Creating layouts for printing

The Layouts tab opens the layout design and storage area. You create Layouts by arranging various drawing, image, and other items on a defined paper size.

Two default layouts are included in the layouts shortcuts: Small Layout, which is designed to print on an 8.5” x 11” piece of paper, and Large Layout, which is designed to be plotted on a 36” x 48” sheet of paper. You can use these as is, modify them to suit your needs, or create new layouts from scratch.

Creating new layouts

You create different layouts by creating a shortcut for each one. Any changes you make to a layout while its shortcut is selected are saved automatically and associated with that shortcut. Before making changes, always check that the currently selected layout is the one that you want to modify. You can quickly switch between layouts by clicking their shortcut icons.

To create a new layout

1. Click the Layouts tab.
2. Right-click in the Layouts shortcut area and choose New Layout.
3. Type the name of the new layout, and then click OK.

Result: An empty layout is created. A shortcut to your new layout is added to the Layouts shortcut bar and the title for the work area changes to correspond with the layout name.

Note: By default, empty layouts are set up to use 8.5” x 11” sheets of paper.

Modifying layout settings

The properties of a layout view affect how the layout is printed. These settings are modified in the View Options dialog box.

To modify layout settings

1. Select the layout for which you want to modify the settings.
2. From the Options menu, choose View Options.

or

Click the View Options tool on the Standard toolbar.

The View Options button.

Result: The View Options dialog box appears.

For details about the View Options dialog box, see "Layouts view options".

Adding items to layouts

You can add different types of items to your layouts, as indicated below:

• basic shapes, such as lines, rectangles, ellipses, polygons, and text 
• images in any of a number of graphic formats, such as bitmap and jpeg
• drawing items, such as wireframe views of your floorplan 
• spreadsheet items

To insert a line onto the layout

1. From the Insert menu, choose Line.

or

Click the Line tool on the Layouts Insert toolbar.

 The Line button.

2. Click and drag the line on the page where you want it to appear.

Result: The line displays on the layout.

To insert a rectangle onto the layout

1. From the Insert menu, choose Rectangle.

or

Click the Rectangle tool on the Layouts Insert toolbar.

 The Rectangle button.

2. Click and drag the rectangle on the page where you want it to appear.

Result: The rectangle displays on the layout.

To insert a round rectangle onto the layout

1. From the Insert menu, choose Round Rectangle.

or

Click the Round Rectangle tool on the Layouts Insert toolbar.

The Round Rectangle button.

2. Click and drag the round rectangle on the page where you want it to appear.

Result: The round rectangle displays on the layout.

To insert an ellipse onto the layout

1. From the Insert menu, choose Ellipse.

or

Click the Ellipse tool on the Layouts Insert toolbar.

The Ellipse button.

2. Click and drag the ellipse on the page where you want it to appear.

Result: The ellipse displays on the layout.

To insert text onto the layout

1. From the Insert menu, choose Text.

or

Click the Text tool on the Layouts Insert toolbar.

The Text button.

2. Click and drag the text box.

Result: The text box displays on the layout.

3. Double-click inside the box.
4. Select “Your text”, and type to replace it with the text you want to appear on the layout.
5. To format the text, click on the text box and choose Item Properties from the Modify menu. For information on formatting text, see "Text item properties".

Tip: You can replace your layout text with variables by typing them directly. Use the percent symbols (%) before and after the variable text replacement. For example, to add the Chief Lighting Designer variable, you would type “%Chief Lighting Designer%”. For information on smart variables and using Scene variables, see "Text item properties".

To insert drawings onto the layout

1. From the Insert menu, choose Drawing.

or

Click the Drawing tool on the Layouts Insert toolbar.

The Layouts Insert button.

2. Click and drag a window (placeholder) on the page where you want the drawing to appear.

Result: The drawing, which is referenced from the Drawing Wireframe tab, appears within the placeholder as drawn. By default, drawings appear in Plan view and at a scale of 1/16”=1’.

To insert images onto the layout

Note: The images you insert must available on the Images tab. For information on the Images tab, see "Storing event images".

