WhoCanDo

Wow. All that just to move a 2D object in the Z direction. Many thanks Bill. But if Move3DObj ((h, X, Y, Z) works on 2D objects, isn't there a simpler way to find what the line's current Z is ?

I am drafting in 2D and I found that one of my macros wasn't behaving today. It was because some of my objects were above Z=0 for some reason, even though I draw in top/plan and Plane: Layer Easy I though. I'll just ForEachObj move them to Z=0 However, I started with Message (ZCenter (Sel=True)); and it only returns 0 So I found out, this only works for a 3D object. Even though the object is on Plane: 3D, it's not really a 3D object, it's a line, so when I extrude the object 0, it's still a line but ZCenter works. Moving on, Move3DObj ((h, 0, 0, -100); works, even though it's not a 3D object. Bottom line is, how do I find the Z location of a 2D object and then Move3DObj ((h, 0, 0, Z); ?

I've tried a few things, including restarting VW, but I can't seem to figure out what needs to be changed/enabled to do this. We are using the Workgroup Library to share some standard components. This works great, and this is what it is there for. However, when I wish to replace a symbol on my drawing with one from the Workgroup Library, the library link is not available and therefore I can't select a replacement symbol. I can, of course, replace a symbol with local symbols from the local library. Are there any magic settings that allow me to fix this?

I have only started pinning the pallets on VW2025 & VW2026, but in both cases after starting VW, the Resource Manager continually starts in this format. It is not remembering the layout section widths. I have to widen the first section to 1/3rd and the second the next 1/3rd for every startup of VW. It doesn't remember even after "Save Pallet Positions". Anyone have a fix?

Thanks Tom. I knew I had seen it hiding somewhere other than Vectorworks or Document preferences. AI was lying to me as usual LOL

A couple of weeks ago, when I used the "z" keyboard option, VW zoomed without showing me line thickness. Something changed and I now see the lines get thicker each time i hit "z" My Vectorworks Preferences / Display / Zoom line thickness is off Being off, i see the rest of the drawing with thin lines, but even so, "z" still shows me thick lines. Any ideas why? I'm sure there was an option with something like "loupe" in it that needed to be off for thin lines, but I can't find it anywhere.

Thanks Tom. I'll try that out. But why would anyone want to duplicate their data through viewports on the Design Layers, and if they did, why doesn't it double when the viewport is on the Sheets Layer ?

Hi. I've recently discovered that I can create viewports on Design Layers. I have previously just created viewports on the Sheets Layers. However, I am perplexed as to why the Design Layer viewports work differently to those on the Sheets Layers. My worksheet collects and display data attached to objects with records attached. For example, if the worksheet has =(record.name) in cell A1 and =1 in cell B1, then the quantity of names is listed in B1 ( you know what I mean ). If I add a viewport to the Sheets Layer, then the worksheet quantity remains the same. But if I add a viewport to the Desing Layer, the quantity increases. How and why would a viewport on the Desing Layer effect the worksheet ? Isn't a viewport just a picture of an area on a Desing Layer, whether on a Design Layer or a Sheet Layer ? It should hold data.

Hey Steven. You are spot on. Changing the IFC category from ifcBuilding to IfcBuildingElementProxy makes everything visible in the export, and I don't need the Stories, as you said. But why does VW choose to make some of my objects invisible, and others visible ? I made them all ifcBuilding and didn't enter any other information. They should all be equal and all invisible or visible. As a viewer, I use and recommend Tekla Trimble Connect.

All good ideas, thanks. I made sure that everything had an IFC data record attached for this file. I've tried multiple IFC export options. I tried changing one of the solid subtraction's individual extrusions from polyline to polygon, and it worked. Then I tried to repeat it on other components, but they did not show in the IFC export. A clue maybe. Duplicating the file and converting all the groups, extrusions, solid subtractions, symbols, etc. to polygons doesn't work. Can anyone else fix my VW attachment and tell me what they did ? It seems that exporting to IFC is hit and miss at the moment. In my original file, some of the exported objects are on different layers and they do export, and the others don't, even though I have those layers visible and in the export layer list.

I can't figure out why only some of the objects in this file export to an IFC format file. Can someone tell me what I am missing in the attached file please. Untitled 1.vwx

Thanks Pat. Yes, I understand the different results of Vector and Raster PDF's. It may take some time to receive another drawing from a client that imports with text showing, but I would have thought that a VW PDF was Vector based on my settings. MA.67899.G1-1-6r0.pdf

I thought this was Troubleshooting, not the Wishlist. Does anyone have a solution to troubleshoot my problem ? Does everyone else see text or blocks when after importing a PDF and deleting the BMP and blank area - after ungrouping ?

