topic Re: Label / tag on a morph in Documentation

Label / tag on a morph

Foti — Sat, 20 Aug 2022 03:10:16 GMT

Hello

I was wondering in AC25 if it was possible to label/tag a morph element? I use morphs to to create stone blocks, and in the past i would manually use a basic text tool to indicate some information about it. See image attached for example. I can colour code the the blocks but would need the information to also so in elevations.

I don't see any infomation that a label can use in the morph properties.

AC25

Re: Label / tag on a morph

Lee Hankins — Sat, 20 Aug 2022 06:21:06 GMT

You should be able to. You can label any 3D element. As long as you have a property assigned to the correct classification and the morph is classified correctly.

Re: Label / tag on a morph

Foti — Sat, 20 Aug 2022 16:21:54 GMT

I tried the Classification/component/dimension/generic labels, i played around with the settings and I see options for height and width, but it wont read those from a morph. It reads the volumes and surface are.

Re: Label / tag on a morph

DGSketcher — Sat, 20 Aug 2022 16:31:04 GMT

@Foti Have you considered using something other than Morphs to create your stone blocks. Morphs generally struggle under labelling because they are considered freeform and therefore don't easily deliver dimensional values other than volumes & surfaces. If you used the wall tool for the blocks then a lot more information for labelling & scheduling would be available to you. Just because a tool is described as a Wall or Beam tool etc it doesn't mean you can't use them to create something different e.g. a stone block. It depends on what you need to create as to the best option.

Re: Label / tag on a morph

Mahmoud Qenawi — Sat, 20 Aug 2022 16:42:14 GMT

You can use Curtain wall tool to draw stone blocks wall, watch this video explaining more than speech, I hope it helps.

https://youtu.be/-KCaNJDSypI

Re: Label / tag on a morph

Foti — Sat, 20 Aug 2022 17:35:12 GMT

I have tried other methods, but the wall tool wont work. If I make one block as a wall and stack "block" no joint line will be visible. That would be a simple wall. But I use the morphs because the blocks are not just simple shapes, they have specific cuts and from there I can pull out a block to hand over for a cut schedule.

The screen shot below is two morphs I shaped that will get tagged numbered.

Re: Label / tag on a morph

Foti — Sat, 20 Aug 2022 17:37:24 GMT

Thanks for the info will keep this reference, but I need more control block by block. Not sure how this will work.

rk when I have a flat arch.

Re: Label / tag on a morph

Mahmoud Qenawi — Sat, 20 Aug 2022 18:27:34 GMT

So try this: https://youtu.be/wVYqONROsIg

Re: Label / tag on a morph

DGSketcher — Sat, 20 Aug 2022 18:58:05 GMT

@Foti I can see why you are using the Morph tool. So the question really is what do you need to include in your labels?

ID & Surface are easy, they are available straight from the Label Tool Autotext values. It may be a case of setting up additional Properties if you require more information for your labels, but this would be manually entered for each block or several blocks if they share the same data. It isn't difficult to set up if that is a solution?

Re: Label / tag on a morph

Foti — Sat, 20 Aug 2022 19:24:47 GMT

I never went into the custom properties, I would need basic, overall lenght, overall height and depth. A label that would display (2000 H1000) the 2000 is the lenght and H for height and ID. I then make an coloured elevation, I colour match all the same stone that have the same depth and height. Most will be the same dimentions, but complex ones will have some repetition but some manual. I know I cant automate the full process (it can be done using Catia 😞 ) but at least minimize my input as much as possible.

Re: Label / tag on a morph

Foti — Mon, 22 Aug 2022 01:25:04 GMT

@DGSketcher,I was looking into the properties manager, was making a test, not sure it is working. I see in the label options the Dimension label 25 would be perfect to use. Just cant get the label to read the dimensions of a block.

Re: Label / tag on a morph

Barry Kelly — Mon, 22 Aug 2022 03:03:36 GMT

Morphs are not defined by length, width & height.

So they just do not contain that information.

The same happens for slabs, the only dimension available is the height (thickness).

There is no length and width for a slab.

Walls - yes, beams - yes, because you define them by length, width and height.

However, if you save the morph as an object, you may get the information you need.

Barry

Re: Label / tag on a morph

Foti — Mon, 22 Aug 2022 12:24:02 GMT

Thank you Barry that clears things up. Back to the manual mode then. I have saved some as objects in the past, but need to edit them and not be a fixed block. Maybe with that new feature of making a custom object, it could work for simple blocks but not the complex cuts some need. Ill have to try that feature someday. Thanks

Re: Label / tag on a morph

DGSketcher — Mon, 22 Aug 2022 12:43:41 GMT

@Foti I think you should still consider using Labels in preference to the "basic text tool" if only because you could create a label to display the Morph > Element ID and then use Document > Annotation > Label selected elements, (without leader) to place all your labels quickly. When it comes to editing you can select multiple blocks, change the ID and all the affected labels will update. You can manually edit each label with additional notes and they will be preserved if you change the ID.

Re: Label / tag on a morph

Foti — Mon, 22 Aug 2022 12:59:05 GMT

I would consider that method, but every stone must have a different ID. If I can place the label to show the ID, Selecting all ID's at once sounds great but can Archicad then add ID's in sequential order automatically?

Re: Label / tag on a morph

Barry Kelly — Mon, 22 Aug 2022 13:35:02 GMT

As suggested by Lee, you could add you own properties to the morphs for length, width and height.

But don't go looking for actual length, width and height properties, because they don't exist for morphs.

Instead, create you own custom properties where you can type this information in.

No, it won't be live if you adjust the morph, you will need to amend the values of the properties manually.

But at least you can then use them in an auto-text label together with the element ID which can be unique for each block (or the same for each size of block if you want - that is up to you of course).

Every block that is the same size and shape, you just need to duplicate, reposition and rotate as required, and adjust the ID

The values for the length, width and height will all be there in the copy.

Barry.

Re: Label / tag on a morph

Foti — Mon, 22 Aug 2022 13:54:44 GMT

Thats a good idea, it could help, now i need to find a tutorial to play with adding properties. I tried a test but I know I am missing a step because it wasn't work. Will try to find something on youtube unless you can reference a good one to watch?

Re: Label / tag on a morph

Barry Kelly — Mon, 22 Aug 2022 14:27:36 GMT

Easy.

Create new properties in the Property Manager.

Create a new Property Group if you want to keep them separate in the property list.

Assign those properties to a classification - use an existing one or you can create your own in the classification manager.

Now make sure your morph blocks have that particular classification assigned to them.

Now you can add the values to those properties in each morph.

Finally add your auto-text label adding the Element ID, and those properties and what ever else you want as text.

Save that label as a 'Favourite' and you will never have to set it up again.

You can Import that favourite into any other job you are working on or better still to your template.

Barry.

Re: Label / tag on a morph

Foti — Mon, 22 Aug 2022 16:56:21 GMT

Wow thank you so much, that was well explained and it helped 🙂

Followed the instruction and got the result, this program keeps surprising me. One final detail, what controls the units/decimals in the label? The view setting is in mm but this comes in as m.

Re: Label / tag on a morph

Barry Kelly — Tue, 23 Aug 2022 01:47:56 GMT

@Foti wrote:

what controls the units/decimals in the label? The view setting is in mm but this comes in as m.

If you are using 'Length' as the value type, then the value displayed will be controlled by the Calculation Units in Project Preferences.

This will affect the values you see in your schedules as well.

You could maybe use a 'Number' type value instead of 'Length'.

The format of that value will be controlled by Project Preferences > Working Units > Numbers without Units.

Barry.