1. From the Insert menu, choose Image.

or

Click the Image tool on the Layouts Insert toolbar.

The Image button.

2. Click and drag a window (placeholder) on the page where you want the image to appear.

Result: The Select Image View to be referenced dialog box opens.

3. Select the image that you want to add to the layout, and then click Select.

Result: The image (referenced from the Images tab) appears within the placeholder as drawn.

To insert spreadsheets onto the layout

Note: The spreadsheets that you insert must available on the Spreadsheets tab. For information on the Spreadsheets tab, see "Creating spreadsheets".

1. From the Insert menu, choose Spreadsheet.

or

Click the Spreadsheet tool on the Layouts Insert toolbar.

The Spreadsheet button.

2. Click and drag a window (placeholder) on the page where you want the item to appear.

Result: The Select Spreadsheet to be referenced dialog box appears.

3. Select the spreadsheet you want to add to the layout, and then click Select.

Result: The selected worksheet (referenced from the Spreadsheet tab) appears within the placeholder as drawn.

To insert report items onto the layout

1. From the Insert menu, choose Report.

Tip: You can also use the Report tool from the Layouts Insert toolbar.

The Report button.

2. Click and drag a window (placeholder) on the “page” where you want the item to appear.

Result: The Select Report to be referenced dialog box appears.

3. Select the report item that you want to add to the layout, and then click OK.

Result: The selected report (referenced from the Reports tab) appears within the placeholder as drawn.

Notes:

• If the Group By option has been set for a report, the report cannot be added to a layout. Setting the Group By option creates page breaks within the report and layouts do not support reports with page breaks.
• Vivien will not display the Report on a Layout if the number of rows in the Report is greater than 200.

To lock an object in the layout

1. In the layout, select the element that you want to lock in place.
2. From the Modify menu, select Lock.

Result: The object cannot be moved on the layout. When selected, the object’s corners turn red, indicating that the object is locked.

Formatting text

You can change the color, font, and style of text within a text box.

To format text

1. Select the Text item.
2. From the Modify menu, choose Item Properties.

Result: The Item Properties dialog box appears.

3. Click the Text tab and modify options as desired. For details, see "Text item properties"
4. To change text properties such as the font style and size, click Set Font, and then make your changes.

Layout Template

To save time, you can use the Layout Template feature to select multiple objects in your layouts and group them for insertion into other drawings.

Layout Template icons

The Layouts Insert toolbar includes the three icons for creating, inserting and deleting Layout Templates. You can also use the menu commands, as detailed in the procedures below.

To create a new layout template

1. In your Layout, select the items that you want to include in the Layout Template. For example, you can select Title Blocks, Plot Notes, Custom Legends and Keys, Disclaimers, and so on.
2. Right-click and select Create Layout Template.
3. Type a name for your new Layout Template.
4. Click OK.

To insert a layout template in your layouts

Once you have created a Layout Template, you can insert it into other drawings as follows:

1. In your Layout, right-click and select Insert Layout Template.
2. In the window that appears, select the name of the Layout Template that you want to insert, and then click OK.
3. Navigate to the location where you want to insert the Layout Template and click to place it.

Tip: If you do not select any items in the Layout, saving a Layout Template will prompt you to save the entire Layout as a Layout Template. This includes Layout view options, such as Paper Size and Tile Printing. To insert the entire Layout, right-click in the Shortcut Bar (Layouts page), and select New Layout Using Layout Template.

To delete a layout template from the database

Once you have created a Layout Template, you can delete it from the database, which means it will no longer be saved with your Vivien file and you will no longer be able to insert it in subsequent drawings.

1. On the Layouts tab, on the Layouts Insert toolbar, click the Delete Layout Template icon .

The Delete Layout Template button.

2. In the window that appears, select the name of the Layout Template that you want to delete, and then click the Delete checkbox.
3. Click OK to delete the Layout Template.

Content properties

Content properties affect the content of Drawing, Image, and Spreadsheet item placeholders in the layout.

