Rossford

MW, I was responding more to the idea in the first PP of the OP, and not the main focus on the tutorials. I had no trouble downloading the separate one for Landmark, and I haven't gone through the excersizes yet. I can certainly agree that from time to time, key info I need to understand VW is not in the manuals or vids, or part of what VW presumes its users know and glossed over. Hey, I figure they leave them out as incentive to use their $200 per hour trainers! (insert smiley)

When you use VW, there is always that shred of doubt about why you didn't just go with AutoCad, I know. That said, we all have to remember how we got started with VW. In my case, I hired a guy who had used it in ways similar to the way I wanted to use it (back about VW10.5 or so. I tried to force the staff to go ACAD, but VW was both easier AND a lot of value for the money - just the included worksheets vs having a separate plug in for ACAD was a good enough reason for us to use it. Over the years, they are moving more towards the full featured drawing set from the discount program, but are still among (IMHO) the best values - that is the combination of features per dollar you can find. I am quite aware that for every VW feature, there is a program out there that probably does it better. But, is there a program that does some much relatively well in one package? In that light, why complain about it not being the pre-eminent program?

Yeah, I am in 2009 (will install my 2010 upgrade later today since I just got a project out the door) and it happened again in the last hour. I have been trying to recreate the problem here in the last few minutes, and can't, but it happened while I was working. Isn't that always the way? I tried to use it when stuff was selected, and it worked, and tried with various tools selected, and it worked. I figure its actually me doing something wrong rather than a bug, though. I just can't figure out what I do that triggers the response.

That happens to me every once in a while, but it seems to do it when I have an object selected somewhere, although not every time.

I've had that happen on big aerial photo pdf imports in 2009. I think its just the size of the file - jpegs are usually much smaller file sizes. I don't know if you can trim the pdf image before importing it, but I would try to get it to bare bones.

Well, I guess I am the only one here interested in the site model. I saw some other documentation saying that the 2010 changes are "under the hood" to make site models more reliable. Also, they have added options to place modifiers on all visible layers, rather than just the same layer or all layers. I can see how this would have some possibilities for my work, since I draw in cut and fill, path, and other layers.

Jonathan, Thanks. I found I did have to group a box and the text, rather than text only to make a symbol. But it still appears I would recreate the line every project that has a 6" drain line in it, and then put it in the 6" drain line class, if I am reading you right, rather than activate the class and have it draw that line automatically? Right now I use colors to distinguish different drain pipe sizes, but am thinking the label would be better if the sheets are ever copied in B&W. I just got 2020, and with more dash line styles, I may be able to do it that way, too. But, nothing says "6 Inch Drain pipe" like a label saying, well ....."6 Inch Drain pipe" Thanks for the great tips and training manuals. OT, but any thoughts on your site model tutorial coming up on 10.5?

I saw Jonathan Pickup's Custom Line creation video and thought I would try to make a drain line that included repeating symbols showing pipe size - i.e. a dashed line with "6" markings to represent 6 inch diam. drain pipe. I figured out how to make the line following the video's technique but so far haven't figured out if I can save it to my pallete as a standard line for the class ""6" Drain Pipe." Can this be done, or does each drawing require recreating this line type? Thanks in advance.

Make sure your letter O and numeral 0 are correct! Don't ask me how I know to suggest this.....

I noticed this in the new features of 2010 Landmark section but see nothing else on it. Is this something new in 2010 and exactly what is it? Or does it just refer to the old DTM tools? What other DTM improvments have been made?

Matt, I am in the landscape architecture design side, but I also use plenty of classes - almost one for every kind of item I might have on a bid form so VW can count it for bid purposes. I agree that you might have a few more design layers. I break mine into the same schedules as my bid form as they are like the mylar sheets described above - clearing, grading, drainage, irrigation, grassing, hardscape. Yeah, there is some heartburn in making sure you are drawing in both the proper class AND layer (for example, putting my 12" catch basins in the drainage layer) but if you get in the habit it is pretty easy. If you are in a multi person office, its likely that some would prefer more detail and others may prefer to draw in the none class all day. You might compromise with only having two or three design layers, rather than one for Pyro, Projection, Video, Lighting, Audio, Scenic,and Venue as suggested above, your projects may be simple enough that Lighting and audio might be one layer, for example. Generally, I think smaller projects lend themselves to combining more design elements into fewer layers, depending on how you need to see them in different spots. Its a pretty personal thing these layers and classes.....

