Framing Member Tool

[Daryl Wood]

I have tried to add plug-in parameters to the framing member tool and the parameters don't appear in the object info dialog. Does the fact that the framing member tool is a "tool" type plug-in cause this? I have added a few new plug-in parameters to the joist tool and they show up in the object info dialog, very nice. Just want to do the same in the framing member tool. I can add data to a record format attached to the framing member but that way is not as slick as having the options show up in the object dialog.

Regards,

[Don Berinati]

I don't know whether this has anything to do with your situation, but I found that 'joists' behave quite differently than other framing members. I discovered this when trying to override class prefs in VPs - any object called 'joist' would override correctly but anything else would not; in fact, trying to override the texture of a 'rafter', say, would not only not work, but it would change how the texture of the source object was displayed on the original design layer.

I get a sense the two objects are wildly different in their characteristics and properties, and I'll be interested to see how others respond to your question.

[Daryl Wood]

Yes, the framing member tool is a "tool" type plug-in object where the joist is a "linear" type plug-in object. The joist has many plug-in parameters where the framing member tool has none. You can add new plug-in parameters to the joist plug-in and they will show up in the object info dialog and on worksheets (assuming the call in the data field is correct), and you can add new plug-in parameters to the framing member tool and they will not show up in the object info dialog or on worksheets.

I need to identify a specific joist type as say "11-7/8 TJI 360" on a floor framing schedule and I need to do the same thing with the framing member tool on a roof framing schedule.

Adding plug-in parameters is a slick way of adding additional identifiers beyond what VA provides in a default plug-in in order to get VW to work more fully as a BIM application.

It is great to parametrically change an object in the object info box but I also need the data. Now I can attach a custom record format but their functionality does not allow things such as check boxes or drop down lists, but the plug-in parameter does.

Note to NNA: Give us either consistent plug-in objects that allow new plug-in parameters displayed in the object info dialog as options such as check boxes or drop down lists, or give us this capability in format records. If VW wants to be a BIM application, then we need these types of things to happen in order to integrate and work with custom data.

Thanks,