# Vectorworks Label legend manger issues.



## andrewmeythaler (Feb 24, 2013)

I am a high school student who is designing lighting for our schools production of Irene. I plan on submitting my design to the Oregon State Thespian conference, and decided to use vector works in an attempt to really impress the judges. However Vectorworks has a learning curve resembling a wall. After I had thought I figured out everything I needed I happened upon a bug that may ruin may chances. When ever I try and make a new label legend manager it won't save the attributes I want to show. After selecting what I want and hit okay, I go to position them relative to the light and find they aren't there. It won't matter what I select, I can change the container type, make them right reading, or non-rotating nothing helps. I use an HP Pavilion G6, with windows 7, and an Intel i5. I use Vectorworks 2013 student edition. We are approaching que to que and I really need help. Any ideas?


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## SteveB (Feb 24, 2013)

Not sure what issue you are running into or how much you already know, so I'll start at the beginning with apologies if you know some of this.

Note that label legends will only attach to lighting symbols that have been converted to Instruments. 

There are actually 3 steps to using Label Legends

1) Create the LL in Spotlight - Label Legend - Label Legend Manager - Edit Fields, choosing what info you want in the legend - I.E. Channel, Dimmer, Unit Number, Color, Template would be obvious choices. In the edit section, select Right Read for all, so that the text of the legend rotates with the fixture orientation. I generally find I need a lot of different legends, depending on the type of instrument and the expected orientation. Thus a S4 25/50 zoom has a different legend then an S4 Par, as the units are different sizes. Also in edit you can choose a "container" for the piece of info., thus a channel would have a Circle Container, while a Dimmer might have a Hexagon container. AS BTW, containers are in the Resource Browser. You can create your own and save them to the Container folder. My typical document might have 15 to 20 LL's, for assorted units in particular positions. They are easy to copy. If you create a legend for a SR box boom position and want the same legend for SL, just reversed, simply create and save the SR, then go to Resource Browser - Resources - Label Legend Folder, select the SR Box legend, right click and duplicate with a new name. Then go back to the Label Legend Manager - Edit Layout, choose SL, select all and Modify - Rotate - Flip Horizontal. 

2) Configure the layout of the Label Legend in the Edit Layout section of the LL Manager. Here is where you choose where the assorted data attributes will reside in proximity to the fixture symbol. The Color would go near the lens, the Dimmer near the rear of the fixture, Channel near the dimmer, unit number inside the fixtures, etc... for an instrument pointing Upstage/Downstage, etc... IN the Layout section you can change the default instrument object to one appropriate to the fixture type the legend will be assigned to, as well as selecting text size of the data attribute, whether or not the symbol and/or text will have solid or no fill, etc.... 

3) Then assign the legends to the fixtures. Fastest method is in the Find and Modify, "Find all Light whose Instrument Type = S4-36, then choose Assign the "XX Label Legend to them. Repeat for all units.


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## andrewmeythaler (Feb 24, 2013)

Yes I tried that, but when I go into edit layout there are no attributes to position.


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## SteveB (Feb 24, 2013)

Some things to check:

- When you open the Label Legend Manager, are there Label Legends listed ?.

- If there are, select one and go to the Edit Fields, is there a check mark next to the attribute under "Use " ?.

- Just in case, In Resource Browser - Resources - Top Level, is there a Folder called "Label Legends" (spelling is important if you are creating one). There typically would be sub-folders for Containers, Symbols, Positions, Units_Accessories, (or whatever you want to call it) and Label Legend. The LL Manager references this folder when looking for a legend to edit. If the LL's are in the Top Level folder only, you need to a create a LL sub-folder and move all the LL's to that folder.


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