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DRAWING LABEL - LINKED RATHER THAN ANNOTATION


Tom Klaber

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EDITED AND CLARIFIED WITH THE HELP OF @Kevin McAllister

 

It would be better if the Drawing Label was a part of the viewport rather an independent object placed in annotations.  This would work very similar to the way that Space Label works now.  You could activate the label via a checkbox option, and then the label would be able to be moved via a control point directly on the page rather than having to enter Annotations to adjust them.  Many times, when pages are being reorganized, it is time-consuming to move everything around, then be forced to enter the annotations of each viewport to clean up the location of the drawing labels. 

 

 

Edited by Tom Klaber
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4 minutes ago, Tom Klaber said:

I find it slightly frustrating to have the drawing table in the annotations.  There are enough benefits to do it, but when drawings move around, it is frustrating to have to go into the annotations to readjust the location of the lable.  It might be better it was linked - so it still pulled the info - but still an independent object on the sheet.

 

I know I wouldn't like this. I don't want to chase the drawing labels separately from the Sheet Layer Viewports and I always want their location linked to the associated drawing. That way if I cut/paste to move a Sheet Layer Viewport to another page everything stays intact. Wouldn't this also break the link that updates their scale setting?

 

KM

 

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@Kevin McAllister No - in this world - the link would remain - it would just get its info another way.  Think Space + Room Lable relationship; they are linked, but you are able to move the room label around without double clicking into the space object.

 

And just like that - when you move the space object - the label comes with it.  So in that sense - it would be the same as now - just not requiring you to enter annotations to move the drawing labels.  

Edited by Tom Klaber
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21 minutes ago, Tom Klaber said:

@Kevin McAllister No - in this world - the link would remain - it would just get its info another way.  Think Space + Room Lable relationship; they are linked, but you are able to move the room label around without double clicking into the space object.

 

And just like that - when you move the space object - the label comes with it.  So in that sense - it would be the same as now - just not requiring you to enter annotations to move the drawing labels.  

Ah, so rather than being a separate object like it is now, it would be an inherent part of a Sheet Layer Viewport instead. So you could essentially click a checkbox in the OIP and have a label. I'm on board with that.

 

I'm also on board with anything that keeps it aligned to the viewport, especially if there's an option to centre it and remain centred when I change the name.

 

Kevin

 

Edited by Kevin McAllister
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This would eliminate the numerous times each day that I go into a viewport just to move the drawing label up or down to align with a nearby viewport's label. I'm onboard!

 

This would also allow you to select all of the labels on a sheet at once, and change an attribute or parameter across the board.

 

I once had to change the scale label and title text sizes on a sheet with 42 viewports, going into each viewport individually to do so. The worst part was I couldn't even use the Eyedropper Tool to speed up the process because the text size isn't controlled the same way on Drawing Labels as it is on other objects. I discovered if I turned on the Eyedropper's "Plug-in Parameters" option it would then change the Scale Label size, but it would ALSO change the drawing name, so that didn't help. So lots of manually clicking it was...

 

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Just now, Andy Broomell said:

I once had to change the scale label and title text sizes on a sheet with 42 viewports, going into each viewport individually to do so. The worst part was I couldn't even use the Eyedropper Tool to speed up the process because the text size isn't controlled the same way on Drawing Labels as it is on other objects. I discovered if I turned on the Eyedropper's "Plug-in Parameters" option it would then change the Scale Label size, but it would ALSO change the drawing name, so that didn't help. So lots of manually clicking it was...

 

 

 

Yup...  

 

I run into that issue with the eye dropper tool a lot.  That is almost a separate wish list item - to be able to select WHAT plug in parameters.  Soo many times I have been stuck between that rock and hard place.   Do I change the settings manually to keep the written name data, or do I use the eye dropper and then go back to put all the names and numbers back.  

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12 hours ago, Tom Klaber said:

EDITED AND CLARIFIED WITH THE HELP OF @Kevin McAllister

 

It would be better if the Drawing Label was a part of the viewport rather an independent object placed in annotations.  This would work very similar to the way that Space Label works now.  You could activate the label via a checkbox option, and then the label would be able to be moved via a control point directly on the page rather than having to enter Annotations to adjust them.  Many times, when pages are being reorganized, it is time-consuming to move everything around, then be forced to enter the annotations of each viewport to clean up the location of the drawing labels. 

