Jump to content

Edit class attributes


Recommended Posts

Hello,

Does any one know if there is a short cut to edit class attributes?

If I have a dirty autocad import or file from another consultant, and I want to sort out the class attributes, line weights etc, ideally I want to right click on a line (or any entity), or use a tool and click, and the "class attributes" dialogue to pop up so it can be edited. Currently I'm having to right click the line to and making active, then on the navigation tool, scrolling down to find the current class, then edit the attributes. Be so much quicker if I could do thins in a more direct way.

Also

If geometry is visible in a view port which we don't want to see, currently we go into the view port, pick the geometry, come out the view, go into the view port classes dialogue, find the class again, turn it off and come out again. It would be great if anyone knows a way to go into the viewport, turn off the erroneous classes with the visibility tool, then "return to view port" BUT the viewport inherits the revised class visibility. Several colleges have asked me if VW can do this, currently I have said I don't think it can?

Any tips greatly appreciated

Thanks

Rob

Link to comment

Hi RDS

I recently discovered that when importing a dwg file from, lets say a surveyor, that you can apply a prefix to the classes that form during the import. All existing layers from the import are converted to classes and by applying a prefix you can easily isolate these.

View port visibility is controlled by selecting the view port and using the OIP/selecting classes to edit what is visible. Hopefully I have understood your question.

Link to comment

Yep, the the classes already carry the prefix, and I know you can control the attributes on import, but sometimes it does not happen (people forget) , or you don't know the content sufficiently to know which classes should carry which attributes.

Its more a case of when you tidy up a file, or even if the data is referenced in to a file that has had lots of work already done in it, we could do with faster ways of editing the appearance. The survey might carry 100 classes, and its a bit tedious to pick up a line, activate the class, scroll the navigation window, find the class and change its line weight. be much faster if you could just use a tool (like the visibility tool), click an object and its class attributes pop up, then you change them, close and on to the next "base of bank" or what ever the surveyor thinks should be in 0.5mm line weight when it does not need to be.

For the later question, I guess OIP = object info pallet? Yep, we use this and this is where the slowness is. He is my example. A viewport exists of a Proposed Ground Floor Plan. it needs some context, so you turn on the imported topographical survey layer (with its 100 classes). some of the geometry and text is needed, but not all of it, so you have to go in, select the geometry to find the class the surveyors automated system put it in, come back out the viewport, go into to OIP classes, scroll down and find the class, turn it off, just to find you did not quite remember the surveyors complicated class naming entirely correctly so the object does not disappear, and you have to do it again.

Alternatively, with the visibility tool, in the design space, you

just put it on the cross mode, click a line and it turns the class off. If there was a visibility tool for in a viewport, this would do it, Or go in to the design layer, use the visibility tool, then go back and it inherits the visibility. Using the OIP is so slow and tedious.

Thanks for taking the time to post though.

Link to comment
  • 4 years later...

Dam, found exactly the question I need, just to find I wrote it 4 years ago. 

Still need this.

Just needs a short cut at the top of the list when you click classes in the edit info palette.. Edit objects class.

EXACTLY as per the wall styles, salb styles etc, (edit style....), that takes you straight to edit that style, 

If any one knows a fast way to edit the selected objects class? don't like to think of the time this would have saved me in 4 years of heavy VW use!

Thanks 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment

Yes it would be great to have a "Edit class" option on a right click of an object....

 

For now my method: I use class rather than object attributes for as much as I can so after cleaning up a survey drawing I then import it into a seperate design layer of my file (with a "zSurvey-" prefix to all classes). I then go through and delete each class one by one. VW asks if I want to retain the objects on these classes which is when I nominate one of my own classes.

 

I then select everything on that design layer and make all attributes by class.

 

Probably a better way to do this but this gives me a very clean drawing

 

Edited by Boh
  • Like 1
Link to comment

I do this the same way @Boh does.  Just go down the list of classes and delete them, reassign all objects on that deleted class to one of my already established classes. Then I have clean linework and only my own classes in the drawing -- no extraneous CAD classes.

 

As an added step, I also like to keep any CAD linework from outside sources (as-builts, consultants, etc) in their own files and then reference them into my clean file.  Then I really don't have any cross-contamination.  Start by purging all of the unused classes.

 

SOMETIMES, if I am lazy, I'll import the CAD to a blank file and save it. Reference it into my project file, and then change the visibilities of the CAD classes in the referenced viewport.  When you reference something, it doesn't bring over all of that file's classes, they just show up in the OIP of that viewport. If I still have the referenced file open, I can just click back and forth -- learn which classes I need to turn off, and then turn them off. Only have to do that once.

 

Another way I just thought of is instead of starting with a line and finding out what class it is on, do the opposite. So in the Navigation palette, change Class Options to "Active Only" or "Gray Others" and go down the list of classes, changing the attributes as you go.

  • Like 1
Link to comment

Referencing also has the added advantage of not bringing in a cad file's symbols.

 

Depending on the project I do prefer importing rather than referencing cad files. Sometimes, if there are a lot of symbols, prior to import I will put all the symbols into a symbol folder called "zSurvey Import Symbols" (or sim.)  Keeps them tucked away nicely in my Resource Manager....

 

Link to comment
On 10/8/2018 at 9:15 PM, RDS Casa said:

If any one knows a fast way to edit the selected objects class? don't like to think of the time this would have saved me in 4 years of heavy VW use!

Post this request in the scripting section as I am sure someone will have made one who wouldn't mind sharing. This command would be a massive timesaver for me.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
  • 1 year later...
  • 4 months later...

This has been really helpful and relevant to me.  Is there a way of changing teh class attributes for existing geometry?  After importing an architects drawings and converting symbols to groups and then ungrouping so that I could use their geometry I can select the geometry and ascertain its class.  In. ungrouping the external walls are now separate runs and I want to select all lines WITH THAT CLASS and amend their attributes for a cleaner base.  However is I use teh select tool it selects all lines not all lines with that class.  Would save me a heap of time.

 

Thanks

 

 

Link to comment

With the magic wand tool click on the settings (spanner) icon in the mode bar. You can set the tool to select all items of the same class.

 

My suggestion would be to make all attributes “by-class” then adjust the class attributes to your preference.

  • Like 2
Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...