Customize a 2d View

There are several reasons to edit the 2d view of an element after it has been saved.

• 1. It is often important to simplify or clean up the symbol to eliminate unnecessary lines. It may also be necessary to include additional plan only content or missing info.

  2. Adding a fill to a 2d symbol allows easy selection with the quick selection (magnet symbol under the arrow tool). This fill also allows the object to mask out elements behind in display order.

  3. I often edit or change the 2d symbol to add hotspots for easy “snap points” to align elements by (centerline, critical corner, etc.).

There are two easy ways to create custom objects, through the 2d symbol tab or through a new 2d script.

Option 1: To change the 2d symbol, there are really only two steps.

Step 1: Open the object and go to the 2d symbol tab. Copy and paste the original plan symbol so that its bottom leftmost corner is at the window’s 0,0 position. Clean up with line consolidation, draft fills, hotspots, etc. so that the symbol view includes all content desired for the symbol.

FIG. 3.1 Drafted Symbol in 2d View

Step 2: Void or delete the original 2d script. To void, select all and click the “!” button at the top of the window, or the script can simply be deleted. In either case the script will be replaced by the drafted symbol view.

FIG. 3.2 Void 2d Script

Note: For fills and line types to show up correctly with the drafted 2d symbol, the project’s attributes can not change or vary from project to project.

Option 2: To change the 2d script, there are a few additional steps.

Step 1: Draft the 2d symbol as in step 1 above, but in the floor plan and in the same position relative to 0,0 as the original object. This is critical for the plan view and 3d views of the element to align.

FIG. 3.1b Drafted Linework & Fill for new Symbol

Step 2: Save the 2d only content as a new GDL object.

FIG. 3.4b Script Pasted in is “OK”

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