 

 

 

I would like to suggest a different solution. We should have "Calculated Text" or "Placeholder Variables". This way an automatically created text label can be placed anywhere in the drawing, inside or outside of annotations, symbols, layers, viewports, text blocks..... It behaves exactly like regular text.

 

How would this work? Inside a regular text block write any calculation or search criteria and place it between << and >>. Vectorworks would replace the text between the marks with the calculated result.

 

If the text block contains "This is Layer <<=L>>." on Layer "Ground Floor" this would evaluate to "This is Layer Ground Floor."

 

Another example: "The area of Phase 1 is <<Area((L='New Construction') & (C='Phase 1'))>> square meters."

 

I dont use drawing labels, so I dont know the exact calculation, it would be something like that:

 

"My favorite drawing label is <<'NNA_DesignLayerViewport'.'fDescription'>>."

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13 hours ago, Andy Broomell said:

This would also allow you to select all of the labels on a sheet at once, and change an attribute or parameter across the board.

Although not ideal, When I need to do this, I make a worksheet of all labels and then globally adjust them in there.

 

I think this is a great Idea. I'd love to see more automation.

I would like to see a text/note option which pulls a field out of a record format. Auto naming so to speak.

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3 hours ago, RussU said:

Although not ideal, When I need to do this, I make a worksheet of all labels and then globally adjust them in there.

 

I think this is a great Idea. I'd love to see more automation.

I would like to see a text/note option which pulls a field out of a record format. Auto naming so to speak.

 

Exactly, I have requested a smart callout feature that could easily pull information from attached records. Ideally it would work in design layers and sheet layer viewport annotations alike and have the functionality to be placed as a keynote into a keynote legend with auto-numbering.

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6 hours ago, Thomas Wagensommerer said:

 

I would like to suggest a different solution. We should have "Calculated Text" or "Placeholder Variables". This way an automatically created text label can be placed anywhere in the drawing, inside or outside of annotations, symbols, layers, viewports, text blocks..... It behaves exactly like regular text.

 

How would this work? Inside a regular text block write any calculation or search criteria and place it between << and >>. Vectorworks would replace the text between the marks with the calculated result.

 

If the text block contains "This is Layer <<=L>>." on Layer "Ground Floor" this would evaluate to "This is Layer Ground Floor."

 

Another example: "The area of Phase 1 is <<Area((L='New Construction') & (C='Phase 1'))>> square meters."

 

I dont use drawing labels, so I dont know the exact calculation, it would be something like that:

 

"My favorite drawing label is <<'NNA_DesignLayerViewport'.'fDescription'>>."

I can see a use for this and would use it.... though I'm not sure it achieves the original wish. Drawing labels should be part of a viewport, not separate objects (as should scale bars and probably various other things).

 

KM

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10 hours ago, Thomas Wagensommerer said:

 

I would like to suggest a different solution. We should have "Calculated Text" or "Placeholder Variables". This way an automatically created text label can be placed anywhere in the drawing, inside or outside of annotations, symbols, layers, viewports, text blocks..... It behaves exactly like regular text.

 

How would this work? Inside a regular text block write any calculation or search criteria and place it between << and >>. Vectorworks would replace the text between the marks with the calculated result.

 

If the text block contains "This is Layer <<=L>>." on Layer "Ground Floor" this would evaluate to "This is Layer Ground Floor."

 

Another example: "The area of Phase 1 is <<Area((L='New Construction') & (C='Phase 1'))>> square meters."

 

I dont use drawing labels, so I dont know the exact calculation, it would be something like that:

 

"My favorite drawing label is <<'NNA_DesignLayerViewport'.'fDescription'>>."

 

I requested something similar just to display "Today's Date" before I knew about the data stamp tool.

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I am bumping this out of frustration.  Today's task is to clean up the set in preparation for release.  We made a change to our drawing labels, now each one needs to be realigned.  It would painful enough - even if I had direct edit access to them, but it is compounded 3 fold by the fact that I have to enter the annotations of each viewport to move the label to the correct location.  

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