To modify content properties

1. Select the item you want to modify (Drawing, Image, or Spreadsheet).
2. From the Modify menu, choose Content Properties.

or

Click the Content Properties tool on the Layouts Edit toolbar.

The Content Properties button.

Result: The Content Properties dialog box appears.

Note: Content properties for Images and Spreadsheets display the name of the inserted item. Content properties for Drawings are discussed on "Drawing item properties".

Item properties

As with all objects in Vivien, the objects you place on your page have unique properties.

Properties affect the content of the item and they affect the placeholders and the scaling of the contents. Options here include the outline’s weight and color, and various printing options for the contents such as scale.

You can also rotate text, drawing components, images and other items in the Layouts tab. This feature is very handy if, for example, you like drafting in Landscape but printing in Portrait. Simply rotate your Layout items the way you want.

To modify item properties

1. Select the item you want to modify.
2. From the Modify menu, choose Item Properties.

or

Click the Item Properties tool on the Layouts Edit toolbar.

The Item Properties button.

Result: The Item Properties dialog box appears.

Note: The first page of the properties dialog is identical regardless of the type of item selected.

General tab

Options on the General tab affect the outline, fill color and rotation of the placeholder.

• Weight: Select the weight of the placeholder outline, in points.
• Color: Click the Color button to display the color chooser and select a color for the placeholder outline.
• None: Uncheck this option to fill the placeholder box with the color specified by Fill Color.
• Fill Color: Click the Fill Color button to display the color chooser and select fill color for the placeholder.
• Content Rotation: Select the degree to which you want to rotate the placeholder.
• Lock item to prevent move and resize: Select this checkbox to prevent the layout item from moving or being resized.

Text item properties

Properties on the Text tab affect the text color, font, and style of text within a text box.

To modify text item properties

1. Select the spreadsheet item.
2. From the Modify menu, choose Item Properties.

or

Click the Object Properties tool on the Layouts Edit toolbar.

The Item Properties button.

Result: The Item Properties dialog box opens.

3. Click the Text tab.

4. Modify options, and then click OK.

Text tab

• Text: Type the text you want displayed in the text box.
• Insert Smart Variable: Click this button to open the Smart Variables window and select a smart variable text from the list that was set in the Event Info tab in Document Options.

Scene variables in layouts:

The following rules apply when you use the “%Scene%” variable with the Text item you are inserting in Layouts.

• When ALL Scene-dependent items on the Layout are set to the same Scene, Text items on that Layout which contain the “%Scene%” variable will display the name of the Scene.
• When Scene-dependent items on the Layout are set to different Scenes, or when some items are set to one or more specific Scenes, and some items are set to Follow Current Scene, Text items on that Layout which contains the “%Scene%” variable will display the word “Multiple”.
• When ALL Scene-dependent items on the Layout are set to Follow Current Scene, Text items on that Layout which contains the “%Scene%” variable will display the name of the current scene.
• Wrap Text: Select this checkbox to wrap words that exceed the column width.
• Truncate with Ellipses: Select this checkbox to abbreviate the text that exceed the column width with the Ellipses symbol.
• Text Color: Click this button to display the color chooser and select a color for the text.
• Set Font: Click this button to display the Font dialog box, where you can modify the font, font style, size, effects and color of the text.
• Text Alignment: Click on the Horizontal and Vertical drop-down menus to set how text aligns in the text box.

Drawing item properties

Drawing items can be modified or edited to meet printing requirements. Their content properties are detailed below.

To modify drawing item properties

1. Select the Drawing item.
2. From the Modify menu, choose Content Properties.

or

Click the Content Properties tool on the Layouts Edit toolbar.

The Content Properties button.

Result: The Content Properties dialog box appears.

3. Modify options, and then click OK.

Notes:

• Options which do not appear in the Drawing item’s Content Properties follow the settings defined in Document Options.
• To modify the outline and fill of the Drawing item placeholder, choose Object Properties from the Modify menu in step 2.

General tab

Options on the General tab affect the scene that displays in the Drawing item. Only objects on the active layers display in the layout.

