The DataCAD Developer Network (DDN) is an online resource for information and support for DCAL® (DataCAD Applications Language) developers as well as anyone interested in creating fonts, toolbars, hatch patterns, or linetypes for use in DataCAD.
#76717 by Mark Bell
Wed Jul 17, 2019 4:28 am
Thanks for pointing this out. Obviously the room contour function is not designed to work with open sided spaces, but nor should it freeze up when presented with one. The room contour functionality was written pretty early in the piece, but there didn't seem to be any interest in it when I asked for feedback on this forum a year ago, so I haven't spent any further time on it, and in all honesty I haven't tested the functionality in the macro for some time. Just had a quick look at it now and it does need a bit of work. Please let me know how useful you think it would be if it worked reliably with 2D walls.

Hi David,

The example I used was just a test to see whether the macro would "know" to self-close along the shortest path back to the start line where a gap was encountered. When I used to use 2D lines for walls, before smart walls came out, there would be times when small gaps would be present which would prevent the contour search from working. The file crash may indicate any size gap could cause a crash?

Using a contour search feature would e useful, if it's quick and accurate, as it would save the need to trace around line work. Smart walls can be saved into 2D line work so it's still a useful option to include.

Have you tested it on xrefs of plan drawings to see if it would pick up the corner points of walls, whether 2D or smart walls?
#76718 by Neil Blanchard
Wed Jul 17, 2019 6:49 am
The permutations would be myriad, that's for sure. We don't use polylines anyway, so after converting the walls to lines, the walls can be stretched and edited. On the project I am starting now, I am trying out Smart walls, so I am tracing the Spaces polylines.
#76747 by dhs
Sun Jul 21, 2019 2:45 pm
Thanks for the feedback on this forum.
I have just uploaded a new version of the macro which can be downloaded from the page at .

Details of the changes made in this version are listed on the above page. I think I have addressed all the issues raised in this thread except for the grouping issue raised by Neil and the Room Contour issues raised by Mark. I hope to address both of those issues in the next build.

Thanks,
David H.
#76753 by jimgoodman
Mon Jul 22, 2019 11:28 am
David: The refinements in the new Spaces macro are excellent.

My apologies if this has been asked and answered, but can the labels be automatically added to a different layer from the filled polylines?

I have working on a file that was started with the Space Maker macro. The conversion process is going well except that when trying to edit the details of the converted item in Spaces, DataCAD locks up when trying to close the dialogue box. This may be related to converted entities.
#76756 by Neil Blanchard
Mon Jul 22, 2019 2:08 pm
How do / Can I turn off the dots near the corners of the space polylines?

I have been able to use DataCAD's polyline editor on spaces without any problems. The only thing it doesn't do is automatically update the label, which is fine.

I will try to use the space editor in the macro.
#76762 by Neil Blanchard
Tue Jul 23, 2019 8:28 am
I am having unexpected things happen - labels are being moved a long way away from the drawing, and maybe related to this, PARTS of some labels are disappearing. All the information is still "there" in the macro editor. In most cases, I only still see the square footage.

I am trying to remember how Blocker worked - I think that the label and the boundary are treated as a single entity. I do know that I could hatch the areas (since they are a polyline), and I could then select it by the hatch pattern. This also helped seeing the overlap of spaces.

I am using Spaces for condo unit outlines, and also for rooms within each condo.
#76763 by Neil Blanchard
Tue Jul 23, 2019 9:34 am
I used the Edit Spaces / Move Side/Corner to move the side of a space, and it leaves the adjacent sides in the old place - essentially adding vertices. I tried to use Control-Z to Undo - and the whole Space disappeared. I used Control-Y and it came back.

Also, I selected the side with a left button click, and tried to center button snap it to one side of a Smart Wall (I have Perpendicular snap on) and it appears to place the side based on the left button select. In other words, it is using the random point I clicked to drag the side; rather than a point *right on* the side, like the polyline editor in the DataCAD Curves menu does.

When I move a corner with the same tool, it works as expected.

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