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Two-Way Finish Schedule


Guest Wes Gardner

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Guest Wes Gardner

Hi Everyone,

Ever have a large project (or maybe even a not-so-large project) requiring you to enter lots of finish information and then having to change it and update it again and again from each individual space? Ever wished for a worksheet where you could edit the finish information, change the space name and/or the space number and do it for either one cell or the entire column? Well, now you can…

First, I’d like to thank all the folks who had a hand in creating this as it’s taken quite a few hours to create, document and test the functionality. Are we there yet? Nope…but this a HUGE workflow improvement for anyone who has struggled with the Finish Schedule.

Enclosed is a Vectorworks file containing two worksheets and a pdf file containing instructions and set-up information for managing finishes from a worksheet. Of the two worksheets, one is a fairly standard Finish Schedule (in fact, the one from Tools>Reports>VA Create Schedule> “Room Finish Schedule”) will work just fine…, the other is what we call a housekeeping worksheet, “Custom Room Finish Housekeeper” that pushes the information to the actual Finish Schedule. This system is set up to take advantage of Project/Workgroup folders for use over a server but could be simplified for local use and still maintain the ability to edit from a worksheet.

I’ve also included Pat Stanford’s worksheet (thanks Pat!!!, sure made this easier…) that returns all the variables from a given plug-in object and a little secret script letting you change the speed of the new view transition. Bonus!

So please, read the instructions once or twice, take the worksheets apart, see where the information comes from and goes to, give it a try and report back so that we can continue to improve the workflow.

For the Industry Expert Team

Wes

wgardner@vectorworks.net

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Thanks for the thanks Wes.

For anyone interested in how/why to use the PIO Fields script, it is also posted in the Vectorscript Share forum:

https://techboard.vectorworks.net/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=108487#Post115054

That link is directly to the version of the script included in Wes's file. The rest of the thread could be of interest also.

Note that the script only works on selected objects, not on doors/windows inserted in walls.

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  • 2 months later...
  • 2 years later...

Wes, that's sounds like just what I need. However, dumb question perhaps, I don't see an attachment to your post. How do I download it?

 

Similarly, Pat I'd like to get hold of those PIO scripts but the link isn't working. And when I find it in the Archives location I hav the same prob trying to find how to download from your post.

I'm clearly missing something here...

Thanks

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  • 4 weeks later...
Quote
On 7/15/2017 at 1:27 AM, Wes Gardner said:

Hi All,

 

Sorry for the inconvenience...I think in the conversion from old Community Board to new, it stripped away some attachments.  Attached here is a tutorial as a pdf and a Vectorworks file in 2017 format with the Custom Housekeeper Schedule and a more standard Finish Schedule included.

 

W

Finish Schedules.vwx

Two-Way Finish Schedule.pdf

 

Thanks Wes. I have downloaded the schedules and read through the pdf. It makes sense and clears up some of my issues I was having trying to work out the VW space tool and room finishes however I am still hesitant to dive into this on an actual real project. In particular I want to reliably import my own custom finishes for my projects. Your pdf instructions say to do this by editing the text files in the workgroup folder room finishes folder and not through the VW application directly. Does this mean every time I have a new finish for a space I want to add to a project I need to do it through this text file and not through the "Edit Finishes" dialogue (accessed from the "Assign Room Finishes" dialogue from the OIP)? I have had inconsistencies previously with the edit finishes dialogue where new finishes were not showing up as options for other space object finishes - so I am guessing this a work around until VW debugs this part of the space tool? It does seems like a very back door way to do what to me seems some basic functionaility.

 

I am not a scripter or computer expert so editing these text files is quite foreign to me. Before I start typing in a whole bunch of room finishes are there some basic guidelines as to how the text should be formatted so that these finishes come through as defaults in the VW program? 

Thanks for any help.5987945a2bb79_RoomFinishesTextfiles.PNG.67d7b6f71facc1d482748e5e1fc3eddb.PNG

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Guest Wes Gardner

@ Boh

 

Yes, the Space tool is a bit nervous.  To use the Two-way worksheet functionality, the instructions in the pdf must be followed very closely.  The text file is fairly easy to make, in fact you can start with the one that ships with the program, make a copy of it open it and have a look.  There are two columns, the first one is the "key" the second is the description.  You can have both alpha and numeric characters in the key.  You can just "tab" between the key and the description.

