Metal take offs using LT

[bdohm]

I'm trying to find a way to generate a metal parts list from my shop drawings for ordering. (see attached files)

My plan was to created my members as dynamic blocks with an attributes for the need information (part#, function, & length.) and the export that info in to excel and there I could manipulate it to serve my purpose

The problem that I run into is how to pull out the member length. If I didn't have LT i would create a attribute field that would reference the dynamic block property however you can not create fields in lt.

Does any one know a way using lt to automatically pull out the member length. I know I could create a attribute to manually enter it but that creates all sorts of opportunities for errors.

Any Ideas would be apreciated. Also if anyone can think of another aproach that would work please let me know

Brian

Attached file note: Original file was created in LT2008 I also included version saved in 2004 format

[Anonymous]

You can use field codes in Mtext in LT, but it needs to be manually updated
by re-creation. Not sure how you would get that to work though, otherwise
without buying more software from one of these 'make-it-like-full-autocad'
places (not me) upgrading to full AutoCAD seems to be the other option other
than manual entry.

Unless you want to get into attribute extraction with ATTEXT command, but I
don't know how that would work with DynBlocks, I've not tried it myself.

--
Dean Saadallah
http://LTisACAD.blogspot.com
Add-on products for LT
http://www.pendean.com/lt
--

[bdohm]

the Attext command is another option that I am currently experimenting with. My plan was to start with a 1" by 1" block and use X & Y scaling to get it to the proper dimensions. and extracting that information like the help file say that I can but I haven't been able to get it to work so far

Brian