Wall Report

[RDS Casa]

Hello, I think this is entirely possible. But I'm doing something wrong. 

 

I'd like a report of all the wall types used. I need this report to list out all the wall styles used, and the components in each wall type and their thickness. Its for the contractor to understand the wall build up in each style for pricing. My plan is then to add further specification information in the adjacent columns.

 

I then plan to make another report that lists out quants against wallstyles.

 

I can get it to list out each wall object easily enough. But its the summary function that seems to be going wrong? Say the first column is WallStyleName, The second is ComponentName, the third is Component Thickness.

 

When first generated, it lists out every occurrence.  

When I use summary on the first column it condenses all the second column.

When I use summary on the second column its closer to the intended report, but not what I expected. It seems to list out just a few wall styles and their components, but not everything? 

 

Any ideas?

 

Thanks everyone

 

[Pat Stanford]

Can you attach a sample file so we don't have to try and recreate your setup to investigate?

 

It is likely that you are going to have a hard time doing what you want on a full drawing. The best work around would probably be to place a single "example" of each wall style on a single layer and then limit the database criteria to just that layer.

 

The 2017 and before worksheet used a second SUM tile to "UnSUMmarize" a given column. I know the functionality still exists, but I don't have VW open to test right now. Perhaps something like that would be what you need.

 

[RDS Casa]

Hello, Thanks for this @Pat Stanford

 

I got a lot closer to what I needed following a few tutorials and other threads I found. 

 

http://app-help.vectorworks.net/2018/eng/VW2018_Guide/Worksheets/Worksheet_Tutorial_Creating_a_Wall_Schedule.htm

 

and this....

 

These are almost what I need to achieve, and if you write out the wall type component build up in the description, this works. However, it does require duplication of information and consistency. i.e. if for example an inner block skin jumps to 140 block, you have to remember update it twice.

 

This is more of what I need to achieve (hacked up in excel as an example)

 

 

 

Note here it is listing out the wall types, summarising them, AND listing the components and other data the components carry.

 

My concern here is the cell merging. I just don't think worksheets as a data base can do this?

 

So I'd happily settle for this!

 

 

Which I think probably is possible... but I still can't find out which record formats to bring in and list? I can get it to list the wall types, but not separate out the components and find their values/parameters???

 

It could be that the work sheet then lists all the other wall types after this, so just one big list - however I can see contractors panicking at such a big list. 

 

So better''' I think my ideal is a script that creates a worksheet for every wall type in a drawing, and places it in a folder. Then I can float these on a sheet, next to a little viewport I manually create with an example of that wall type / slab type / roof type. This gets over the image quality/scale issues with the worksheet images.

 

Potentially, if scripted, could the wall type name and description (from IFC data)  be grabbed and inserted before the worksheets becomes data base rows? like this?

 

 

And then, its just a case of running the script every time the you need to publish the summary to update the wall types if they have changed.

 

I could have a go at coding this in marionette, but it would take me some time, if I ever get ti working. In vectorscript... not a chance! 

 

I can see it would be useful to many people. The forum link at the top of the page shows and the existence of a "wall type report" in the default library content means others must have needed this before, I just don't understand why it does not list out the wall/roof/slab components and their parameters. These are essential construction data about them. 

 

Or maybe some other tool does already and I've missed it?

 

Any thoughts, let me know, Thanks

 

 

   

[RDS Casa]

By the way, I did try this great little tool to try and find the right hooks for the components in walls

 

But it only worked on PIO objects for me, not walls. Its still great mind. 

[RDS Casa]

Hello @Pat Stanford, This (sunday) evening I found this...

 

 

Which appears to be more people requesting the same thing, and you already saying its not easy. Sorry, I should have searched the forums more intensely for similar strings. 

 

If it can't be a database, can it be a script? 

 

Have to say I'm a bit surprised its not possible to extract component info and give it to contractors easily? Seems an obvious requirement? I'm going to try marionette... wish me luck. 

