Henry Finch
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Posts posted by Henry Finch
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I must be missing something on the newer VW versions.
I have autosave turned on for "every 15 minutes"
autosave a backup copy to:
A backup is put in the backup folder which is good.
But, the original file is not saved with the work done! It has to be manually saved.
The other option is "Overwrite original file".
But, then the backup is not saved. Both can not be done. ??
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I have this same problem on my iMac.
Publish rasterizes the PDF. Print to PDF works correctly.
I'm switching to VW 2015 from VW 2013 and
mac mini 2009 to iMac late 2013
henry
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Cameron,
I've tried many ways of doing this and have settled on the following:
I draw up existing conditions. Each story has a slab layer and a walls layer. Walls are in 3 classes:
walls-existing-exterior
walls-existing-interior
walls-existing-foundation
Layers have an EX appended to name
This layer set I use for demolition drawings. Use a transparent demolition hatch. It's much clearer than trying to have demo on same plan as construction drawings. I do this even on small jobs. All my GCs comment that it makes understanding the project and pricing much easier.
I make a duplicate layer set of the whole existing house with new layers having a CD appended to the name. The EX layers are all together and the CD layers are together.
All new walls in the CD layer use these classes:
walls-new-exterior
walls-new-interior
walls-new-foundation
So, the new CD layers show both new walls and remaining old walls.
I always design on trace paper. A concept is drawn rough in minutes, sometimes seconds. I then draw a design options in the CD building layer set. Each design option is from a copy of the first design option or from the existing (EX) layer. I keep all the design option layers labelled for example:
1st walls CD-1
1st walls CD-2
etc.
To print out options use a sheet layer and just quickly change the appropriate design layer to make a PDF. I keep the extra design layers in the file in case a change back to old option occurs.
This explanation is probably too shortened.
(I present all the houses and additions in 3D as rendered models or sometimes as cleaned up hidden line drawings)
Oh, always use saved sheets extensively. Setup standard project templates for all layers and classes.
Anyway, good luck,
Henry
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Any architects or interior designers using InteriorXS in US? I noticed there are no US distributors. Comments on its usefulness for design presentation would be appreciated. I design custom cabinetry for many of my projects.
Henry
VW2013
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VW2013 has been crashing with memory full every few days. I suspect it might be caused by opening my library file which has been been brought forward through a few older versions. There might be older incompatible code or commands or plugins. Perhaps, it gets worse with VW2014. Have those experiencing crashes tested not opening older files or using templates made in earlier VW versions?
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I'm about to upgrade before getting VW2014. The mac pro is sure nice looking with great specs. I've been using the mac mini late 2009 model which is the one mac mini which came with a separate graphics card. It's a bit slow with 3D rendering but does work fine with 2D and even open GL modeling if not too complex is OK. I'm not considering a mac mini now because of the clear directions from Nemetschek web site to not use Intel built-in graphics machines.
I have lots of monitors 20". However, the iMac 27" with one 20" monitor next to it should be a big step up from two 20"s. Even though the video card is optimized for gaming Nemetschek seems to say that it works very well for all VW tasks.
Here's my plan:
27" imac
3.4GHz Quad-core Intel Core i5, Turbo Boost up to 3.8GHz
8GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2X4GB
(I'll upgrade it to 24GB from DMS; datamemorysystems.com)
1TB Serial ATA Drive @ 7200 rpm
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M 4GB GDDR5 (adds $150)
Apple USB SuperDrive (adds $79)
AppleCare Protection Plan for iMac - Auto-enroll (adds $169)
Everything I read says get extra RAM and lots of video memory with good card.
I'm guessing it is not necessary to upgrade the processor to the i7 - comments?
I know this is about the mac pro. I've been waiting for it but $3000++ and still to buy 27" monitor. And, it sounds like the iMac is what is most used / tested at VW-Nemetschek. The new mac pro with new graphics card could be problematic for first buyers using VW.
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Scale Bar tool is still faulty in many respects in VW2010. Does anyone know if it has been fixed on 2011?
Maybe I'd use it if it worked even though it is easy enough just to draw one at each scale and keep them in with the library.
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Adjust flipped text works all the time in VW2010.
I have the box unchecked in preferences.
In a design layer, I have text rotated 270?.
When made into a viewport it rotates it another 180?.