A week or two ago, I noticed that some of my imported PDF drawings, when ungrouped to the line drawing, had text showing. I thought that an update hade fixed this and was so happy. Now I don't see the text anymore, so I have to revert back to importing PDF's into AutoCAD and then importing the DWG file with all the text visible. I have my "Show Annotations ticked", so why can AutoCAD do this, and VW can't ?

For functions like eg. WallThickness (c : CRITERIA): REAL; I often wonder why there is not a criteria for Handle. This is not a working code but just to give you an idea ..... procedure test; procedure GetThisHandle (h : handle); begin BrickThickness := (WallThickness (Hndle = h) - 50) /2; if (BrickThickness > 110) then AlrtDialog (Num2Str (BrickThickness)); end; begin ForEachObject (GetThisHandle, (Sel = True) & (T = Wall)); end; ForEachObject is the easiest way to work on one object at a time by filtering if it is this object type or that, but a function that requires a criteria that can't be used if there are multiple selections, multiple types, multiple visible states, etc. Can anyone offer any comments that could help me ?

In your '/sheds/sheds resources/portal frame.png' I didn't add the subfolder /sheds (/MyFiles) Try 'sheds resources/portal frame.png' and don't put "/" at the front. Let VW find it in the subfolder and file.

I'm no expert, but what happens if you add your local path to VW Preferences\User Folders ? C:\Users\??????\AppData\Roaming\Nemetschek\Vectorworks\2025

Hi Bill. My folder is here in "my user path" plus OneDrive\Workgroup Folder\Plug-ins\MyFiles\Handrail Labels.vwr and works. In VW Preferences\User Folders, my Workgroup and Project Folders is "my user path" plus OneDrive\Workgroup Folder\ CreateImageControl2 (GateAWestDialog1, i, 715, 543, 'Handrail Labels/GateA_WestBackground.png'); My colleagues and I set up the VW Prefs the same way so that we all can access the same files. This method is still working for me since I posted the June 2, 2020 reply. Maybe it's because you are using the word sheds in the folder and sub-folder.

Has anyone ( @Dave Donley 😊 ) had any luck at stabilising this problem ? I'm still battling my way through a brochure, and this is really wasting my time. This morning, I drew something, exported it as before, and it came out perfectly. Then I realised that I had a spelling mistake that I fixed, and now I can't get it to export in Final Quality Renderworks again without it going to the dark side. The other day, I tried exporting a model which was drawn on two layers. It didn't work. I then tried printing one layer at a time using "Current View". It worked. I used GIMP to put them back together again.

Unfortunately, I need to turn on "Save Alpha Channel" because we need to remove the background to paste into PowerPoint without wiping out the text and other objects. I tried using a graphic editor to remove the background, but the silver finish is so close to the background that it can't achieve a high-quality finish. Thanks Dave. That would save time explaining this when reporting this as a bug.

Thanks Bart. Since I deleted the files that didn't work, and they were huge anyway, I thought I'd try a test today ( a.vwx ) First time and it failed. I used a VW blank stationary sheet so that it was unadulterated. When it's working properly, it's supposed to look like this with Metal Zinc Polish rendering with Final Quality Renderworks. Not this .. Using these settings .. From this file .. a.vwx

After many hours of trial and error, I have discovered that if I copy my model to another drawing that does print correctly, that this model now prints correctly. In the drawing that is wrong, somehow, it or I have changed a setting that cannot be reset. It would be nice to have a reset button somewhere though.

Since you all think it's not option of VW, I think I've figured out two ways for achieving this, but I'm not sure why VW doesn't offer the data in some way to reuse. 1. The old-fashioned way. I have an A4 sheet of paper that I balance on the bottom of my screen. I have cut the paper at the angle that I want so that I can rotate my model to approximately the same each time 😜 2. I have a "Saved View" on my first drawing. I can use that drawing as a blank template for other drawings, since the Saved View cannot be copied or imported across to new drawings.

Thanks Pat. I'm using "Final Quality Renderworks" rendering. We are adding realistic pictures to our brochure. As far as I am aware, cloud services only works with Sheet layers, and I'm using "Export to Image" with "Save Alpha Channel" to remove the background. Unfortunately, the cloud services (or Sheet Layer) result leaves a lot of unwanted background pixels around the perimeter of the objects, giving a pour result at 300dpi. The abrasive nosing is made of thousands of realistic cubes for a grit surface when viewed closer - for our close shots.

Can anyone explain why there is so much colour difference between VW on screen rendered, and the exported image file ? I have enabled a light source to try and fix this, but it seems that VW just ignores it when exporting to an image file. The left is what I want, and the right is the export. Whether I open the image with a separate viewer, or if I drag and drop the image back into VW, it looks like the right.