• Follow Current Scene: Check this option to use the scene that is displayed in the drop-down list on the Scene toolbar. Uncheck this option and select the desired scene from the Scene drop-down list. For more information on scenes, "Scenes".

Drawing tab

Options on the Drawing tab affect the angle at which the Drawing item prints and the scale.

Print Options

• Fit: The entire drawing scales to fit inside the placeholder.
• Fixed: The Drawing item prints at the specified scale. To determine which portion of the Drawing item displays inside the placeholder, choose Open Contents from the Modify menu. Inside that view, you can move around a white rectangle that represents the placeholder. For more information on the Open Contents command, "Adjusting the contents of a drawing item".
• Variable: In this case, when you use the Open Contents command you can change the size of the white rectangle without affecting the original placeholder. The portion of the drawing contained within the white rectangle is scaled to fit in the placeholder. For more information on Open Contents command, "Adjusting the contents of a drawing item".
• Scaling: Scale ratio drop-down list.
• On paper: The scale ratio that you want to use on a paper copy of the layout.
• Real World: The “real” measurement for the scale ratio that you specify in the On paper box. For example, you may want to use a scaling of one inch in a paper copy of your layout. This one inch measurement translates to a “realistic” measurement (for example, 3 feet).
• Point Size: Size at which points are printed.

Rotation

• Rotation Angle: Type an angle value in degrees to print the Drawing item on an angle.

Seating Assignment

• Hide Seats With Guest Label: If you have chosen to show the guest name rather than a circular icon on each assigned seat, select this checkbox to hide the seat outline under each guest’s name.

View type tab

Options on the View type tab affect the view of the drawing that displays in the layout.

• View Type: Select the type of view you want displayed in the layout. For details, see "View types".
• Workplane: These options are available when 3D is the selected View Type. For information on workplanes, see "View types".
• Scrollbars On: Select this checkbox to display the scrollbars on the bottom and left side edges of the layout. Deselect this option to turn the scrollbars off.

Wireframe Details tab

Options on the Wireframe Details tab affect the amount of information that is shown in the Drawing item.

• Wireframe Details: Information of objects in Drawing Wireframe which you can display on the layout.
• Wireframes & Layouts: Select the corresponding checkboxes in this column to display the selected wireframe information on the layout.
• Select the checkbox on the top row of the column to select all checkboxes below.
• Click on the arrows in the leftmost column to expand and display the rows with additional options.
• Library Objects: Select this checkbox to always show library objects in drawing wireframe views, and then select the Library Symbols option.
• Library Symbols: Select this checkbox to always show the library objects as 2D symbols in 2D wireframe views. If this option is disabled, library objects will be displayed as 3D models instead of their 2D symbols.
• Fixture Symbols: Select this checkbox to always show fixtures as 2D symbols in 2D wireframe views, and then select the Fixture Symbol Fill option. If Fixture Symbols is disabled, fixtures will be displayed as 3D models instead of their 2D symbols.
• Fixture Symbol Fill: Select this checkbox to always display filled 2D fixture symbols in drawing wireframe views. If this option is disabled, fixtures will be displayed as 3D models instead of their 2D symbols.
• Truss Structures: Select this checkbox to always show truss objects in drawing wireframe views, and then select the Truss Cross-Member option.
• Truss Cross-Members: Select this checkbox to always display the cross-members of truss structures in drawing wireframe views. Clear this checkbox to hide the truss cross-members on your drawing to reduce the clutter or to increase the speed of the display.
• Text Labels: Select this checkbox to always show text labels on the plot.
• Dimensions: Select this checkbox to always show dimensions on the plot.
• Cameras: Select this checkbox to always show cameras on the plot.
• Hatching: Select this checkbox to always show hatching styles assigned to displayed objects.
• Table Set Avatar: Select this checkbox if you always want to see the dotted line around a Table Set that allows you to select every item inside of a Table Set without having to individually click each item.
• Guest Data: Select this checkbox to always show details about the guests assigned to each seating item.
• Use Document Defaults: Select this option to use the settings defined in the Document Options dialog box.

