XY Coordinate Dimensioning Plugin???

[mcobbs]

I have downloaded a few XY Coordinate plugins, and I cannot get them to work. I need to dimension a lot of points on a floorplan, all from a relative 0,0 which I want to be the lower left corner of my floorplan. I have used a 3 plugins (VB x/y, XY coordinate, and Coordinate Dim X), I seem to be having the most problems getting the plugin to understand where I want my 0,0. I have set the "Page / Set Origin", and when I put a locus point there, it shows it as 0,0, but when I use the xy coordinate plugins, it is wrong... Probably user error, but does anyone know how these work, how to use, or a good one I can find? I'd love to be able to specify colors for text, point or locus style, and ESPECIALLY units (mm or feet)

Vectorworks 2008 with Renderworks, SP3

Intel Core 2 @ 2.66Ghz (2 CPUs)

Windows XP Pro SP3

3070MB RAM

ATI x1300 256MB Video

[mike m oz]

The Vectorbits XY plug-in works well. The best way to use it is:

- Place an instance at your desired zero/zero location.

- Zero this instance by typing in the current X and Y values it shows into the Origin X and Origin Y fields on the object Info Pallette. If you have done this correctly it will now read zero/zero.

- Duplicate this instance and place it at the desired location. This will then give their position relative to the first instance.

- Repeat the last step for each of the locations you want to define.

Be mindful that all of these coordinates are relative to what you have defined as the distance from the drawing origin. If you move the drawing origin or move the drawn information they will no longer be correct. The best way to overcome the likelihood of this occurring is to convert each plug-in instance to a group. Yes it will lose its intelligence, but it will prevent you making a foolish mistake.

[mcobbs]

OK, I got the origin figured out, and am able to copy them to get the desired affect. BUT, It is showing up in Inches with no unit mark. Basically

X: 120

Y: 120

Anyway to show unit marks? Or change to Feet and Inches?

Thanks for the help.

[mike m oz]

Short answer is no. It looks as if the plug in is using the basic unit of the chosen unit system:

- If you use feet it provides the coordinates in decimal feet.

- If you use feet and inches it provides the coordinates in inches.

- If you use any of the metric units it provides coordinates in those units.

I think you might be snookered. To my knowledge all of the available options were developed by users in metric countries. Therefore your issue wouldn't have occurred to them because it doesn't happen with the rational metric system.

Looks like you will have to do it manually.