topic Re: How to rotate custom library parts in Libraries & objects

How to rotate custom library parts

Anonymous — Tue, 10 May 2011 03:15:01 GMT

Hi there masters

I did create a library part of a spider fixing and I would like it to be able to rotate along the X or Y axes to align it with the glass and beam.
Is it possible?

See attached image for reference

Re: How to rotate custom library parts

NCornia — Tue, 10 May 2011 04:08:28 GMT

Yes. In the object's 3D Script type one of the following to say rotate the object over an axis 90 degrees:

ROTX 90
ROTY 90
ROTZ 90

Very simple and listed in the Help Menu>GDL Reference Guide (Coordinate Transformations) page 30 for these specific commands in the 14 version.

Re: How to rotate custom library parts

Anonymous — Tue, 10 May 2011 04:48:49 GMT

Thanks Nicholas.

I did try and read the manual too. I'm currently on a project on AC12 FYI.
Doing it this way it looks to me that you can only change the angle of the whole library part, therefore you don't have the option to change it in the settings.
If that's correct and you have several angles that you need to apply to the library part, you'd need to have as many library parts as many different angles you have.

Another thing I noticed is that the angle is rotating the library part around the global axis, not the axis relative to the library part itself... can I change that?

Re: How to rotate custom library parts

Anonymous — Tue, 10 May 2011 04:57:46 GMT

...another thing I just noticed is that the plan view of the library part moves and it's not aligned to the 3D object...

Re: How to rotate custom library parts

Anonymous — Tue, 10 May 2011 05:18:43 GMT

I noticed also that there is a parameter where you can specify angles but I can't find how it works properly. If I put a value (e.g.: 6.75), the library part doesn't rotate, though, if I also add the ROTX on the 3D script of an equal value (6.75) the library part still doesn't rotate, cancelling therefore the 3D script instructions...!?

Re: How to rotate custom library parts

Ralph Wessel — Tue, 10 May 2011 09:06:58 GMT

Deviz wrote:
I did create a library part of a spider fixing and I would like it to be able to rotate along the X or Y axes to align it with the glass and beam.
Is it possible?

This is easy to do with OBJECTiVE. It will both upgrade your objects with rotation properties and give you the tools to do it. Referring to the attached image:

1. The 3D view before rotation.

2. Open a section view, select the object(s) to rotate (you can rotate one or many objects about a common axis), click the menu OBJECTiVE > Tools > Rotate, and rotate just as you would in the Floor Plan (define start and sweep angles).

3. The finished rotation in section

4. And in 3D.

Re: How to rotate custom library parts

David Maudlin — Tue, 10 May 2011 11:55:37 GMT

Deviz wrote:
Doing it this way it looks to me that you can only change the angle of the whole library part, therefore you don't have the option to change it in the settings.
If that's correct and you have several angles that you need to apply to the library part, you'd need to have as many library parts as many different angles you have.

Deviz wrote:
I noticed also that there is a parameter where you can specify angles but I can't find how it works properly. If I put a value (e.g.: 6.75), the library part doesn't rotate, though, if I also add the ROTX on the 3D script of an equal value (6.75) the library part still doesn't rotate, cancelling therefore the 3D script instructions...!?

You need to create a parameter for the rotation (one for each axis), and add to the 3D script the ROT command, using the value of this parameter, for the object to be parametric.

Deviz wrote:
Another thing I noticed is that the angle is rotating the library part around the global axis, not the axis relative to the library part itself... can I change that?

Yes, you need to move the local origin with ADD command to determine the point of rotation.

Deviz wrote:
...another thing I just noticed is that the plan view of the library part moves and it's not aligned to the 3D object...

Yes, the 2D and 3D Scripts are separate, so they need to be written to coordinate with each other.

David

Re: How to rotate custom library parts

Anonymous — Tue, 10 May 2011 12:56:48 GMT

See this article on ArchiWiki:
http://www.archicadwiki.com/RotateObjectInSpace

Re: How to rotate custom library parts

Anonymous — Wed, 11 May 2011 00:37:00 GMT

Thank you Ralph,

I did not know of that application. I wonder why some basic tools of it (like rotating an object in 3D graphically rather than editing scripts) are not embedded into ArchiCAD itself. Though it's an amazing software and I'll push for it to be purchased by our firm.

Thank you David and Andro55 too for your help.

Your link has been very useful and now the library part rotate beautifully. Will attach a picture of the final result FYI

One last thing I need to ask though. Applying those changes to the scripts, made me lose the hot-spots that I had in my 2D symbol, which now only has the standard 5 points (one on each cnr and a center one)
Is there anything else I should have done to my library part?

Cheers

Re: How to rotate custom library parts

David Maudlin — Wed, 11 May 2011 11:23:09 GMT

Deviz wrote:
One last thing I need to ask though. Applying those changes to the scripts, made me lose the hot-spots that I had in my 2D symbol, which now only has the standard 5 points (one on each cnr and a center one)
Is there anything else I should have done to my library part?

This is one of the downsides to using the PROJECT2 command for the 2D symbol, it is a 3D projection of the object so it does not have any custom hotspots, just the default "box". In order to have custom hotspots that change position correctly as the object is rotated, these points need to be calculated in the 2D Script using geometry and the Hotspot2 command.

David