ddn.datacad.com -- Open Source: J.B. CAD

Descriptions of all J.B. CAD Services Macros
Annotate Annotate is a collection of macros which help the user to quickly and efficiently place annotation symbols on the drawing. Annotate has a wide variety of used which include: Titles (inserts drawing titles with or without detail bubbles, north arrows, etc.) Section cuts Elevation markers Area markers, both rectangular and round Room names and numbers (allows you to have double-line room names with room numbers in a box, a capsule, or underlined; room names/numbers can be either left- or center-justified) Spot elevations (allows you to locate a spot elevation marker and its associated text) Cut lines Pipe cut lines Column bubble indicators Note markers Round Hexagon Triangle Square Octagon Diamonds Rectangle Capsule Chevron Ellipse Stars Free Rectangles All of these items can be drawn to the proper plot scale of the drawing upon insertion into the drawing; just use the scale feature in any of the above selections. AsciiMAX AsciiMAX is a DataCAD macro for processing ASCII text files into schedule form on your drawings. AsciiMAX allows you to eliminate the cumbersome task of typing all of that text on the drawing by taking full advantage of your office secretary's typing skills. While the secretary is creating the ASCII text file, you can continue with the task that is best-suited for your skills: producing drawings! When the ASCII file is complete, simply load it into AsciiMAX and insert it on your drawings in a matter of just a few seconds. All lines, titles, sub-titles, and text are calculated and placed in their proper locations within the schedule. AsciiMAX makes the size of your schedule correspond with the current text size parameters of your drawing. Also you can select the line/text weights and colors to be used within the macro. Once a schedule is on the drawing you can fully edit or change any portion of it. If major changes to the schedule are required, you can simply make the changes to the text file using a word processor, erase the old version, and then insert the new updated copy of the schedule on the drawing. AsciiMAX will allow your office to draw all of your door schedules, room finish schedules, plumbing schedules, etc., in a standard format to be used by all of your DataCAD users. ArcArrow ArcArrow draws arcs with open or closed arrowheads at the end. Closed arrowheads can be filled with cross hatching. Another feature of ArcArrow is that you can turn off the arrowhead and daisy-chain as many arcs together as you want, then turn on the arrow head to be drawn at the end of the last arc. This works great for electrical plans! Break Break allows you to break a line at a given point and leave a space in the line. The distance of the space can be defined with the macro. In addition, you can also have an arc drawn at the break location to indicate one line "jumping" over another. CountSym CountSym counts symbols on your drawing and places the description, number found, and cost into an ASCII text file, which can then be printed out on your printer. The ASCII text file can also be appended to add new symbol count information. DuctPRO DuctPRO is an easy-to-use drafting package for inserting HVAC ductwork on your drawings. By simply selecting a width and depth (for rectangular ductwork) or a diameter (for round ductwork), and then locating the points on the duct run, you can create a full 2D or 3D ductwork drawing. Choices for duct type (rectangular or round), sizes, Z elevation, elbows and branches are all available from the menu. In addition, you can set DuctPRO to draw ductwork to the left, center, or right of given points as well as flat-on-bottom, flat-on-top, or centered on the Z elevation. The ductwork elbows, reductions, branches, vanes, and text are all drawn as you select points. GenOff GenOff is a utility macro that was designed for constructing (generating) multiple offset lines. GenOff eliminates the need for offsetting multiple lines and then trimming them, and also allows for multiple repetitions of offset lines. Offset distances can be changed at any line segment during the macro to allow for unequal offset lines. GridLock GridLock will lock every layer's grid settings to the current active layer grid settings. LgtCalc LgtCalc calculates the number of light fixtures required for a selected space by setting the lumens, number of lamps, foot candles, etc. Results can be stored in an ASCII text file. SteelPro Use SteelPRO to draw all of your steel shapes and know for certain that your details are drawn accurately. SteelPRO accesses virtually all shapes currently listed in the AISC Manual of Steel Construction. All wide flanges, tees, channels, angles, tubes and pipes are available. All steel sections can be input into your drawing in either top, side or section view. SubLine SubLine substitutes all 3D lines selected into 2D lines using the 3D lines X and Y coordinates. This macro is useful if you receive an AutoCAD drawing file which contains 3D lines. Changing the lines to 2D lines allows you to use DataCAD’'s trimming functions. SubText SubText is a text-editing macro giving you further enhancements to the DataCAD text-editing functions. The macro makes character and/or word substituting within a line of multiple lines of text using DataCAD’'s entity/group/area/fence command. SubText also allows the user to substitute text with text strings which are longer than the DataCAD change text content maximum. TxtLine TxtLine is a very useful macro which virtually eliminates the need for line fonts with text in them, in addition to allowing for changing text size, text-to-text spacing, and selecting any line font for the line portion of TxtLine. Another feature (not allowable with line fonts) is being able to select different colors for your text and lines. TxtLine then gives you more room to have other line fonts in your font file by eliminating line fonts with text. You should immediately see the advantages of the TxtLine program, especially when pieces of text cross one another they can be moved by using Move or Stretch. This kind of flexibility cannot be offered with regular line fonts. Sure, the line goes in as individual (grouped) entities, but this also allows you more freedom to adjust individual portions of the line. Uses for the TxtLine program range from site plans to HVAC plans to plumbing plans, etc. Let your imagination run wild!

