preview to see the items that will be created
7. Click Import to create all items

The import creates new items and does not modify existing ones. If you need to update existing items in bulk, contact support.

Duplicating an Item

To create a variation of an existing item without starting from scratch:

1. Find the item in the library
2. Click the menu icon (three dots) on the item card
3. Select Duplicate
4. A copy is created with the name "Copy of [original name]"
5. Open the copy and edit the properties that differ

This is useful for creating size variants of a standard product (e.g., small, medium, and large cartons with the same fragility and stackability settings).

Deleting Items

To delete a single item:

1. Click the menu icon on the item card
2. Select Delete
3. Confirm in the dialog

To delete multiple items:

1. Select items using the checkboxes on the left of each card
2. Click Delete Selected in the action bar that appears at the top

Items that are currently included in active plans (status: optimizing) cannot be deleted. Wait for the optimization to complete before deleting.