Menu based Class creator?

[jezscott]

I saw this:

http://www.cadconsultancy.co.uk/news/news13.html

I have very little experience of VectorScript, but I wondered if it would be possible or even fairly straight forward to write a menu based class creating plugin for Vectorworks?

This seems like a very user friendly method of selecting the appropriate class and adding it to the current documents class list.

JEz

[mike m oz]

Vectorworks has had this capability for ages via Standards. When you want to create a new Class or Layer there is an option to either manually create the Class or Layer, or to select a Class or Layer from a pop-up list of Standards.

[jezscott]

With Vectorworks, you can only select existing classes from an existing standard file.

You choose the file eg AEC_UK.sta

then choose the class eg. A-G251-G-WallExtlBlwk

The example method linked above, allows you to build a class using the AEC method of Agent/Element/Presentation/Description/View.

However you build the class name using real words for each feild, eg:

Architect>G Buildings: Walls>External Walls>Graphic>Forward

creates the class name:

A-G251-G-WallExtl-Fwd

I think the linked application (for microstation only) also sets the class attributes.

[mike m oz]

You can put any file you like (or a copy of it) into the Standards file and it will be accessible directly from the pop-up list.

If you use the Choose button you can navigate to any VW version file on your computer or LAN and select from the Layers or Classes it contains. In both cases the Classes graphic attributes will be imported.

You can also create Template files for the various "Standard" you might want to use and start with them.

[jezscott]

The method you describe is how I currently use VW standards.

The included AEC(UK) classes are not complete and to make a new class based on this system you have to type the name manually. This of course can be saved as a standard file for future use, however...

Its the creation of classes from word based selection I'm interested in, rather than trawling through a list of 1000's of classes that are abbreviated codes.

In this proposed application, you create the class using word based fields, but it actually names the class using standard abbreviated codes for the current document.

[mike m oz]

I can see your point about how this would make creating the correct Class name easier. The user still has to remember which Class is used for what though.

[Dieter @ DWorks]

Just use the words for the class instead of the abbreviations. Not everyone knows them and why should you use them anyway? Classnames should be easy to read and say what's in it.

[jezscott]

True, this would only help with creation and not general use once it is in the file.

I find that the list of classes I actually use in a file is much smaller than the total available.

With the AEC(UK) system there is an abbreviated description in the class name to help. Unfortunately this is at the end of the class name, which is not practical.

I have messed around with the Class & Layer Mapping tool (using saved mapping text files) to convert from a word-based class structure to a code-based class structure. this would have to be executed every time you export the file though, and errors are very likely.

[jezscott]

So, as per original post.

Is it possible with VectorScript to make a plugin application similar to this?:

http://www.cadconsultancy.co.uk/news/news13.html

...If so I might start investigating VS in a bit more detail in my spare time.

[Dieter @ DWorks]

It's possible to create that in VS.

[_c_]

soon or later the edit text pull down menues will finally be available. They are there at least since VW 12. How nice that will be.... At every version I check if they are official. But still no joy

orso

[David L]

I've been using a palette based class/layer system since about MiniCad 7. Its incorporated into my sheet template do its available whenever you start a new drawing. All standard Classes are available from the PLANS and SITE palettes. Just double-click in the class and it is activated. If the class does not exist it is created with all of the standard attributes defined in the script.

This works great for Office Standards because whenever someone uses the palettes the class always uses the same names, line weights, colors and other attributes.

The template also has many other features, like automated layer setup for site, plans, elevations, etc. and automated sheet setup for print output.

The template is setup for residential or small commercial projects but could easily be adapted for larger projects. Check it out and see what you think. The scripts are all unlocked so you can look at them and edit them.

The template is setup for a 24" display (1920x1200). I included a screen shot to show how the palettes should be arranged on screen.

[jezscott]

I've been using a palette based class/layer system since about MiniCad 7. Its incorporated into my sheet template do its available whenever you start a new drawing. All standard Classes are available from the PLANS and SITE palettes. Just double-click in the class and it is activated. If the class does not exist it is created with all of the standard attributes defined in the script.

This works great for Office Standards because whenever someone uses the palettes the class always uses the same names, line weights, colors and other attributes.

The template also has many other features, like automated layer setup for site, plans, elevations, etc. and automated sheet setup for print output.

The template is setup for residential or small commercial projects but could easily be adapted for larger projects. Check it out and see what you think. The scripts are all unlocked so you can look at them and edit them.

The template is setup for a 24" display (1920x1200). I included a screen shot to show how the palettes should be arranged on screen.

That is a good system, it is right there when you need something.

You can do something similar in the Organisation Palette using New and then import from a standard file, but this takes quite a few clicks to get to. I'm interested in how you set these up, so I'll have a look through your sample and try something myself.

However, my problem is that I want to make a system using any of the 1000's of UniClass codes, I don't know which codes I'll need as our projects are quite varied.

I thought of making a number of standard vectorworks files for each section of the UniClass to be selected from New>import... This would be quite easy to do using my Excel list of codes and pasting into saved text files from "Class Mapping" so no need to type them in one-by-one.

I also thought of using "Standard Naming" (Architect ed.) to alternate between not only different standards (eg convert to and from CI/SFB and UniClass) but also from 'clear word based descriptions' to a 'standard code'. All I have to do is line up the equivalent class names in the ClassNameStds Worksheet.

eg.

A-G251-G-Fwd would be:

A-G_Building-G2_FabricComplete-G25_Walls-G251_External-Graphic_Forward

...but I just realised VW only allows 3 menus deep

and the name is so long you can't see the end in Object Info.

So I might something like this and convert it for exports - the brackets "()" are also in the class name:

A/G_Build/1-Site-G11_Clear-(A-G11-G-Fwd)

A/G_Build/2_Fabric-G25_Wall-1_Ext(A-G251-G-Fwd)

A/G_Build/2_Fabric-G25_Wall-2_Int(A-G252-G-Fwd)

A/G_Build/2_Fabric-G25_Wall-2_Int(A-G252-G-Hid)

A/G_Build/2_Fabric-G25_Wall-2_Int(A-G252-G-Txt)

A/G_Build/3_FabPrt-G32_Open-1_Win(A-G252-G-Fwd)

A/G_Build/4_FitFrn-G41_Circ-(A-G41-G-Fwd)

A/P_Mat/3_Miner-P34_Bitu-1_Asph(A-P341-G-Fwd)

These work arounds are getting off topic though.