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Building a Personal Planting Set...

Posted: November 20th, 2019, 7:07 am
by Danny D
I'd like to add some more comments on this subject. I'm a slow learner when it comes to some of this stuff, and I had a hard time catching on to this Object Library. I'll assume there might be others that are the same way. So I will break this down to where it should be easy to understand for those that are as confused as I was.


OBJECT LIBRARY
Once the Object Library is opened, if the OBJECT tab is selected, you will have an empty box. There are two tabs to choose from at the top. Each tab will have menu icons that you can use to SAVE, SAVE AS, CREATE NEW, DELETE and so on.

THE OBJECTS TAB
This is NOT part of your planting set. This is simply a library of 2D and 3D objects that you can use to build your planting set. By default, it contains 2D and 3D objects that were designed for Links 2003. You can also merge the 2001 object library into this area so you have more objects to choose from to add to your planting set.

THE PLANTING SET TAB
First, look at the file name at the top center of the box. It should say "default.PST". This is all of the files in the object library. By default they have already been added as a planting set. You can choose to use these as your planting set if you want, but when looking for certain types of objects, you will have to scroll through a lot of objects that you'll never use.

Another choice would be to build your own personal planting set.

CREATING A NEW PLANTING SET
If you want to create your own personal planting set, select the PLANTING SET tab.

From the available list of icons, select NEW.

Name the new planting set anything you want (such as the course name for example)

Select SAVE. You will then have an empty planting set with no objects in it.

Next you will need to move files from the default object library into your new empty planting set. Select the OBJECTS tab and go thru the drop-down list of OBJECT TYPES and open them in the window. (Don't forget to make sure you have the correct 2D or 3D object radio button selected on top right)

If you pick a type, such as BUSH for example, you can view all of them and write down on a note pad the ones that you want to add to your personal planting set. To view all of them, highlight one column at a time. (You can actually highlight all of them at once, but I would suggest just selecting one column at a time) Click on the top object and then, hold down the SHIFT key and DOUBLE-CLICK on the bottom object in the left-most column. That will highlight all of then in the first column, and a box will pop up showing you a picture of the object at the top of the list. Click the OK button in that box to view the next object in the list. When you see one that you want to add to your set, jot down the name of that object as it is listed.

Do it like this for easiest way...
BUSH000, 002, 005,007,010,144, etc etc
LARGETREE000, 001,004,005,006,009, etc etc. and so on....

Continue to select more columns and view, and jot down the names that you want to add to your new planting set. Once you've covered all of the objects in the first OBJECT TYPE from the drop-down list, select the next object type and repeat the whole process just like you did with the first one.

Now that you have your complete list of object types written down, you must add them to your empty planting set. Do it like this...

Before you begin adding them after all of that viewing, I would strongly suggest that you close and restart the APCD.

After restarting the APCD, go back and open the OBJECT LIBRARY. First, select the PLANTING SET tab and make sure your new file name is at the top of the box and there are no objects showing in the window.

Select the OBJECT TAB and then select one of the OBJECT TYPES that you have written down from the drop-down list. That will bring up the list of objects in the window.

With the list of objects now showing, hold down the CTRL key and single click on each file name that you have written down until each one is highlighted.

When all have been selected, press the "Add to Planting Set" button. That group of files will then be transferred from the LIBRARY into your new personal planting set. If you want to see them, click on the PLANTING SET TAB. All you should see are that first group of objects that you just added.

After you have added all of the object types into your planting set, save it. When you get back to planting your course, the only objects available for you will be the ones you added to your new planting set.

You can save and add more objects later, but NOT to an object type that you already added. Make absolutely sure you have an object type list completed before you do a final save. Read why below... You can always add more object types later, as long as they have not been added already.

WARNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Do NOT go back later and decide you want to add, for example, BUSH022 that you didn't add before you saved last. What will happen is the stupid APCD will not automatically sort it into your objects list in numerical order. Instead it will add it to the bottom of the list and store it out of sync, which will in turn hose your planting set in one fashion or another. It should be ok to add more BUSH objects, provided the file name is higher than the highest one already in your list, so when it adds it, it will be sorted properly and in sync...

Hope this all makes sense, and have fun building your planting set. :tiphat:

Dan :cheers1:

Re: Building a Personal Planting Set...

Posted: November 29th, 2019, 10:44 pm
by derricksummers
Hi Danny
I have tried to post a reply with an attachment but cant get the new system to work
I much prefer the old method :dunno: :helpsmilie:
Derrick

Re: Building a Personal Planting Set...

Posted: December 1st, 2019, 11:22 am
by derricksummers
Hi Danny. Will try again to add attatchments
Set Layout
Set Layout
Plant Set.png (438.77 KiB) Viewed 2179 times
:thumbup: Takes a while for new things to sink in :wallbash:
This is how I set out my planting set, it's easy to do but takes a bit of time
The result is that objects are imported into the right place
The default set is a real messed up mess of all kinds of objects
If anyone is interested I will go into more detail on how I do it
The problems I have been having with my fingers has got a little better
so I have started work again on the course I was doing, still enjoy the APCD
I have just been looking at my course list ( over 200 ) and I was surprised
to see the number of good designers who are no longer active.
I download all the courses that come up, and if I like them I keep them
I know how much work and time goes into trying to do a good course so I
hope more newcomers will have a go ( APCD ) A Program Causing Divorce
All the best to everyone for Xmas and the New Year
:notworthy: :thumbup: