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WISHLIST: Reading Text, Dimensioning, Plants,etc.


DB Landscape

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I have several requests for Landmark: Text on site plans is challenging to read, even on large monitors. On large site plans it becomes difficult to know what spec's have been included. Currently I print test plots and mark them up. It would be wonderful to have a tool to expand text to a reasonable size to read on the screen when the cursor is moved over the text box. This would eliminate a great deal of zooming in and out and a lot of test plots. I find that I have sometimes included spec's in several different locations because, when the entire site plan is on screen, I can't read them since the text is small.

Re: Dimensions: I have very little call for inches, let alone fractions of inches in dimensioning. On sites of 1/4 acre or more inches are useless and even, on larger projects increments of less than 10'. It is possible on other CAD programs to edit dimensioning text and to set defaults for dimensioning formats.

Plant Placement: My 'dream' plant placement tool would work this way: I create or import a spreadsheet file with botanical names in the first column, and whatever other information I wish to include as long as there is a symbol attached to the plant name in the database, or a simple GUI interface to create a symbol in one column. This would mean that it is only necessary to add or create a symbol for plants in the drawing, rather than for every plant in the database. This would allow the utilization of excellent databases in existence. When I want to place plants on the drawing I open the spreadsheet, select the symbol, place the symbol, and the database updates the number of plants I've placed in that drawing. Then, an order list, plant count, cost, or whatever can be generated. For some projects of mine the plant list is small, for others it can run into the hundreds. There are plants available in local nurseries that may never be sold again. I know, I attempt to get local propagators to grow excellent plants. It's an uphill struggle. Including all the information on the 'once in a decade' plants in the database is unnecessary. The name, source, size, and price are sufficient, if even all of them are necessary.

Currently there is Xeriscape information in the database which is general. A Xeriscape plant in San Francisco may not be drought tolerant in Sacramento, let alone Palm Desert.

Plants that are hardy in USDA zone 6 in the eastern U.S. may perish in Zone 8 Vancouver due to dramatic differences in summer warmth and hardening off. Therefore, the ability to draw on databases for specific locales is essential, not optional. Creating a plant database for the entire US is of limited utility. You might as well try to create a database for all of Asia.

Roberto Burle Marx started his practice at a time when roses and lilacs were imported from European nurseries. Local conditions and seasonal availability mean that swift and efficient modification of plant lists is more successful than creating a single, do all, database, at least in my practice.

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OIP = Object Info Palette

Create a dimension.

Make sure it's selected.

Go to the OIP.

At the bottom of the palette you will see "Show Dim Value" and this is checkmarked. Right below that you will see a Leader and Trailer text box.

If you leave "Show Dim Value" checked, whatever you type in leader will display BEFORE the dimension. Whatever is typed in Trailer will display AFTER the dimension.

IF you want to wipe out what the dimensions says all together, type the information in either Leader or Trailer (but not both, it will duplicate if so) and remove the check from "Show Dim Value".

Magic.

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As for the text on the station objects. This uses the default text size set by Text>Size.

If you need to change the size of a few of the data blocks, you can select them and change the size of the text to a larger number, or even the color of them.

You can also select them all and change the size of the text.

OR you can set the text size to a larger number before doing the create station objects along polyline command, and the road from stake obj command.

Does that help?

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You can set the fractional or decimal that is displayed on the screen for dimensions under the Page menu> Units -- Change "Set Units For" to Dimension Objects.

This has to be setup BEFORE placing any dimensions. Changing it after placing dimensions will not affect dimensions already in the drawing.

Also, if you find that a dimension on the screen reads something other than what you might want it to say, you can change this in the leader or trailer section of the OIP when the dimension is displayed.

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Katie;

Thanks! I had no idea that units applied to dimensions. What is the 'OIP' and 'changing in the leader or trailer'? I've tried changing the text with no success.

Also, in the road data, I can't seem to change the text size. (Haven't read ahead in the manual yet.) On sharp curves the text overlaps. I'll try manipulating it. Is it possible to set the text size before creating the curve data?

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