Dear users,alfred and me prepare small package contains utility and dynamic block for spot heights. We would like share international version with you for free. Enjoy it.uploads/20110310_201733_JR_Spot_heights.zipNote: We aren't native english speakers and commets are welcome.Please send us feedback or suggestions.PepaR and alfred




PepaR2011-03-11 08:19:52

I've been looking for something like this.  Your efforts are appreciated.  Thanks for sharing with us.

Thanks for feedback, We are thinking about support for inches. Is it important for you?
PepaR2011-03-11 07:28:26

Support for imperial units would be very useful to me as 95% of the drawings I work on are done in those units.

[QUOTE=John Connor]Support for imperial units would be very useful to me as 95% of the drawings I work on are done in those units.
[/QUOTE]For modification LISP I need know consuetudes for draving in inches. Mainly I need settings of DIMSCALE, UNITS, printing measure. This is example of drawing in milimeters. Could you draw example in inches like this?http://alfredcadpage.wz.cz/kotavysk/example-mm.dwg

I cannot speak for the entire CAD community in the U.S. I can only tell you what would be useful to me.When setting elevations for slabs and floors we use decimal feet and inches.  For example 12" would be shown as 1.00' and 15" would be shown as 1.25'.  This is derived from the civil/surveying disciplines.Architects would most likely use architectural units (feet, inches, and fraction of inches).  Examples: 1'-0", 1-3" and 1'-6 1/2". Unfortunately most Americans never adapted to the metric system (although some segments have: scientific, medical, high-tech machining) so you'll find different variations of the imperial system amongst different disciplines. 

[QUOTE=John Connor]Architects would most likely use architectural units (feet, inches, and fraction of inches).  Examples: 1'-0", 1-3" and 1'-6 1/2".
[/QUOTE]I've been working in the architectural field for 7 years and spot elevations are always shown in decimal feet and inches. Since that's how the file comes in from the surveyor, there's no need to change to a different style of units. It would just confuse things if the existing grade was shown as 35.25 and then the proposed grade was shown as 36'-3 1/2". The contractor would be out there scratching his head trying to figure out the conversion from fractional to decimal or decimal to fractional in order to figure out how much to raise the grade.

Spot elevations, in civil engineering, are always called out in decimal feet and inches as Cad64 has mentioned.  BUT I have a set of architectural plans for an R&D building where the floor elevations are expressed in feet and inches using architectural units.Maybe I have the wrong impression here when the lisp routine mentioned speaks of spot elevations.  Are we talking about those used in surveying or about elevations as they pertain to the height of a floor?

When I think of spot elevations, I think of a grading plan with finish grade, finish surface, top of wall, etc. That's always done in decimal units, same as the surveyors plan. An architects plan for his building might be a different story, but I've never seen a plan that used fractional units for elevations.

After reading the initial post that started this thread I guess I'm still confused.  It refers to "spot heights".  When someone uses the word "height" I immediately think of a building.  When someone says "elevation" I immediately think of a survey, perhaps a contour map or a site plan with "spot elevations".  The nuance of speech is sometimes our worst enemy especially when we start conversing around the world with our counterparts in England, Asia, central Europe, etc.

We talk about height of floor or height of house,  for example.  We don't talk about altitude in map.Look at this example drawing - http://alfredcadpage.wz.cz/kotavysk/example-mm.dwg

Height of floor and height of house are terms I am very familiar with.  But the lisp routine mentions "spot height".  Is this in reference to a building or an elevation of the ground?  That's what I'm puzzling over.  I have not had a chance to download and try it yet.  

Yes, the term "spot height" is what made me think they were talking about spot elevations. It seems their routine does something different than what I was expecting.

I have a few questions
about construction drawing traditions in countries where is used
inches and feet.

For example when you draw
a house.

- Which units do you use
for drawing usually? 1 AutoCad unit = 1 in, or ft? [We use
millimeter]
- In dimension do you use
the same units? [We use
millimeter]
- Which units do you use
for notation of high in house? [We use meter]
- For printing - what
measurement do you use? [We use mostly
1:50, sometimes 1:100 or 1:20]

AlfredCZ2011-03-13 11:54:19

Most architectural CAD drawings I've dealt with have their units set to "architectural" (feet and inches) and the Precision set to either 1/8' or 1/16".Dimensioning is done using feet and inches plus fractions of an inch where called for.  Example: 12'-6 1/2".Floor heights are given in feet and inches plus fractions of an inch where called for.For printing/plotting purposes the two most frequently used scales would be 1/4"=1'-0" and 1/8"=1'-0".  But, with the introduction of paper space layouts these values would be used as viewport scales.  The drawing itself would be plotted 1:1 as it should be for any layout.

It appears he is speaking of buildings as that is the example that he is showing in one of his posts.

Thank you for your answer, it was helpful. Alfred tried to modify LISP. We upload new version, that support inches and feet. We need somebody for testing, please – somebody who is accustomed drawing in inches and feet. You can find two files with examples – for inches and for metric units.Command list in LISP:function VKS: insert dynamic block and to attribute write height (ad val Y coordinate and current UCS). For values >0 use prefix '+'.function VKS-NADM: the same function as VKS, but for values >0 don't use prefix '+'.function VKS-POLE: insert dynamic block, in attribute is automatic text field width value Y coordinate.Other commands: function VKO: for updating height in attribute value after moving blocks or change UCS. It os for blocks inserted by function VKS and VKS-NADM.function VKNULA: setting new base levelfunction VKNULAZPET:  setting previous base levelAttachments: SH_v2 - new version of LISP 'kotvysk_EN_version_1.57.001.lsp' and needed blocks.'SH_example - example files for mm and inchesuploads/20110317_092328_SH_v2.zipuploads/20110317_092343_SH_example.zipSorry for our English – We hope, you understand us.Thanks for help


PepaR2011-03-17 09:32:43

This
is a new version of ‘kotvysk.lsp’
- version 1.60.


Change
list: -
Is supported if dimension style is set to annotation (DIMANNO=1).
Measurement of inserted block is evolved from combination of setting
CANNOSCALEVALUE, DIMTXT.-
Is supported Czech language now (can be set editing in begin of lisp
file). -
If is insert block and attribute is to long, dynamic property of
block is adapted as it is needed.-
If is units setting to inches (feet and fractional inches), and block
is insert width height=0 is format 0”
changed to 0’-0”.
I hope that it is correct.attachments:New
version of LISP: 'kotvysk_EN_version_1.60.001.lsp'kotyvysk-v1.60.lspAlfredCZ2011-03-20 09:21:30

Hello,we released final version tool (1.63) and dynamic blocks for dimensioning spot height in architecture and civil engineering at Autodesk AutoCAD.Package contains:czech and english verison tool and blocks,icons for commands,examples,tutorial.DownloadThanks all for comments and feedback during develop.alfred and PepaR