I searched the forums and just found a couple mentions to what, for me, is a huge lack in Rhino.
As architect, I need a lot of drafting and production of documents.
They need to have this corner box (sorry can’t recall the english word for it) in which all the data regarding the project is set with the particular data regarding each document.
So blocks containing fixed texts and variable attributes were the standard in CAD.
Are we going to have something similar soon? Is there already something I’m missing that could solve this lack for us?
Reading this over a few times, it seems to me that terms are being used to describe different things - making it hard (for me) to follow what you are thinking.
Title block
The title block (T/B, TB) is an area of the drawing that conveys header-type information about the drawing, such as:
Drawing title (hence the name “title block”)
Drawing number
Part number(s)
[/snip]
In Rhino, a Block is “a named group of objects that act as a single object in your model. Blocks are useful for repeated objects such as symbols or components.”
A “Title Block” can be a block in Rhino but only for the parts thereof that are repeated (i.e. “not different across instances”).
That said, it is possible to use Attributes (as used in the title of your post - but I might be misunderstanding what you mean by that) as part of the block and have the resulting text to be different. For instance, you can have a text field with the name of the layout or the page number within the block definition.
If you have a specific suggestion for something that you would like to see in Rhino, use a bit of time and effort to explain in detail what it is that you want!
Hi hate to do it by comparisson, but I’m afraid is the only way.
In autocad, you can make a block with text parts and also “attribute” parts.
These are a special kind of text field that can have different content.
If I change the text field of a block, it would change in all the block instances.
If I change the attribute field of a block, it will only change its content in the particular instance I have modified (if I change the text format or position of the attribute field it will change in all block instances.
From what I can guess from the help file, attributes in Rhino are text values, associated with keys. This could work because they are object dependent and not block dependent.
What I miss (sorry if it is there and I can’t find it) is the possibility to have these “keys” consistent in a block definition and the possibility to easily have them displayed, formatted and filled in a block without resorting to coding.
After some research, I found the “attributes” and SetuserText, GetUserText and TextFields, but I might be clumsy but can’t replicate “attribute” behaviour in Rhino with these tools.
If I define a UserText field for a block, this field must be attached to an object (in Auto is autonomous).
If I attach it to a “shape” and then block the text and the shape, the text stops working.
If I attach it to the block, then I can not use the text field to point to the object because I’m already IN it…
I think I know what you mean, and have been missing it in Rhino too, although I have never drafted much in ACAD.
This would be a classic example I guess, in German these are called “RoomStamps”,not sure about the English terminology, but basically you would want to setup a layout for the Block but have it’s content be still individual. So that one can edit the block layout and all individual data will still update.
I guess that all the Rhino developers understand what is required here since there are no questions.
I need a RoomStamps for Dummies 101 though. I can make a lot of guesses as to what is happening in that picture but chances are that I won’t hit it 100%. Would you humor me to give me the 1000 words?
you setup your detail sheet eg. A3 landscape etc. and put all the additional text fields/detail viewports/etc. these can get quite complex for construction drawings(scale/plan Nr./index/exact name of detail/changes by date and drafter…)
you start to fill in your details with drawings from the model space.
then half ways through you realize that you need an additional plan-overview in your legend or want to add another informative line to it. If you set up your detail-sheet as “ParentBlock” you could simply edit that “ParentBlock” and all your 100 details would show the additional line/Detail-viewport, but all “ChildAttributes” already set in those 100 detail-sheets would remain unchanged.
Completely related, @wim. It has always been done in “other software” with blocks with attributes.
From your explanation in the other thread I “guess” it could be done with text fields, but I’m afraid not in a “transparent” way, right?
I think we are asking for a clearer and more streamlined interface to manipulate blocks that containt a variety of text fields whose format can be consistent but whose content can be independent and autonomous for each block instance.
