topic Looking for Double Lookup method for Visibility + Dimensional changes in Dynamic Blocks Forum

Looking for Double Lookup method for Visibility + Dimensional changes

elgannaway — Wed, 07 Jul 2021 18:34:46 GMT

So I will try to describe this before I upload an example. I have 16 visibility states. The first 13 are populated with 1 block each of a steel channel section. I then have 3 additional visibility states that are for front, rear & top/bottom views. I have a series of linear dimension parameters set up in those three visibility states and then a lookup table which defines all except for the member length parameter (independent of the chosen section).

What I want is a lookup table/double lookup approach that does the following.

The user selects both the section and the view. I want to do this without having to create a visibility state for each possible view & section combination - that's 52 states if anyone is counting. I was hoping that via a double lookup the choice of section would define the 4x dimension parameters and those would then be usable for the view lookup.

What I am running into in the double lookup is that I can't have reverse lookup if multiple combinations point to the same visibility state (ie, all front views point to the "FRONT" visibility state).

Please note that the 4x dimensional parameters are fixed based on the sections' properties. The only dimensionally dynamic input would be in the front, rear & top/bottom visibility states and that is a member length property that has no impact any of the section visibility states. I will admit that I am new to double lookups and they do present a solution to some of my dynamic blocks that previously I did the long way (involves creating many, many lookup tables that are visibility state-dependent & then use object visibility to determine which show when - ugh). If we can figure out how to include dimensional or positional properties in double (or triple or ....... lookups), then we can really start to create powerful tools for our drafting efforts.

Any help would be appreciated. I can upload the block as it stands now, but it is incomplete as I really never got the double lookup to work or figured out where the dimensional parameters going the lookup structure for this.

Re: Looking for Double Lookup method for Visibility + Dimensional changes

Libbya — Wed, 07 Jul 2021 20:05:55 GMT

Any type of parameter (linear, XY, rotate, polar, point, etc...) can be controlled by a lookup property. No figuring out needed.

Post your example block and a good description of how you want it to behave. Your 13 visibility states for different sizes sound like there's a high likelihood that they could be done with a single visibility state and controlling the geometry with lookup values.

Re: Looking for Double Lookup method for Visibility + Dimensional changes

elgannaway — Thu, 08 Jul 2021 13:26:17 GMT

Thank you for your response. it seems that there was some misunderstanding, but furthermore, it appears that the lack of functionality was completely my fault. I had forgotten to add 3x of the visibility states to the visibility state lookup inside the double lookup.

A functional version of the dynamic block is attached. The next step would be to make the section profile completely parametric and driven by the lookup table(s), but as I have been discussing in a separate thread, there is a problem there as well (ie flip action doesn't play nice with chained actions - which I need to handle the toe radii).

Ideally, this block would have only 4 visibility states (the views) and the properties of the section would be controlled parametrically (first through the selection of a section & then through grips that adjust length, rotation & flipping). I can certainly program that, but as soon as I throw in a flip action it breaks (different thread for that discussion though).