Custom Bar Scale block tied to viewport?

[doni49]

I've searched for info on this with no success.  When I place a scale bar, it prompts me to select my viewport.  But then I also have to enter "Properties" that tell it the scale and units.  It's using these properties as opposed to the VP's scale.  I'm at a loss as to WHY it's doing this -- since it prompts to pick my VP, why won't it pull the scale from the selected VP?

Our scale bar is pretty simple.  We place it in PAPERSPACE and the graphics remain unchanged.  Only the text updates when the scale changes.

TIA!

[Joe-Bouza]

Hi Don

The best I have come up with is you are given the oportunity to change the incriment scale at that prompt. Why it want to change size is a puzzle to me too

[doni49]

I think you've accurately described the issue.

The VP has a scale assigned to it. If the scale is 1"=30', then I want the first non-profit number from my image to be 30' and the second to be 60' and for it to say 1"=30' at the bottom. The size of the graphics should not change - - it's in pspace (as I'm sure it's designed to be) so why would the graphics change?

The dynamic North arrow seems to work well -- too bad the scale bar doesn't.

[doni49]

LOL my phone's autocorrect got me.

"non-profit" in my last message should be "non-zero".

[Pointdump]

Don,

"Non-Profit"! Ha ha! That sounds almost Freudian.

Dave

[jmartt]

Sounds like the field for the viewport scale wasn't set up right and that the block itself is annotative.

Are the numbers changing to the right numbers, just also changing size?

[doni49]

Just to be sure, I tried one of the sample scale bars provided by autodesk. She results.

[Joe-Bouza]

I dont have confirmation on this but anytime I have used a dynamic SB in a Plan production prototype it does not create the DS correctly.

[doni49]

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@Joe-Bouza wrote:
I dont have confirmation on this but anytime I have used a dynamic SB in a Plan production prototype it does not create the DS correctly.

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I haven't even gotten to the point of using it in the P&P wizards.  MOST of our plans are created manually -- for the most part, an entire site will usually fit on 1 to 2 sheet.

[kcobabe]

Any chance on posting the block so I can troubleshoot it for you?  I have done numerous barscale for my own company the dynamically plug in without the scaling issue.  I do think that your block my be annotative or inserted annotative as stated before causing it to scale.

[doni49]

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@kcobabe wrote:

Any chance on posting the block so I can troubleshoot it for you?  I have done numerous barscale for my own company the dynamically plug in without the scaling issue.  I do think that your block my be annotative or inserted annotative as stated before causing it to scale.

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I've attached the dwg file that I've been using for testing purposes.  It's got my scale bar in it along with some notations.

As far as "Annotative" causing it to scale, I just checked and not only is it not set to Annotative, It wouldn't even LET me set it that way (the OOTB scale bar is the one with the changing grapics).

TIA!

[doni49]

Ok.  I've made a little progress here.  At least I understand HOW the OOTB scalebar works.  But I still say it's poorly designed.

When placing the scale bar, you have to adjust the settings to work with the VP scale.  Then when the VP scale chagnes, you have to CHANGE the properties of the scale bar.  That pretty much defeats the purpose of linking the scale bar to the VP as far as I'm concerned.

In my test file, I set the VP scale to 1"=400'.  Then when I placed the OOTB scale bar, I used the settings in the following image (and it looked/measured correctly):

Then when I changed the VP scale to 1"=800', the scale bar shrunk and the numbers stayed the same -- it should have done the opposite.  When I looked at the scale bar's properties, the scale ratio had changed to 1:9600.

[Joe-Bouza · Accepted solution]

check the box to adjust divisions on zoom and the bar remains a constant size and the number change only

[doni49]

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@Joe-Bouza wrote:

check the box to adjust divisions on zoom and the bar remains a constant size and the number change only

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OMG!  I've been hunting for this solution and this is the first time I've seen it mentioned.  Now that you say it, I was wondering what that was for.

Thanks Joe!

[kcobabe]

Looks like you need to add the "Linear Parameter" and "Scale" action.  Once you have added those.  Add "Map.ScaleBar.DivLength" in the "Distance Name" property of the "Linear Parameter"

I added you drawing to this if you want to see what I did.  You still need to add attributes to add the div scale text though.  If you are really good with script you could probably get these to autopopulate.

[doni49]

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@Joe-Bouza wrote:

check the box to adjust divisions on zoom and the bar remains a constant size and the number change only

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One more question about this setting.....

Is it possible to set my block so that this is already checked?  Or even better yet -- make it so it can't be turned off for this block?

[doni49]

I guess I do still have one additional question besides the one about the check box.

Our standard scale bar has the ft marks (apostrophe) after the values above the bar (see the image) and below the bar it says 1 inch = 20 feet (again see the image).

I'm at a loss as to how I'm going to do that.  If I do this **** peices of text that are separate from the attributes, the text will likely be too far away from or on top of the attributes.

Any ideas?

[Joe-Bouza]

I don't know about setting the check box default, but the ticks are doable.

You have to go int to block editor to add and update the block in the search path. its a dyno and there are alot of parameters to coordinate. I'm not sure which ones, but if you go the the dyno block DG look for Charlse Shade im certain he can get you going. Tell Charlse I sent you and give him my regards

[Tentie]

Okay - now lets take this to the next level.

I need both the horizontal and vertical scales on our scale bar.

  There is typically either a 5:1 or 10:1 ratio between the horizontal and vertical scale.

I have attached a clip of what it should look like.

Has anyone created this block and get it working correctly?  If so, any way of acquiring a copy?

Cheers,

Glen