OT, really, but just before Amtrak took over, and then again after, in 1971, I rode the City of New Orleans from Chicago to Champaign, IL. At that point, the train was hardly worth writing a song about, but he sort of captured the feel. Other than that, I wish I had some clue as to what the original post was all about..... As I see it, you are taking the % of users from the number of registered posters on these here boards? Since most of us at least look at more than one forum, how do you calc the architects only? That said, as a landscape architect, I do notice that the Landmark forum is the least busy, suggesting that VW isn't used much by LA's in the US, Australia, or elsewhere. Or, do we know what % of market share VW has on different continents? Or what % of VW users have LM, Architect, Spotlight, loaded? I am always interested in that kind of stuff. Cheers

I have some of his manuals, and his short sharp training downloads which I take to read on planes, rather than some fiction novel. His stuff keeps the idea of me ever being good on VW out of the realm of fiction! When I started VW, I bought nearly every manual I could. Of course, nothing replaces jumping right in, but even now, reading them whenever I have the chance allows me to find out little tricks and tips I didn't know before. If you expect any manual to replace hands on experience, you are probably going to be disappointed. If you go in with the idea of learning just a few new tricks, they are great. If you bill $200 per hour and it saves you an hour here or there, it pays for itself very quickly. I am a fan, as you can tell!

Sort of OT, but has anyone ever had any luck with the VW "Trace Bitmap" command? I have only tried a few samples, but it does nothing for me. I have a friend who does convert pdfs to vector drawings in Illustrator, apparently with better luck. As to cropping a pdf, I have done that prior to opening in VW, which helps. And, my VW 2009 really helps with the ability to snap to pdf points. I recently was doing a land plan in an existing subdivision and was able to trace roads, etc easily.

Isn't there some kind of smoothing setting that might take out some of that angularity?

You can remove it, reassign the Z value, move it, etc. Changing the Z value would take place in the Object info pallette. Removing would be selecting and performing any operation in any view/ I have found that moving a 3D loci or point seems to work best in plan view, but it also seems to de-assign its Z value and it has to be have new input in the object info pallette.

Before you run your model, I suggest you check your 3D polys not only in plan view, but in Section view. That usually catches points that you forgot to add the Z value to.

Yes, I think the secret to my success in business is to have been too young and stupid to even know that I might fail......

Look in the manual or on line help. There are three or four differnt modes and you can set the dimensions of the billows, spikes, or whatever. I have to play around with my veg line command to get the look I want but it can be done.

I have used the freehand tool to create contour lines. I use a mouse, but it would also work great on a tablet. If you set the freehand tool to high or very high smoothing but choose no smoothing as opposed to bezier or cubic arc smoothing, the normal polyline created stays a polygon with very few vertices, yet reads smooth in 2D.

The preloaded attribute palette should have several, along with different line widths, etc. Draw the line and click the second area (which is the perimeter line of any object) and it should pop up the menu. Select a dash line you like and there you go. Of course, at some point, you will probably want to make it "create at creation" and in a demo class.

Glad its not just me that manages to mess up at least one site modifier on each drawing.......thereby compromising the entire result.

Leave it sit. It will do that while its grinding and it sometimes takes a while, depending on file size. At least, my computer does that. Update just before lunch and come back...a watched site model never updates!

I had that happen and called NNA. Now I can't recall if the problem was with the Quick Time version I had installed, or the drivers, but its usally one of those two problems.

Islandmon, So do you think greying out all the layers, etc. would reduce rendering time in a pdf?