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You gotta try visibility-add-eng-v1.1

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Message 1 of 213
Anonymous
21776 Views, 212 Replies

You gotta try visibility-add-eng-v1.1

Ok, the instructions aren't the clearest, however, when you get the hang of
it you'll love it. Try to make my valve (attached) without using this lisp
routine, you'll spend 10X longer.


Here are the steps I figured out:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elements:
Lines, arcs, splines, attributes, text, etc.

1) Place all the elements. The location doesn't matter at first, so make
them easy to select by not stacking things on top of each other.

2) Add all the parameters/actions you want - DO NOT add any visibility
states or lookups yet. Make sure your actions affect the things you want,
and don't affect the things you don't want them to.

3) Load visibility-add-eng.lsp.

4) Add a visibility parameter using (visibility_add). Rename the parameter
accordingly.

5) Set this new visibility parameter active using (visibility-up). There is
a little problem with the program here. When you have one visibility
parameter active and you set a new one active, it gets hung up. Use the
visibility state pulldown and select a state. Note the command line will
ask you for a visibility state. Type ? to see those available, then type in
any name you want.

6) Add the states to the list of visibilities - DO NOT change the visibility
of anything yet.

7) Using (element-sel-current-del) select all the elements you do not want
to be affected when you change this particular visibility state.
For example: If I'm working on the "actuator" visibility states, I don't
want my valve type to change if a person wants to use a different actuator,
therefore, I will select every element that is not an actuator.

8) Now you can make elements visible or invisible in the states you've
defined. Do not bother changing the visibility of the elements you've
removed.
NOTE: if you draw a new object or copy something, it will not be removed
from any visibility sets.

9) Repeat steps 4 thru 8.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

I did not list all the functions in this routine. Many I don't even know
how to use yet, or why.

Todd
212 REPLIES 212
Message 2 of 213
Anonymous
in reply to: Anonymous

This is really cool! There are so many blocks where I need multiple
visibility states. I only discovered this two days ago and I've already
started making more powerful DB's. I too have notice that you need to
construct the DB in a very deliberate way for it to work, but once you
figure that out its great!



Thank you,

Jim Dee

www.caddee.com



"T Bennett" wrote in message
news:6216794@discussion.autodesk.com...
Ok, the instructions aren't the clearest, however, when you get the hang of
it you'll love it. Try to make my valve (attached) without using this lisp
routine, you'll spend 10X longer.


Here are the steps I figured out:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elements:
Lines, arcs, splines, attributes, text, etc.

1) Place all the elements. The location doesn't matter at first, so make
them easy to select by not stacking things on top of each other.

2) Add all the parameters/actions you want - DO NOT add any visibility
states or lookups yet. Make sure your actions affect the things you want,
and don't affect the things you don't want them to.

3) Load visibility-add-eng.lsp.

4) Add a visibility parameter using (visibility_add). Rename the parameter
accordingly.

5) Set this new visibility parameter active using (visibility-up). There is
a little problem with the program here. When you have one visibility
parameter active and you set a new one active, it gets hung up. Use the
visibility state pulldown and select a state. Note the command line will
ask you for a visibility state. Type ? to see those available, then type in
any name you want.

6) Add the states to the list of visibilities - DO NOT change the visibility
of anything yet.

7) Using (element-sel-current-del) select all the elements you do not want
to be affected when you change this particular visibility state.
For example: If I'm working on the "actuator" visibility states, I don't
want my valve type to change if a person wants to use a different actuator,
therefore, I will select every element that is not an actuator.

8) Now you can make elements visible or invisible in the states you've
defined. Do not bother changing the visibility of the elements you've
removed.
NOTE: if you draw a new object or copy something, it will not be removed
from any visibility sets.

9) Repeat steps 4 thru 8.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

I did not list all the functions in this routine. Many I don't even know
how to use yet, or why.

Todd
Message 3 of 213
Anonymous
in reply to: Anonymous

Are you confident such modifications will survive in other versions of
AutoCAD? I glanced at the code which all seemed very confusing.
I didn't spend enough time with it to determine what it is actually doing
but I hope for the sake of your time, all your new and improved blocks
don't fall apart or cause corruption.

Good luck.



"T Bennett" wrote in message
news:6216794@discussion.autodesk.com...
Ok, the instructions aren't the clearest, however, when you get the hang of
it you'll love it.
Message 4 of 213
Anonymous
in reply to: Anonymous

No problem. At the pace our company upgrades, we shouldn't have to worry
about it for about 10 years.

