editing wall styles, windows, pios in general.....

[ojardnas]

is it possible to edit, say, a wall style? so that it has some appropriate line weights? or, different classes?

at 1/4" the walls don't show on plan as I'd like.

How about windows? they'll adopt the class style well enough, but the entire window is 1-linetype and 1-lineweight.

any general hints, cautions, tips or tricks on editing VW objects?

[bclydeb]

Yes - in wall styles you can edit using the Wall styles in your document resources. In Resource Browser for your file find Wall Styles click triangle to show them - select a wall style in your document. In the menu above you see Resources click and hold for the drop down menu and pick Edit.

In the dialog pick the part of the wall you want to define a line thickness and style for. IF you pick 'Wall' then edit you can set the style for the outside lines of the wall. Pick one of the contained components and you can set dividing line weights (or no line at all) and set their line weights/style and what pattern, hatch or fill you want to set it off graphically.

To do the Windows - before you place any window in a drawing click on the windows PIO and use the menu bar settings box to bring up the window parameters dialog. Setting each parameter creates a Default window definition for all subsequent window entries. Notice that under the View tab you can check "use part line styles" and the drop down boxes to set each components line weight and in the lower part of the View dialog you can set the style class for each component. Doors has a similar feature set.

You can edit each Window/Door individually later too.

You can pretty well define a double hung window with red muntins, blue sash, tinted glass and purple trim! Or perhaps a more tasteful rendition.

The line weights show up in the various views, plan, elevations, 3D and give you a graphically defined set of components.

You can also get too carried away with setting this stuff and miss deadlines too! {;<)

General Hints:

For most parametric objects - use the settings box before you draw and that sets the defaults for all subsequent objects.

Lines and graphic "primitives" like rectangles, polygons, etc. - With no objects selected, use the attributes palette to set the fill/pattern/hatch, line weight and line style. Then each object drawn after that has that styling. Set type face/letter size/etc. similarly.

You can also set Class parameters to particular line weights/patterns etc. and check the box in the Class Edit dialog "Use At Creation". This will forever after in the file use those settings for that Class. Unless you change them. Then, assuming you have the "creation" box checked you get a dialog which allows you to globally change them all or not.

A Caveat: When drawing items in any class with the "Use At Creation" checked the Class setting overrides the Attribute Palette settings. So to use the Attribute Settings you need to be in a class which does not have the "Creation" box checked.

We typically keep the "None" Class as the base class without the "Creation" box checked an so can use the Attributes to set parameters o the fly as we create stuff. We switch to a defined Class to make use of the Creation feature where we want particular features, e.g. doors, casework, plumbing fixtures, etc. If we want to define several Attribute setups we create a new Class for that setup, give it a meaningful name, set the Class parameters and Check the "Use At Creation".

I hope this is clear to follow and not too much knowledge to overwhelm you.

B. Clyde Beck