Sam Jones

As of 2024 VW has native rotate each 90° commands, but my users never bother to notice.

Actually, it will place the symbol at the insertion point of the PIO. The insertion point is where you click when you place the PIO. If you want to offset the symbol from where you click, put the amount of offset in the Symbol() call as measured from the click.

Yes it will. It is part of AutoPlot Tools for Spotlight. You can contact me, sjones@autoplotvw.com.

If I understand you correctly and that is not clear to me, you would need a script to copy values from the data tag into into symbols that the truss tape command will recognize, and then select the symbols along with the other objects you want on the truss tape. For now this is a one off, and it would be easier to just make your own symbol with a record attached, place them, and copy the universe values by hand into a field of that record. You would then need to list that record and field in the Truss Tape Assign worksheet. Or, just just write something on the Truss Tape design layer. The real solution is for me to give you the option of placing Data Tag field values on the truss tape, and then include the Data Tag record in the Truss Tape Assign worksheet. That is currently not allowed because it assumed that objects on the truss tape are real objects to be hung on the truss, so Data Tags and Callouts are not recognized even if selected. If you want to Zoom with me, to try and figure out a possible workaround, no guarantees, let me know. sjones@autoplotvw.com

Thank you guys. For the particular workflow, there is a workaround involving more symbols.

I have a PIO that places a symbol of a certain class. That symbol contains symbols that are in a different class. Is there a way to make the symbols inside the parent symbol use the class attributes of the parent symbol? Unchecking "Use at Creation" for the sub symbol classes has no effect.

I don't seem to be able to create a symbol folder in the resource manager and then import symbols and place them in that created folder all in the same command. The command below creates the folder and then imports the symbols but then places them outside of the created folder. Is there a way to do this? As always TIA. {====================================================================} PROCEDURE LoadTentSymbols; {$DEBUG} CONST kRETentSymbolFolder = 'RE Tent Structure Symbols'; {Resource Manager Folder} VAR RESymbolFilePath :STRING; TentSymListIDX :LONGINT; TentSymListCt :LONGINT; TentSymName :STRING; TentSymHdl :HANDLE; TentSymFolder :HANDLE; Index :LONGINT; {=================================================================} FUNCTION ImportCallBack(VAR resName:DYNARRAY OF CHAR) : INTEGER; BEGIN ImportCallBack := 0; END; {=================================================================} BEGIN RESymbolFilePath := 'Raging Empire'; TentSymListIDX := BuildResourceList(16, -13, RESymbolFilePath, TentSymListCt); TentSymListCt := ResourceListSize(TentSymListIDX); TentSymFolder := GetObject(kRETentSymbolFolder); IF (TentSymFolder = NIL) THEN BEGIN NameObject(kRETentSymbolFolder); BeginFolderN(16); EndFolder; TentSymFolder := LNewObj; ResetObject(TentSymFolder); END; FOR Index := 1 TO TentSymListCt DO BEGIN TentSymName := GetActualNameFromResourceList(TentSymListIDX,index); TentSymHdl := ImportResToCurFileN(TentSymListIDX, index, ImportCallBack); InsertSymbolInFolder(TentSymFolder,TentSymHdl); END; {FOR Index := 1 TO TentSymListCt} END; RUN(LoadTentSymbols);

@Scott C. Parker Do you have a file with actual objects that the worksheets can report. The data base headers are very helpful, but it is not always clear what they are reporting. I'm working on label printing and would like to create reports for them to use. TIA

An important thing to know about "LNewObj" is that it does not work as a handle; it is a function that returns (gets) a handle to the last created object. It's value will change as soon as anything is created by the script. If you are going to need a handle to a symbol for a variety of reasons, it is best to assign it to a variable and use the variable in all the different places you need it. VAR SymbolName : STRING; SymbolHandle : HANDLE; X, Y, Rot : REAL; X1, Y1, X2, Y2 : REAL; BEGIN Symbol(SymbolName, X, Y, Rot); SymbolHandle := LNewObj; GetBBox(SymbolHandle, X1, Y1, X2, Y2); Rect(X1, Y1, X2, Y2); END;

@FMA You didn't get it wrong. I did. I use the following to scale a symbol instance ObjArray Symbol(SymHdl, Sx, Sy, SAngle); SetObjectVariableInt(LNewObj, 101, 2); { ScaleMode: 1=None, 2=Symmetric, 3=Asymmetric } SetObjectVariableReal(LNewObj, 102, ScaleFactor);

I use HScale2D all the time on symbol instances, and it works just fine.

If you work with projectors, you need Projection Viz. Working without it is encasing one foot in cement.

Calling @benghiat, @Mark Aceto and @C. Andrew Dunning

I think this is possible, but I'm going to wait for others who have more chops than I to weigh in. My thoughts on it are not trivial and would probably be slow and it would take some work just to test. At a minimum Josh and Kevin will have a better idea. However, I have a question. Why do you care? Does not the MA3 order the channels no matter what order they are read in?

What he said, at least 5 years ago. Pretty is nice. Clarity is required.

Nope. I mean "Duplicate Array...", but "Move by Points" will work except in its first mode.

What you provided was a "Plant" plug-in object (PIO), not a symbol. I do not have Landmark. I have the Design Suite. The instance you have in the drawing has all its Spread and Height parameters set by class. So we're not placing a symbol, but a PIO. Different kettle of fish; not rocket science, but more involved. It would seem one would need to place an instance of a Plant PIO with the VS function "CreateCustomObject", get its bounding box and the bounding box of the circle, and determine the scale ratio; then scale the "Spread" and "Height" parameters by the scale ratio. I don't have time to play with this, but maybe @Pat Stanford would like a diversion. Seems like it would be a useful script for Landscape users.

There are no symbols to use too replace the circles in the file you sent.

"Duplicate Array..." ?

The script might try dividing the bounding boxes of the circles by the bounding boxes of the symbols? Maybe subtract an arbitrary number to be sure the result is small enough? Maybe not.

If you have questions, message me, sjones@autoplotvw.com

If you ever want a Zoom tour, conversation let me know. As for my sales acumen. The approach is a lot like a drug dealer. "Try a little". Additionally, there are more tools in the collection than any of my users actually use, so this is also a way to point some things out to people who already have the tools.

AutoPlot Tools for Spotlight does. Lacks sufficient documentation, but a Zoom session will get you where you need to go.

Sharing position changes, automatic numbering, total hung weight in the OIP, and automatic position acquisition; although without care and experience, this can bite you in the ass.