Key to instrumentation

[markdd]

While the instrument key tool in spotlight has taken alot of the slog out of the last stages of creating a plot, it would be really good to have control over the order in which the symbols are drawn. For instance all the profiles in order of beam angle, then Pars, then Fresnels etc.

Does anybody out there know of a way of doing this or do I still have to spend 20 minutes re-ordering the fixtures in the group after the tool has created them.

I mentioned this at PLASA in London to a somewhat bemused demonstrator from NNA. He did however show me a "work-around" to do with the "send to" command. Instrumentation order seems to have something to do with the order it is displayed in the inventory though. Maybe a way to re-order these is the key to this!?

Mark

[bjw]

It has to do with the order you input them into the plot. I don't know how that works with paperwork, but I bet you can reorganize your instruments there and have the key show up correctly. I'll check it out, because it's driving me crazy too.

[JYT]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who finds this a bit of a pain. Is this fixed for VW 2008? Contemplating the big "move" but hope the new version solves my spending a half hour organizing the Key to Instrumentation for every drawing.

Also would be nice to have an inventory list configurable like design Layers. Where you can select the order of your inventory.

Jean

[markdd]

I was at a read-through of a play I am doing today at The West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds, UK. I was in the production offices having a meeting with the technical director when a lighting plan generated on wysiwyg came through on the office plotter! The only thing that was really great about the way it had been drawn was the Key. Really neat and all the instruments listed by category, not unfortunately like the Vectorworks version which is a bit of a "hop-scotch" of all kinds of stuff... I am sure the basic tool is really clever, and clearly lists the instruments in the order they were inserted into the plot, but if there were a way to re-order them, then VW might be on to something...... just some thoughts.

I think the whole VALUE and reason to have Spotlight is because it is so wonderfully customisable. It enables us to present our plots the way that we intend, and not the way a software firm thinks we should.....

Mark

[GoodwinLtg]

I too have had issues with this.

The key could be set up similar to title block symbols, so you can customize the basic layout with standard info text blocks, line weights, colors etc, then use a worksheet "inst key" database to determine the order of the units placed in the key.

At this point, I ungroup the entire key block, delete text columns, rearrange the fixtures and related text and add other info as needed. The exit the group. This unusually takes just a few minutes... but should not have to be done at all.

Anyone else have a faster easier way, I'm all ears..

Glen