Im looking for a feature which to me seem so basic for any CAD, that it must exist either as a work around or plug-in
I got an entity. I would like to make a small label stick to it with some custom data (e.g the item code from the shop, the unit , etc.). I want this data to be set in some sort of legend, that I could later on edit the look of. I want it on a seperate layer, that i can turn off. I would prefer it to be in SU, but since LO is the 2d part of the suite, i´ll probably have to do it over there.
my case:I work as a theatrical Lighting designer, and I often have about 200-400 lighting fixtures which needs to display at least 3 different numbers of data + some text. I need everything to be displayed ontop of the entity, not having leader lines cluttering the print - and I need one print with everything i A3 for the crew
Im looking for a function similar to what WYSIWYG or VectorWorks Spotlight have for labeling fixtures
I could do a scrapbook thing in LO, but only the arrow sticks to the entity if i later on move it around, and editing the data is a lot of clicks. Is there anything which allows me to open a menu, type in the data, set the increment, and then point`click at each fixture?
I could see this come in handy for a lot of SU users with different backgrounds and needs, so someone must be loking for something similar
I’ve been trying this option, and i does fit the bill on a small scale. But i was hoping for a way to do some sort of graphic symbol to go Along with the thing - sort of a merge between label and scrapbook features.
However, my biggest issue with this method is the actual layout of it. With 300+ fixtures each with an arrow, a leader line and data, my print is practically indecipherable.
Is there any way to edit how the label look? Or can you target a scrapbook feature the same way you can a label?
Hi @DanRathbun
That sounds like what I was looking for. Perhaps I should add a request to add the ability edit the style and look of the labels; the merge of scrapbook and labels i talked about in the OP. If you could use these auto-text additions you mention in the scrapbook editor, and make a user-defined anchor point for the scrapbook group so it would stick to a SU entity (even if said entity was later moved in the reference file)
unfortunately this only allows me to edit how the leader line looks (curved, two/one segment). It wont allow me to ditch the leader line entirely and place my txt right on top of my anchor point
A different possibility in SU itself is to use a FlatText plugin (there are three - two free but limited, and one Pro, paid for but not expensive). This draws SU 3D text with no thickness but a small offset from the face you place it on, to prevent Z fighting if you give the text a fill. The text is editable after placement.
You can get them from the Extension Warehouse - search for FlatText.
I believe there’s another plugin by TIG or thomthom that makes 3d text editable, but I haven’t used it and can’t remember exactly what it’s called.
You can include the text in your component, and also assign it to a layer of your choice.
PS. SU label text automatically picks up the name of a labelled component. You could temporarily attach a label , copy the component name, and paste it in to FlatText, if the component name is a useful part of the label you want to add.
And if you can make a font character, you could include a small logo or vector image.
And it uses an attribute dictionary to save the text of the 3D Text, so it can be changed later.
If LayOut were to get a way to reference custom attribute dictionaries, then a user could get the text for TT’s extension’s dictionary attached to text groups made with his extension.
For now I think tables are best candidate for displaying large portions of information of the model in SketchUp, provided that you would use the Dynamic Attributes on Components. It only involves two steps : Generating a new report if anything changes and updating the CSV reference in LayOut. Using the label tag only involves one step in LayOut, but, as the OP stated, gets cluttered if there are many components to label. For now , Tables can be easily adjusted (Font,Style, reference etc ) and labels not.
In general, I think that the developers at SketchUp who are in charge ( @Marc ) are listening to users who are actually ‘in the field’ managing large models and trying to cope with the boundaries of the software. These topics/threads displays it perfectly .
) are listening to users who are actually ‘in the field’ managing large models and trying to cope with the boundaries of the software. These topics/threads displays it perfectly .