Highlighter Marker Effect

[Swingaxle]

Hi all,

Working on my third Vectorworks plot (just switched from AutoCAD). I know I can export to AutoCAD and do this, but I was wondering if there was a more elegant way to accomplish this task. I would like to fill in a fixture symbol in such a manner to resemble a physical highlighter pen on a plot. I have tried using the fill option on the attributes pane to no avail, both using the symbol as a regular 2D object, as well as a light. I have also created a separate class with just those fixtures, but this did not work either.

Thanks!

[SAR]

You can color the fixture by editing the symbol. If you still want the original symbol to have no color try making a duplicate of the symbol and applying the desired fill. This is the only way I am aware of to accomplish what you are trying to do. This method obviously color all the symbols that use that particular instance. If you are just trying to highlight individual instruments,(ie keeping track of focused lamps etc.)this method will not work for you.

Steve

Edited March 8, 2011 by sross

[Swingaxle]

Thanks Steve. So having answered that, what is the best channel to request a feature? I understand the software guys are pretty happy for suggestions.

[SAR]

I am not exactly sure, but you might try Kevin Linzey, he is the monitor for this board and deals with spotlight.

Steve

[mspumpli]

You could also make a label legend that highlights, say, the channel. Duplicate your main legend, use text editing to highlight the channel number. Or alternatively, make a legend that references User 7 (say). Give each light an 'F' in that slot, then use Label Legend 'Focused' which has User 7 turned on to denote focused lights.

-Matt Pumplin

ME, Hangar Theatre

[JBenghiat]

A somewhat delayed response ---

One of the principals of Vectorworks symbols is that they are 100% defined on their symbol definition. As you found, changing any sort of attributes of a placed symbol will not work -- you must change the symbol definition.

There is one simple way to do what you want -- move those lights to a separate layer and use layer colors. You may have found that in layer setup, you can specify a color for a layer, namely foreground and background pen and fill.

To see what this does, you must turn layer colors on, which is a document preference. With layer colors on, everything on each layer ignores its color attributes and adopts the layer color settings. Some find this annoying while others find it indispensable.

Enter viewports. When working with viewports, you can set up layers to use layer colors on an individual basis and optionally set the colors via the viewport. You could, then, have a layer named "highlight," set that layer to use layer colors, and set the fill to a light yellow.

All that said, a lighting device is a plug-in object that incorporates symbols, meaning that it's actually a piece of code that draws its objects. There's been some discussion of highlights before, and I think a highlight feature would be an excellent addition to the Spotlight Lighting Device. (And far more likely to happen than changing the symbol attribute behavior.) Even niftier if it syncs to LW flags.

-Josh

[John McKernon]

The problem with using Layer colors is that Spotlight really needs for lights to be on the same layer as the Lighting Positions. If they're on separate layers, then Spotlight will search globally through all layers to find the nearest lighting position. This can be a problem when the light you place on an overhead pipe is actually closer (in x-y coordinates) to a boom on the floor - Spotlight will assign the boom to the light instead of the overhead pipe.

[StagemanGraham]

Could a 'fast fix' solution be to use layer elevations as well? Don't fixtures placed on layers pick up the layer elevation? If so, just place a specific layer elevation closer to the position it needs to have. Of course, this could bloat the dickens out of your number of layers.

Be easier with classes, wouldn't it?