Image item properties

Special considerations should be given to printing images on layouts. To maintain the integrity of the image, Vivien can maintain the aspect ratio of the image so as not to distort it.

To maintain aspect ratio

1. Select the image item on the layout.
2. From the Modify menu, choose Item Properties.

or

Click the Item Properties tool on the Layouts Edit toolbar.

The Item Properties button.

3. Click the Image tab.

4. Modify options, and then click OK.

• Internal: When this option is selected, only the images saved in the Images tab are available.
• External: Select this option to select an image file from any location.
• Keep Aspect Ratio: Select the Keep Aspect Ratio checkbox to maintain the height versus width relationship of the original image, regardless of how you resize the placeholder.

Spreadsheet item properties

By default, spreadsheets display in your layout at a scale of 100%, regardless of the paper size.

To modify spreadsheet item properties

1. Select the spreadsheet item.
2. From the Modify menu, choose Item Properties.

or

Click the Item Properties tool on the Layouts Edit toolbar.

 The Item Properties button.

Result: The Item Properties dialog box appears.

3. Click the Spreadsheet tab.

4. Modify options, and then click OK.

• Spreadsheet: Select the spreadsheet you want to display in the selected placeholder.
• Gridlines: Select this checkbox to display the spreadsheet grid lines in the layout.
• Scale: Type a percentage value to increase or decrease the size of the spreadsheet in the placeholder.

Adjusting the contents of a drawing item

If you chose fixed or variable scaling on the Printing tab, you can further set up how the drawing appears within the placeholder.

To adjust the contents

1. With the drawing item still selected, from the Modify menu, choose Open Contents.

or

Click the Open Contents tool on the Layouts Edit toolbar.

The Open Contents button.

Result: A new window opens displaying your drawing and the item placeholder.

2. Drag the white area to adjust the positioning of the placeholder as desired.
3. Close the window.

Working with item placeholders

You can move and resize placeholders on the layout page.

You can also stack them on top of each other. Use the Bring to Front and Send to Back commands to move the selected placeholder and its contents to the front and to the back of the stack, respectively.

To resize a placeholder

1. Click the item to select it.
2. Drag the marker points of the placeholder to resize it.

Note: Resizing a placeholder affects which portion of the content displays. You may need to edit the scale of the contents or adjust the contents after resizing.

To move a placeholder

1. Click the item to select it.
2. Drag the placeholder to the desired location.

Tip: Use the gridlines to line up placeholders.

To copy a placeholder and its contents

1. Click the item to select it.
2. Hold the CTRL key and drag the copied item to the desired location.

To change the stacking order of placeholders

1. Click the item to select it.
2. Do one of the following:

• To bring the selected object to the front, from the Edit menu, choose Bring to Front.

or

Click the Bring to Front tool on the Layouts Edit toolbar.

The Bring to Front button.

• To bring the selected object to the front, from the Edit menu, choose Send to Back.

or

Click the Send to Back tool on the Layouts Edit toolbar.

The Send to Back button.

To prevent movement and resizing of placeholders

From the Modify menu, choose Lock.

or

Click the Lock tool on the Layouts Edit toolbar.

The Lock button.

To only view placeholders

From the Modify menu, choose Show Place Holders Only.

or

Click the Show Place Holders Only tool on the Layouts Edit toolbar.

 The Show Place Holders Only button.

To rotate objects

1. Select an object to rotate.
2. From the Modify menu, choose Item Rotation, then the degree of rotation (0°, 90°, 180°, or 270°).

or

Click the appropriate Rotate object tool on the Layouts Edit toolbar.

Exporting layouts

While working with your layout, you can export it at any time to a bitmap (.bmp) or JPEG (.jpg) graphic in the location of your choice. This feature enables you to share the layout more easily with your coworkers.

To export layouts

1. While in the Layouts tab, click File > Export As Image.

Result: The Save As window appears.

2. Navigate to the location where you want to save the image.
3. In the File name box, type the name of the exported layout, or accept the default name provided.
4. From the Save as type drop-down list, choose the graphic format for the exported layout.
5. Click Save.

Result: Vivien saves the image in the location you specified.