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Stair plugins do a lot more than before but seem very lacking for many applications. Of course, since I've only spent about 15 minutes looking at stair and custom stair plugins after upgrading from VW12.5, I'm probably missing something.
For single family residential standard wood stairs (USA) there should be:
- Newel posts, location options, size
- Balusters, number per tread, size
- Exterior stairs with top and bottom rails. The balusters do not usually go to the treads in exterior wood stairs.
In the past I modeled stairs in 3D. Probably have to continue for these most common conditions.
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I do a lot of custom kitchen design for my residential projects. The kitchen cabinet plugins with VW are way too primitive. If I had time I would write my own plugin but....
In the past I made somewhat generic (but better than VW plugin) symbols for 2 types of cabinets. (Too cheap to buy the junkie cabinet addons I reviewed at the time.)
- inset door cabinets with 3/4" sides so that when butted together there is a 1.5" stile. Side finish panels of 3/4" finish exposed sides and make 1.5" sides. Doors are stile & rail with heavier bottom rail.
- flush overlay door cabinets which are much easily to draw and have simple details when used together. Doors as above or slab doors.
Base cabinets are in a cabinet library of widths: 12" through about 42" in 3" increments with 0,1,2,3,4 drawers in different configurations. The base cabinets are drawn with no kick. I just extrude a kick for a whole bank of cabinets so it can be customized with the job. The counter is also separating extruded/customized. Doing the kick and counter is very simple and quick. Kick: draw shape in plan, extrude 4". Counter: draw shape, extrude 1.25", move 3D Z direction 34.75".
Wall cabinets widths of 9" through about 42" in 3" increments and heights of 30" to 42" in 6" increments.
Custom cabinet shape file under bases and wall units. For example 24" deep wall cabinets for over frigs, side panels for frigs, wall units, base units, oven cabinets, etc.
Appliances from free sources and some I drew.
I make more custom shapes with each job.
This is all way too generic for custom cabinetry but is a start. I'm always making a new custom width or height which could take like 10 minutes/cabinet. I like to vary door stile and rail widths, have various cabinet parts recessed or protruding, use many custom depths, cabinet face frame stiles, bottom and/or top cabinet face frames, etc.
Then comes the hard part, how to light the model. The ceiling is always too dark without spots shining up.The textures can so easily look like home depot. The best presentation seems to be hidden line drawings with a few minutes to clean up extra lines.
OK, so say it, the newer kitchen $ plugins available do all this well without looking like the cheesy kitchen store cabinet CAD.
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The VW website could sure use improvement in a number of places.
Info about the Viewer is one.
A more obvious link to the viewer download page would be one. Even more important would be a better description of the limits and use of the viewer before downloading it. On the VW website I couldn't find any good description of using the viewer, computer requirements, .
Can the viewer do open GL?, renderworks?, Can saved views be utilized? Can only sheet layers be viewed?
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I'd guess that certain cities have more or less VW than others. Greater Boston seems to have many VW users. The monthly user group meetings are often 15 or 20 people. I go just occasionally. VW seems to be the software of choice for sole practitioners in my city of Newton.
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When I need to do a cottage window I've made a PIO window with correct frame size and casings but no sash. I then make 3D sash inside it and make it all a symbol. Haven't done it recently. There might have been some issues of how it went in the wall. (Used 3D locus). If you want I could send an example.
If you don't use 3D all the time it might be too slow. I can make objects like this fairly fast.
Henry Finch, Architect
Waban MA
Mac 1.8GHz dual G5, MacOSX10.4.11, VWA12.51
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Sorry for being no help on a non-modified keystroke for Make Guide but I've been using for years. The forward slash is right above the right command key on macs. I think as important is the unlock command to go with it. A script for an unlocked Make Guides would make sense. I do use for Unlock and for Lock which are directly above the /.
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Ion,
Thanks, that's it. Works great. That'll increase my memorized shortcut keys by another 50!
- just made zoomline thickness toggle with shift-opt-command Z
Now for:
- line thicknesses
- centerline
- my style leaderline
- solid fill
- no fill
Well, I'll think about this.
Henry
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Ion,
Some scripts are ones I wrote years ago and others are adaptions of other peoples scripts and others are just from the tools command: "Custom Tool/Attributes..." and similar. All are on script palettes which I double click to use. Keyboard shortcuts for a number would be great. For, example, changing default line weight, or a quick one time use of line style "centerline". Or toggling back and forth with "zoom line thickness" with a keyboard shortcut and not the mouse on the script on the palette.
