How to add a hatch to the Top/Plan View of a symbol?

[Darin K]

I'm drawing a black-box theatre and am including a class for the HVAC (as it interrupts our grid and is a crucial piece of information for lighting designers).

 

I drew the ducting as an extruded rectangle which I then turned into a symbol (so I could set the Z height). 

 

Is there a way for me to give the HVAC symbols a hatch pattern when viewed in 2D (Top/Plan) view?

[mjm]

9 minutes ago, Darin K said:

I'm drawing a black-box theatre and am including a class for the HVAC (as it interrupts our grid and is a crucial piece of information for lighting designers).

 

I drew the ducting as an extruded rectangle which I then turned into a symbol (so I could set the Z height). 

 

Is there a way for me to give the HVAC symbols a hatch pattern when viewed in 2D (Top/Plan) view?

Make the HVAC symbols auto hybrids (or make 2D symbols for your HVAC. ITEMS) and set fill to your preferred hatch

[Darin K]

14 minutes ago, mjm said:

Make the HVAC symbols auto hybrids (or make 2D symbols for your HVAC. ITEMS) and set fill to your preferred hatch

I converted it to auto hybrid and then it disappeared from my top/plan view entirely. I don't know what settings to check to bring it back

[Darin K]

Okay, I figured out how to make it visible, but when I go to 2D Appearance (in the OIP), select "Use 2D Class Attributes", and then set the Class Fill to a hatch, it still doesn't show as hatched on the Top/Plan view

[Pat Stanford]

Is that Class set to Visible?

[Darin K]

21 minutes ago, Pat Stanford said:

Is that Class set to Visible?

It's my active class

[Tom W.]

I would use a Hybrid Symbol rather than an Auto Hybrid. This was the other option that @mjm gave. You will have a lot more control over the 2D representation, both Top/Plan + other views. If you want, you can include different geometry in different classes + show different things at different times e.g. a schematic representation, a realistic representation, text, etc.

[Darin K]

Is there a simple way to undo the auto-hybrid function of this symbol, or should I just redraw it? It's pretty simple geometry

[Tom W.]

If you Ungroup the Auto-Hybrid in a 3D view it will return to being a 3D symbol. Then right-click on it + chose 'Edit 2D Components' to add Top/Plan geometry. In the Top view edit mode you can right-click + choose 'Generate 2D From 3D Component...'

[Darin K]

While we're on the subject, I feel like simply drawing and placing this object is taking too many steps. I am using an extruded rectangle to represent an HVAC duct.

 

I draw the 2D shape

I extrude it

I make it into a symbol (because you can't set the Z height on an extruded object)

Place the symbol

Make it a hybrid symbol

 

Is this correct?

[Tom W.]

Sounds good to me. Or you can draw the 2D shape, copy it, extrude it, paste in place, select extrude + 2D shape + create symbol: with both a 3D object + 2D object selected a Hybrid symbol will be created in one action.

[Darin K]

16 minutes ago, Tom W. said:

Sounds good to me. Or you can draw the 2D shape, copy it, extrude it, paste in place, select extrude + 2D shape + create symbol: with both a 3D object + 2D object selected a Hybrid symbol will be created in one action.

 

That would require extruding it on the same plane as you want the 2D shape, yeah?

[Darin K]

I did an experiment in a blank document. Drew a rectangle, copied it, extruded it, pasted the 2D on top, created a symbol, added hatch.

 

It's now doing the opposite of what I want; it's displaying the hatch in 3D views, but nothing in Top/Plan

 

 

EDIT: This is what happened when I made it a hybrid symbol. Before I did that, it was showing hatch in both 2D and 3D views. I only want the hatch to display in Top/Plan view.

Edited July 10, 2023 by Darin K

[Tom W.]

Does it say '2D/3D Symbol' in the OIP or '3D Symbol'? Sounds like the latter to me. The rectangle needs to be at Z=0 when you create the symbol not raised to the top of the extrude. Then a 2D/3D (hybrid) symbol will be created

[Darin K]

3 minutes ago, Tom W. said:

Does it say '2D/3D Symbol' in the OIP or '3D Symbol'? Sounds like the latter to me. The rectangle needs to be at Z=0 when you create the symbol not raised to the top of the extrude. Then a 2D/3D (hybrid) symbol will be created

Neither, it says "2 objects" (though I cannot move them independently)

[Tom W.]

Not sure what you've done. You need the 3D object + the 2D object selected at the same time then run 'Create Symbol'. It should create a 2D/3D Symbol if the 2D object is at Z=0.

 

Post the file if you like

[Darin K]

1 minute ago, Tom W. said:

Not sure what you've done. You need the 3D object + the 2D object selected at the same time then run 'Create Symbol'. It should create a 2D/3D Symbol if the 2D object is at Z=0.

 

Post the file if you like

 

Yeah, feels like I'm missing something obvious. 

 

 

Hatch Issue File.vwx

[Darin K]

In case it's not obvious, I'm trying to learn VW purely through VW University tutorials (which are great, but it's like drinking out of a firehose). 

[Darin K]

I figured it out! I have to make the extrude a 3D symbol first, then draw the 2D (with hatch) over the top, select both, and make them a symbol again

[Tom W.]

30 minutes ago, Darin K said:

I figured it out! I have to make the extrude a 3D symbol first, then draw the 2D (with hatch) over the top, select both, and make them a symbol again

 

This isn't correct. See attached. I just selected both objects then went to Modify > Create Symbol... + it gives me a 2D/3D Symbol. You see the 2D geometry in Top/Plan view + the 3D geometry in 3D views.

 

Hatch Issue File_TW.vwx

[Darin K]

4 minutes ago, Tom W. said:

 

This isn't correct. See attached. I just selected both objects then went to Modify > Create Symbol... + it gives me a 2D/3D Symbol. You see the 2D geometry in Top/Plan view + the 3D geometry in 3D views.

 

Hatch Issue File_TW.vwx

 

I see. It seems to be working now (though it gives me the circle/cross symbol that I have to click into the document before it converts).

 

Thank you for your help, I can finally move forward

[Tom W.]

1 minute ago, Darin K said:

(though it gives me the circle/cross symbol that I have to click into the document before it converts).

 

When you create a symbol you have two options for setting the insertion point:

 

 

'Next mouse click' allows you to place it precisely where you want + this is the option you used.

 

'3D Object Centre' (or 'Plan projection centre' if you are in a Top/Plan view) does it automatically + places it in the centre of the object.

 

Just to explain what the circle/cross symbol was!