Win XP Pro SP2
P4 3.06
AutoCAD 2006

Todd


"Jason Piercey" wrote in message
news:6217508@discussion.autodesk.com...
Are you confident such modifications will survive in other versions of
AutoCAD? I glanced at the code which all seemed very confusing.
I didn't spend enough time with it to determine what it is actually doing
but I hope for the sake of your time, all your new and improved blocks
don't fall apart or cause corruption.

Good luck.



"T Bennett" wrote in message
news:6216794@discussion.autodesk.com...
Ok, the instructions aren't the clearest, however, when you get the hang of
it you'll love it.
Message 5 of 213
Anonymous
in reply to: Anonymous

The best solution is for AutoDesk to just add the flexibility of multiple
visibility states. Until then, I'm going with this.

Is anyone using it in AutoCAD 2010 or later?

Todd


"Jason Piercey" wrote in message
news:6217508@discussion.autodesk.com...
Are you confident such modifications will survive in other versions of
AutoCAD? I glanced at the code which all seemed very confusing.
I didn't spend enough time with it to determine what it is actually doing
but I hope for the sake of your time, all your new and improved blocks
don't fall apart or cause corruption.

Good luck.



"T Bennett" wrote in message
news:6216794@discussion.autodesk.com...
Ok, the instructions aren't the clearest, however, when you get the hang of
it you'll love it.
Message 6 of 213
NikolayPoleshchuk
in reply to: Anonymous

In AutoCAD 2010 it is OK.
I'm preparing visibility-add-eng-v1.2 where some inaccuracies will be removed.
Nikolay Poleshchuk
http://poleshchuk.spb.ru/cad/eng.html
Message 7 of 213
NikolayPoleshchuk
in reply to: Anonymous

Version 1.2 is added. See commentary here: http://poleshchuk.spb.ru/cad/2009/tainypod12e.htm
Nikolay Poleshchuk
http://poleshchuk.spb.ru/cad/eng.html
Message 8 of 213
Anonymous
in reply to: Anonymous

Cool, I'll try it when I get a chance.


wrote in message news:6225878@discussion.autodesk.com...
Version 1.2 is added. See commentary here:
http://poleshchuk.spb.ru/cad/2009/tainypod12e.htm
Message 9 of 213
rafa.fiss
in reply to: Anonymous

Hello,

This is what I was looking for!

well, I have some doubts. still cannot make this work.

after I add a visibility with visibility_add, what should I do?

if I try to use the visibility up, I can not select the visibility parameter that I added before.

if I try to add another parameter visibility, the program returns error.

what am I doing wrong?

I sending the file that I'm working. I want select what the elements in the legend I want.

Sorry for the errors, I'm brazilian and I don't speak english very well. Google Translate help me #) Edited by: rafa.fiss on Jul 31, 2009 5:58 PM
Message 10 of 213
NikolayPoleshchuk
in reply to: Anonymous

AutoCAD sees only one visibilty parameter in the Block Editor while editing its visibility states. This parameter is at the top of an internal vis-parameters list.
So you cannot edit visibility parameter until it becames up on the top in the block definition. If you want to do something with a parameter you should first make it uppest (use visibility-up) and only then edit it. After that you can put another vis-parameter to the top (use visibility-up again but pick another parameter) and then edit it.
And so on.
Nikolay Poleshchuk
http://poleshchuk.spb.ru/cad/eng.html
Message 11 of 213
ChrisCAD27
in reply to: Anonymous

My only question is, if you figured this out, why couldn't Autodesk?
Message 12 of 213
NikolayPoleshchuk
in reply to: Anonymous

Autodesk knows about this improvement. But they say that the problem is not in their nearest plans.
Nikolay Poleshchuk
http://poleshchuk.spb.ru/cad/eng.html
Message 13 of 213
gemt
in reply to: Anonymous

I love the sound of this lisp, it's exactly what I've been looking for but I can't get it to work.
I can add a visibility parameter using (visibility_add) which it does but with errors;

{color:#3366ff}Command: _appload visibility-add-eng.lsp successfully loaded.
Command:
Command:
Command: (visibility_add)
Select point for placing Visibility Set: _.BParameter
Enter parameter type
[Alignment/Base/pOint/Linear/Polar/Xy/Rotation/Flip/Visibility/looKup]: _V
Specify parameter location or [Name/Label/Description/Palette]: _L
Enter visibility property label : Visibility-1
Specify parameter location or [Name/Label/Description/Palette]:
Enter number of grips [0/1] <1>:
Command: _.BSAVE
Command: ; error: quit / exit abort

{color:#000000}I then rename the parameter as in step 4. And try to set the new parameter active using (visibility-up) but I get the following error;
{color}
Command: (visibility-up)
Select required Visibility Set: ; error: bad argument type: numberp: nil
{color}


Am I missing something?