Henry
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Ion,
Thanks for the response.
The command has to be available in the workspace editor to use it. Isn't there a file in the VW main folder where these scripts have to be placed?
Henry
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How do I assign a keyboard shortcut to a custom vectorscript command?
I did this a number of years ago but can't remember how now. I remember it taking a while to figure out how.
I'd use it for line weights, line types, perhaps some class selections, custom tools, toggle some prefs, etc.
Hope it still can be done.
Thanks,
Henry
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Because contractors put their tapes on drawings is exactly the reason to have no written scale. Without a written scale the first item the tape goes to is the graphic scale. I've tested this many times. The written scale is no help and often the problem.
Henry
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This is not really a Vectorworks issue but an architect issue. A new intern put the actual literal scale on details. ex. 1/4" = 1'-0". I had to explain to him that this is very bad practice and not recommended for at least the last 20 years. With the ease of printing out sheets at any size, (enlarged or reduced a little or a lot) the literal scale leads to countless major mistakes, especially when doing material takeoffs. A common problem is when a sheet is enlarged just a few percent. When you need to scale something off a drawing you would always have a scale or ruler. A graphic scale achieves this need in all cases. I can see no argument for ever using a literal scale. On one hand I'd like it if all possible references to literal scales were removed from the drawing label and on the other I like choice even when in this case using a literal scale is always wrong.
Henry
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"Why not just draw your own and make it into a symbol?"
Well, that's what I do.
Was just in a complaining mood. Yelled at a GC (justified), got it out of the system.
But, for those who use the VW scale bar, it might as well be implemented correctly. Also, each drawing at a different scale needs a different bar. Yeah, I have symbols of each scale bar.
It's amazing. I just got a drawing from an engineer that had 1/4" = 1'-0" written on it. Haven't done that in 25 years. Of course the drawing was reduced so the note meant nothing. He had screwed up already by sizing all the beams incorrectly by using the wrong scale. It's surprising how long bad practices persist.
ALWAYS use a graphic scale. NEVER note the scale.
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I'd like to use the scale bar but its design up to VW 12.5 is incorrect. Anyone using a scale knows that the 0 (zero) point is between the major divisions and the minor divisions. This makes it usable as a scale. Look at any scale. Feet go to zero and inches are on other side of zero point. The way it is implemented now you have to subtract one greater unit to get the correct measurement!
OK, tell me I missed something.
Henry
Newton MA
VW12.5.2; G5 dual 1.8 GHz, 2GB; Mac OS 10.4.11
since MC5
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Thanks Pat,
I'll try the Organization Dialog box. Yes, use sheet layers.
I print all inhouse prints at 50%. Send out mostly at 100%. Printing at my office at 50% on my HP4mv 11x17 postscript laserwriter is exactly to scale. PDFs are less reliable. I do use print to PDF, then assemble in Adobe acrobat. I think my service bureau that prints the 24x36s doesn't want to mess with settings. They just want a file with 24x36 PDFs.
The organization dialog box sounds like the solution.
- just tried it.
I can't believe I didn't realize you could change multiple sheet print settings at once.
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What is the easiest way to setup for two print sizes. I typically setup my drawings for 24" x 36" but have a big border so everything fits in about 21" x 33". The set can be printed out full size on 24" x 36" paper with a big border or at exactly 50% on 11" x 17" paper. Building departments in my area are more and more accepting and even preferring the 50% prints for ease of storage. I only keep 50% drawings for my office prints. GCs often want the full size prints. Also need to send PDF files of both sizes to various contractors, clients, engineers. Used to setup a sheet for each size paper but this can be problematic/dangerous keeping the info on both sets identical. Changing the print size for each sheet back and forth is time consuming.
I know this has been discussed, but I couldn't find a good answer in old posts.
VW2017 Resource Manager catalog does not update
in Troubleshooting
Posted
VW 2017 SP2
iMac (27-inch, Late 2013)
3.5 GHz Intel Core i7
24 GB 1600 MHz DDR3
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M 4096 MB
service select
Resource manager not allowing me to use textures. I've changed permissions for write access in application library.
(Haven't checked other resources availability)
-Henry