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Symbol object dimensions in OIP please.


Bruce Kieffer

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I design furniture and cabinets. More and more I'm creating a common piece like a cabinet door and making that a symbol. Please add object dimensions to symbols. Obviously space in the OIP is not an issue. My screen shot shows my cabinet door symbol, but what size is that door? Vectorworks knows the size, so please put it there in the OIP so I can see it.

 

Screen Shot 2020-08-12 at 6.56.42 AM.png

Edited by Bruce Kieffer
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Could you name your Symbol to include the dimensions? (ex. Tall Cabinet Door 12x24")

 

I predict that if a size field were included for symbols it'd be auto-calculated based on the generic bounding box... which depending on the scenario might not be the dimensions a user expects. Probably best to do it as the symbol name for now.

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@Andy Broomell dims in symbol name can work. I use it often.  But as @Bruce Kieffer notes it's potentially a lot of work and can lead to some future confusion or errors, especially if a bunch of existing symbols need to be tracked down and renamed in old files. This naming concept is similar to classing in that it requires management with conventions/standards and patience.

 

just riffing here, not critical of other’s comments - eg similar sized doors 12x24x.75 and 24x12x.75.  which is vertical? or should thickness be first?

 

I think symbol dims are good idea in the OIP, but a data tag could solve other problems. 

 

The name or data tag might also indicate left/right hinge, hinge type, knob style, finish, color, edge condition, shipping weight, . . .  the symbol name could get very long and full of abbreviations. everything needs to display in an order that matches up logically with other symbols in the library. 

 

Symbol names do not auto update if the symbol dims or other details are changed.

 

And, a personal peeve, the symbol name in the OIP is poorly placed (3rd item down?) and hard to read compared to OIP dimension fields.  Should be at top and bold, perhaps as an editable field?

 

-B

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For many of my symbols, particularly furniture symbols, the only difference between them is often the size and so the only way to index them properly in a RM list is actually by putting their size in the symbol name. 
 

Yes it is a bit of work, but when you have a lot of symbols you do require a good naming protocol to keep them organised in a library, Once they are named However, they are there whenever I want them, so definitely worth it at the end of the day.

 

All that said it would be useful to quickly see the size of a symbol in the OIP, even if it is just the size of the bounding box.

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Thanks for all the input everyone. @Boh The cabinets I design are custom. Rarely is a component from one design used in another design. Of course there are similarities. I do title them so I know what they are in the RM. This still leaves us with... there is no reason for Vectorworks to not show the dimensions in the OIP, and showing them there would help me.

 

Screen Shot 2020-08-13 at 7.56.36 AM.png

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