Rossford

Sort of OT, but go from forum back to drawing, and for the third time today, VW crashes when I click "Use Default Attributes" on line I just drew from another class that I wanted to change. I think we just discussed this in another topic, but would appreciate not having to look through it if anyone recalls a simple answer off the top of their head. Thanks.

Had another crash this morning, while cleaning up a file for a new base map. I opened the old one, saved a copy as XXX, and then it crashed before my 100 operations save setting. I can't find any evidence of the new file in my files, backup files, etc. I take it, VW doesn't save a new drawing until its actually saved once or closed and saved?

Kevin, I like your idea of saving an "archive" file and will add that to my work flow. I mean, how many times does a disapproved or discarded, concept recirculate later? I sort of do that anyway, dating drawings as PROJECT X - CD - REV TO 2015.11.23.09 with 09 being the nearest hour (with the year first and 0 being necessary in single digit numbers to keep the file chronological). Should probably add V2 or whatever after the REV part. I especially save separate copies of the original base as a stand alone document (somehow, from time to time, these things get modified inadvertently) the final concept plan as a base for DD, the final DD for the base of the CD, etc. Probably a waste of disk space, I know, but some peace of mind in case of disaster is probably worth it. With the VW crashing problem, it is typical to have to reopen a doc from the backup file and see what you lost. As noted elsewhere, crashing seems to have increased in VW16, even using the save after so many actions setting. I also just downloaded a new graphics card driver to make sure that wasn't the issue.

Is it only VW? Been having similar problems, fixed by using windex over the optical glass area of the mouse......also thought of replacing batteries.

Are you using 2016? And, trying to use the new "contour" mode? If prior to 2016, there are no 3D polylines, when you convert to 3D, they go to 3D polygons, but usually, if you drew a polyline curve, it had hundreds of vertices. I am wondering about 2016. I saw Jonathan Pickup use the contour mode in a webinar. It started straight, but he used the reshape tool to convert a few points to Bezier, which worked to visually round off his 3D contour line site modifier. So, try that. For me, it would be wonderful if they eliminated a few steps so 3D polygons could be drawn first. I looked into the 2016 help, which didn't cover it clearly. It would almost be too good to be true. It did mention that contour site modifiers are usually level, but can be drawn at a slope, if you specify it. That in itself may be a great improvement in drawing free form swales at whatever per cent you might want, over creating a bunch of smaller straight ones. I was actually going to experiment using the road tool to create curving swales, but this might do the trick even better, if it is what I think it is.

Hate to nitpick because I love VW in all its forms, but has anyone else accidentally emailed non readable VW files to clients because the small icon looks too much like the pdf icon in Windows 10? Maybe next year, change the logo back to green, blue, black, or whatever........again, no huge deal, but I have done it twice. I guess I need to set up an extra pdf export file in each project file, which I normally do anyway. But, in some small projects, I just store everything under "DRAWINGS". LOL

Got excited about the subdivision tool....thought it was to help in road design, drainage, utilities, etc. Drat.

Over the years, I have often found I have duplicate objects created one over another in my drawings. (I click to delete and another one or two is right below it) Someone suggested that grouping and ungrouping can cause those objects (if grouped from multiple classes) to show up in the class open when grouped. Would that do it? If not, what other causes might there be? In a recent drawing, I also found that it created two more complete set of layers to my standard system (such as ILLUSTRATION-2, GRADING-2) etc., which I had never seen before. I did have a reference dwg from the developer, which is the only difference I can see. Any help in reducing duplicate and repetitive objects is appreciated.

Related question while thinking about it, but I was also told you could crop any site model once into a sub area. Lets say you generally need 2 foot contours, but in small areas, may want 1 foot contours. Is that still possible?

I was once told that there was a max of 35,000 points you could use on a site model. Don't know if that is still true. One simple test is that each contour line probably ought to have in the "tens of points" and certainly no more than in the "hundreds of points" if it is a long one. I set up three standard layers - 2D contours (for working freehand, 3D contours for when they are converted, and Simplify 3D contours to transfer once they are simplified. I still have an old Vector bits plug in you could use to simplify the 2D polys, too, before conversion. Sometimes handy in sharing files across AutoCAD when working in 2D only. I actually opened that script, copied it, changed the parameters so I had a low, medium and high conversion tool with one click of the resource browser. Usually the limits specified by the VW algorithm are pretty good, and don't cross, but they may in complicated topos. However, I had to recently reduce the setting where some really steep contours down to a river crossed with almost any simplification. If you simplify much more, sometimes you get those crossing contours. Lastly, I think you can set how your 2D polys are smoothed in the VW preferences/settings. The higher the smooth factor, the more vertices.

