Need a way to count blocks in specific ROOMS

[mmCAZ]

Hello All,

 

I need a way to count furniture blocks that are located in specific ROOMS. More specifically, I'm looking for a way to select MULTIPLE different blocks at once (with a WINDOW selection) and label them a specific room number. I don't want every block with the same properties universally updated (since some will be in other rooms). I also don't want to have to select each block in every room and update its attributes manually (this would both take a long time and things may be re-located over time). I would like to be able to print a report and compare it to our Microsoft Access database. I know there are other furniture-CAD programs that will do this, but is AutoCAD capable of doing this on its own? I have millions of square feet to check furniture for and this would save me days- if not weeks of time! PLEASE HELP!

[ReMark]

AutoCAD will not do this on its own. It sounds like you would need a custom lisp routine to accomplish the task.

[SLW210]

Use BCOUNT and window the room you need when prompted to select objects.

[eyde]

Yes you can do this. Make an attribute in your blocks that you can change for each room and then do a data extraction and link to excel spread sheet or table in your drawing.

[ReMark]

"I also don't want to have to select each block in every room and update its attributes manually..."

 

Maybe I misunderstood this part of the OP's post.

[alanjt]

Wait, are you wanting to count a selection of blocks or fill in an attribute for a selection of blocks?

[mmCAZ]

Wait, are you wanting to count a selection of blocks or fill in an attribute for a selection of blocks?

 

I'm wanting to count a selection of blocks- but do this by filling in an attribute with the room number. I can do a BCOUNT- but, would prefer to set up the room numbers beforehand (by selecting a group within a room and identifying room number) so that I can print a spreadsheet with this information. I have literally millions of square feet-- not just a small floor plan, so doing a window around each room would take about as long as counting by hand. If I could window around these items and edit their room numbers when I add them (and not have to do this each time I need a count), that would be ideal. There is a program called CAP that has this feature, but, it is expensive and I don't need all that it offers.

 

Thanks!

[bill_borec]

What if you created a unique block name for each room? even using the same block? I am assuming you haven't done the furniture layout, yet.

 

You could then use BCOUNT or SSX.

 

i.e. Chair is drawn and wblock to save the components as Chair-1, then Chair-2, then Chair-3, and so on. In room one, the Chair-1 block is inserted.

 

Maybe I am oversimplifying this. But you could then do a table of Chair-1, Chair-2 etc. exported to excel.

 

A sketch of a couple of rooms would be helpful.

[mmCAZ]

What if you created a unique block name for each room? even using the same block? I am assuming you haven't done the furniture layout, yet.

 

You could then use BCOUNT or SSX.

 

i.e. Chair is drawn and wblock to save the components as Chair-1, then Chair-2, then Chair-3, and so on. In room one, the Chair-1 block is inserted.

 

Maybe I am oversimplifying this. But you could then do a table of Chair-1, Chair-2 etc. exported to excel.

 

A sketch of a couple of rooms would be helpful.

 

That would be too complicated. If I had just a small house plan, that would probably be OK. But, I'm dealing with hundreds, if not thousands of rooms, with multiple types of furniture (multiple types of seating, desks, beds, cabinets, etc.). We do mainly healthcare, so, you can imagine how many different types of furniture AND medical equipment we would have. Plus, I'm trying to set up a group of blocks with attributes (some constant, some variable) that could work for any project. It takes too much time to set up all of the different blocks to do this for every project.

 

Thanks, though.

[BIGAL]

It can be done and re That would be too complicated sorry you can insert a block and auto insert the attributes at that time. It could do something like pick a group of blocks, Chair desk table room, insert them all and label them with their correct number sequence.

 

Lee Mac has a brilliant block insert that auto numbers if you delete a block it renumbers remaining. The numbers would be individual to the block name. Room-22 desk-5

 

Your task question has been around for years anyone working on large scale projects has probably come up with a soloution, start search with "room count"

 

Any one out there ?

[RobDraw]

Something like this takes careful planning either by using software that already is set up for this or by making your drawing capable of doing this. Getting the desired result from existing drawings of the scale you are talking about is going to take a lot of time not only in the planning stages but in getting the desired data into the blocks. I'm not sure AutoCAD is the right product. If the information you will be working with is strictly furniture, I would look into software designed for furniture.

[BIGAL]

Sorry Robdraw but I am close to 30 years with Autocad and room labelling was around way back then then I dealt with guys who did stuff like hospitals and everything was itemised right down to the door frames.

 

Yes it takes a bit of planning and control of operators but is eachieveable. Again I would start now with Lee macs auto block number

 

This took about 5 secs to find

 

http://www.cadtutor.net/forum/showthread.php?34914-Incremental-Numbering-Suite&highlight=rooms

[RobDraw]

What are you sorry about? I did not know vanilla AutoCAD was capable of creating rooms/spaces that were capable of counting blocks within them. I thought you needed some sort of BIM software. Can you tell us a little about it?

[BIGAL]

Its plain jane Autocad when you insert a block add the correct attribute values automatically, I think the OP is maybe going past step 1 and then trying to fix the problem, the preverbial the gate is already open and the bulls gone to see the cows.

 

As an example ten rooms with say from a list pick the relevant blocks, a bed - desk - lamp for rooms, then pick room number or room numbers, blocks inserted with some form of rule. BIM comes out again of autocad dataexport attextract etc you get cross linking of attributes room No and lamp No

 

Like comments above it needs a plan not a random sequence of events.

 

There is lots of posts about read one attribute paste into another block. I would not use text for room names because its easier to write one defun that returns highest value of a single name group of blocks the next insert is ready. It would just require a loop for all known blocks and save their individual highest value.

 

What I am saying it is achievable, start small 1 block multiple times increment number.

 

go through a blocklist
Do you want to insert this block <Y> or <N press any key>
setq thisblock "Y"
setq thatBlock "n"
if block is Y then insert 
repeat for entire list

 

Again I would start today with Lee Macs auto number routines because they are real good and expand on them posting here for help which in turn helps others.

[RobDraw]

Correct me if I'm wrong but that requires a lot of input from the user initially and possibly multiple times throughout the course of a project. If say a room changes name or number or a piece of equipment moves to a different room, the user has to make sure that the new data gets populated into the blocks. The blocks don't know what room they are in until you tell them.

[BIGAL]

Yeah I was thinking about stuff like that I skipped over post "using fields in block" maybe that has some clues. It really comes down to a management thing if your working on a multi million $ project then you must have rules. Some answer would be to write routines that remove links and re-establish like your suggesting.

 

Anyway I am going to stop now because I think the original question has been answered it can be done.