How To Customize VW Landmark Plant Database

[Guest]

Question :I have created a plant list database. I also have a file of the symbols we have always used for these plants. How do I associate or attach the symbol to the particular plant in Plant Database so it is always attached to that plant. ?

Can I have this in a shared folder so both designers can be using the same exact info ?

Answer : To have a plant database you created work with VectorWorks, it needs to beexported from either File Maker or Excel. The database also needs to follow the exact criteria as our database fieldcriteria. If you reference theThere is an add on you can install into these programs that allows for thedatabase to be exported properly in order for it to work with VW. Go to theVectorWorks folder >Extras>Plant DB Export Files>Database.xls. This is anexample excel file with the exact criteria your database needs to meet. Itneeds to have the same exact number of columns with the same exact columnnames for one exception - there needs to be an additional column called"Propogation" between the column "Fruit" and "Comments".

Once you have correctly set up your database with the exact criteria, youneed to export the file using our add-on of which you install into Excel orFile Maker.Please reference Appendix A in the Landmark User's Manual for moreinformation in regards to the export add on installation, how to perform theexport and where to save the export database text file to.

Once you have installed the export add on, exported your database file withthe correct criteria, you are ready to set that database in VW. OpenVectorWorks. Go to File>VW Landmark Preferences. Select VL Plant Database.With the open dialog box, select the correct Plant Database.txt file whichshould reside in the VW folder.

To assign your symbols to the various plants in your database universally,you will need to open the core VW Landmark Resources.mcd file to make thenecessary changes.Go to File>Open and select the file you have your custom symbols in. Youwill also need to go to File>Open and open the file called VL_Resources.mcdfile. This is stored in the VW 9.x folder on your hard drive. Go toVectorWorks x/Plug-ins/VW_Land/data/VL_Resources.mcd. You will need toimport your symbols from your symbol drawing into this VL_Resources file.Please make sure all of your custom symbols have the "Plant Record" recordattached to them. You will not be able to assign custom symbols to theplant database plants if the symbols do not have this record assigned andattached to them.Once you have imported your custom symbols into this drawing, you are readyto assign the symbols to the plants in your plant database.

To assign the symbols - Go to Landscape>Plant Manager.The Plant Manager dialog box appears.Be sure the plants you wish to assign symbols to are added to the ProjectPlant List.Change "List: " to "Project Plant List".Select the plant you wish to assign a symbol to.Click on View Item.Then Click Add to plant list,A Project Plant List Record dialog box appears.You can change the various criteria for the current plant in this dialogbox.On the right side of the dialog box are the Plant AttrsThe "uses symbol" field is where you can assign a new symbol. If a symbol iscurrently assigned to this plane, the name will appear. If no symbol isattached to the plant, nothing is next to "Uses Symbol". To change thesymbol, or to attach the symbol click on the CHOOSE button. Select thesymbol you wish to assign to the current plant from the drop down list.

If you do not see the symbol you wish to assign to the current plant, eitheryou did not import the symbol into the file, or the symbol does not have theplant record attached to it.

When you have selected the symbol you wish to assign, click OK. When therest of the criteria is correct in the Project Plant List Record dialog box,click on Save Changes.This will bring you back to the Plant Manager dialog box.You can now select another plant and add or change the symbol accordingly.

When you have completed editing each of the plants in your plant list, clickon DONE to exit the plant manager. Save the changes to the VL_Resources.mcdfile and close the file.

When you go to create a new document or edit any of your current VW Landmarkdocuments, the new symbols will be assigned to the corresponding plant whenusing the Plant Manager tool.

Once you have set everything up on one machine, you can then use this sameset up on additional computers in your environment. You will need to copythe VW LANDMARK 9.x\Plug-Ins\VW_Land folder from your machine to the othermachines. This will replace the VW_Land folder and subfolders on theirmachines with the settings you have customized.

[Guest]

Chris,

What type of things in Architect would you like to have a database for?

[Robert Anderson]

Chris, you say:

"I’m a firm believer That critical cost data doesn’t only come from line & polygon properties? But from interaction And versatility of the cad and data exchange? Im close to completely automating Material Scheduled Virtual construction but no thanks to NNA, who seem to be stuck in a time warp."

I'm interested to know what you have done. I don't think it's so much that we're stuck in a time warp as we have to listen to the many (sometimes divergent) voices of our customers. We also have some openings available for betatesting of the next version of VectorWorks Architect and Landmark. Are you available to do testing? Please email me at:

randerson@nemetschek.net

Thanks.