I guess I should mention that I use a 32" monitor now to solve the space problem, and at various times have had up to 40" monitors, converted from older TV or shared use at my desk. I do have a second monitor used mostly for TV now. One point about super size monitors, I actually get sore necks and have to make sure my adjustable chair is as high as it goes to avoid looking up all day......

I am probably wrong on this, but it sounds like you were using copy and paste, but I think the only way to get the pdf into VW is to do file/import.

How many short cut keys do you typically use? I ask because I just printed the shortcut key list for 2015 and looked it over. While I use about a dozen or so that I know have memorized, there were at least another dozen that I know would improve my work flow that I have generally forgotten about. I got to thinking about it on the double monitor thread. I am guessing the more shortcut keys you use, the more practical it is to put some of your menus and tools on another monitor. So, just a quick sound off on how useful you find the shortcuts, just for enlightenment!

Actually tried dual monitors a few years back, thinking it would give me screen space. I didn't like, because I put my pallets and tools on one screen, and then is was just that much slower to get to them. Simply bought a bigger monitor..... For those that use them, what seems to work best?

I like your system, and have used a combo of letters and numbers myself for our office standard. That said, I have never found a way to shortcut the process. I simply change the names one by one. It saves a bit of time to type the "A-" in the first reuse and copy it, then paste in A-2 and beyond. I am sure you know but A- will show up differently than A - (with a space). Don't ask how I know this, but I developed my class system by trial and error.

From time to time, I have had that happen. From memory, it may be that you have 10 point type on a 1:1 site model, which shows up too small. If your site model was in a drawing scale, say 1=200 it might show up fine. Select the site model and use the text tool to change the font size.

In 2014, dwg seems to come in only as a reference. I have a Chinese project, and the file size is large, I suspect because I need to simplify the 3D poly. However, the reference has "no edit behavior". How can I edit a referenced DWG base map? Thanks in advance.

Jim, Thanks. Gave that a try and it works. It appears that color cannot be part of the line type, but must be applied later? Also, it appears that I cannot edit line width while in the line edit mode. If I edit the line on the work area, it changes.

Saw an editing line type question here, and thought I would ask the related creating new line types question. Specifically, we had used colors to differentiate different irrigation and drain line sizes, and some contractors print in BW only, so they had troubles. Besides assigning a line type and weight to different size pipes, and putting those in the legend, is there an easy way to edit the water line pipe (dashed line with intermittent "W") or others to have the label say something like "IR6" or "DR8"? In an old version, I think one of my former employees used the repetitive symbol tool, but can't recall exactly. Probably in the help guide somewhere, but any knowledge from the board is appreciated.

We always raise our texture beds about 0.1" or so above the surface, which usually covers up those irregularities. I think I have even seen that suggested in a few manuals.

For anyone interested, I opened a new blank document, imported all the classes and layers I wanted, but didn't import the rogue class. All seems fine. A little bit of work to do that, but not much, and much better than wondering if your system was going to continually crash because of some bug.....

Another weird one. I have a new class, not adopted by me knowingly, that appears to be Chinese characters (I have done some Chinese projects, but didn't use those drawings for the new template drawing, but they may have slipped in somehow.) In any event, nothing happens when I click on this class in either the navigation or organization pallets. Any hints on this one?

Well, I don't know the cause of the freeze, but in hitting around the keyboard, using the escape key got me out of the freeze. To answer, I was using the Organization pallet. When I hit one class to delete it froze. After hitting the escape key, there was a message that the class needed a resource. Not sure, but I do know I was eliminating a class that had imported from an ACAD drawing (and to me, should have been reclassed before working on that last project...but that is another story!) I thought I had deleted everything in the main drawing before editing, but maybe there are some stray objects out there in outer space that are causing the problem. Thanks!

Spending some time editing classes on an existing document to create my VW 2014 Template for the office. Every so often, the functionality stops, and I get a "ding" but cannot do anything. Any guesses? I did close the document using task manager, and reopened, with some unsaved work, but I would like to keep working without that. Thanks in advance.

Our files always did seem slower when working right off the server. Our only problem was that a few guys never seemed to remember to put them back on after downloading to their desktop. In the last few years, I have gone to 16GB ram on my machines. No real tips on cleanup. Hard work and no one really likes to do it.....