VW2019 Space Tool - Validate Auto-Numbering

[Joe-SA]

I've been trying to use the Space Style with a Room Name Symbol to organize Room Numbers on a series of floor plans.  This feature needs a combination of bug fixes and new features before it becomes workable.

 

I'm finding the list of Spaces and Numbers that show up in the Validate Auto-Numbering dialog is seldom totally accurate.   Space numbere 102 graphically in the plan shows up labeled 101 in the Validate Auto-Numbering list, for example.  If you exit the PIO after an edit  in this dialog and then 'undo' the change....when you re-enter  you find the 'undo' is not being reflected yet even though it is reflected in your plan graphics, as another example.

 

There is also a major limitation designed into numbering sequence.   Like many different firms, we change our numbering sequence from floor to floor.  001, 002, etc for Basement.  101, 102, etc for First Floor, 201, 202, etc for Second Floor.   There is no way that I am seeing to limit the Validate Auto-Numbering to a set layer or story.  It calls up all Room Numbers in the whole file.   This means when you 'close gaps' in the sequence of numbers in the basement it changes all the numbers on all the other floors in addition to the floor you are working on.  It also doesn't know what to do with numbers that start with zeros but that may be a quirk with our system and not the tool.  A pre-set number of digits might fix this similar to setting decimal places.

 

You are given the ability to 'close gaps' or to 'add increment number' to duplicated numbers.  You can also drag Rooms up and down through the stack order changing their numbers to be in sequence.   However, if your floor to floor list is not in sequence there is really no way to effectively 'over ride' any number with your desired number.   You have to exit the Validate Auto-Numbering dialog and modify the number for the individual PIO.  Once a number is correct it might be nice to 'lock' it from future automatic edits.

 

Its remarkably easy to change all the room numbers in your file to an entirely undesired result while I'm finding it very difficult to use this dialog box to get a predictable result unless your numbering style through your whole project is a continuous sequence with no numbering gaps and your not very particular about groups of rooms staying in the desired sequence.

 

Am I missing something here?  Admittedly, there is a lot to take in with all of the settings.   Right now I think I'm resolved to switch to the 'manual' Space Number Style and abandon the Validate Auto-Numbering all together.

 

I have also been getting a lot of crashes.  Mostly occurring when changing a Space Style and waiting for it to populate the spaces with the change but not isolated to that.

I've seen that others are believing bugs with this tool are being worked out as part of the next Service Pack.   If that is true I would hope some of these comments can be considered with those revisions.