Purpose
Content Catalog is Autodesk’s successor integrated offering for UNIFI Pro content workflows. While many core content-management workflows continue in Content Catalog, some UNIFI features work differently, require manual configuration, or are not currently available.
Use this comparison to understand the notable differences that may affect your team’s migration planning, rollout, and day-to-day workflows.
Summary: what customers should know first
Content Catalog supports the core workflow of finding, managing, and inserting content, but it is not a one-to-one replacement for every UNIFI feature. Customers should plan time after migration to configure permissions, review users and groups, recreate key saved searches, train users, and adjust workflows for features that work differently or are not available.
Workflow / feature area | UNIFI | Content Catalog | Migration / workflow impact |
Collections | Libraries in UNIFI are the same concept as Collections. | Collections are supported in Content Catalog. | Collections are included in assisted migration, but user group permissions must be manually configured after migration. |
Approved content | UNIFI supports the ability to have pending content when uploaded without edit permissions and then approve by someone with edit rights. | Content Catalog also supports pending and approved content. | See Content Catalog permissions to understand how Collections can be configured. |
Tags | Tags are used in UNIFI content organization and search. | Tags are supported in Content Catalog. | Tags are included but search results may vary as Content Catalog has improved full and fuzzy word search capabilities. |
Properties | Properties exist on UNIFI content. | Properties are supported in Content Catalog. | Properties are included in the migration scope, but customers should validate key property-driven workflows during review. |
Revit versions | UNIFI currently supports insert and export for Revit 22-26, while it supports upload of any revit year. | Content Catalog supports insert and export for Revit 24-27 or n+3, while it supports upload of any revit year. | For projects working previous to Revit 2024 downloadable content is still downloadable for 22 & 23 while original base files are also downloadable by right click on the history revision. |
File history / revisions | UNIFI stores file history. | Content Catalog supports migrated file history. | Assisted migration includes up to the last 5 revisions / file-history entries. |
Type catalogs | Supported in UNIFI workflows. | Supported in Content Catalog. | Type catalogs are included in migration scope. Customers should validate frequently used type-catalog content during review. |
Preview images | UNIFI supports preview images and custom preview behavior. | Content Catalog supports preview images, but custom preview settings are limited. | Custom preview images transfer, but custom preview presets/settings do not. |
Preview image presets | UNIFI supports setting orientation and render style for thumbnails generated on 3D content. | Content Catalog does not support presets and uses top, front, right realistic, fine settings. | Content Catalog does not have preset options but offers a 3d spinnable model for most 3d Revit content. |
Users | UNIFI users exist in the UNIFI account. | Content Catalog users depend on the selected Forma hub, members list. | Customers with many users or groups should complete the user check before migration. To add missing users into Forma so groups can be properly populated. |
User groups | UNIFI supports user groups. | Content Catalog supports user groups through Forma / Content Catalog administration. | User groups are included in the assisted migration. Customers should confirm users have populated as expected. |
Saved searches | UNIFI supports company and personal saved searches. | Content Catalog supports saved searches, but UNIFI saved-search do not transfer. Personal saved searches are not currently supported. | Company saved searches must be manually configured after migration. UNIFI is still accessible for during migration review for ease of setup. |
Content Requests | UNIFI Content Requests exist in the legacy workflow. | Content Catalog has Content Requests, but not as a one-to-one migratable feature. | Content Catalog does not include notifications or the ability to request update for existing content. |
Shared Libraries | UNIFI supports Shared Libraries for external library sharing. | Content Catalog handles sharing differently. Any member in the Forma members list can be given appropriate collection permissions. | Shared Library connections do not transfer as part of migration. Please arrange with those sharing for the new capabilities in Forma during your review period. |
Channels | UNIFI includes Channels, including manufacturer/public channel content. | Content Catalog has Autodesk OOTB channel content, but manufacturer channel content is not currently available. | Channels do not transfer. Customers should copy needed manufactuing-channel content into their own UNIFI collections before migration if they want it included. |
Favorites | Available in UNIFI. | Not currently available / not migrated as a comparable workflow. | Customers should not expect Favorites to transfer. They may need to replace this behavior with saved searches, tags, collections, or training guidance. |
Content ratings | Available in UNIFI. | Not currently available in Content Catalog. | Ratings should not be expected after migration. Customers using ratings for QA or popularity signals should plan an alternative workflow. |
Project harvest | Available or used in UNIFI workflows to copy from project to project including Revit legends. | Not currently available in Content Catalog. | Customers relying on project harvest or legend workflows should validate alternatives before migration. |
Revit material support | Available in UNIFI. | Available in Content Catalog | Included in assisted migration. |
Shared parameter management | UNIFI has shared parameter management workflows. | Autodesk Parameter Service may serve as an alternative which enables parameter management across Autodesk tools. | Customers using UNIFI for shared parameter workflows should plan a separate transition. |
API workflows | UNIFI has API-based workflows. | API is currently in beta. | Customers with integrations, automation, or custom workflows should treat this as a migration risk and evaluate alternatives before choosing assisted migration. |
Project Analytics | Available for some UNIFI customers. | Not part of standard Content Catalog migration; Model Analytics is a successor separate offering service entitled to Forma Design Collaboration (previously ABC pro and cloud worksharing) | Please evaluate and make plans to consider switching to Model Analytics Essentials during your migration as it will no longer be available once UNIF access ends. |
Administration | UNIFI administration happens in UNIFI. | Content Catalog administration is handled through Autodesk Forma admin workflows. | Admins should be trained before rollout. See help for more details |
Product setup resources | UNIFI has its own support help. | Autodesk Help includes Content Catalog admin setup, content basics, content strategies, content management, application-specific features, and release notes. | Customers should be directed to Content Catalog Help for setup, provisioning, rollout planning, collections, channels, user groups, preferences, uploads, tags, saved searches, and container files. (Autodesk Help) |