Descriptions of all J.B. CAD Services Macros

Annotate
Annotate is a collection of macros which help the user to quickly and efficiently place annotation symbols on the drawing. Annotate has a wide variety of used which include:

Titles (inserts drawing titles with or without detail bubbles, north arrows, etc.)
Section cuts
Elevation markers
Area markers, both rectangular and round
Room names and numbers (allows you to have double-line room names with room numbers in a box, a capsule, or underlined; room names/numbers can be either left- or center-justified)
Spot elevations (allows you to locate a spot elevation marker and its associated text)
Cut lines
Pipe cut lines
Column bubble indicators
Note markers
Round
Hexagon
Triangle
Square
Octagon
Diamonds
Rectangle
Capsule
Chevron
Ellipse
Stars
Free
Rectangles

All of these items can be drawn to the proper plot scale of the drawing upon insertion into the drawing; just use the scale feature in any of the above selections.

AsciiMAX
AsciiMAX is a DataCAD macro for processing ASCII text files into schedule form on your drawings.

AsciiMAX allows you to eliminate the cumbersome task of typing all of that text on the drawing by taking full advantage of your office secretary's typing skills. While the secretary is creating the ASCII text file, you can continue with the task that is best-suited for your skills: producing drawings! When the ASCII file is complete, simply load it into AsciiMAX and insert it on your drawings in a matter of just a few seconds. All lines, titles, sub-titles, and text are calculated and placed in their proper locations within the schedule.
AsciiMAX makes the size of your schedule correspond with the current text size parameters of your drawing. Also you can select the line/text weights and colors to be used within the macro.
Once a schedule is on the drawing you can fully edit or change any portion of it. If major changes to the schedule are required, you can simply make the changes to the text file using a word processor, erase the old version, and then insert the new updated copy of the schedule on the drawing.
AsciiMAX will allow your office to draw all of your door schedules, room finish schedules, plumbing schedules, etc., in a standard format to be used by all of your DataCAD users.

ArcArrow
ArcArrow draws arcs with open or closed arrowheads at the end. Closed arrowheads can be filled with cross hatching. Another feature of ArcArrow is that you can turn off the arrowhead and daisy-chain as many arcs together as you want, then turn on the arrow head to be drawn at the end of the last arc. This works great for electrical plans!

Break
Break allows you to break a line at a given point and leave a space in the line. The distance of the space can be defined with the macro. In addition, you can also have an arc drawn at the break location to indicate one line "jumping" over another.

CountSym
CountSym counts symbols on your drawing and places the description, number found, and cost into an ASCII text file, which can then be printed out on your printer. The ASCII text file can also be appended to add new symbol count information.

DuctPRO
DuctPRO is an easy-to-use drafting package for inserting HVAC ductwork on your drawings. By simply selecting a width and depth (for rectangular ductwork) or a diameter (for round ductwork), and then locating the points on the duct run, you can create a full 2D or 3D ductwork drawing. Choices for duct type (rectangular or round), sizes, Z elevation, elbows and branches are all available from the menu. In addition, you can set DuctPRO to draw ductwork to the left, center, or right of given points as well as flat-on-bottom, flat-on-top, or centered on the Z elevation. The ductwork elbows, reductions, branches, vanes, and text are all drawn as you select points.

GenOff
GenOff is a utility macro that was designed for constructing (generating) multiple offset lines. GenOff eliminates the need for offsetting multiple lines and then trimming them, and also allows for multiple repetitions of offset lines. Offset distances can be changed at any line segment during the macro to allow for unequal offset lines.

GridLock
GridLock will lock every layer's grid settings to the current active layer grid settings.

LgtCalc
LgtCalc calculates the number of light fixtures required for a selected space by setting the lumens, number of lamps, foot candles, etc. Results can be stored in an ASCII text file.

SteelPro
Use SteelPRO to draw all of your steel shapes and know for certain that your details are drawn accurately. SteelPRO accesses virtually all shapes currently listed in the AISC Manual of Steel Construction. All wide flanges, tees, channels, angles, tubes and pipes are available. All steel sections can be input into your drawing in either top, side or section view.

SubLine
SubLine substitutes all 3D lines selected into 2D lines using the 3D lines X and Y coordinates. This macro is useful if you receive an AutoCAD drawing file which contains 3D lines. Changing the lines to 2D lines allows you to use DataCAD’'s trimming functions.

SubText
SubText is a text-editing macro giving you further enhancements to the DataCAD text-editing functions. The macro makes character and/or word substituting within a line of multiple lines of text using DataCAD’'s entity/group/area/fence command. SubText also allows the user to substitute text with text strings which are longer than the DataCAD change text content maximum.

TxtLine
TxtLine is a very useful macro which virtually eliminates the need for line fonts with text in them, in addition to allowing for changing text size, text-to-text spacing, and selecting any line font for the line portion of TxtLine. Another feature (not allowable with line fonts) is being able to select different colors for your text and lines. TxtLine then gives you more room to have other line fonts in your font file by eliminating line fonts with text.

You should immediately see the advantages of the TxtLine program, especially when pieces of text cross one another they can be moved by using Move or Stretch. This kind of flexibility cannot be offered with regular line fonts. Sure, the line goes in as individual (grouped) entities, but this also allows you more freedom to adjust individual portions of the line.

Uses for the TxtLine program range from site plans to HVAC plans to plumbing plans, etc. Let your imagination run wild!