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Thread: Can a Schedule Table be converted to Table

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    Active Member tomdillenbeck's Avatar
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    Question Can a Schedule Table be converted to Table

    I would like to generate a list of Room Names and Numbers from my space objects to begin a Room Finish Schedule. It is easier to enter room finish information into a regular table - to copy rows of information, etc. But I would like to start with a schedule table and explode it to make a regular table to add columns.

    Any ideas?

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    Time Lord Steve_Bennett's Avatar
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    Lightbulb Re: Can a Schedule Table be converted to Table

    Here's a thought: Don't explode it. Export the ST to excel, copy the cells you want & then do a paste special into ADT as a link to the excel doc or insert it as autocad table depending on what you want to do. This way you could still keep the associativity of the table & do your entering in excel. I try to avoid autocad tables if possible.
    Steve Bennett |BIM Manager
    Taylor Design | Adventures in BIM

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    Default Re: Can a Schedule Table be converted to Table

    Here's a better idea: Don't explode it, don't export it. Open the table style and modify it to suit your needs, with the schedule being populated by space styles and room object criteria. AUTOMATICALLY, and intelligently.

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    Active Member tomdillenbeck's Avatar
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    Default Re: Can a Schedule Table be converted to Table

    What do you mean automatically? Somebody needs to input the information for the room finishes. The question is to insert it per room - editing the properties of each space object - one at a time - over and over. OR, being able to copy and paste information in an easy table-based format where rows or columns of information can be easily copied.

    Another idea that I'm getting from your suggestion involves another level of complication that I'm not sure our end users are looking for. We could say: Hey interior designer, come up with different palettes of materials per room type and make those style based properties. Unfortunately we already group our rooms into different styles based on departments, rather than finish schemes.

    So if you could explain how this could magically happen automatically, I would be interested.

    Schedule table (report from ADT allows no input) vs Table (allows easy user input).

    Thanks.
    Tom

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    Moderator arcadia_x27's Avatar
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    Default Re: Can a Schedule Table be converted to Table

    If you want to go the route of having no connectivity what so ever then you can export your schedule to an excel spreadsheet and use a freely available lisp routine called XL to import your excel spreadsheet into your AutoCAD drawing as a simple table made up of lines and text objects. Definitely no connectivity at all but easy to update the schedule in the excel sheet and them import it.

    On the automatic side of things, depending on what kind of work you do, if you have common finish materials you use you could simply create space styles with the finishes (and whatever other information)already included that could be automatically generated in the schedule. It's also not a really big deal to add in the finish information to the space objects. especially if you simultaneously pick all the rooms in your structure that have say VCT flooring and you enter it in once then all the spaces will have that value.

    But again it all depends on what works best for your process, But it is always preferable to let or get ADT to do things automatically rather than break the link so to speak.

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    Default Re: Can a Schedule Table be converted to Table

    Thanks, ARCADIA. While it may seem easy to modify a "dead" schedule, I find it more reliable to modify the information attached to a space or room object. When I am modifying a space or room object, I am looking at that space and any discrepancies are immediately apparent. Otherwise, changes to a "dead" schedule may lead to discrepancies not noticed until a field change order is required.

    Unfortunately, the foregoing is based on experience.

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    Default Re: Can a Schedule Table be converted to Table

    Tom, I'd like to suggest expanding on Mr.Graham's idea. He is 100% correct but sometimes examples can help. If you are willing to post your ADT drawing, I'll try and squeeze a little time and create a mini-demonstration for you.

    I have created a dummy schedule style (named with all due originality, Edit Tool) that is nothing but a copy of my "real" schedule. I added a quantity column for reference then added and deleted columns at will (not hide or unhide, actually add and delete). The columns I add and delete allow me to sort by unique property and edit everything at once.

    For example, if I have 100 rooms called Office all with different numbers and the only shared feature is the name and the finishes, I will use my Edit Tool schedule and remove every column except the relevant finishes and the room name. Because there is a quantity column, all the rooms named Office show on a single line, quantity 100. If you then edit the table cell for Floor to CPT 1, it populates every cell in your "real" schedule. Now, you are only required to go back and change the few oddballs.

    Even better, if you used space styles when you created the drawing (like Office, Toilet Room, Large Conference, Small Conference, Exam Room, whatever), you could use quick select to find all the spaces of that style. Then, use the Extended Data tab and enter common information into the appropriate fields while leaving VARIES alone.

    Combine both ideas, add the Space Style column to your dummy schedule and edit in that location, sorting and displaying styles only.

    As an interim option, isolate all the tags and spaces with Isolate or Layer Management and manually select a bunch of spaces you know have shared finishes and use the Extended Data tab again.

    I use this to assign hardware types based on UL labels, to add a fabric to a whole bunch of conference chairs as a standard then manually correct the "executive" chairs, enter glass types based on UL labels, find all the offices that are not a corporate standard 10 x 12 and more.

    Try it. I guarantee you will never consider converting to Excel or a table. Trust me. I can be a blithering idiot trying to get a roof to look correct but this, I most certainly know. Granted, I started tinkering with this about 3-4 years ago in ADT 3.0 and it took me a whole day to create my first schedule. But I can do it about 10 minutes now.

    (Or, you could join me and consider migrating to Revit, bagging the whole thing.)

    PBR

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