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Striplight Madness in VectorWorks® This page is included as a pdf in the SoftSymbols™ package.
When I began constructing the SoftSymbols™ package, I didn’t fully understand the structure and relation of data to resources. (For that matter, I'm still learning new aspects of the structure on a daily basis.) After I read the manual, I presumed that the SpotLight structure was in place when it was released by Nemetschek, and my main objective was produce cleaner 2D symbols based on the Field Template™. So I copied a SpotLight resource, changed the name, changed the 2D and 3D graphic components, but left the data entry alone unless it needed correction. At the time SoftSymbols™ was about to launch, Sam Jones alerted me to the fact that the striplight resources in the Field Template Object Libraries didn’t behave properly in SpotLight. After we compared some FT SoftSymbol resources to the same SpotLight resources, we discovered that the FT resources were indeed improperly constructed because the original SpotLight resources are not entirely accurate. In many cases the individual pieces of striplight (the parts) didn't contain any data. And the parts were nested inside of another resource. As I now understand it, each part of a MultiCircuit Instrument must have it’s own set of filled-in data in the Object Info palette, be identified as a "light", and not be nested inside another resource. So I’ve redrawn all of the MultiCircuit Instruments (mainly striplights) in all of the Object Libraries. And the way to utilize them is different than the rest of the symbols and resources in the Field Template Object Libraries. Here's how they can be used in SpotLight and AutoPlot:  SPOTLIGHT USERS:
AUTOPLOTTERS:
OTHER SPOTLIGHT NOTES:
In general, if you wish to affect a MultiCircuit instrument, it is best to select all portions of the Instrument before taking any action. Selecting only one portion of the Instrument to drag, move, nudge, rotate, or undo, and expect it to affect the entire MultiCircuit Instrument, can provide unexpected and humbling results. As an example, if one part of a striplight is moved to a different location in the drawing, the instrument will "break up"--the part that is initially moved does so but leaves it’s cousins behind. Basically, MultiCircuit Instruments don’t work well with the VectorWorks redraw routines. There are four different methods (that I’m currently aware of) that can be employed to graphically see the other portions of the striplight "catch up" and be correctly displayed on the screen: 1. Quickly press the "z" key on the keyboard twice. When the screen "refreshes" all three parts of the MultiCircuit Instrument are re-joined in their new location. Identify MultiCircuit InstrumentsThe only way to determine if a striplight (or other MultiCircuit Device) is a proper MultiCircuit Instrument is to select one part of the instrument (and only one part), then select SpotLight > Define/Convert > Convert to MultiCircuit. If the command is dimmed and unselectable, then the striplight is a MultiCircuit Instrument. If all components of the Instrument are chosen, however, and the Covert to MultiCircuit command is selected, the command will be un-dimmed and selectable. (I presume this is a listed bug and will be fixed in the next revision.) SPOTLIGHT INSTRUMENT NUMBERING AND LABEL LEGENDS:
When initially numbering a MultiCircuit instrument you must select all parts of that instrument that will receive that type of number. Otherwise only the selected parts will receive the desired numbering. Assigning the Type of NumberingIf you wish to number a MultiCircuit instrument using typical numbering nomenclature (A1, or 1.1, or 1A), select all of the parts within that Instrument, then select SpotLight > Instrument Processing > Number Instruments. Select which type of numbering you wish to employ from the scroll bar, and press OK. The prefix and suffix are for other situations and will add unwanted alphanumeric characters to the unit numbers. Subsequent Label Legend AssignmentsWhen a label legend is applied to a MultiCircuit Instrument, even if only one part is selected, that label legend will be applied to all of the parts. Once the first label legend has been universally applied, re-select the parts that require a different label legend. If you wish to have the two bottom cells of a 4-cell square cyc instrument to have a different label legend than the two top cells, for example, assign the first label legend to the entire multicircuit instrument. Then reselect the bottom pair of parts and change them to the second label legend. Selecting Hidden MultiCircuit PartsPortions of MultiCircuit Instruments can be accessed using "Send to