flip-flopping detail marker

[Anonymous]

I am trying to make a detail marker that complies with our office standards. I have the basic gdl for auto numbering, and I have the basic graphic drawing the way I want it. I'm having trouble with getting the marker to rotate properly, though.

When the placed tag is rotated between 90 and 270 degrees, the entire symbol flips 180 degrees and doesn't stay the way I want it pointing unless I enter the angle in the info box manually. Then as soon as the marker is moved or rotated again, it flips around.

Does anyone know how to stop this annoying "feature" that appears to be in every detail tag option?

wes

[Anonymous]

Wes,

The detail marker can be extremely tricky to program correctly. It doesn't behave like other symbols (as I assume you have noticed). I have a detail marker that is based on the same one I wrote for you a few years back which I have just sent to your work e-mail address.

In general I recommend that only the very brave or foolish GDL programmers should venture into the world of the detail marker (or those with lots of time to spare). It is really a mind twister.

[Anonymous]

to be a little more specific, the problem is actually with a section tag type marker, like Detail Part Marker-NCS. One ought to be able to rotate and mirror the line and flag on this symbol so it can point in any direction, however, mirroring doesn't seem to work, and the rotation problem noted above occurs with every marker that comes with AC.

any other ideas?

wes

BTW thanks for the part, Matthew - very similar to the one I made the other day!

[Anonymous]

Wes,

I am sure there is a way to work this out. I'll see if I can get to it later as I will need one of these anyway.

Once I come up with something I will post the code or the part or both. Maybe I can make it my 1000th post.

[Anonymous]

wonder if that'll put you over the threshold to become something more than a Veteran User?!? honestly, I dont know how you find the time!



Wes

[Anonymous]

Wes, and any other interested parties.

I made a simple detail reference marker that does what you (we) need. As always you will need to have the detail tool active to stretch it. The flag (as you will see) points in the direction of the "center" of the detail.

The coding is very quick and dirty with no comments or anything else to make it easy to understand, so please post any questions you may have. It is easier to answer them than to anticipate them.

Graphically it is still very simple. I'll be tweaking the appearance and settings for the one I will actually use

The only slightly clever extra bit is in the detail number. I added a little code to extract the last two digits of the detail number (the ID field in the info palette) since this works with how I like to set up my details.

I haven't put in the auto sheet numbering code yet because it's a bit fiddly and I didn't have the time for it. Maybe later if someone else doesn't beat me to it.

BTW: In case it isn't obvious, the ACT81 stands for ArchiCAD Talk version 8.1

[Anonymous]

Thanks again - I'll have to check the code on this part to see if there's anything there I can use. The attached screen shot shows what we're trying to get to. I need the tag to be able to have a flag that can rotate, so it can cut through a curved ceiling on the RCP for instance. This particular symbol didn't give me a problem, but the same one rotated 180 degrees does a flip flop when you try to do anything with it.

[Anonymous]

Wes et al,

I was a bit hasty in releasing this part to the wild. I neglected to test the effects of rotation. (I was just working on getting the flag to flip.)

To fix the text rotation you can use the following code (which you probably already know):

rot2 -SYMB_ROTANGLE
Text2 0, 0, dwg_no
del 1

Unfortunately the AC_RefCoord values behave rather strangely when the symbol is rotated. I'll have to check into this further.

[Anonymous]

I have now fixed up the detail marker as much as I can for today.

It now has the auto sheet number in PM working. It is still using my text parsing for the drawing number. And the only quick solution for flipping the flag was to add a parameter for it.

It also still needs a few cosmetics.

Otherwise it works pretty well.