Implement Worksheet wrapping like this ...

[Etienne_Mallee]

If you've ever wasted time trying to get a worksheet to display as you need it ... please upvote this wish.

 

The attached video shows how another CAD package handles worksheet wrapping. It would solve sooo many problems in VW if this solution was implemented. It is easy, simple and allows doing in 3 seconds (literally) what currently takes hours and hours in VW ... playing with multiple viewports that often don't update or even display.

 

The video shows how an overly long window schedule can be made to wrap over several pages, just by dragging one corner of the schedule.

 

Some notes:

- the schedule can be laid out vertically or horizontally

- this approach is entirely 'scaleable' ... i.e. If I was to add more windows, even at the start of the list, my layout would not be broken, and I wouldn't have to fiddle and re-adjust viewports.

- the column or row headers are repeated every wrap (you can just see this in the video)

 

(Apologies for anyone who has seen this video before ... it was attached to the end of a long tired thread and its contribution was lost)

Edited August 25, 2022 by Etienne_Mallee

[line-weight]

Absolutely I would like worksheet "wrapping" in VW but not necessarily implemented exactly like this, because I'm not sure Archicad concepts can be transferred quite like that. For example not everyone would have several "pages" set out on a single sheet like that, and I might well want to combine bits of worksheets with other elements on a page/sheet layout.

 

I would probably want to stick with the Viewport approach, and simply be allowed to "flow" the worksheet from one to the another, something like what most desktop publishing software lets you do with text, flowing from one frame to the next.

[Jeff Prince]

Maybe switching to a program that has the features you want would be easier than getting Vectorworks to change?  

With the recent change to the Vectorworks licensing agreement, what’s keeping people from switching to ArchiCAD or Revit?  Either of those are more powerful architectural solutions.

[_James]

Graphic Legends in 2023 is pretty similar to this - 

 

https://www.vectorworks.net/en-GB/2023

[line-weight]

2 hours ago, _James said:

Graphic Legends in 2023 is pretty similar to this - 

 

https://www.vectorworks.net/en-GB/2023

 

yes I was thinking the same when I watched that video.

 

(haven't explored it in action myself though)

 

But is this a classic Vectorworks move to introduce something that has a kind of parallel and nearly duplicate function to something that already exists, but doesn't quite replace it, so that the old thing continues to be neglected but can never be done away with?

[_James]

I had a very quick play with it to make a window schedule and was pretty impressed.

 

I really hope Worksheets get some attention soon though, particularly to make formatting them easier which is probably closer to the original poster's wish. Having to go into dialogue windows to wrap cells and format text and boarders is mad.

Edited September 14, 2022 by _James

[Etienne_Mallee]

On 9/14/2022 at 7:43 PM, _James said:

Graphic Legends in 2023 is pretty similar to this - 

 

https://www.vectorworks.net/en-GB/2023

 

Hi _James,

 

Yes, that video shows something similar indeed. The feature doesn't have to be implemented exactly as in the video I posted. In my video there are multiple sheets on one view (as in that video) but that doesn't mean that they couldn't be spread over multiple sheet layers.

 

On 9/14/2022 at 1:08 AM, jeff prince said:

Maybe switching to a program that has the features you want would be easier than getting Vectorworks to change?  

With the recent change to the Vectorworks licensing agreement, what’s keeping people from switching to ArchiCAD or Revit?  Either of those are more powerful architectural solutions.

 

Hi Jeff,

 

We are still using Archicad (and have been for years) and not using Vectorworks just because of the loss of time trying to get worksheets layed out properly. We decided to move to Vectorworks, as I've written before, because of the promise of the plant database in combination with BIM architecture, and more easily controlled graphics. I thought we would be able to build plant schedules and plant catalogues directly from the drawings and hence save lots of time duplicating information in Microsoft Word. I didn't for one second think that Vectorworks would not allow us sufficient layout options to get the data onto the sheets.

 

So the purchase of Vectorworks might be a mistake. But looking through the forums, this limitation is clearly an issue for many users. And so I thought I would have a go at articulating it and sharing it with the community to see if I could galvanise some action on Vectorworks' part. It can only make Vectorworks better.

 

Etienne

 

 

Edited September 23, 2022 by Etienne_Mallee

[Etienne_Mallee]

Just a quick note. Looks like the Graphic Legend feature in 2023 comes very close to what is shown in the video.

 

I have been playing with it for a couple of days and the layout possibilities are far better. Still a few limitations, but they are minor so far. And no more need for viewports that don't update. Each cell can be layed out arbitrarily, with different fonts etc.

 

Promising.

[Samuel Derenboim]

I think it is an almost identical implementation of the new tool. I agree, Graphic legend feature will be a life saver!