Transferring Attributes

The Eyedropper tool transfers specific attributes from one object to another similar object in a single step.

Press the Option (Mac) or Ctrl (Windows) key to switch between the Pick Up and Apply modes.

To transfer object attributes:

1. Click the Eyedropper tool from the Basic palette.

2. Click Preferences from the Tool bar to specify the set of attributes to transfer. The Eyedropper Preferences dialog box opens.

Alternatively, select a set of saved attributes from the Settings list on the Tool bar.

3. Specify the attributes to be selected and applied by the Eyedropper tool, and click OK.

Click to show/hide the parameters.

Parameter	Description
Saved Settings Options
Settings	Select <Active Settings> to use the attributes currently selected in the dialog box; to use a set of saved attributes, select them from the pull-down list
Save	Opens a dialog box to name and save the currently selected attributes so that they can quickly be selected as a set
Manage	Opens the Saved Settings dialog box to rename or delete sets of saved tool attributes
All	Each group of attributes has this option, to make it easy to quickly select and deselect attributes. ●    Checked box: All attributes in the group are selected; click to deselect all attributes in the group. ●    Empty box: No attributes in the group are selected; click to select all attributes in the group for transfer. ●    Box displays  (Windows) or (Mac): One or more attributes in the group are not selected; click to select all attributes in the group for transfer.
Fill Attributes	Transfers fill attributes, including foreground and background colors, style (pattern, hatch, tile, gradient, and image fill), and texture
Pen Attributes	Transfers pen foreground and background colors, style (solid, pattern, or line type), and line thickness
Line End Marker	Transfers line end marker style and size
Text Attributes	Transfers text attributes to another text object, dimension, or plug-in object, including font, size, font style, alignment, spacing, tab stops, and tracking. Only font, size, and font style settings can be transferred to dimension and plug-in objects.
Wall, Slab, and Roof Attributes	Transfers thickness, components, and style settings for walls, slabs, roofs, and roof faces (Vectorworks Design Series required for wall, slab, and roof styles). If Style is selected, the thickness and components are automatically transferred. The relationship between thickness and components is different for each object type (for instance, a wall’s thickness can be changed independently of its components, but changing a slab’s thickness always also changes its components); the attributes are transferred as appropriate for each object type.
Viewport Attributes	Transfers viewport attributes to another viewport, including the following: ●    Class and layer visibility settings ●    Class and layer attribute overrides ●    Data visualization ●    Rendering properties (background and foreground rendering modes and options, lighting options, Renderworks background, light overrides and Renderworks styles) ●    Other Properties refers to the remaining viewport options, including view, projection, scale, and advanced properties Viewport attributes can be transferred between files. Class, layer, and other resources specified in an attribute override are resolved by the name of the class, layer, or resource, respectively.
Dimension Attributes	Transfers dimension attributes as follows: ●    Between any two linear or chain dimensions; the exceptions are witness line attributes, which cannot be transferred from a linear dimension to a chain dimension, or vice versa ●    Between any two non-linear dimensions (arc length, radial, diametrical, angular); the exceptions are tolerance and precision settings, which cannot be transferred from an angular dimension to a different type of non-linear dimension, or vice versa ●    Transfer between a linear and a non-linear dimension is ignored The following attributes can be transferred (available attributes depend on the type of dimension): ●    Text position (offset and rotation) ●    Dimension standard ●    Witness line visibility and override ●    Leader and trailer text ●    Other refers to additional dimension attributes, including Arrows Inside, Box Text, Leader Line, Precision, Show Dim Value, Note, and Tolerance
Other Attributes	Transfers attributes from the source object to a target object, including the following: ●    Database records ●    Plug-in parameters, including objects inserted in walls ●    Class (makes the target object the same class as the source object) ●    IFC data (preserving unique IFC identifiers, Vectorworks Design Series required); if the object receiving the data does not yet have a unique identifier, it is automatically created ●    Opacity settings ●    Drop shadow settings ●    Use Class Attributes (transfers the “by-class” settings of the source object, provided the target object is in the same class as the source object) ●    Label Position (Vectorworks Spotlight required). Transfers the label position between similar Spotlight objects. Lighting instruments must use the same label legend; once moved, the associated label legend no longer controls the label location.
Pick Up Sets Defaults	Changes the default Attributes palette settings to match those of the source object; objects created from then on use the attributes of the source object

4. Click Pick Up Attributes from the Tool bar.

The cursor changes to an eyedropper.

5. Click the object that is the source of the attributes.

6. Click Apply Attributes from the Tool bar.

The cursor changes from an eyedropper to a paint bucket.

7. Click the target object for the attributes.

The attributes are transferred to the object.

To transfer attributes between files, the target objects, classes, records, textures, and other attributes must already be present in the target file. The Eyedropper tool does not create objects or attributes.

Click here for a video tip about this topic (internet access required).

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The Attributes Palette

Managing Saved Settings

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