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Copying and Pasting Objects from one map to another
rekurzion
Member Posts: 697 Arc User
I'm not sure the best place for this as we do not have a "Tips and Tricks" sticky other than the links thread. In lieu of agarwaencran beginning a daunting task of translating over 400 pages of german language tutorials perhaps a sticky of useful workarounds would help the community. One that could be added to and edited as needed. If this is well known excuse my ignorance. Sharing is caring. In the meantime...
I find it useful to work on test maps - without the congestion of complete mission map - to build elements which use multiple layered objects and contacts, then transfer those elements to their target map.
For example. Suppose I want to create a custom holding cell to place in an in progress map already cluttered with dozens and dozens of objects and reach markers and pop up dialogues. I would create an empty map to remove the clutter and build my holding cell there (this also speeds up not having to traverse through mounds of objectives if the holding cell is located at the tail end of an object tree). But as many authors know when you copy and paste objects from one map to another the coordinates, particularly the Y coordinates, appear to change to random values leaving you hopelessly re-entering those values and extending basically having to recreate the elements on the new map.
In other words a waste of time. But I've recently found the pattern of the Y coordinate changes and they are indeed uniform if not curious but should save authors time who choose to design in this way or simply copy elements for reuse.
***
The Short of it:
Before selecting your stack of elements identify the object with the highest Y coordinate value.
Now select ALL of the elements you wish to copy to a new map.
Paste the elements on the new map and be sure all of the elements are still selected (when you paste multiple elements they should remain selected)
In the Y coordinate field, which when changed will affect all of the selected objects, enter the number of the highest object's Y value.
Viola. All of the remaining objects now possess their correct Y values from before their copy/paste.
Caveats:
Because there are always caveats.
1. If your objects were placed with the translation snap to grid or rotation snap to grid parameters ON there is no need to modify these parameters in the new map
2. If your objects were placed with the translation snap to grid or rotation snap to grid parameters OFF you will need to ensure prior to pasting in the new map these parameters are off as well. The same goes if one parameter is OFF and the other is ON, just match the parameters settings from both maps.
3. If you want to change the Y value of the objects AFTER you have pasted them to a new map and made the corrections I suggest deselecting and reselecting the elements before making additional changes.
To explore strange new behavior:
This shouldn't work but it does. I tested this with 3 objects all set to Zero Altitude. For the initial test I set their Y values to "0", "10" and "20" respectively then copy and pasted them to a new map. Their Y values were changed to "-10", "0" and "10". What would appear to be a subtraction of 10 from each object.
The next test was with values of "100", "200" and "300" and things started to get weird. Their values were changed after pasting to "-100", "0", and "100". No amount of consistent math would achieve my original values by applying the same value positive or negative to each object. On a hunch (read: out of frustration), I selected all 3 elements and changed the Y value to the highest value pre copy. To my surprise their individual Y values returned to "100", "200", and "300".
Let me repeat. Adding 300 to -100 equaled 100.
Enjoy.
I find it useful to work on test maps - without the congestion of complete mission map - to build elements which use multiple layered objects and contacts, then transfer those elements to their target map.
For example. Suppose I want to create a custom holding cell to place in an in progress map already cluttered with dozens and dozens of objects and reach markers and pop up dialogues. I would create an empty map to remove the clutter and build my holding cell there (this also speeds up not having to traverse through mounds of objectives if the holding cell is located at the tail end of an object tree). But as many authors know when you copy and paste objects from one map to another the coordinates, particularly the Y coordinates, appear to change to random values leaving you hopelessly re-entering those values and extending basically having to recreate the elements on the new map.
In other words a waste of time. But I've recently found the pattern of the Y coordinate changes and they are indeed uniform if not curious but should save authors time who choose to design in this way or simply copy elements for reuse.
***
The Short of it:
Before selecting your stack of elements identify the object with the highest Y coordinate value.
Now select ALL of the elements you wish to copy to a new map.
