Hi VA Team,
Right now I’m working on a projects where I use Document Parameters assigned to Curves (on a dedicated layer) together with VA Tables for electrical plan documentation — circuit lists, cable assignments, system overviews, etc.
This workflow works well in principle, but I’m running into two issues that significantly slow it down. They are related, so I’m reporting them together.
1. Bug: Document Parameter Object Filters reset after reopening a file
Environment: VisualARQ 3.10 WIP, Rhino 8, Windows
Steps to reproduce:
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Go to Rhino Options > Document Properties > Parameters
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Edit a Document Parameter
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In the Objects tab, enable the filter and select specific types (e.g. only “Curves”)
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Confirm with OK, save the file
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Close and reopen the file
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Edit the same parameter again — the Object filter has been reset to all types, the filter checkbox may still be enabled but the type selection is lost
In general (I think) the parameter should apply to all elements even if they are not filtered by objects, but in my case I always have to reassign the filter for the table to work after a restart.
Expected behavior: The Object (and Layer) filter settings should persist with the file, as they are part of the parameter definition.
Impact: My VA Table style is configured to list Curves with their Document Parameters (Circuit, System, Cable, Length). Without the correct Object filter, the table either shows nothing. Every time I open the file, I have to manually re-apply the filters before the table works correctly.
2. Feature Request: VA Tables should be able to list objects inside Blocks
This was reported by @Eugen in January 2022: https://discourse.mcneel.com/t/how-to-read-area-of-spaces-inside-blocks/136737
@alfmelbev confirmed the limitation and noted it as an issue, also adding the wish that the GH VARQAll component should be able to look inside blocks.
Current status (April 2026): As far as I can tell from the changelogs (VA 3.0 through 3.10 RC1), this has not been addressed. VA Tables still only see top-level document objects.
Why this matters for my workflow: Because Tables cannot read objects inside Blocks, I’m forced to keep all my electrical Curves at the document top level in a separate file — I cannot organize them into Blocks for reuse or structure. This is the only reason I maintain a dedicated flat file for electrical documentation.
If Tables could traverse Block contents (at least one level deep, ideally recursively), it would allow a much cleaner file architecture: electrical installations could live as Blocks inside the main model file, while still being fully documented through Tables.
Additionally, the bidirectional editing feature of Tables (clicking a cell to edit parameter values) would become much more powerful if it could reach objects inside Blocks — for example, assigning cable types to grouped circuits in one go via a Grouping table style.
Summary
| # | Type | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bug | Document Parameter Object/Layer filters reset on file reopen | New report |
| 2 | Feature | VA Tables / VARQAll should list objects inside Blocks | Reported Jan 2022, confirmed by @alfmelbev, no update since |
Both issues are interconnected — they both limit how effectively Document Parameters and Tables can be used for non-VA geometry documentation (electrical plans, annotations, custom schedules).
I can provide a sample file demonstrating both issues if helpful.
Thank you for the continued great work on VisualARQ!