topic Re: Getting Building Material Names out of Library Objects in Collaboration with other software

Getting Building Material Names out of Library Objects

gdford — Sat, 21 Aug 2021 12:54:10 GMT

I create a collection of morphs each of which has a different building material assigned to it.
Then i select the collection of morphs and turn them into one library object.
I place that object and i open the objects selection settings and i see a list of all of the building materials from the original morphs.
This is cool.... but I can not find a way to pull this building material information out of the object and into a label.
Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

Re: Getting Building Material Names out of Library Objects

Laszlo Nagy — Mon, 23 Aug 2021 06:25:10 GMT

Unfortunately, this is not possible yet. One way to achieve this would be to create an Expression-based Property and obtain the Library Part parameter in that Expression. However, Library Part parameters are not available in Expressions.
This functionality has been wished for before.
The only way to get the Library Part parameters is in Schedules. In Labels, it is not possible.

Re: Getting Building Material Names out of Library Objects

Barry Kelly — Mon, 23 Aug 2021 07:28:31 GMT

LaszloNagy wrote:
The only way to get the Library Part parameters is in Schedules. In Labels, it is not possible.

It is possible, but it is but it is not pretty (but I may be doing it the hard way).
You have to create your own label object and you need to know the parameter name for the building material.

You use ... n = REQUEST ("ASSOCLP_PARVALUE", expr, name_or_index, type, flags, dim1, dim2, p_values)
in the label script to access the

Where 'expr' is the parameter name of the building material from the object (in quotes).

Then that returns the index number of the Building Material to 'p_values'.
Because that is a number you must convert it to the Building material name.

So something like this in the label master script.

rrr=REQUEST ("ASSOCLP_PARVALUE", "buildingMatAttribute_1", name_or_index, type, flags, dim1, dim2, p_values)

nnn = REQUEST ("Name_of_building_material", p_values, name)

Then you use a TEXT2 or Paragraph to show the name in the label in the 2D script.

So you need to know the name of the Building Material parameter (or parameters if there is more than one) so you can request it in the label.
I guess you could create a parameter in the label that would allow you to manually type in the object parameter name or names.

I know it is possible to list ALL parameters of an object (I have seen this done in an object created by Frank-Beister + Jochen Sühlo).
But I am yet to see (or try to create) a label that allows you to choose from a list of available parameters.
Hence why as far as I know, you have to hard code the object parameter name into the label object.

Barry.

Re: Getting Building Material Names out of Library Objects

gdford — Wed, 25 Aug 2021 11:33:09 GMT

This is what I figured.
Surely since Building Materials have become the ruling data source, accessing building material data will get easier out of the box.
Thanks to all who have responded!!