OIP Improvements

[Jim Smith]

I would like to see the following added to the OIP

- 1) Area, & Perimeter of polygons to return values that may be copied

- 2) Similarly with 3D objects, with the addition of Volume

 

In item 1) I use this information to call out PATH OF TRAVEL on every project & this needs to be typed from a polyline onto a call out or free floating hunk of text. And often for both 1) & 2) I just need to know a quick volume or area measurement without having to run a spread sheet.

 

[Andy Broomell]

I agree that these need to be copyable fields.

 

For now, you might be able to get volume more quickly than a worksheet by using Model<Volumetric Properties:

 

(Still not copyable, though you can place the properties as a text object onto the drawing, which is nice.)

[Kevin McAllister]

I have often wished I could copy these values from the OIP.

 

2 hours ago, Jim Smith said:

In item 1) I use this information to call out PATH OF TRAVEL on every project & this needs to be typed from a polyline onto a call out or free floating hunk of text. And often for both 1) & 2) I just need to know a quick volume or area measurement without having to run a spread sheet.

 

^ For this you should investigate the new Data Tag tool. It will allow you to pull that data into a "callout" on a drawing.

 

Kevin

 

[Jim Smith]

Thanks Kevin, but I don't see this as much use in what I need to do as it would take several more steps to give a result that's not what I really want.

 

[Andy Broomell]

I think Kevin is on to something with the Data tag.

 

Here's a file with a Data Tag I set up to read out the Perimeter of the object it attaches to:

 

Perimeter Data Tag.vwx

 

The smart thing about this approach is that the text updates if you change the object, so the value will always be correct, hypothetically.

[Andy Broomell]

There does seem to be a bug though where the Data Tag doesn't refresh depending on how you modify the polygon (e.g. Reshape tool or Clip tool); it only updates once  you move the data tag or otherwise make it regenerate. It should update immediately. Submitting a bug now.

 

 

Edited December 18, 2018 by Andy Broomell

[Jim Smith]

Thanks for this Andy, I didn't see Perimeter in the Data Tag list. I would still like a Dimension line that one could follow a path as I illustrate.