Vectorworks - Door Types

[carefulsmelly]

Using the plugin door symbols is it possible to create a door type.

i.e. If I change the structural opening of Door Type A all the doors of that type will update accordingly?

At present it seems as though each and every door is to be treated as an independent symbol - which obviously can be tedious where repetitive door types are present.

[CipesDesign]

Plug-ins are not the same as symbols. However you can make a symbol from a plug-in. If you do that (with a particular door, for example) then when you update or change the symbol, all instances of the symbol will change. To do this, create one door first, then with it selected go to Modify>Create Symbol...

[Pat Stanford]

Peter beat me again. ;-)

He is exactly correct. If you want a "door type" then create an instance of how you want to door to look and then make a symbol from it.

When you need to change all doors of that type you can Edit the symbol, modify the PIO and all the doors will change.

If you need to change just one door you will have to Convert to Group which will remove that door from the "type" and make it an individual PIO again.

[carefulsmelly]

Hi,

Thanks for the quick response guys, although I must admit I'm not quite following this.

If I make a symbol from a plugin it can't have an individual ID.

If I make a symbol from a plugin but select the 'convert to plugin' option it doesn't act like a typical symbol i.e. once a number have been placed they are individual objects and can have their own properties.

Am I missing something?

Thanks again for the help.

[Christiaan]

No you're not missing anything. Making them into symbols is a bit of a workaround and you end up losing much of the power the plugin object provides.

Some of us have been asking for this capability:

http://needleandmortar.com/wiki/UK_localisation_of_Door_Object#Door_Types

Unfortunately, as I understand it, this is not a trivial feature to add to VW.

[carefulsmelly]

Hi Christiaan,

Thanks for the response, at least I know its a limitation now and can work around that.

Do you know if later versions of VW have this ability or is it a stumbling block due to the scripting of VW as you allude to?

[Christiaan]

Do you know if later versions of VW have this ability

No shipping version of VW has this capability and I don't know anything about future versions.

or is it a stumbling block due to the scripting of VW as you allude to?

I don't know the ins and outs of it. I just know that when we asked for this capability at a meeting with VW software engineers it was clear that it would require a bit of work.

For us it's an essential part of making VW BIM economical to implement. Simple as that.

[Jeffrey W Ouellette]

You're all missing an important function in the door PIO, "Use Symbol Geometry".

Create a hybrid symbol of the door that you want (not using the Door PIO). Then, when placing a door using the Door PIO, select "Use Symbol Geometry" and select the desired door symbol. Set the "Configuration" to the desired type.

Using this method you have the advantage of leveraging the repetition control of a symbol AND the power of the PIO's data structure and object interaction (walls).

[Chris D]

You're all missing an important function in the door PIO, "Use Symbol Geometry".

Create a hybrid symbol of the door that you want (not using the Door PIO). Then, when placing a door using the Door PIO, select "Use Symbol Geometry" and select the desired door symbol. Set the "Configuration" to the desired type.

Using this method you have the advantage of leveraging the repetition control of a symbol AND the power of the PIO's data structure and object interaction (walls).

This is still a workaround - the PIO won't report the symbol dimensions or any other common factors in your report/schedule. Can we have Door Types please.

[carefulsmelly]

I agree with Chris D on this one.

The symbol / pug-in combo can lead to more serious issues of the PIO data saying one thing and the symbol as drawn showing another.

I get the feeling that the full power of BIM is not quite there yet.

Door Types please!

[taliho]

wondering if this can be another workaround -

if all door type A are sorted on the schedule - can the relevant data be changed with a 'copy' - 'paste'? - Shcedule data should transfer to plan

My schedules are for a single family house, so fairly short and not a big issue

Tali

[Farookey]

Hi all...

Although these workarounds 'work around' to get the desired result, there should be a much simpler way to do this...

Like wall styles and the lot, there should be unstyled and styled doors (and windows)... Would that really be THAT difficult?

[carefulsmelly]

Hi All,

Are Door Types available in the latest version of VW?

[Farookey]

I do not believe it is...

[Christiaan]

Are Door Types available in the latest version of VW?

http://techboard.nemetschek.net/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=153468#Post153468