Red Symbol Color?

[Bruce Kieffer]

Is the use of this type of symbol that has red text common? Do you use it, and what for? This info is from the Vectorworks help.

 

[Pat Stanford]

This is the option you want to use any time you want a "Template" object that can be stored in the Resource Browser or used in multiple files, but you still need to be able to work with the geometry once it is placed in the file.

 

How about a quick furniture example.  You are using a biscuit joiner and biscuits to put a carcass together.  If you use symbols for the biscuits, you can't do a Subtract solids to do the actual cuts they are supposed to insert into. If you make the biscuit a Red Symbol, then when you insert it, it will show up in the drawing as Solid (or whatever) and you can then use it to do a solid subtraction to get your slots. You could also do similar with bolts, hinges, etc.

 

Similar used for people who want to have actual Door or Window objects in the drawing, but want to have a pre-saved version in the Resource Browser so they can either reuse them or store them in a library file.

 

Make sense?

[zoomer]

I would use PIO Styles instead.

But there may still be some PIOs that have no Styles available.

[Andy Broomell]

37 minutes ago, Pat Stanford said:

This is the option you want to use any time you want a "Template" object that can be stored in the Resource Browser or used in multiple files, but you still need to be able to work with the geometry once it is placed in the file.

 

How about a quick furniture example.  You are using a biscuit joiner and biscuits to put a carcass together.  If you use symbols for the biscuits, you can't do a Subtract solids to do the actual cuts they are supposed to insert into. If you make the biscuit a Red Symbol, then when you insert it, it will show up in the drawing as Solid (or whatever) and you can then use it to do a solid subtraction to get your slots. You could also do similar with bolts, hinges, etc.

 

Similar used for people who want to have actual Door or Window objects in the drawing, but want to have a pre-saved version in the Resource Browser so they can either reuse them or store them in a library file.

 

Make sense?

 

I believe in that example the symbol would be Blue, which indicates Convert to Group. But same concept. Red and Blue symbols are very similar. Blue Converts to Group upon insertion and Red converts to Plug-In Object upon insertion.

 

So let's say for example you use the "Table and Chairs" tool and have set it up with a configuration you want to quickly use again in the future. Save it as a Symbol but check the "Convert to Plug-In Object" checkbox. This will make a Red symbol in the RM. Then whenever you drop this Symbol into your file, or other files, it'll create a "Table and Chairs" with those settings instead of whatever the default settings might have been for that tool.

 

So as Zoomer states, Red Symbols are sort of a way to have Plug-In styles without actually having Plug-In styles. It's more of a Plug-In preset, I suppose.

 

EDIT: To answer the original question, I've never really intentionally utilized them, though they may be useful in some contexts.

Edited April 2, 2018 by Andy Broomell

[Bruce Kieffer]

6 hours ago, Pat Stanford said:

How about a quick furniture example.  You are using a biscuit joiner and biscuits to put a carcass together.  If you use symbols for the biscuits, you can't do a Subtract solids to do the actual cuts they are supposed to insert into. If you make the biscuit a Red Symbol, then when you insert it, it will show up in the drawing as Solid (or whatever) and you can then use it to do a solid subtraction to get your slots. You could also do similar with bolts, hinges, etc.

 

Similar used for people who want to have actual Door or Window objects in the drawing, but want to have a pre-saved version in the Resource Browser so they can either reuse them or store them in a library file.

 

Make sense?

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I actually do use a biscuit symbol and I cut the slots by subtracting the symbol from the panel. It works. None the less, I'm still having trouble making a red text symbol. I think the help instructions are missing a step. I placed a door, modified that instance, and then used the "Create Plug-in Style" command to make a new symbol and then it is red. Are there other ways to do this? I can't make it work the way the Help tells me to do it.

 

I do see the value of this red type symbol. It's a symbol, but when placed it's an object.

 

Now Dear Vectorworks, Please change the red color to something more discernable to a color blind person. I cannot tell the difference between the red you use and the black. I have to ask my wife to tell me if it is red. That's a problem that you could easily fix if before you release software you asked a color-blind person if the red was discernable. I can see the tone of the green, I could not comfortably say it was green, but the red you use is the same as black to me.

 

Edited April 3, 2018 by Bruce Kieffer

[markdd]

Create Plug-in style is used for objects that support that function such as doors, windows and Sheet Borders. However there are many other plug-in objects that don't yet support plug-in styles, The way to store these so that when they are inserted into the drawing with the same parameters as the plug-in they were saved from, is to check the Convert to Plug-in Object in the symbol options box which should appear when you create the symbol. It can also be reached by right-clicking on symbol in the resource browser.

[Bruce Kieffer]

Thanks to all for the help. I think this would be clearer to me if I had a use for the "red" type symbol. I will be thinking about using it as I'm working.