AutoCAD Architecture

[#1]

Hello,

I've created a door tag using the 'Define Schedule Tag...' under Format. I saved the .dwg to a common folder and it is linked as a folder in the 'Tool Palette File Locations'. I drag my new .dwg file into the tool palette that I'd like to keep it under. I then click the new button that has been created and it tries to insert my new schedule tag as a block and doesn't ask for me to select a door so it can pull the correct information from the room tag.

I've attached the schedule tag for anyone that'd like to check the properties of the tag but this used to work on my other computer and I can't get those catalogs to reimport.

Can someone please inform me on how to fix the tag or how I need to put it into the tool palette so that it requests a door to attach to?

Thanks,

Bill

EDIT:

I think that I forgot to change the TYPE from TEXT to PROPERTY under the DEFINE SCHEDULE TAG. I went back and tried to fix this by exploding the old SCHEDULE TAG but when I go to the DEFINE SCHEDULE TAG the DOORSTYLE:TYPE is missing.

I've got it to reappear but I must be doing something wrong as far as creating the TAG. After I hit ok it askes for an insertion point, which I assign to the center of the tag. Then I save to the .dwg file and drag it into a palette. Am I doing something wrong here?

When I try to insert the TAG that used to work I get this problem:

Command: _AecAnnoScheduleTagAdd
Property set definitions drawing <>: PropertySetDefs.dwg Unable to open
file: PropertySetDefs.dwg

Property set definitions drawing <>: _SYMBOL Unable to open file:_SYMBOL.dwg

Property set definitions drawing <>: NS_Door_Tag Unable to open
file:NS_Door_Tag.dwg

Property set definitions drawing <>: _LEADER Unable to open file:_LEADER.dwg

Property set definitions drawing <>: _None Unable to open file:_None.dwg

Property set definitions drawing <>: _DIMSTYLE Unable to open file:_DIMSTYLE.dwg

Property set definitions drawing <>: _Current Unable to open file:_Current.dwg

Property set definitions drawing <>: _CONSTRAIN Unable to open
file:_CONSTRAIN.dwg

Property set definitions drawing <>: _Yes
Unable to open file:_Yes.dwg

[#2]

If you drag the DWG file onto the palette, ACA will create a block insertion tool, and insert the entire contents of the file as a block.  To create a Tag tool, open your source file, in its "permanent" location.  Drag an instance of the tag from that file onto an editable palette to create a tag tool.

[#3]

As to your problem with the tag that used to work:

In what version was that tag created?  Are you still using that version?  Is the tool that is inserting the tag a "Tag Tool", or is it an AEC Content tool that is expecting AEC Content from DesignCenter?

Tag tools were introduced in ADT 2006.  In versions prior to that, you had to use an AEC Content file to get a Schedule Tag to work from a tool palette.  The prompts you are reporting seem like those from an AEC-Content-type tag.  Tag tools have a property to specify a source file for the Property Sets referenced by the Schedule Tag, should the target file not already have those Property Sets.  The AEC Content method ran a routine that started with a prompt to specify a source file; the out-of-the-box version was called PropertySetDefs.dwg.  ADT would find it if you specified a full path, or if the AEC content file was in the same folder as PropertySetDefs.dwg or in a folder immediated below PropertySetDefs.dwg.

The view block and Mult-View Block seem OK to me.  If you make a Tag tool from this, and your source file for the tag does not contain the referenced Property Set Definitions, you will need to edit the tool's properties and provide the property source file for them.  The out-of-the-box source file is called Schedule Tables (Imperial).dwg or Schedule Tables (Metric).dwg.  The default location for this file is

C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\ACA 2011\enu\Styles\Imperial

or

C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\ACA 2011\enu\Styles\Metric

for ACA 2011 installed on a computer with Vista; your locations may vary with the version you are using and whether a different (possibly network-based) location was chosen on installation.

[#4]

I don't know what version the tag that comes up will all the random errors was created in. The tag that I attached was created in AutoCAD Architecture 2009.

Can you please help me create a standard door tag that looks similar to the one I attached? I'm would like it to be a long oval like the attached but the key is that the door tag for room 104 will either look like ( 104 ) if it only has one door or (104A) and (104B) if I have two doors for example. I'd like the suffix to be right next to the number but don't know how to go about doing that so the number and suffix are always connected and not two separate entities.

I've located the 'Schedule Tables (Imperial).dwg' at:

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Autodesk\ACD-A 2009\enu\Styles\Imperial\Schedule Tables (Imperial).dwg

How do I go about making these items? Is there a good tutorial video somewhere? I've been searching but can't seem to come up with anything that explains how to get started. Do I make a copy of 'Door Tag - Project Based'? If so how do I go about doing that? Do I just modify that one in place?

I think once I figure out the basics I should be able to make my own window tags. I'm using the standard room tags that come with ACA which work great for me. I'm not sure how the tag knew to use the same text as I have throughout the drawing because when I go to edit my new tags all the font looks 'Standard'. I'm also using the schedules I had from before which seem to work great with the room tags, and if I label the doors and windows with the standard tags, my schedules still pick up all the information.

