Numbering Object, any way to do in automatically?

[MattG]

Here is what I am doing. I am working on a corporate "general session" event with banquette style seating. The client wants all 300 or so tables numbered. I have a symbol for the tables they are using and I did an array of them to start. I edited the symbol added a record that has a field called table number. Now I made a worksheet listing all the table numbers which at the beginning was none because none of them had numbers. I added a column with the x position and the y position. I went through and numbered them sorting by the x and y so they would be in the correct order and using the 2 way worksheet I was able to spend 20 minutes just punching in numbers.

Now it got tricky. They cut about 6 tables and I need to renumber them. They also now want the table numbers to snake and I do not think there is a easy way to sort this. So they start with 1 at the left of the first row then go to 10 on the right now the second row right is number 11 and the left is 20. Does that make sense? I am interested in knowing if anyone has a better way of adding numbers to this or at any point in general on how to add numbers.

The 20 minutes every time starts to add up.

Matt

[David Ormsby]

Matt

Nothing I hate worse than having to number tables - it's a never ending project. When the numbering comes up, I do my best to get them to kindly accept a high res pdf of jpg they can import into PPT and number to thier hearts content.

The worst was on a show I was TD/SM for. Prior to install I had done some sort of color coded banquet plan they were going to use as a printed map in the lobby. Onsite the DM gals keep running up to me asking to change this table or that, while I am calling the rehearsal with the CEO onstage! Luckily the account manager from the staging company had VW and was able to help, but they really thought the map was more important than what was going on onstage!

Anyway - the only suggestion I could give is to use Spotlight; create a hanging position for each row and insert the tables as instruments. Create a custom Label Legend that puts a big Unit number in the center of your table. Alternate the numbering order on your hanging positions from R/L to L/R. I think this way the only number you'll have to enter is the first number for each row, but that's got to better than all 300.

Maybe the new Event Seating tool in VW '10 will di this for us?

Good Luck

[bcd]

Just a thought but could the Location Planning module resolve this.

I know it's available for VW 12 whether it works for 2008 .....?

http://www.nemetschek.net/downloads/fundamentals/index.php

[bking39116]

There is a legacy tool I use for this called Number Stamp or Data Stamp. You have to install it in your workspace. I know it's there in 2008, I'll have to check on 2010.

The stamp tool let's you set a starting number and stamp away on each table with an auto-increment. I'll then do a quick align on the numbers on the X and Y axes and call it a day.

Hope this helps.

-bk

[CipesDesign]

Yes, it's still in 2010. I use it all the time. Like bk says you'll need to add it to your workspace via the workspace editor.