Layer Properties Manager: Indicate total length, total area, number of objects with appropriate fiel

[Wish List System]

Summary: Layer Properties Manager: Indicate total length, total area, number of objects with appropriate field for inclusion in text.

Description: Layer Properties Manager:
Could we please enable the layer properties manager to indicate other relevant information such as total length of lines on a layer, total area of hatch / closed poly lines and total number of objects on the layer. The appropriate field should also be included in the fields list for inclusion in text on the drawing. We draw various elements such as water, sewer and storm water lines of varying diameters, kerbs of various types and roads of various widths. The inclusion of these parameters would greatly increase the speed of quantifying the work that has to be carried out. At the moment we use extract or run a query but this is not as instant as fields and the extraction file often becomes disassociated with the drawing. Alternatively another palette could introduced indicating this information for inclusion in a schedule of quantities. Thanking you. Regards Ralph

Product and Feature: AutoCAD - Layer

Submitted By: Ralph Benoy on 04/30/2015

[Tom Beauford]

Something that could be easily done with lisp or other programming options. The wish lists are for features that would aide not bog down the majority of users. I'm sure you would get help with a request on the AutoLISP Programming Forum. Parameters such as "water, sewer and storm water lines of varying diameters, curbs of various types and roads of various widths" wouldn't make much sense for a basic AutoCAD function. You're not drawing these items in Vanilla AutoCAD are you?

[cadtag]

huhmmm, layer palette has enough speed and response issues when all it's doing is handling _one_ data table in the drawing database. The responsiveness if it had to update data/recalculate areas, total lengths etc would chnage from the speed of cane syrup to that of cold tar....

no thank you.

[dgorsman]

The implementation of the layers is different than some people think. Entities aren't actually "on" a layer but rather point to an entry in the collection of layers. So each layer doesn't have any direct knowledge of the entities which are pointing to it. In order to do so, it would be necessary to go over all of the entities in the drawing and log the layer each one is pointing to. That would have to be done each time the OP's requested information would get refreshed.

Definitely something for end-user customizing.

[BlackBox]

The implementation of the layers is different than some people think. Entities aren't actually "on" a layer but rather point to an entry in the collection of layers. So each layer doesn't have any direct knowledge of the entities which are pointing to it. In order to do so, it would be necessary to go over all of the entities in the drawing and log the layer each one is pointing to. That would have to be done each time the OP's requested information would get refreshed.

Definitely something for end-user customizing.

1+

While Autodesk.AutoCAD.DatabaseServices.Entity provides Properties for both Layer (string), and LayerId (ObjectId), these simply reference the ObjectId of the LayerTableRecord (aka Layer)... The Layer (LayerTabelRecord) does not 'store' a collection of those Entities (ObjectIds) which have been assigned to said Layer.

That said, one could roll their own GetEntityIds() ExtensionMethod for LayerTableRecord Class, which might work similar to BlackTableRecord Type's native GetBlockReferenceIds() Method - however, this would merely simplify the task of calling such a DB query, as the ExtensionMethod's code-behind would still be iterating the DB to cull such information as you've well described, just making it 'shorthand' for the end-user customizing you aptly point out as being needed here... And yes, Autodesk *should* have provided this API functionality years ago, but they didn't, so we drive on nonetheless.

Cheers

[civitech]

Hi Tom,
Thanks for your comments. In my opinion all lines in AutoCAD represent some element and it should be a basic feature of AutoCAD to quantify the elements within a drawing. I was only using these elements as an example. The existing extraction methods to quantify the elements of a drawing for use in a schedule of quantities is far to basic and time consuming. I use fields as far as possible to more or less instantly quantify individual elements but there are no fields that can give me the total elements. I really would like to see this as an integrated part of the CAD system. I have always stayed away from programs that operated outside the drawing I was busy with.

[civitech]

Hi cadtag, Thanks for your comments. These days there are numerous other packages within AutoCAD that do far more complex procedures. Like with fields these quantities can be updated when the drawing is saved. I know we are expecting more and more of our computers but surely we are reaching a stage that we can expect more from our computers and programs than the basic.

[civitech]

Hi BlackBox, Thanks for the positive feedback and ideas, we are in an industry filled with deadlines and target dates and I really appreciate it when a program goes the extra mile to simplify things. Having to customize or write programs while chasing deadlines is not ideal. Any assistance to simplify the functionality of AutoCAD related programs to meet our deadlines is what makes a program better than others.

[ralph.tulis]

I do not feel that this kind of feature belongs in the Layer Properties Manager.

[jaberwok]

Hi BlackBox, Thanks for the positive feedback and ideas, we are in an industry filled with deadlines and target dates and I really appreciate it when a program goes the extra mile to simplify things. Having to customize or write programs while chasing deadlines is not ideal. Any assistance to simplify the functionality of AutoCAD related programs to meet our deadlines is what makes a program better than others.

But you don't want AutoCAD to be simplified, you want it made to suit YOU even thought the changes that you want would have an undesired impact on the great majority of users.
This is a situation that cries out for some custom programming.