Is there a way to replace one object with another object?

[Bruce Kieffer]

I know this can be done with symbols, but how about with objects?

[Pat Stanford]

I have scripted a few replacements (loci to circles or vice versa), but I don't think there is a generic way of replacing objects.

 

What are you trying to accomplish?

[Bruce Kieffer]

I'm designing a bed sofa with slatted ends and back. I want to explore different slat shapes and sizes. Symbols should be the way to do this, but symbols do not show object dimensions, and that is a HUGE drawback when designing furniture. Also, the bounding box of a symbol is never the same as the bounding box of the object, and that makes moving symbols and positioning them difficult. Ultimately, I find I spend less time using objects for designing like this than I do using symbols, and that's too bad since symbols should be the easier way.

 

I call this a bed sofa, because it is intended to be used as a bed most of the time, and seldom as a sofa. Just the opposite of a sofa bed.

[Tom W.]

You can use loci in the symbols to aid positioning/placement. Put them on 'NonPlot' class so you can make them invisible in the model.

 

Also, you should be able to position the symbol insertion point in such a way that replacing one symbol for another will have the replacement symbol placed in exactly the right place so v easy to switch between different symbols. For example if each symbol is created selecting '3D Object Centre' for the insertion point each replacement will be centred on its predecessor. Otherwise align the insertion point somewhere else but make it consistent for all the symbols.

 

Would attaching record formats to the symbols solve the issue of no object dimensions? So you can look in the O.I.P. + see what it is you're looking at in the model, rather than having to edit the symbol + find out.

 

Oh, and put me down for one bed sofa please

[Bruce Kieffer]

I know I could add the dimensions as the name or as a record, but what happens when I change the size of the symbol? Then I would have to go back and update the record too. Way too inefficient when Vectorworks knows the dimensions but just does not show me the dimensions. I have another thread going about symbol dimensions in the OIP. Check it out here: 

I've had this bed sofa idea in my mind for the past 30 years. Now that I retired, it IS going to happen!

Edited January 17, 2021 by Bruce Kieffer