Topic: I need help, bit off more than I can chew!

[caddman6425]

  I really don't know where to start.  To make a long story a little shorter, I'll just cut to the chase.  To save my fingers, I'll try and break this up into sections and hopefully be able to put it all together to solve the problem.  I'll start with my situation and hopefully everyon will be able to understand what I'm talking about.  Well that all being said, let's go to the story.

  I've created Property Set  Definitions (PSD's) for a Steel Beam Tag.  BTW those of you that don't know what a PSD is then let me try and explain.  In AutoCAD Architecture and MEP, you can assign certain properties to an AEC Object.  A property set definition specifies the characteristics of a group of properties that can be tracked with an object. For example, you could create a property set definition named DoorProps that contains property definitions for DoorNumber, DoorWidth, and FireRating. Each property has a name, description, data type, data format, and default value.  Now to create a PSD, you can have either Styles or Objects.  Style are a predefined and can't be changed, where as Objects are a variable and are user input.  See the attachment.

  Now to create a formulated PSD, you use VB Script.  In a formula you can call other PSD's to be able to use as variables in the formula, i.e., <snip>
InsertPt=[StructuralSteelBeamObjects:LocationZ]
BmDp=[StructuralSteelBeamStyles:StyleDepth]
BrgPt=InsertPt-BmDp
BrgPtFt=fix(BrgPt/12)
BrgPtIn=(BrgPt-(BrgPtFt*12))
RESULT =CStr(BrgPtFt)&"'-"&fix(BrgPtIn)&Chr(34)
<snip>

  So like I said I created PSD's for the Steel Beam Tag.  When you draw a structural member in ACA or MEP you get a bare amount of data applied to the object, see attachment 2 & 3, so when I insert my Steel Beam Tag, it attaches PSD's to the object.  See attachment 4.

  Well this all worked great except the fact that what I want is if I put in a beam that is a different style that the automatic incrementing tag number changes and if the beams are identical then the tag number is the same.  Well this works great, but what I also want is if the steel beam is the same style but different length and/or different bearing height, then the tag number changes, this doesn't work, see attachment 5 in next post, thank you.

[caddman6425]

Hi  all, I'm back.  So below is the last attachment that I said I'd post.

  Well, what I need is a way to do a compare of each steel beam in the drawing and if the PSD's match exactlly the the steel beam get the same number and then the quanity will change in the Schedule Table.  BUT, if the beam is the same and the length and/or the bearing heaight is different is different then the tag changes number.  Only problem is that if, lets say for example, that B01 is a W4x13 and B02 is a W5x16 @ 9'-6" and B03 is the same beam but different height the the routine changes it's number to B03, then if the next beam is the same as beam 1 the routine changes it's number to the next one, but what needs to happen is the the routine checks to see if that beam is in the data list and if it finds it it assigns that orignal number to the beam, in this case it would be B01.  This is my problem, and I don't know where to start since I'm playing with VB Script, but I think lisp would be easier  to manipulate.

First question, is there a way to Assign a property set definitions to an object using autolisp?  By this I mean that a PSD has already been assigned using VB Script, and the tag uses an attribute to call the PSD, (STRUCTURALSTEELBEAMSTYLES:NUMBER)

TIA
--
Nick

[jbuzbee]

I use Architecture and am well aware of PSD's.  My question is have you exhausted every possibility of using the built-in Property Sets abilities?

[caddman6425]

Don't know if I have or not.  Is there a way to have a PSD eval not only the number, but the length and the locationZ of every beam tag inserted?

[Jeff H]

Load up a drawing
 I believe your problem is how your applying PSD to Objects vs Styles and vice-versa

[caddman6425]

OK, this is a given.  I don't know what I'm doing, that is why the question here.  So what do I do??