Pretty Patchlist

Pretty Patchlist - Overview

Pretty Patchlist started in 2020 as my first full procedural Vectorworks Python script. In Vectorworks I missed a well-formatted DMX patch list function, so I made my own script that did the job for me quite well. After publishing Symbol Line, I rebuilt it as a proper STB-VW Tools menu command with saved settings, editable columns, and a documented workflow.

The command reads the Lighting Devices in your drawing and creates a DMX patch list as a Vectorworks worksheet. It sets up the worksheet rows, database criteria, worksheet functions, and formatting automatically, then places a worksheet image on the active layer.

The patch list can be generated By Fixture or By Universe. By Fixture can group fixtures by channel ranges, such as 1-100 and 101-200, or by unique Instrument Type. By Universe creates one section for each universe found in the document.

The worksheet can include title block information, a Universe summary, a Fixture summary, and the patch sections themselves. Each section is built from the actual fixtures in the document, so a project with four universes and a project with forty universes can use the same command.

Columns can be edited per table. You can reorder columns, add fields from the Lighting Device record, change display titles, set alignment, and let a field span up to three worksheet columns when it needs more room.

Because Vectorworks worksheets do not add or remove database rows by themselves, Pretty Patchlist includes warning formulas for stale data. If fixtures move into a new universe or range, the worksheet tells you to run the command again so the sheet is rebuilt from the current drawing.