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table & chair tool, creating schedules


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After being away from VW for about 3 yrs (different firm, different software,went to the dark side)But am now back using VW which I love. My core projects are designing hospitality venues and as such need to do a lot of seating layouts with tables etc.

My question is;

VW11 has the table and chair tool which initially is great allowing you to input no of chairs, size of table etc, but I don't know how to get the data into a schedule. The plug-in object is not at all like the door and window tools which allow the information contained to be placed on a schedule with simple check of a box. Am I missing something?

I like the ease of this tool, but if I can't use it beyond representing a table layout on plan, i will go back to using my own table and chair symbols and attaching a record to these symbols.

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Unfortunately the tool does not work with user's symbols. It is OK for a quick sketch, but not useful for a proper design of, say, a restaurant.

I've been thinking of writing my own plug-in and if I get a suitable project, I may do just that, with additional functionality for real work.

However, the symbol approach is in my view quite efficient, too. "Replace" is a bit cumbersome to use, though, so experimentation is not exactly fast and convenient.

Finally: it should be possible to generate a report of the parameters.

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Dtcastro you can report on a PIO by attaching a Record:

- Create a Record format called Tables with a Field called Seats.

- Attach this record to each PIO instance, entering the number of seats.

- Create a Report which lists the Tables by the Seats field (check the option for Summarize items with the same...).

Adding other fields will allow you to report in a more complex way if you need to.

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Finally: it should be possible to generate a report of the parameters.

Yes, it is. Too bad the parameters are useless. In its eternal wisdom, NNA has decided that the number of chairs is a string variable, not a number.

I'm sure there is a logic and reason behind this, but being a mere mortal, I can't fathom it.

Where are we now? Mike's suggestion works, but since the data are not automatically updated, I can't really recommend it.

A clever programmer (such as yours truly) could quite easily write a VectorScript that would at least perform the update, but unfortunately my humble wish to ? my efforts annoys certain people here - and, as everyone knows, the last thing I want to do is to annoy anyone. No sir, no annoying!

----

Dear Mr NNA,

Could you please make numbers to be numbers?

Your most faithful servant,

Petri

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Thankyou for your responses, yes the tool isn't very good when you need chairs just on one side of a table i.e. when up against banquette seating. My suspicions confirmed, I will return to my tried and trusted method of creating symbols with records attached.

Cheers

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Table legs going through the chairs is, however, a nice feature!

As comes to symmetry, let's remember what Vitruvius taught us:

"The design of Temples depends on symmetry, the rules of which Architects should be most careful to observe."

and

"When it appears that a work has been carried out sumptuously, the owner will be the person to be praised for the great outlay which he has authorised; when delicately, the master workman will be approved for his execution; but when proportions and symmetry lend an imposing effect, then glory of it will belong to the architect."

To get any & odd numbers, I think you can change the style of the parameter from pop-up to normal text edit box. (For some reason, the Wizards of NNA believe that choosing from a pop-up is faster than typing "2" or "4". I beg to differ, but that of course is of no consequence.)

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A simple way to overcome the problem would be to use the Table PIO (ie. no chairs) and then use chair symbols from the library files.

If NNA could see their way to doing it another option would be to have a stand alone Chair PIO. The code already exists in the Table and Chairs PIO, and there is already a Table only PIO, so why not a Chair only PIO.

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Hopefully the engineers @ NNA will not spend too much time creating complicated PIO's to suit every possible scenario imaginable.

The internet is awash in all manner of 3d components, and VW is pretty good at creating them, too.

Nevertheless, if some poor soul has both the time and the desire to hash-out a commercial quality Table&Chair PIO ( and continue to upgrade it ) ... the world will beat a path to it via vectordepot ; )

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