Object Label 11

[Brett Brown]

Hi, Using the object Label 11 on rafters joists etc. Using the straight arrow.Is there a way to make it snap to the middle of the length and not to one end, and have the two lines of the arrow a length that I tell it? Spent two hours reading GDL Help and cookbook but couldn't find any reference to label arrow positions or length. Have no inkling of GDL. Tried every label available and none had this option. Another plus for Revit?

[Anonymous]

I don't know the standard labels since I write my own, but I have created beam tags and such that snap to the center and align to the direction of the beam.

Here's a quick one I just wrote that should do what you want. It's not totally automatic but is pretty flexible and simple to use. The label tool is a bit weird in the way it is internally wired so it would be quite difficult (perhaps impossible) to make it work just as I would like. So here are a few caveats:

1. If the "Label Elements" option is checked when the beam (joist, whatever) is created the label will appear at the origin rather than the center, but don't worry there is an easier way to fix this than dragging it.

2. The way to fix all the tags to the center points of the labeled beams is to select the beams (by "Find & Select" or whatever is easiest) and turn off and then turn back on the "Label Elements" option.

3. The label will automatically rotate to align with the beam with the text reading correctly (not upside down) UNLESS the beam is mirrored. I have yet to find any way to detect the mirrored status of the beam and so cannot correct for it automatically. For this case I have added a parameter to rotate the label 180°.

4. There is no arrow scripted into the label but you can turn off the "Use Symbol Arrow" option to activate the standard one. I don't know whether this can be preset to a default size or even reset to a desired size aside from drag/stretching them individually.

Other notes:
The ID of the related part is used as the label text.
The label uses the text and pen settings of the label tool.
The background fill is on by default but may be turned off in the parameters.
The box is hard coded to fit the text and would require scripting to adjust the size or shape.
There is a parameter to offset the label from the beam.

I hope this helps.

[Brett Brown]

Thanks for that Matthew, Seems to be exactly the same as the Object Label 11.

Thanks for the tip to get it to snap to the centre of the beam. But the main problem with all the standard Labels is you can't specify arrow line lengths initially. You have to edit them all twice to get them where you want.

I searched "Labels" before I posted, and in 2004 you and others were complaining about this and other issues about Labels then. 4+ years later and still nothing has been done. Perhaps the Automatic Annotation Tool will change this.

[Anonymous]

Yep. As far as I can tell there is no way to control the default size of the built-in label arrow. It also behaves badly and is generally annoying. The fact that it hasn't been revised/fixed since it's introduction (in AC6 or 6.5 I think) is very frustrating, and should be embarrassing for GS.

The saddest part for me is that it seems clear that the label tool problems stem entirely from a failure in specification. I doubt that it would have taken any longer to make one that works properly than it did to program the one we have.