Manually Installing Core Catalogs for Home Designer Pro

The information in this article applies to:

QUESTION

I am unable to download the Core Catalog files for my Home Designer Pro software. How can I manually install them?   

ANSWER

Follow the steps below to download the catalog files to your computer, then copy them to their respective locations.

It is recommended to create a folder on your computer, in an easy to access location such as your desktop, where you can save these files to, otherwise they will download to whatever default location your web browser is set to, typically your Downloads folder.

To download the core catalog files

1. One by one, right-click the following links and choose Save Link As (or appropriate counterpart for your internet browser), allowing you to save the file to a specific location.
   
   
   Note: You must be signed in to your Chief Architect account to save or download the libraries linked below. 
   
   
2. Direct it to save to the new folder you created.
   
   
   
3. Download and save the Core Libraries for Home Designer Pro 2025:
   
   
   • CoreBackdrops.calib
   • CoreMaterials.calib
   • CorePatterns.calib
     
   • CoreShapes.calib
   • HDPACoreArchitectural.calib
   • HDPACoreMEP.calib
   • HDPAICoreInteriors.calib
   • HDPALCoreExteriors.calib
   • HDPALCorePlants.calib
     
   
   
   
4. Download and save the Referenced Files for Home Designer Pro 2025:
   
   
   • CoreCatalogFiles.zip
   • HDCoreFlowers.zip
   • HDCorePotted.zip
   • HDCoreShrubs.zip
   • HDCoreSpecific.zip
     
   • HDCoreTrees.zip
   
   

Open both the folder containing the downloaded files, as well as the destination location where the catalog files will be copied to, then copy or move the files into the correct location.

To install the core catalog files on Windows

1. Close Home Designer Pro.
   
   
   
2. On your keyboard, hold the Windows Key and press R once to open a Run dialog.
   
   
   
3. In the Open line of the Run dialog, type %programdata% and press OK.
   
   
   
4. Locate and browse into the Home Designer Pro 2025 folder or the appropriate folder for your version.
   
   
   
5. Copy the downloaded Core Libraries (.calib) files into the Core Libraries folder.
   
   
   
6. Copy the downloaded Referenced Files (.zip) files into the Referenced Files folder.
   
   

To install the core catalog files on macOS

1. Close Home Designer Pro.
   
   
   
2. Open Finder and in the menu select Go> Go To Folder.
   
   
   
3. In the dialog type /Library/Application Support and press Go.
   
   
   
4. Browse into the Home Designer Pro 2025 folder or the appropriate folder for your version.
   
   
   
5. Copy the downloaded Core Libraries (.calib) files into the Core Libraries folder.
   
   
   
6. Copy the downloaded Referenced Files (.zip) files into the Referenced Files folder.