 

 

[RDS Casa]

mmmm, I don't want to give up before I've started, but quickly I find:

vs.GetComponentName

vs.GetNumberOfComponents(obj)

vs.GetComponentNetVolume(obj, index)

vs.GetComponentNetArea(obj, index)

 

But nothing about the thickness, even in the SDK wiki. So at best, I think all I could ever do is get it to list the component names in a wall, and I'm not 100% sure how to do that. Beyond dividing the component area by the wall length to get the component thickness (bad idea I suspect), maybe this can't be done?

 

I've also had a bit of a detailed look at the IFC data in a wall. Nothing links to the components, There is an optional IFC record called material, which lists 8 components and allows data input. I had hoped these linked to the components in a wall, but they don't. You just get 8 slots (referred to as components) irrespective of the number of components in the build up 😞 . Nothing is dynamic to the VW component build up.

 

This also means Data tags can't pick out components in a detailed viewport, which would have been nice. 

 

All this seems crazy when the build up information is just there, being useful only to VW users... and beyond a screen grab I can't get it out? Ironically everything I need is in 2 screen grabs! There has to be a better way to get out the information for other people in the process to use?????

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 21, 2018 by RDS Casa

[JMR]

Have a  look at: tools->reports and the attached image

 

Their you can find component thickness as well.

 

As to summing, you must include all colums to summing so that you don't get hidden rows. This way only exactly same rows are summarized.

 

 

You might also find this thread helpful, there is a great script by Taavi:

 

https://forum.vectorworks.net/index.php?/topic/53978-wall-and-slab-style-schedules/

 

 

 

 

[RDS Casa]

Thanks. One step closer... but it only lists out the first component for each wall object. How do I get it to make a database row for each component?

 

When I go to "list all objects of type......" component is not an option,

When I start with component, it wants to list all objects where a given component is present? 

 

Basically whatever I do, it lists the walls, not the components in the data base? 

[RDS Casa]

And I can't find a way to give individual components a record format, even one I create (other wise I could just list all objects with that record field). It seems that components are not objects in the way everything else in VW is, so I'm not sure they can be listed in a Database. This is why its not possible to data tag them?

 

What maybe is possible, but beyond me, is to a script of some kind that grabs the data (because as you have shown, the data can be called) and throw it into a worksheet, but not a data base one. just a normal plain spread sheet.

 

And if so, the key info (that I need at least):

The Mark (of the wall)

The description (of the wall)

The name (of the wall)

------

Then below that, list out in rows each component:,

its name,

its width,

its lambda value,

its R value,

 

If its a normal spreadsheet (not a data base) Then I would also add a specification reference column, Referring each element to a specification clause, eg. block work to F10.355 (which is the NBS common concrete blockwork). Seeing that a record format can't be assigned to a component (I believe) this would have to added manually later).

 

From my amature reading of @taavilooke nice little script, I think its possible? but I'm not good enough to take this and extrapolate it to list out the components. 

 

Thanks for your suggestion though.

 

 

 

Edited October 22, 2018 by RDS Casa

[JMR]

If you change the number in () after the function, you get the consecutive component.

 

=COMPONENTTHICKNESS(2)

 

in a database header returns the thickness of the 2.nd component.

 

More info on the syntax here:

 

http://app-help.vectorworks.net/2018/eng/index.htm#t=VW2018_Guide%2FWorksheets%2FWorksheet_Functions.htm&rhsearch=worksheet functions&rhhlterm=worksheet functions&rhsyns=

 

As to other questions I don't know the answer unfortunately, but you can make a spreadsheet below (or above) the database.

 

 

 

 

[RDS Casa]

Thanks @JMR

 

Interesting.... yes, I can get each column to report the next component, thanks. But still not list the components in rows. 

 

What this does allow me to do however is to create one row for each wall type, and then list out the components successively in that row, using the IF command to put a blank cell in for walls with less components. 

 

Its a very wide worksheet though! The information is there, and is generated automatically and quickly. The output is not so Contractor friendly. But lets see how they take it.

 

Thanks.