The Label Legend Manager controls the setup and modification of the instrument label styles. Select Tools > Label Legend Manager to set up the legends for the light plot. The Label Legend Manager dialog box opens.
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To activate the default legend for lighting instruments, select the label legend and click in the Active column. The active legend is indicated with a check mark.
Any new instruments created will use the active legend as the default label legend; the legend name is displayed in the instrument Object Info palette, and can be changed at any time (see Changing the Instrument Label Legend).
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The Add New Legend dialog box opens. Select the labels for placement and specify their attributes. Indicate the instrument symbol to use when formatting the label legend, and select whether the legend rotates with the instrument.
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Provide a name for the new legend by typing it in the Legend Name field. A name must be entered before closing the dialog box.
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Click to select an item to appear in the label legend; up to eight labels can be selected. A check mark indicates the label is included. Click again to remove the label from use.
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For each label, select whether it will always be right-reading or allowed to rotate with the instrument. A check mark indicates the field is right-reading; deselect to allow the field to rotate with the instrument.
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Select the container for each label by clicking in the Container field until the desired container is displayed.
Custom container symbols can be added to the list of available containers. Draw a container object, and then click Modify > Create Symbol. Enter a name for the container; click OK. In the Move Symbol dialog box, specify the location of the Containers folder and click OK. The symbol is added to the list of available containers. Any symbol can be placed in the containers folder and used as a label container. The pre-defined container symbols can also be edited and customized.
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Lighting Instrument Layout Symbol
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Specifies a symbol to use for label placement when editing the label layout (see Formatting the Label Legend); by default, the active symbol is selected. Click Choose to open the Choose an Instrument dialog box, where a different symbol can be selected from the current file’s resources.
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Specifies whether the label legend rotates with the instrument, or remains stationary as the instrument rotates
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When all the label items and attributes have been specified for the legend, click OK. The new legend name displays in the Legend Name list in the Label Legend Manager dialog box.
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In the Label Legend Manager dialog box, select the legend, and then click Edit Fields. The Edit Label Legend dialog box opens.
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The legend name displays at the top of the dialog box, and cannot be changed. In addition, the layout symbol for the legend cannot be changed; it can only be specified at legend creation. See Creating Label Legends for a description of the legend parameters.
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The currently selected label items have a check mark next to the label name. Select any additional label items to appear in the legend by clicking in the Use column; up to eight labels can be selected. To deselect a label item, click in the Use column; the check mark is removed.
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Click OK.
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To rename a label legend, locate it in the Resource Browser in the Label Legends folder of the current file, and select Rename from the Resources menu. (Any existing instruments that use the old legend name will lose their labels.)
Once a legend has been created, format it so that the labels are displayed in specific positions. The labels, containers, and layout symbol are selected when creating the label legend; see Creating Label Legends.
The Edit Symbol window opens, where the default position and format of the labels is specified for instruments that use this label legend. The name of the current label legend is displayed at the top of the Edit Symbol window. The instrument used for the layout is either the symbol selected in Lighting Instrument Layout Symbol or the active symbol at the time the legend was created.
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The labels selected for the legend display to the left of the instrument diagram. Drag each label to its position on or around the instrument. The label’s formatting can be set by selecting the label, and then using the Object Info palette or the Text menu to select the label’s font, size, style, and justification. The label stacking order can be changed with the Modify > Send commands; the instrument is part of the stacking order. Change the color of the label by selecting it and applying a solid pen color from the Attributes palette.
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If necessary, the labels placed outside the bounding box of the instrument are adjusted so they are always placed at an absolute distance from the instrument. For example, a label placed six inches in front of an instrument always appears six inches in front of any instrument to which the label is applied. The position of a label placed upon an instrument is scaled so it is in the same relative position whether the instrument is larger or smaller than the one used for formatting. A label placed at the center of the instrument is always at the center.
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When the labels are set, click Exit Symbol in the upper right corner of the window to return to the drawing. The formatting and position of the labels applies to all instruments that use this legend.
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Labels should normally be repositioned through the Label Legend Manager. On a complex light plot, however, a label can be hidden by the nearest object. If that occurs, click on the instrument to select it, and then click on the instrument label control point, located at the center of the label, with the 2D Selection tool. Drag the label to another location. This one-time repositioning does not affect the label legend.
Label legends from another VectorWorks Spotlight file can be imported into the current file. Import the Label Legends symbol folder contents from the original file into the new file with the Import command in the Resource Browser; place the legends into the Legends folder. The imported label legends are listed in the Label Legend Manager. See Importing a Symbol Folder