summing floor areas

[ray isaacs]

i am using the the floor tool to create schematic building masses (because it s a hybrid--if any body knows of a better tool, please let me know.)

unfortunately, i can't simply select all buildings and see the sum of their footprint areas. is there a way to do this without selecting each one and opening the editing window, then writing down the area of the polygon?

i've never used worksheets. is that applicable to multiple floor areas?

i'm really open for suggestions here.

cheers,

ray

Edited October 24, 2013 by ray isaacs

[michaelk]

Ray

It can certainly be done with floor objects, but I think space objects or massing model objects would be more flexible and useful.

Worksheets are exactly the tool for this. I'll attach an example with floor objects, space objects, and massing model objects.

hth

mk

Edited October 24, 2013 by michaelk

[ray isaacs]

thanks, michael. that's exactly what i'm looking for!

worksheets...i looked on the vw website for training videos, but didn't see an intro to worksheets right off the bat. do you know of a good source for such a thing?

cheers,

ray

[michaelk]

Just so happens I did a webinar for VW on worksheets.

I think it's still here: http://download2cf.nemetschek.net/www_movies/webinars/Worksheet_Tricks_with_Vectorworks_2013_Software.mov

If not, you can find it here: http://verysmallgroup.com/santa-barbara-vectorworks/movies-and-stuff/worksheet-webinar.html

hth

mk

[ray isaacs]

thanks, michael. the video helps a lot.

i managed to start a worksheet and generate the information i need.

however, something strange is happening. after inserting the database information along with the criteria, when i insert a row, all of the previously inserted data disappears. is there a bug here, or am i doing something wrong?

ray

[michaelk]

Ray

Hard to say without seeing it.

But you can't insert a data base row. Every row is a representation of an object in the drawing that meets the criteria for the database.

If you want to put a row between 3.5 and 3.6 you either need to resort or add an object in the drawing whose criteria will make it be part of the database and will land in the sort between 3.5 and 3.6.

So if you have buildings 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7 in Phase 1 and you want to add a building 6, you need to add that building in the drawing, not from the database.

You CAN change the names of the buildings and other data from the database and it will change the objects in the drawing, but you can't create a building.

Not sure if that answers your question. Please feel free to post an example if it doesn't.

hth

mkk

[gester]

(..)I'll attach an example with floor objects, space objects, and massing model objects.

michael, can you post a v2012 version, please?

thx,

rob

[michaelk]

Yep.

[ray isaacs]

michael,

here's a youtube link...

i sent the file to vss tech support. hopefully they will find the problem soon.

cheers,

ray

[michaelk]

Ray

That's crazy. I do exactly that all the time without the weirdness you are seeing.

Do you have a localized version of VW?

What happens if the database header rows are exposed and you try to insert a row?

MK

[ray isaacs]

michael,

with help from michael grooves at vss tech support, i figured it out.

if you open the ?set criteria?, the default is the first layer on the list, not the layer you previously selected. ?ok? is also the default. it is too easy to accidently change the layer setting, which is what i did. after adding a row, the worksheet recalculated with the empty layer.

i suggest a redesign. there should be one option: ?edit criteria? which opens with previously selected criteria, and when there is none for a particular row, you set it yourself, in other words no defaults except for previously selected criteria.

cheers,

ray

[michaelk]

Mystery solved!

mk