topic Re: Edit texture in a .lcf file in Libraries & objects

Edit texture in a .lcf file

Konsis — Fri, 13 Feb 2026 12:28:21 GMT

Hi!

I have downloaded an .lcf file from a manufacturer, but the textures included are nothing like the real deal.

I have extracted the container to get access to the textures, and replaced them with better textures in Finder on my Mac.

How to I load them back into ArchiCAD? If I import the extracted .gsm objects, I get an error, and I don't know how to add them back into a container including the updated textures.

Probably an easy fix, but right now I'm loosing my mind!

Re: Edit texture in a .lcf file

CosminF — Fri, 13 Feb 2026 12:32:46 GMT

Hi,

After the extraction of the container and the editing of its contents, you can create another container (lcf) with the new file packages and import that back into Archicad.
https://community.graphisoft.com/t5/Libraries-objects/How-to-create-a-Library-Container-File-LCF/ta-p/303840

Re: Edit texture in a .lcf file

Konsis — Fri, 13 Feb 2026 12:48:28 GMT

I tried this now:
Added the extracted .gsm files and the updated textures folder in my library, created new container, deleted the extracted files from my library, and loaded the new lcf.

The object still uses the old textures from the old .lcf. Something embedded in the .gsm?

Re: Edit texture in a .lcf file

Ricardo Lopez — Fri, 13 Feb 2026 13:40:04 GMT

Hi @Konsis

Would it be possible for you to share that .lcf file so we can analyze it and test the best workflow?

Re: Edit texture in a .lcf file

Laszlo Nagy — Sat, 14 Feb 2026 21:40:01 GMT

Do the new textures have a new name? Or, did you overwrite the previous texture files after you modified them?

If you did not overwrite the old textures, then the library parts are probably still referencing the old textures.

The library parts are referencing Surface attributes and the Surface attributes are referencing the Textures. It is also possible that Surfaces are defined in a MASTER_GDL so the Surfaces will keep referencing the old texture names.

The following way should work:

1. Extract the LCF.

2. Modify the Texture files. After modification, just save changes, overwriting the previous versions of the Texture files.

3. Recreate the LCF.

4. Link this modified LCF to your project in your Library Manager Dialog.

This way, the LCF will have the exact same structure as before, the Surfaces will use the same Textures as before, but the Textures will look different because you modified them.