Hello TBC Macros (and Extensions!) community!
Welcome to our 2nd dev log! This week, with our intro post out of the way, we can go a bit behind-the-scenes and chat about our thoughts developing new experiences for TBC (and mention a new Superuser command!)
As mentioned in our intro post, something new that we bring to the TBC community is the "Superuser Program" (yes, an explanatory post is on the todo list).
In short, users can submit requests for new commands/features and pay a service fee to make those requests "the next top priority" for Revenant. Once developed to the Beta state, new commands can be added a-la-carte to custom modules for each Superuser company.
Last week, we spent some time investigating and analyzing a Superuser workflow, and came across a workaround referred to as "simple and quick" by the user (i.e. don't worry about this). Generically, it looked like this:
- TBC: Select all text objects in a layer
- TBC: Export to DXF 1 (this may be multiple clicks)
- AutoCAD: Import DXF 1 into a file (that has visible CAD data to help with the next step)
- AutoCAD: Select the text objects in a particular order (1 click per object) (tens, maybe 100+ objects?)
- AutoCAD: Run a command 1 time (maybe run Steps 4-5 multiple times since it may be easier to select in batches)
- AutoCAD: Export the text objects to DXF 2
- TBC: Delete all text objects (still selected from Step 1)
- TBC: Import DXF 2
We proposed to make this a new command in TBC, so no need for multiple exports/imports/tempFiles or having AutoCAD open side-by-side w/ TBC (which I appreciate may just be a given). While it has one mode that is 1 click per object, a second mode supports applying the command in "creation order" (if the objects were created in the matching particular order).
Now whether this user decides to move forward with this proposal is another story - we submitted a handful of proposals and this may not make the cut (there is a service fee for Priority Requests, and they have a workaround already).
But I think it's a good example of how TBC extensions can move the narrative of what's "simple and quick". Got a series of steps you use on each object, and then you repeat it 100 times? Got a workaround that involves multiple programs and imports and exports? As long as the operation is a standard civil engineering practice (i.e. non-proprietary), we can create it in TBC (and make it better!) (whether that's Revenant or you creating your own commands!)
On that note, last week the next Superuser command was released to Beta and available a-la-carte in custom modules:
[Cmd] Elevate Lines With Ties (v0.1 Superuser)
Enter a vertical offset, select "tie line" linestrings that have 3D nodes that intersect with other lines, select lines to elevate. Hit Apply/OK - the vertical offset is applied to the selected lines... and any "tie line" 3D nodes that intersect with those lines are also elevated (just the nodes) (i.e. they remain "tied"). And yes, this user doesn't like the overriding VPIs that TBC sometimes puts over 2D (or even 3D) nodes - so when nodes are elevated, overriding VPIs are removed and the nodes are just made 3D. Same for the elevated lines, if they were "elevated" via a single VPI at station 0, the VPI is removed and the first node made 3D.
Got a favorite "simple and quick" workflow in TBC? Or a "simple and quick" workflow that you turned into a macro for internal use? Feel free to reply or make your own post (or just hit the funky Recommend button if you like these dev logs or what Revenant's doing)
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Quan Mueller
quan@revenantsolutions.comRevenant Solutions | TBC Extension Developer
Superuser Program |
superuser@revenantsolutions.com------------------------------