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Understanding the Favorites Library files and exporting symbols from a local file to a favorite file HELP!


HEengineering

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Let me start out by saying I like using the resource browser.  Though I find how to set up a library favorite a little quirky. Here is one example.

  •  I open a blank file and create all symbols 3d or 2d in that file. Then I reference it thru the RS manager and no problem.

 

  • The next method is when Im in a working file. Lets say I make a shape that I convert to a symbol. At that time the resource is only in THAT file. However; using the resource browser I can move that symbol over to a Favorites file by just dragging. However; when completing this work flow you don't actually ever see those components in the favorite file if you were to open it physically as a file?

 

So is there a wrong and right way to do this? Why does VW offer the feature of making an on the fly symbol in your local drawing and allow you to export it to a favorite library. But if you were to actually open that library favorite file the physical components wouldn't be seen. They may show in the browser but there is no physical asset?

 

This leads me to believe the best way is to make everything in one file and reference it. Then copy the symbol and physically open the library favorite file and paste it in on the 1:1 scale?

 

Which if it's the latter kinda sucks. Bc I so often find I need to make a symbol and export it to a favorite file. I just want to understand this better.  

 

Is this intended to embed symbols in a file and the file really shows nothing or should all symbols be generated within the designated library file and never exported on the fly? The question has plagued me for years.

 

Edited by HEengineering
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Favorites and library files are just containers for resources. They don't care if the objects are actually placed in the drawing or not, just that they are Resources.

 

This allows those resources to be used by other file.

 

If you want a library file that you can open and easily Copy/Paste out of, then you will need to manually edit the files and place instances of each object.

 

If you only want to be able to access them though the Resource Manager then exporting items to the Library/Favorite files is fine.

 

Both options are "perfectly" safe.

 

HTH

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Just seems like a very unintuitive flow. I would expect the exports to show up physically in the favorite file. It always had me question was I using it incorrectly from one flow to the other. Im trying to find a useful way to bring our teams to use these, just seems that for the less tech savvy this is a big ask. When I use it for myself it works great. Its getting a staff of 12-15 to understand the workflow and really decide if both or 1 should be used.

 

Pat Im always happy to get a response from you. I know there are few here who know more regarding this program. Thankful to have you on the forum!

Edited by HEengineering
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Yes when you export a resource it only shows as a resource in the file, it's not actually placed on a DL.

 

Our office has a few files we use as library files for resources which have been "favorited" on everyone's version of vw. It is simple and works really well. I've found that staff use the library favorites a lot as it is fairly comprehensive for our needs.

 

It took a bit of work to set it up with a library RM folder structure and naming standard for resources that is consistent across all the library files, which then also ties into our template files etc. However once up and running there's not too much maintenance involved.

 

I have noticed that having too many files "favorited" can slow the RM down when switching between files or between types of resources so we have kept the number of favorites down to 4.

 

We also have a workgroup folder set up however, for an office of just 6 we could get by just using the favorites library files.

 

 

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I think that  my issue is thru trial and error I have managed to come up with a junk drawer of many files. Ive tried saving notes, details, and 2d top and side plans of components. We work in saved views not sheet views. So everything is essentially 2d Workflow. Most of the office struggles with the idea of the resource library, myself included. They would prefer a blank file with all the components in it that you copy and paste from.

The goal I would like to see is to create items on the fly and export them directly to the favorite file. Most of our employees would prefer to have all their parts in another file that they keep open. Not to mention with proper naming convention you could create a searchable DB/library. Id love to see a working example. Sometimes I question if I should make a symbol with the TOP/SIDE/FRONT/BACK views all as one symbol but convert to a group upon import. Or if Separate symbols of each view is better practice.

There are the occasional times when Im modeling and I can "replace"  one symbol for another if the symbol is maintained on import. That presents some real powerful stuff. 2d components can work the same way. It's often the level of complexity of which file you are actively in thru the resource browser that seems to confuse the masses.

Edited by HEengineering
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On 10/27/2021 at 8:32 AM, HEengineering said:

I would expect the exports to show up physically in the favorite file. It always had me question was I using it incorrectly from one flow to the other.

But how would you want VW to place the object instance in the drawing? If it places them at the origin you end up with a stack of objects that does not help. If you start at the top left corner of the sheet, do you go horizontally or vertically first? How much room should there be between objects? What do you do when you have an object that is 6 inches and an object that is 6 feet in the same favorites file?

 

While you might be able to make rules that would work for your specific use case, I think it would be next to impossible to make a generic option that would work for even 50% of VW users.

 

Thank you for the kind words also.  🙂

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I use Favorites files extensively - I think they're great. When I first started creating them I placed objects on the design layer, partly because of the way I created the files in the first place but also imagining it would be important to be able to view these objects whilst selecting resources. For example I have lovely-looking textures files with the various textures applied to cubes + arranged in neat rows based on the material. However I quickly found that it wasn't practical to open the favourites files in order to view the design layers each time I wanted to choose a resource so more often than not whether the object/resource is visible or not in the favourites file is irrelevant. What is more important to me is the information I can glean about the resource from the Resource Manager, either visually from the thumbnail or from text I've entered in the tags pane. With this being the case it would be great to have more control over how resources are displayed in the RM: the size/quality of the thumbnail image mainly. I'm probably missing something but often the image seems to have a will of its own: hatches in particular often display at weird scales making it hard to differentiate between them + meaning wall/slab/roof/etc components display incorrectly, giving an inaccurate representation of the resource. Textures + symbols I often wish I could enlarge the image more than allowed to see better what I'm looking at.

 

 

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Another point worth noting here is that you have to have the favorite file open in order to do certain things with the symbols. Editing the symbol. I wish this were not the case but it is.  I wish there also was an option to create the symbol and store it in the library right away vs making it in the current file and then having to export it to a "favorite.' This thread has been helpful for me and I think if some of this were more clear it would be good for all users. Either way a powerful tool that should continue to be developed.

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1 hour ago, HEengineering said:

Another point worth noting here is that you have to have the favorite file open in order to do certain things with the symbols. Editing the symbol. I wish this were not the case but it is. 

 

Or you can edit the symbol elsewhere - in your current working file or a new blank file - then drag it back into the Favorites file in the RM + say that you want the edited version to replace the original version.

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