symbol editing et al.

[grantvz]

I would love to be able to edit attributes of pre existing symbols. Such examples of this are:

being able to change the door swing arc line to a dashed line (and change all line weights for that matter), being able to edit the text and arrows for a stair symbol. These packaged symbols make integrating them into drafting harder because they have their own style, which makes them stand out like symbols. A continuation of this wish would be a nice little macro that allowed users to make their own prefab tools, and set up the dialog boxes as they liked.

[Alexandre Villares]

Wop! I guess I understand your trouble, but there is some clarification needed here:

Symbols are fully editable: Menu Organize > Edit Symbol, and change whatever you want.

Plug-in Objects (PIOs) are those pre-made parametric objects (red on the Object Browser from VW9 onwards).

Those can be 'unmade', opened up and altered, by the ungroup command. Note that they will no longer be parametric objects and you only get the 2D or 3D parts at a time, so be sure to duplicate them an ungroup first on the top/plan view and then on some 3D view. You can then make a full 2D/3D common (editable) symbol out of the remaining objects.

But also you can make your own PIOs if you take the trouble of learning VectorScript the programming language that comes embeded on VW.

[ 07-18-2002: Message edited by: Alexandre B A Villares ]

[Guest]

If you are using true symbols (via the resource palette), those can all be changed for eternity.

You would simply open the file the symbol resides in from VectorWorks-Object Libraries_specified object library file. Then you would grab the symbol you want to edit and make appropriate changes. Save the file and close it.

Now when you select the symbol you edited, it will take on the changed settings.

[grantvz]

I see. So if I create a symbol all on my own, I won't get to use the dialog box entry format that VW packages things like the stair tool with. I could do this if I knew VWscript, as well as edit the preexisting plug ins like the stair tool. Sounds like I need to know VWscript.