Detail Referencing

[Josh NZ]

Can anyone please direct me to where I could find information on how to reference details?

I have the Reference Marker Tool but apart from entering text here manually I can't find a way to link that to a detail on a sheet so that if I number a detail and place on a sheet the detail marker will update with the detail number and the sheet the detail is on. The drawing label has the option to represent the Number style as "Drawing and Sheet". The sheet number is greyed out and shows the sheet number that the detail is placed on. I can't see how this us useful as there will be a details page say page number 09 with a group of details all saying page 09. I must be using this wrong.

Also if I have all my details on a layer, I then use a viewport to show each one on a sheet layer, I could use the Drawing Label Object which will update using the VP name, however when I navigate back to the design layer I have a page of details with no title.

Hope that makes sense.

Edited May 18, 2016 by Josh NZ

[Josh NZ]

I have found the create detail viewport function but this won't really work as we already have a large library of pre-drawn details. Don't want to be doing class overrides on detail viewports to turn wall fills off and pasting info over.

[Jonathan Pickup]

In Vectorworks 2016 you can link a callout object to a viewport.

See this post...

[Josh NZ]

Thanks Jonathan this is what I am after.

Do you have any idea why the marker won't allow you to draw a circle? Whenever I enter 360° the item disappears. Shows with say 350° or less but not a full circle which is pretty much the standard for working drawings.

Edited June 2, 2016 by Josh NZ

[mike m oz]

It looks like you are using a dashed line for the Detail Reference. With it selected change the pen to solid on the Attribute Palette.

[Josh NZ]

Hi Mike

I have actually used a solid line, but stopped it short when drawing it, if I try and complete the circle the whole marker disappears, if I tick "closed" then it just draws a straight line

[Tom Klaber]

It sounds like you are using the arc tool. Try using the circle tool.

[RickR]

@Johnathan - your tip mentions linking but doesn't actually say how. I assume you mean the Detail Reference tool, which forces a viewport of the linked site.

I (and I think the OP) want something that doesn't bring part of the original drawing with it. In much of my work a detail is typical for many places and it the existing tool becomes useless. The idea is a fusion of a keynote callout, a viewport link and a hyperlink.

I'm open to suggestions!

[Jonathan Pickup]

Hi Rick, the tool to use is the detail – callout marker. I think you are confusing the detail referenced tool the Create Detail Viewport command. This command does create a viewport, but if you use the Detail – Callout Marker, then it will create the same object that the command will create, and on the object info pallet you can choose to link to a viewport.

[Jonathan Pickup]

Rick,

futher tip on linked viewports

all tips on linked viewports

[grant_PD]

Hi,

Just tried it and I'm not getting any sort of "navigate to the linked viewport" in the OIP. I can link to a viewport, but after that nothing happens. Is this architect only?

[grant_PD]

Hi,

Just tried it and I'm not getting any sort of "navigate to the linked viewport" in the OIP. I can link to a viewport, but after that nothing happens. Is this architect only?

[RickR]

Somewhere along the line that tool wasn't in my workspace! I don't see the navigate link either, but otherwise it seems fine. Since I don't have Architect either, that might explain a lot.

[Jonathan Pickup]

You do not get a button that will "navigate to the link to viewport". But the detail that you have linked to will give its location to the detail – call out marker. What this means is that if you move the detail to another sheet layer or if you renumber that detail, the changes will appear on your detail – call out marker.

[Josh NZ]

So I have drawn several detail markers in the annotation space of an elevation VP, each marker is linked to another VP on a seperate sheet which shows a detail, the marker shows the correct sheet number, however if I move the detail VPs to another sheet the marker disappears from the elevation VP.

Any idea whats causing this?

[Josh NZ]

Attached a few screens shots showing Callout object, then the VP it is referencing then the page the VP is moved to then back to elevation with marker gone.

[grant_PD]

when I do it I don't get a new viewport. So how is this supposed to work? I draw a polygon with the tool, and then in the oip I tell it to link to a viewport....but where is the detail viewport?

[Josh NZ]

Sorry its a viewport that is already set up, I don't think it works like the tool in archicad

[RickR]

There is a tool and a menu command. It all depends on whether you want to make a new viewport or whether you just want to indicate where a viewport is relevant.

"Detail-Callout Marker Tool" is much like "Detail Bubble" except that it links to an existing viewport. It uses a shape to mark the area of concern. (I prefer an arrow, but I guess I'll make it work.)

"Create Detail Viewport" creates a new viewport based on an existing object. (like viewport crop objects) This is like the "Create Section Viewport" command in that it is linked but shows some part of the drawing where the the marker is located.

(@Jonathan: moving or renumbering the viewport works for me with the linking but I just don't have a navigation button.)

[grant_PD]

I understand. What there should be is a checkbox in the oip of the detail viewport created by the "create detail viewport" command that allows you to toggle the parent's annotations off and on.

[Josh NZ]

Does anyone else have issues when they move the referenced viewport? My markers still all disappear when I move VP to another sheet.

[RickR]

@JimW

This seems an area ripe for developmental clean up! I'm seeing multiple wish list items and discussions indicating confusion and general unhappiness.

It's not sexy but it's important.

[Josh NZ]

Just discovered if you cut and paste the VP the detail marker disappears, however if you move the VP by selecting another sheet in the OIP then the detail will remain and update.

[Tom Klaber]

Yup... It is the most dangerous part of the whole linking thing.

Cutting and pasting is the preferred method to move VPs around. There is also no indication that VW has erased anything. I have asked at least for a dialog to pop up to prevent you from accidently erasing a bunch of annotations.

[Josh NZ]

Yeah not a great setup, could have easily selected all detail VPs and moved to a new sheets only to find out later that all your referencing has not just become unlinked but completely vanished and have to start from scratch.