Records gone?

[bhorowitz]

I'm using the Theatrical Lighting.sta for the first time for a large lighting plot. I've been a Minicad user for many years. I've gone through all the steps to place data labels where I want them and to create instruments. My question is this; When I define a symbol from the 'lights' folder as an instrument, all the attached data that was with the symbol(inst. type, wattage, beam angle) goes away. Am I doing something wrong? Also, is it possible to use different label layouts for different symbols? Thanks,

Bud Horowitz

[Guest Frank Brault]

Hi Bud,

Kevin mentioned that he answered this for you in the other list, but just so that anyone reading through this, who needs the answer, gets it, here goes:

From the Theatrical Lighting Readers List:

> There is a problem with one of the files that shipped with

> VW 8.52 that is

> keeping record information from being copied from the lighting

> symbol to the

> lighting instrument. The lighting instrument is a group with its record

> attached to the outside of the group. All of the instrument info is still

> attached to the symbol that is inside the group. When you use the

> instrument insertion tool, or convert a symbol into an instrument we take

> your symbol, figure out where it is and where all the labels need

> to go and

> then group it all together and place the instrument info in a

> record that is

> attached to this newly created group.

>

> In response to your second question about label styles. It is not

> currently possible to define more than one label legend and choose which

> instruments use which legend. You can have multiple label styles in a

> document by cheating a little though.

> Once you have your plot basically done, you can go back and

> change the

> label legend and selectively update instrument labels from these legends.

> As an example, lets say you want to have all of your VL-5s display only

> their channel and unit numbers, and not the dimmer field that the rest of

> your instruments are using. Switch to the setup labels sheet and change

> the label formatting to what you want to use for your VL-5s.

> Switch back to

> your light plot and select all of the VL-5s in the document. You

> might want

> to try the custom selection tool as a quick way to do this (Pg 18-3 of the

> VW Manual). From the Theatrical Lighting menu, select instrument

> processing, and then Update Labels from Legend. This will update all

> selected instruments to use the new legend. You can continue

> doing this for

> your other instrument types. Existing instruments will not automatically

> change to use the new legend information, so you can take

> advantage of this

> "feature" to have multiple sets of label styles.

>

> We are currently developing a new lighting design product

> which will have

> more advanced tools for lighting designers. Some of the features of this

> new product will be the ability to have multiple label legends in a

> document, the ability to assign a label legend to a particular

> instrument or

> type of instrument, and also geometric containers for labels. You will be

> able to have channel circles, dimmer hexagons or whatever, they are user

> definable. So if you like to have 8pointed stars as the

> container for unit

> numbers of source 4s and red ovals around color labels for cyc

> lights you'll

> be able to do this quickly and easily.

>

>

> Kevin Moore

btw, these files are now available at:

http://www.nemetschek.net/downloads/vectorworks/index.html

There is a Mac

.sit and Windows .zip available for download. Detailed instructions for

installation are included in the archive.

hth,

Frank Brault