 

Wes

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  • 2 weeks later...

A couple of years back we went around the two-way editing difficulty (and unpredictability, or we didn't know how to use it properly) with custom data: We have a custom space tag with text linked to a custom space record.

 

What we achieve with this arrangement is this:

 

-ALL Room finishes and other room-related information is visible directly under the space tag, if the related classes are turned on

-The room finishes schedule allows completely free editing; eg. copy-pasting text freely to any cell, multiple cells at on time

-As in the NNA example, we have a housekeeping schedule with all fields visible for easy editing, and a "publishing" schedule that is always in the same layout and format.

-Easy and predictable to use, space object area data etc. can still be used

 

A couple of screenshots attached. The text probably won't make any sense since it's in Finnish, but you get the idea.

 

Custom record finishes.JPG

Space tag with custom finishes.JPG

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  • 1 year later...

Hi,

Can i add a custom data in my space label because i need to include a simple room ventilation type ie: A/C, M/V, N/V ?

I tried to use Additional Info in the additional data space settings but it is not editable. Is there any other way to do it or there is a correct way to do it?

Thanks,

 

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@JMR 

Oops, too focus on the pre-set format i forgotten about 'records'. Sigh.

Thanks, will try on this.

Hi,

Can i add a custom data in my space label because i need to include a simple room ventilation type ie: A/C, M/V, N/V ?

I tried to use Additional Info in the additional data space settings but it is not editable. Is there any other way to do it or there is a correct way to do it?

Thanks,

 

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It may be because sometimes you have to "Reset" the worksheet-space object connection. If you select a space object and in the OIP toggle on any setting then straight off again, then recalculate the worksheet you may find it works again. E.g. flick "show 2d boundary" on then off again.

 

image.thumb.png.e935bbc27c90c77db229f75b7fce2aac.png

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@Boh 

Thanks for the tips, but still not working. 😔

Restart my computer, copy n paste to a new file but still not working.

I tried in the template file given too, but its the same.

 

Maybe its a version problem. Currently i am using VWX2019. What i found out is if I select ceiling finish edit it will work, but if I select the other option it does not work. I dont know how to categorized this issue, is it as bug or something else. 

 

But this is a very good template. Kudos to whoever made this.✌️

 

1952424918_ScreenShot2019-04-26at3_43_58PM.thumb.png.9d5faf35fd5bff397ad6262663f5ad9a.png

 

120789921_ScreenShot2019-04-26at3_44_16PM.thumb.png.64275c0b6874f35f340d128a45980874.png

 

Edited by Acip79
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I'm not using vw2019 yet and I understand there are some issues with space objects with 2019.

 

Might be a long shot but one thing you could check is that the floor, wall, and skirting finishes .txt files are present in your library defaults. You must have a "Room_Finish_Library-Ceiling.txt" file present to get the ceiling finishes to work. So maybe the other ones got deleted somehow?

 

The factory default issue finishes  will be in your program files. On windows they should be here (On Mac they will be somewhere similar):

C:\Program Files\Vectorworks 2019\Libraries\Defaults\Space\Space - Room Finishes

 

If you have custom finishes then the .txt files could also in your user or workgroup library defaults which are set up in your VW preferences. These are user defined locations but will have the same library folder structure as the program folders. i.e. [user defined location]/Libraries\Defaults\Space\Space - Room Finishes

image.thumb.png.4d20eb4393371a8425c9e6828380de3a.png

 

 

 

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@Boh 

 

Thanks for your reply.

I kept all the txt in my server so everybody in the project can use it. it is similar as what is in the user folder. I renamed the one in my user folder so it will detect the one in the server to be use. The file is all there otherwise i cant even select the finishes. My issue is just i cant edit the floor & wall finishes column in the worksheet but the ceiling finishes column can. Sound strange.😇

 

 

 

635125074_ScreenShot2019-04-29at3_14_52PM.thumb.jpg.49a848f6e6b31c98463ef0fe38787ed4.jpg

 

* maybe its a bug because it works fine in VWX 2018. 😔

Edited by Acip79
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A couple of years back we found that the built-in room finish schedule is a bit difficult to reliably maintain. Therefore we went with a custom room finish record, attached to a custom space tag.

 

So far it's been 100% hassle-free, luckily. The built-in space data can still be used, just that we're not any longer bound to the text file defining the room finishes. Copy pasting information in the schedule is a snap now.

 

 

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