Is there a simple way to create a simple materials takeoff from basic solids?

[Marissa Farrell]

If you want to edit a script of a Marionette object, you can right click and choose "Edit Script" or sometimes you can just double click on it. (The only time it won't work on double click is if it is using control geometry, in that case you will activate the reshape tool.)

Another option that I sometimes do is to "Convert to Wrapper Node" and then "Unwrap Marionette Network" so that you can see the guts right on the drawing area. It's easier to test this way because you can then just run the network to see the results rather than having to go in and out of the Object's 'guts'

 

All Marionette networks are saved right to your drawing area (in the case of a wrapper/object, they are just in containers, similar to groups/symbols). Default Marionette nodes will reference an external Python file saved to your application folder, but in almost all cases you don't need to worry about that. For the most part, you should not ever have to edit the Python script in order to create objects/workflows with Marionette.

[Marissa Farrell]

Also, just as an additional resource, the Vectorworks help files were updated for Marionette in 2017 to include two examples of network creation in Marionette.

I designed the more advanced one which should help to show what you need to know. I believe this link should bring you to it.

 

http://app-help.vectorworks.net/2017/eng/index.htm#t=VW2017_Guide%2FMarionette%2FMarionette_Tutorial_Creating_a_Simple_Cabinet.htm%23XREF_41117_Creating_a_Simple&rhsearch=marionette&rhsyns=

[line-weight]

Thanks. I'll have a look at that at some point soon, I hope.

[line-weight]

Going back to my original question and (for now) forgetting about Marionette, records, worksheets, etc - would something like this work in principle:

 

Every component (ie every piece of cut sheet material) is a symbol. These potentially contained in groups to keep things manageable.

 

Then, on a separate design layer from the model itself, I lay out one instance of each and every symbol, as it were, "on the ground" , look at them in plan view and attach dimensions to each.

 

Then I can at least create a consolidated sheet where each piece is shown visually, along with its dimensions, and if I change anything in the model, these changes will be reflected on this sheet. Ideally with the dimensions being attached in such a way that they update themselves.

 

This is in fact similar to how I've done window/door schedules in the past.

 

Question is if there's then a straightforward way to automatically count the instances (in the model only) of each symbol and put this info on the same drawing.

 

[Pat Stanford]

line-weight,

 

Yes, your plan is a good one. As long as the parts are parallel to all three axes, the =Length, =Width, and =Height calls in the worksheet will get you what you need, or at least close.  They will return the dimensions for the "bounding box", so if you have a piece with angled ends, it will give the overall length, but the the dimension of each side.

 

As for your counts for the BOM, I would probably create a worksheet with a database. The database criteria would be Type is Symbol and Layer is Model Layer. Formula for  the Symbol Name is =S. If you drag a SUMmarize tile to the column header for the column with the symbol name, you will end up with one subrow for each different symbol. Put a formula of =count in a different column, and you will get the number of rows SUMmarized in the subrow.

[line-weight]

32 minutes ago, Pat Stanford said:

line-weight,

 

Yes, your plan is a good one. As long as the parts are parallel to all three axes, the =Length, =Width, and =Height calls in the worksheet will get you what you need, or at least close.  They will return the dimensions for the "bounding box", so if you have a piece with angled ends, it will give the overall length, but the the dimension of each side.

 

As for your counts for the BOM, I would probably create a worksheet with a database. The database criteria would be Type is Symbol and Layer is Model Layer. Formula for  the Symbol Name is =S. If you drag a SUMmarize tile to the column header for the column with the symbol name, you will end up with one subrow for each different symbol. Put a formula of =count in a different column, and you will get the number of rows SUMmarized in the subrow.

 

Thanks for comments. Are you referring to my plan in my original post, or the one in my post above yours?

 

Also - re. the parts being parallel to all three axes, I take it that's the axes internal to each symbol? Rather than the "world" axes for the model (because different instances of the same symbol might be in different orientations)

Edited July 21, 2017 by line-weight

[Pat Stanford]

I was referring to your new plan as of your post just above mine. Placing an extra copy of the symbol on a layer and then getting the L,W,H in a worksheet.

 

Try it in a new blank file.  Create a symbol and put in a version that is orthogonal and a version that is rotated.  The numbers reported in the worksheet will be different. as it will get the bounding box of the instance, not the objects in the symbol definition.

 

 

[line-weight]

26 minutes ago, Pat Stanford said:

I was referring to your new plan as of your post just above mine. Placing an extra copy of the symbol on a layer and then getting the L,W,H in a worksheet.

 

Try it in a new blank file.  Create a symbol and put in a version that is orthogonal and a version that is rotated.  The numbers reported in the worksheet will be different. as it will get the bounding box of the instance, not the objects in the symbol definition.

 

 

Ah, I get you. I was actually meaning that I'd manually dimension them (ie. with the dimension tool) and then have the information as a drawing. But if it's possible instead to pull the dimensions into a worksheet as you describe, that would be better.

[AlanW]

@line-weightHi, you might get in touch with @kerfboyhe was doing cabinetry and templates extracted from Marionette scripts. Each of the sections of the drawers, cups, shelves, pilot holes etc etc were all coming from the network. Last contact I had it was looking pretty amazing. Maybe he could share some of his results with you.