Paste the elements on the new map and be sure all of the elements are still selected (when you paste multiple elements they should remain selected)
In the Y coordinate field, which when changed will affect all of the selected objects, enter the number of the highest object's Y value.
Viola. All of the remaining objects now possess their correct Y values from before their copy/paste.
Caveats:
Because there are always caveats.
1. If your objects were placed with the translation snap to grid or rotation snap to grid parameters ON there is no need to modify these parameters in the new map
2. If your objects were placed with the translation snap to grid or rotation snap to grid parameters OFF you will need to ensure prior to pasting in the new map these parameters are off as well. The same goes if one parameter is OFF and the other is ON, just match the parameters settings from both maps.
3. If you want to change the Y value of the objects AFTER you have pasted them to a new map and made the corrections I suggest deselecting and reselecting the elements before making additional changes.
To explore strange new behavior:
This shouldn't work but it does. I tested this with 3 objects all set to Zero Altitude. For the initial test I set their Y values to "0", "10" and "20" respectively then copy and pasted them to a new map. Their Y values were changed to "-10", "0" and "10". What would appear to be a subtraction of 10 from each object.
The next test was with values of "100", "200" and "300" and things started to get weird. Their values were changed after pasting to "-100", "0", and "100". No amount of consistent math would achieve my original values by applying the same value positive or negative to each object. On a hunch (read: out of frustration), I selected all 3 elements and changed the Y value to the highest value pre copy. To my surprise their individual Y values returned to "100", "200", and "300".
Let me repeat. Adding 300 to -100 equaled 100.
Enjoy.
Post edited by rekurzion on
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Hmmm what happens if you put in an arbitrary number that is unrelated? like 70 instead of 100?
My character Tsin'xing
It doesn't matter. The next test I did to validate before posting was a series of random numbers all down to the hundredths position. The fix still worked. You just need to know the highest Y value and you're good to go.
It should be noted that the altered values seem to have some relationship to the lowest Y value:
first example:0, 10, 20 | post copy lowest value -10
second example: 100, 200, 300 | post copy lowest Y value is -100
so what happens if your test is say 100/200/300 and you put in 70 for the y value? do they keep their original values?
My character Tsin'xing
I might be misunderstanding your scenario. What I just tested was 3 objects pre copy with & values of 100/200/300, then after paste changing their collective Y values to 70. This was the result (remember their paste values would now be -100/0/100)
-130/-30/70. If I change the Y value to 300 they revert to their pre copy values. And if I change the Y value to 400 the values change to 200/300/400 (adding 100 to each value). It appears the calculation is taking the difference of the largest Y value selected and the entered Y value, then that difference is subtracted or added (i tried 140 which resulted in -60/40/140) to all objects uniformly. Addition if the difference is larger than largest Y value of the currently selected objects and subtracted if the difference is lesser.
Perhaps there was never a problem with copy and pasting and I've just gone crazy after a foundry bender.
Might be more of an undocumented feature than a glitch.
My character Tsin'xing
Let me repeat. Adding 300 to -100 equaled 100.
Enjoy.[/quote]
I am a little confused here. Aren't you taking the high value of 100 and changing it back to 300? Which is a difference if 200. Meaning that adding 200 to -100 equaled 100? Otherwise you are adding 300 to 100 to make the high value 400. What i seem to be seeing here is all the values remaining relative to each other as is the norm. The interesting and useful thing to note is that it is the object that has the highest value that is the focus when copied to another map, saving you from having to reselect all the objects, deselect the one you wish to make the focus, and reselect it before raising all the values by the required amount.
yeah I ended up coming to that conclusion. like i said, hard to think straight when youre coming off a foundry bender
But one trick I've done is similar to yours but slightly different. I'll build the basics of a map, enough to get the floors and roof where they need to be and where anything else is very minimal - no interior detail. Then I'll copy the floor and roof elements and delete all of the objects then past only the floor and roof. This way their ID numbers are the lowest possible, then I can build on top of them and the new elements will always appear above the floor and roof.
My character Tsin'xing