Front" and "Send to Back" commands. In the 4-cell square cyc lights, for example, there are four resources, but only two can be seen. To apply one label legend to the top units and a second label legend to the bottom units, check the symbol’s identity in the Object Info Palette, and use these commands to assign the proper label legend to the correct part of the cyc light. Show One Unit Number for a MultiCircuit InstrumentIf you wish to number a MultiCircuit instrument so that the unit number only shows one time for each Instrument, two label legends are required. For example, the first one may be called "Strip-Unit#", include all desired labels, along with the unit number. The second label legend may be called "Strip-NoUnit#" and be a duplicate of the first legend, but not include the unit number. SOFTSYMBOL™ STRIPLIGHT NOMENCLATURE:
The resources are sorted by unit type, circuitry, and length. For the most part, the individual parts that make up each striplight are contained in a symbol folder named by this sorting order. One example of this is the Altman PAR 56 3Cir/4’* symbol folder. The folder contains three striplight parts: Par 56 16" C*, Par 56 16" L*, and Par 56 16" R*. Each part is 16" long. When combined into the MultiCircuit Instrument, the overall length of the PAR 56 striplight is 4’-0". In some cases the same parts are duplicated for other striplights of the same type and the same length. By creating a duplicate set of parts allows the data to be updated (4 circuit instead of 3, wattage potentially different) and accurate for data export. Using the same example, the PAR 56 4Cir/5’4"* symbol folder contains parts that are also 16" long. There are two center parts because the striplight contains 4 circuits. So the parts in this folder are named Par 56 16" (4)L*, Par 56 16" (4)C1*, Par 56 16" (4)C2*, and Par 56 16" (4)R*. The center parts (C1* and C2*) have been duplicated to reduce confusion. The italicized text underneath each striplight or multicircuit instrument indicates the number of circuits, cells, overall length of the unit, and identifies the symbol as a SpotLight lighting device. The underlined text (which for non-striplight symbols identifies the symbol’s name) in this case identifies the resource parts used to create the MultiCircuit Instrument. After finding the parts, AutoPlotters can create a symbol from scratch. CREATING MULTICIRCUIT INSTRUMENTS:
As the manual describes, the parts first need to be created as 2D objects. To create a 3-circuit striplight, for example, I begin by creating a new symbol folder with that instrument’Äôs name, circuitry, and length. Then I select a 2D polygon that will eventually be the overall shape of the striplight. I create a 2D symbol and then, in the Edit Symbol window, place the striplight polygon relative to the 2D insertion point. More detailed information about this graphic construction can be found in the SoftGuide. Once the polygon has been placed in the Edit Symbol, I deselect it and fill in the Object Info data regarding instrument type, wattage, and so on. After I return to the drawing, I duplicate the resource twice. This results in 3 resources which all contain the same shape and data. The resources all have the same name except for the last letter, which is L, C, and R (Left, Center, and Right). From my experience I believe that it's impossible to display comparable data between resources in the Resource Browser in a spreadsheet style, or any other kind of format. It’s possible to create a report under the Organize menu, or an editable worksheet in the SpotLight menu, but that information only reflects symbols in the drawing, not the resources in the Resource Browser. Filling in the data, before duplicating the initial resource, avoids having to repeat filling in the same data two more times for each of the duplicated resources. Once the three duplicate resources are complete, I then graphically edit each one. I cut the striplight into three equidistant parts, using the Trim Tool and the Clip Surface command, and paste each "third" into it’s respective 2D Edit Symbol window. Then I create a 3D shape and paste that into each window as well. I’ve found the Paste in Place command very helpful in this activity; it not only pastes in the X and Y axis, but in the Z axis as well. After the 2D and 3D components are complete and the data’s filled in, the three parts are complete and ready for conversion. Return to the drawing and insert all 3 parts as SpotLight Lighting Devices. Once they’re aligned and butted up to each other, select SpotLight > Define/Convert > Convert to MultiCircuit. Label Legends can be applied, and the MultiCircuit Instrument is ready for use.
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