panta rhei

I don't think I can describe the entire implementation (as there are alternative approaches) here. You will need someone with expertise both in VectorScripting and in FileMaker Pro. Anyway, FMP has a script step ?Send Apple Event?. That is used to run a VectorScript residing in the FMP database. What that script does (and how it is generated) is then up to the developer of the system. I don't know of links related to the subject.

Yes. Managementwise that is the clever thing to do. In fact, FMP can also, under certain conditions, ?populate? the spaces with the designated furniture. In my Space object I have certain functionality to make this happen. One has to arrange the stuff, of course, but at least it is there, all neatly stacked in the space.

I don't think you need to upgrade now (you are just starting to use CAD, aren't you?), but in future the most sensible strategy is to get every upgrade. Skipping a year doesn't save much money since the next upgrade will be more expensive that way and there are nice things in every version. However, I must say that the new 12-month version cycle is a bit too fast to my humble taste (or is it my slow pedalling?)

Michelle, When you find the book cases, you can put books into them with this: http://www.vectordepot.com/downloads/fillshelves.zip

If it needs to be really easy, the people in question should use Macintoshes & FileMaker Pro: the latter can run VectorScripts by way of AppleEvents, so with a proper database structure, FMP can even open the files, pull in the data, do housekeeping and close the files with a single menu command. For best results the data export should be scripted in VectorWorks instead of just using ?Export Database? -function. What a perfect excuse to get decent computers...

You're welcome. (Incidentally, I had planned to write such a command for ?my users? so now it is done.)

In VW 12.5 and 2008 it was possible to create an extrusion, convert that to an IFC slab, export & import it. Even view it in 3rd party software. In VW 2009, this is no longer the case: ?Nothing was imported?. And what do you know: in the IFC file there is no trace of a slab. This is going extremely well...

I think the operative words here are ?human" & "error?. Whatever, if one makes a menu command of the following script (use at your own risk) and assigns CMD-P to it, instead of the normal Print -command, there is less room for error. PROCEDURE HideNoPlotAndPrint; { ? Petri Sakkinen 2009 } CONST classToHide = 'NoPlot'; VAR layerName : STRING; layerHd : HANDLE; ok : BOOLEAN; PROCEDURE HideIt (h :HANDLE); BEGIN IF (GETTYPE(h)=122) THEN ok := SETVPCLASSVISIBILITY(h, classToHide, -1); END; BEGIN HIDECLASS(classToHide); layerHd := FLAYER; WHILE NOT(layerHd=NIL) DO BEGIN IF (GETOBJECTVARIABLEINT(layerHd, 154)=2) THEN BEGIN layerName := GETLNAME(layerHd); FOREACHOBJECT(HideIt, L=layerName); END; layerHd := NEXTLAYER(layerHd); END; DOMENUTEXTBYNAME('Print', 0); END; RUN(HideNoPlotAndPrint);

OK, let's see. My conservative estimate is that 90% of stairs constructed are architecturally mundane & designwise trivial. Nevertheless, these stairs need to be configured and dimensioned. With these, there is litte need for fancy 3D, but it is still important ? even mandatory in some situations ? to show (more or less schematic) sections of them. At the other end of the spectrum are architectural stairs, which simply cannot be designed and visualised with a parametric object. My vote would go to a tool that would do fairly simple 2D using globally adaptable notation & equally simple 3D for sections, without endless options and dialogs. Code compliance? Well, the most difficult issue, I think, is determining the widths & locations of emergency exit stairs as one has to consider the number of people, fire compartments & distances to exits ? maybe occasionally the overall functionality of the building, too... A stair tool is not likely to help much in this. However, even the simplest head cleareance calculation/visualisation/warning system would be very helpful. One particular thing: one should be able to define any number of flights. I seem to get three flights per floor quite often, sometimes even four.

Contact ComputerWorks in Germany. http://www.computerworks.de/

Fine, but why can one choose only one of the alternatives?

Closed? Monolithic? Concrete does not imply that.

I almost had to sell the kids to pay for the 1.5 MB of extra RAM for my first MacPlus...

I'm raising this issue once again, hoping that the fact that even natives are getting restless would make NNA listen to the users ? despite recent reports that it is against current corporate policy. In these parts of the world, VW is next to useless because modeling precast insulated sandwich elements is not realistically possible. It has recently been brough to my attention that walls are not adequate in other parts of the world, either, for other, but actually similar reasons. It appears that the wall tool (wall styles) need to be completely re-engineered. Here's my proposal: 1. Each component should have a height. 2. Each component should have vertical and horizontal offset (?) and a toggle for responding to wall peaks. 3. Each component should be able to be used to cap the wall a) at both ends b) at wall openings with a different offset from the ?internal? surface. both surfaces. 4. Maximum allowed/certified height should have a field in the database.

Mac Pro: Configuration Options * ? Two quad-core processors (8-core) up to 3.2GHz * ? One quad-core processor at 2.8GHz * ? Memory up to 32GB * ? Upgraded graphics cards * ? Hard drive storage up to 4TB * ? Up to four SAS hard drives * ? Mac Pro RAID Card3 * ? Up to two SuperDrives * ? AirPort Extreme * ? More options

Wouldn't that mean that we could not have wall peaks?

Why can't one say that nothing in the object meets one's requirements? 2D, 3D & notation are all useless here.

In a PIO, I generate either an extrusion, a sweep or a cone. The cone, it appears, requires the texture mapping to be Plane (SetTexSpaceKind(texH, 0) I think I have tried all permutations & variations of applying Plane, to no avail. Any ideas?

Dexie, I used to have some plug-ins available at VectorDepot. No-one bought them. Well, maybe they were not relevant, interesting, in demand etc. Whatever, the owner of VectorDepot told me that plug-ins just do not sell. VW users are not prepared to pay even the piddly USD 20 or 30 the authors want. (Well, actually: when selling through VectorDepot the author would get USD 10 or USD 15...) But, hey: if you think that a Vehicle Turning Path tool would be of use & have commercial demand, I'm more than happy to sell the sole, world-wide distribution rights to you! There's an up-front payment and a royalty, of course. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for you to get rich and retire early!

With the Lock-command.

I meant that I can write parametric objects that can be locked to position.

Ray, Got it. Give me a day or two to do some cleaning-up. Petri

Ray, How old is your FMP? If V6 (perhaps even V5), I'd be more than happy to give you a database structure that might be quite useful to you. I run many of my utility scripts from the database via AppleEvents.

Yes, I can do that.

Right. And the relevance to the issue at hand is exactly what?