topic Re: Where are your sheet notes? in Documentation

Where are your sheet notes?

Anonymous — Fri, 19 May 2023 14:05:26 GMT

This is more of an autotext question. If plotmaker has all the auto numbering and autotext capabilities, why go through all the current workarounds to get autotext to work in ArchiCAD text? See the end of this message of an example. I am specifically asking about text. Autotext within objects, detail makers, and section makers is very easy to understand and teach.
Reading previous ArchiCAD-talk strings, it appears that most users would prefer to have all information in ArchiCAD and just import it into Plotmaker. Our firm is going through a merger which means our office, drawings, and CAD system will be overhauled. In making all those changes, I am training a new staff how to use and leverage the full capabilities of ArchiCAD and Plotmaker, while trying to keep it simple.

I would appreciate your feedback on the subject.
Also, would any beta testers be able share any future insights that would save me a lot of time setting up templates in regard to this topics? For future versions, is either direction a better choice to proceed on, for templates sake?

Thanks,
Michael Kopecky
AC9
Mac OX10.4.2

archicad-talk.graphisoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=625

Re: Where are your sheet notes?

TomWaltz — Fri, 09 Sep 2005 20:00:21 GMT

With Plotmaker's limited ability, your best bet is usually to do as much in Archicad as you can, even if it means having <DrawingNumber> or some other autotext field in your drawings.

I have yet to get Title Types to behave properly.

Re: Where are your sheet notes?

Link — Fri, 09 Sep 2005 20:34:58 GMT

What Alex was trying to do there is cheat the system! You can do the same thing to create a table of contents, but as you can tell it's a messy workaround!

I am not sure exactly what you are asking, but I recommend letting PM take care of just about all of your autotext requirements by way of titles and master layout info.

Also, would any beta testers be able share any future insights that would save me a lot of time setting up templates in regard to this topics? For future versions, is either direction a better choice to proceed on, for templates sake?

We are bound by an Non Disclosure Agreement - and are unable to release information on future releases. So you may as well proceed on!

Cheers,
Link.

Re: Where are your sheet notes?

Steve Jepson — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 00:35:37 GMT

TomWaltz wrote:
I have yet to get Title Types to behave properly.

Just curious. What seems to be the problem with them? Mine seem to work ok.

Re: Where are your sheet notes?

Anonymous — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 02:07:59 GMT

Michael and I already discussed this a bit last week over lunch, but I'll weigh-in for the forum. Link is right that Alex's method was a cumbersome workaround that wasn't very user friendly...trust me.

Although it would be nice if we could make it work it's just not worth it.

Re: Where are your sheet notes?

TomWaltz — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 10:01:40 GMT

Steve wrote:
TomWaltz wrote:
I have yet to get Title Types to behave properly.
Just curious. What seems to be the problem with them? Mine seem to work ok.

I should have phrased that clearer: They technically work, but never really looked the way a drawing title should, with occasional multiple lines of text, a line that extends to always underline the text (for longer names). The View naming limitations in Archicad sometimes do not even allow a drawing to be named properly, let alone formatted properly.

Re: Where are your sheet notes?

Link — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 13:40:59 GMT

I should have phrased that clearer: They technically work, but never really looked the way a drawing title should, with occasional multiple lines of text, a line that extends to always underline the text (for longer names). The View naming limitations in Archicad sometimes do not even allow a drawing to be named properly, let alone formatted properly.

I'm still curious Tom - have you tried this lately? If you have text wrapping turned off there should be no multiline text problems. You can go a long way simply be using underlined texts and meeting them up with other lines. As for name length - sky's the limit ain't it?

Cheers,
Link.

Re: Where are your sheet notes?

Anonymous — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 14:08:25 GMT

Link wrote:
I'm still curious Tom - have you tried this lately? If you have text wrapping turned off there should be no multiline text problems. You can go a long way simply be using underlined texts and meeting them up with other lines. As for name length - sky's the limit ain't it?

Cheers,
Link.

Link,
Are you suggesting that it is possible when you have a long drawing name to set the autotext for <DRAWINGNAME> to wrap in a title type????

If so, how?

Re: Where are your sheet notes?

Link — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 14:48:31 GMT

Sure - just turn text wrapping on and define the size of the text block as you create the text (instead of double clicking). You can do that with any text block (autotext or not).

Cheers,
Link.

Re: Where are your sheet notes?

TomWaltz — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 16:21:50 GMT

Link wrote:
Sure - just turn text wrapping on and define the size of the text block as you create the text (instead of double clicking). You can do that with any text block (autotext or not).

Cheers,
Link.

That's fine if you want them all the same length. Graphically, they look better if a wider drawing has a wider text block under it....

Re: Where are your sheet notes?

Steve Jepson — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 17:38:42 GMT

TomWaltz wrote:
That's fine if you want them all the same length. Graphically, they look better if a wider drawing has a wider text block under it....

In your Master Title, make the line under your drawing name extra long.
Then stretch it to underline your drawing name.

Re: Where are your sheet notes?

Link — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 18:12:54 GMT

That's fine if you want them all the same length. Graphically, they look better if a wider drawing has a wider text block under it....

Well then turn text wrapping off and don't set the text block width - just double click and go!

In your Master Title, make the line under your drawing name extra long.
Then stretch it to underline your drawing name.

You'd be better off simply stretching the individual title frame IMHO, and that's only if you can't get away with using underlined text.

Just my 2 cents.

Link.

Re: Where are your sheet notes?

TomWaltz — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 18:23:33 GMT

Steve wrote:
TomWaltz wrote:
That's fine if you want them all the same length. Graphically, they look better if a wider drawing has a wider text block under it....
In your Master Title, make the line under your drawing name extra long.
Then stretch it to underline your drawing name.

Then it's one extra step for every single view placed in a project AND you have to hope the name does not change in length for any reason.

The object we have works spectacularly, and allows very fine level control , such as :

BUILDING 1:
MAIN LOBBY INTERIOR ELEVATION

If you autowrap that, it becomes:

BUILDING 1: MAIN
LOBBY INTERIOR ELEVATION

The line underneath extends to match the text length, and you can make subtle changes to the name of the "drawing" without renaming the plan/section/detail view window and worrying about linking issues in Plotmaker.

If this was all inside a title type, the colon may or may not come through (Archicad seems to prefer underscores sometimes) and you have to play with the auto-wrap with additional spaces in the view name to get the line break where you want it. You also have to worry about the random days when Plotmaker decides to move the title type independently of the drawings (yes, it's a bug). Also have to move the title type from its default location, since none of the anchors are really useful.

Unitl Title Types can match or exceed that, they're not that exciting to me. To me, they are just another feature that was well-intentioned but half-implemented.

Re: Where are your sheet notes?

Steve Jepson — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 19:05:32 GMT

Link wrote:
You'd be better off simply stretching the individual title frame IMHO, and that's only if you can't get away with using underlined text.

Just my 2 cents.

Link.

Yes. Thats what I mean. You don't stretch the line. You stretch the title frame only if needed for extra long titles. It is not that much trouble if you have to manually locate the title frame anyway. I am thinking of times when I have details of several different scales and sizes on the same layout sheet and have had to turn the grid for drawing numbers off in order to get the drawings on to the layout sheet with correct title numbers.

Using the underline text setting never looks good to me. I like to control where the the underline starts and stops. You can control where it starts by the location of the autotext. You can control how long the line under it is by stretching the title frame to show more or less line if needed for special details.