We are using site color now for almost every project in the preliminary stages, however we would like to be able to use the color to help define materials in design development for cost estimates and eventually as ref notes. Since we have put the times into polylining areas of concrete, soil, asphalt, and Inert materials it. Would be nice to have a convert functiton that would covert the site colors into ref note or concept graphics batches that could be assigned depths, volumes, costs, or descriptions all at once since presumably we have colored materials all the same color.
Just a thought
Bob
Bob,
This is exactly the direction we are headed. Concept Lines, for example, allow Linking with a RefNote Length item. This allows defining things in the drawing as RefNotes, but then having a Conceptual view defined in Concept Graphics -- which can then have its setting for Width, Color, and a conceptual description. In lieu of toggling back and forth, instead the workflow we prefer is to Xref the RefNote plan into the Conceptual Graphics sheet, where the colorization can be applied on top.
The only reason that Concept Graphic Areas do not have the Link option as well, is that we first need to get some clarity on how everything will fit together -- as in, should RefNote Areas still have a Color setting, or should linking to a Concept area be the only way to apply color? And further, we plan on bringing all of the functionality of the Site Development / Estimator schedule into Concept Graphics.
So long story short, it's definitely good timing to send in some example plans of what sort of output you would find ideal!
--J
One quick note: We added to our Match Properties tool, so when you select a Site Color as the destination object for a RefNote Area, it asks if you wish to apply to all areas of that color. Match Properties should also help with some of the other tasks you describe. Alternately, our new Transform tool currently has only one use, transforming a Concept Plant to a Production Plant -- but it is planned to be able to transform all instances of any Land F/X object to another one. So we definitely have our thumb on the pulse of what you're doing!
--J
we currently are coloring in a preliminary design plan and putting planting in that same drawing to allow us to toggle color on and off for site color and plants. After we create that exhibit someone will inevitably want a take off for areas, now we begin to question if we used the right tool, should we have started with concept graphics, no because we were just lookin for color... oh well!
We then copy all the outlines of the site color and export them as a block (that we then explode) or group of lines into another drawing and begin hatching those outlines as concept graphics or crude ref notes so that we can get a square foot take off or a volume and create an exhibit for the take-offs. Now with any luck we get approval and need to go into working drawing and now all the concept graphics need to be converted to ref notes with specific callouts and details, ideally each hatched area could act like a plant block (plan, color, and 3D) where you assign the color, the concept graphic information and the ref note hatch & description and toggle between them as you progress through the project that would be awesome, otherwise a convert button that if you click on a site color it would ask you what information you want to assign this color and do you want to convert all hatches with similar color? The only issue might be in highly detailed objects like cars or people that might have 4 or five colors you might have that color in those that you would want to ignore but otherwise we color all our concrete one color, all asphalt a separate color, and soil or mulch different as well so the computer would be able to diffferentiate those easily.
just my two cents!
Bob
Bob,
This is exactly the direction we are headed. Concept Lines, for example, allow Linking with a RefNote Length item. This allows defining things in the drawing as RefNotes, but then having a Conceptual view defined in Concept Graphics -- which can then have its setting for Width, Color, and a conceptual description. In lieu of toggling back and forth, instead the workflow we prefer is to Xref the RefNote plan into the Conceptual Graphics sheet, where the colorization can be applied on top.
The only reason that Concept Graphic Areas do not have the Link option as well, is that we first need to get some clarity on how everything will fit together -- as in, should RefNote Areas still have a Color setting, or should linking to a Concept area be the only way to apply color? And further, we plan on bringing all of the functionality of the Site Development / Estimator schedule into Concept Graphics.
So long story short, it's definitely good timing to send in some example plans of what sort of output you would find ideal!
--J
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