I am using AutoCAD 2010.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Gemma
Message 14 of 213
Anonymous
in reply to: Anonymous


I guess the guy made a
visibility-add-eng-v1.2.  Are you using this or version
1.1?

 

I used version 1.1 on AutoCAD 2006 with
no problems.  We have recently upgraded to 2008, but I haven't
tried either version since.  However, Nikolay Poleshchuk said it worked
with 2010.

 

P.S. I snipped this from a previous
post:

<<Instructions for using are given in
English at the bottom of the page (6 steps):>>


 

The instructions could be better, but there's a
lost-in-translation thing, I'm sure.

 

Todd


style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">

I love the sound of this lisp, it's exactly what I've been looking for but
I can't get it to work.
I can add a visibility parameter using
(visibility_add) which it does but with errors;

{color:#3366ff}Command:
_appload visibility-add-eng.lsp successfully
loaded.
Command:
Command:
Command: (visibility_add)
Select point
for placing Visibility Set: _.BParameter
Enter parameter type

[Alignment/Base/pOint/Linear/Polar/Xy/Rotation/Flip/Visibility/looKup]:
_V
Specify parameter location or [Name/Label/Description/Palette]:
_L
Enter visibility property label : Visibility-1
Specify parameter
location or [Name/Label/Description/Palette]:
Enter number of grips [0/1]
<1>:
Command: _.BSAVE
Command: ; error: quit / exit
abort

{color:#000000}I then rename the parameter as in step 4. And try
to set the new parameter active using (visibility-up) but I get the following
error;
{color}
Command: (visibility-up)
Select required Visibility
Set: ; error: bad argument type: numberp: nil
{color}


Am I missing
something?

I am using AutoCAD 2010.

Any help would be greatly
appreciated.

Thanks.

Gemma
Message 15 of 213
gemt
in reply to: Anonymous

Ok I got it to work. It was the way I was opening the block in the block editor. I was inserting the block into a dwg and editing it that way when I should have opened the actual block file.

Anyway I have another problem now. All my elements have disappeared??? I set all my visibility parameters up, tested it, all worked ok then closed the block editor (after saving etc). Then went to reopen it and all the elements that I removed in each visibility parameter had disappeared. How can I get them back. They don't appear if I insert the block into a drawing either.

Help.

Gemma
Message 16 of 213
gemt
in reply to: Anonymous

Well I got around that by deleting all the vp's and starting again...lets try again.

Gemma
Message 17 of 213
Anonymous
in reply to: Anonymous


Sorry dude.  I can't say I'm an expert by any
stretch.  I made one that works great, but when I tried to modify it later,
it wouldn't work.  Of course I made it in 2006 using v1.1 and tried to
modify it in 2008 using v1.2.  I haven't had time to mess with it
since.

 

I believe that one of the sub routines needs to be
run before you start.


style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
Well
I got around that by deleting all the vp's and starting again...lets try
again.

Gemma
Message 18 of 213
nbawden
in reply to: Anonymous

Hi, I managed to get this lisp going on my first attempt and was impressed with what it can do.

I have a couple of questions about it

1) After running it successfully the first time I have since discovered that 9 times out of 10 when I run visibility_add it asks me to select the point for the visibility set and when I click on the spot I want it fails with the error

"; error: bad argument type: lentityp
nil"

Any idea what is causing this?

2) If I already have an existing block with a visibility set and I want to expand on it by adding a second visibility parameter what do I need to do? It seems that I can't keep an existing visibility parameter and add more with this lisp?
Message 19 of 213
Anonymous
in reply to: Anonymous

Sorry, you've long since tapped my knowledge of this program.


wrote in message news:6249912@discussion.autodesk.com...
Hi, I managed to get this lisp going on my first attempt and was impressed
with what it can do.

I have a couple of questions about it

1) After running it successfully the first time I have since discovered that
9 times out of 10 when I run visibility_add it asks me to select the point
for the visibility set and when I click on the spot I want it fails with the
error

"; error: bad argument type: lentityp
nil"

Any idea what is causing this?

2) If I already have an existing block with a visibility set and I want to
expand on it by adding a second visibility parameter what do I need to do?
It seems that I can't keep an existing visibility parameter and add more
with this lisp?
Message 20 of 213
NikolayPoleshchuk
in reply to: Anonymous

Try version 1.3: http://www.private.peterlink.ru/poleshchuk/cad/2009/tainypod12e.htm

Nikolay Poleshchuk
http://poleshchuk.spb.ru/cad/eng.html

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