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Repetitive Rooms, Symbols & Door Numbers


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I'm working on a project in which there are many room suites that all match each other, so, naturally, I want to create a symbol out of a typical suite (or maybe use design layer viewports) in order to create the repetition.  But, in either case, how do I do that and still have unique door numbers, and maybe even unique room numbers, for each suite?  There's more than one door and room in a suite.  I need to report on the doors to create a door schedule.  I've considered creating a hybrid symbol where the door and room numbers are text linked to a data record, but as far as I can tell there's no way to simultaneously report on and coordinate such numbers with their door PIOs in a worksheet.  Any thoughts greatly appreciated!   

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Your on the right track. Each instance of a symbol is unique and can have a unique field value.

 

One can have several records in a symbol and in a worksheet. The database criteria selects the pool of objects to report on. Column headers can be from any record or PIO field those objects have. So placing a Door number with the Room number should be very possible. It might be a big spreadsheet!

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Maybe I need extended formulas in the column headers?  To simplify things for the moment, let's forget about the suite and just look at a door.

 

I want to include geometry with my door that can't be created with a PIO, such as the casing for the door in the attached file.  But I also want to use the Door PIO, so that I can generate a schedule based on the door's properties, especially its size.  So I've created a symbol that includes both the Door PIO and the casing geometry.  And I've included the door's number as text linked to a "Door Number" record format (because the Door PIO's door (tag) number would necessarily have to be the same for each and every instance of this symbol).

 

But when I create a report that looks for the "Door Number" record, the Door PIO's width and height are just returned as "0" (see attached file).  And when I create a report that looks for the Door PIO itself, nothing is returned for the "Door Number" record.  I also did a report looking for the symbol, which didn't work (but which anyway would be far from ideal in a file with several different door symbols and many more non-door symbols...).

 

So how do I simultaneously report on a record format attached to a symbol, AND a PIO contained inside that symbol?

 

Thanks!

03-Symbols with PIOs.vwx

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Okay, guess I'm the first one to do a hotel with Vectorworks.  But Vectorworks being the mother of invention, it occurred to me that if all the suites are the same, then their doors would be the same, too.  So, I'll just use door types, and instead of having 40 rows in the schedule that are all exactly the same, except for door numbers, I'll just have one row for each door type (and the quantity of each).  Much better, as it turns out!

 

But when I try to dimension to a window PIO in my room suite symbol, Vectorworks crashes.  After many crashes, it turns out that even in a blank file, with the default "Architect" workspace, when I draw a default wall, and put a default window in it, and save that as a symbol, and then try to dimension to the window... Vectorworks crashes.

 

Can anyone else replicate this, or is it just me??...  (VWIS109) 

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Isn't this what the Door ID tag is for?

 

I did play with your file some. I could easily get the total width and height of the symbols right along side the door numbers, but I couldn't associate the door's internal values without having both the symbol and the door show up in the worksheet. Twice as many objects!

 

Of course I don't have Architect, just Spotlight.

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The problem with the Door ID tag associated with a Door object that's used in a Symbol is that for all instances of that symbol, the Door ID tag (the door number) is the same.  What I'm trying to do is combine the advantages of Symbols (repetition, and geometry that can't be achieved with PIOs) with the advantages of PIOs (the ability to automatically report on at least their size (and, ideally, the ability to use their ID tags, but, again, being inside symbols that seems least likely)).  (I'm not looking for the width and height of the symbols, but the width and height of the Door objects contained in those symbols). 

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  • 8 months later...

Was there a conclusion to this? Would there be a way to show text/numbers for both 'Window Types' (for windows that are the same types), as well as 'individual window numbers' for each instance of such window, both in plan and elevation? Using plugin objects/windows?

kind regards anton 

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