[#5]

I apologize, I didn't see you're first message. I opened the file I attached and dragged the tag onto an open palette. For anyone struggling like I was I did this inside the actual file like David mentioned. I didn't drag the actual .dwg file from the Windows file structure onto the palette.

Thank you for solving that problem David!

One last little problem I'm having now. Can you explain to me how to assign a layer that the tag should automatically be assigned to when clicked on in the tool palette? In this case I want it to go to layer G-TAGS-DOOR. Is this something I can change to the current object on the palette or do I have to recreate the object?

THANKS AGAIN DAVID! Everytime I searched the internet I kept finding your blog with more and more solutions

[#6]

Alright...I'm a bit slow. I found what I was looking for by right-clicking on the tool in the palette box. Then selected properties and changed the LAYER KEY to DOORNO and everything works great now!

[#7]

If you are using the out-of-the-box DoorObjects property set from ACA 2009 and you are doing your work using the Drawing Management Feature (Project Browser and Project Navigator), then the tag you attached is ready to go.  It references the DoorObjects:NumberProjectBased property, which is a formual property that concatenates the DoorObjects:RoomNumber and DoorObjects:NumberSuffix properties.  DoorObjects:RoomNumber is a Location property that reads the SpaceObjects:NumberProjectBased property from the Space (the room number).  DoorObjects:NumberSuffix is a manual property that allows you to enter the "A", "B", etc. for the suffix.

If you are working in a project environment and this is not working for you, make certain that your room tag and associated Property Set Definition and property for your room number are SpaceObjects and NumberProjectBased, respectively.  If not, you either need to change to the 2009 out-of-the-box Property Set and Schedule Tag -OR- modify your Property Sets and Schedule Tags so that they all work together.

If you are not working in a project environment (Project Navigator), then using the project-based properties will not work, as they rely on a project property to create the room number.  You can still get this all to work, you just need to modify things a bit to get the non-project room number used.  This blog article explains how to do so:

http://architects-desktop.blogspot.com/2008/12/non-project-door-tag-using-room-number.html

You can find links and references to additional resources related to the ACA Schedule Feature here:

http://architects-desktop.blogspot.com/2006/08/adt-schedule-feature-resources.html

I periodically update the list of blog articles as new ones get added.

[#8]

I'm using the project navigator so all the project based tags work great. I'm just having an issue now with the door tags on the basement level. My number structure is a 3 digit number from the rooms

0 BASEMENT - 001

1 FIRST FL - 101

2 SECOND FL - 201

Everything appears to be working great on the 1st and 2nd floors but when I go to add the door tags on the basement level if I don't add a suffix the door number looks perfect. But if I add an 'A' for example to door 001 in room 001, the door will now read '1A'.

A problem I see but don't know how to fix it is that both my 1st and 2nd levels have a NUMBER - OBJECT > ZERO PADDING = 2 and NUMBER - OBJECT (ZERO PAD) > ZERO PADDING = 2 but on the basement level both of those numbers are set to 3 because the room tags don't seem to be reading the level as 0 and have not added it in front of the two digit number if I only had the ZERO PADDING set to 2.

Am I missing something here? I used the same room tag for all three level and when I started the original drawings they all came from one so all the other valuse should be identical. Why isn't the basement adding the 0 for the level? Do I need to change the level to a differerent number, for example:

BASEMENT: B

1ST FLOOR: 1

2ND FLOOR: 2

If so how do I go about doing this. Do I just add a prefix to the NUMBER - OBJECT? When I add a 'B' prefix to the NUMBER - OBJECT and NUMBER - OBJECT (ZERO PAD) I get some really weird room names, for example B0B001. It's like there is something hidden in my room tag. (I ATTACHED THIS FILE)

These are the numbers I originally set up in the Project Browser:

UL: 14'-0"

ML: 0'-0"

LL: -12'-0"

Thanks again for the help!

[#9]

If you want to change the level designation to "B", all you need to do is edit the Levels on the Project tab and change the ID for that level from "0" to "B".  That will also solve the zero padding problem.

If you want to keep the level designation as "0", that is also possible.  SpaceObjects:NumberProjectBased is a formula property that is used to create the project-based room number.  Out-of-the-box, it uses an implied concatenation of the Level and Increment properties.  Level is a project property that holds the Level ID for the level assigned to the Construct in which the Space resides.  Increment is an auto-increment integer property, with 2-digit zero padding.  On your basement level, you might expect to get 001, 002, etc, but the implied concatenation results in an integer value, and the Case Upper Property Data Format applied has no zero padding.

You could make a copy of Case Upper and change the zero padding in it to 3 digits and assign that new Property Data Format to the NumberProjectBased property.  Or you could use explicit concatenation, resulting is a string value for the room number, which will have the added benefit of having all room numbers (those that are all numerals and those that have numeric and alphabetic characters) sort together.  To do this, edit the implied formula by keeping the property references

[Level][Increment]

by adding the double quotes and ampersand as shown below

"[Level]" & "[Increment]"