Andrew Davies

Thanks both At least I know there isn't a shortcut I am missing. Let's hope the ability to batch publish a viewport as an image makes it into the next version

Hello As per one of the training videos, if I need an image file I tend to Export>image then draw marquee etc etc But it's a bit tedious if I have 3 separate viewports on the same sheet layer having to do this each time I update the drawing. Is there an automated way of exporting a rendered viewport as an image? Thanks, Andrew

I've watched this and it has been hugely helpful and informative Thank you so much for posting Andrew

Thanks Jim Looking forward to 2017. Hadn't realised my model wasn't fully supported. Hopefully it will behave a lot more as it does in Sketchup. Andrew

Hi Got myself a 3DConnexion SpaceMouse Wireless the other day (http://www.3dconnexion.co.uk/products/spacemouse/spacemousewireless.html). Really nice - good build quality and I can really see the benefit of it. But I am struggling to get it to work well with Vectorworks. I set it up as per these settings http://kbase.vectorworks.net/questions/1173/3Dconnexion+SpaceNavigator+-+Recommended+Configuration+-+(Mac+OS+X) But I am still struggling to make it feel natural. I have though just opened a file in Sketchup and it felt immediately natural to use with the default settings - virtually no learning curve. Now I go back to using Vectorworks and I am all over the place! Has anyone got any other tips for using it? Should I be in Flyover and walkthrough mode? Can I disable one of the modes so that it only ever uses one mode - which may simplify things? Any advice much appreciated. Andrew

Any news on this? I have VW 2016 on os X and this problem is driving me crazy. Can't trust Vectorworks at the moment

Also - can't find the option to ignore user origin - where is this? Thanks

I seem to be having this same issue. Mac OS 10.10 VW 2015 Service Pack 4 Any update - I have 5 referenced viewports - no other way of setting it up and they are jumping around. not good.

It's probably because VW now slips into perspective view when using the Orbit tool (shift C on a Mac) Go to preferences, 3D tab and change the preference setting for "Projection when changing from Top/Plan to a 3D view to Orthogonal. Hope this helps Andrew

Hi Has anyone else's "Space Bar to get hand tool" stopped working in 2015? I am sure it was working first, but now - pressing Space bar invokes the Hand tool for a fraction of a second - then does nothing. Previously I would hold the space bar and I could pan the drawing - now I have to press the H key to invoke the hand tool. No biggie - but a little annoying. Andrew

Thanks chaps All the symbols would be in a single VWX file. Was hoping not to have to duplicate the symbol - as up until we go to build, there will be tweaks being made to the structure of the counters. Would be a pain having to update all the duplicates manually. Was thinking though - I could create a symbol of a blank counter - i.e. - the counter with no graphics applied. Then create separate symbols of just the graphics which are applied over the blank symbol - then make it into a group. A possible work around. Haven't used Viewport overrides - but will investigate! Thanks again, Andrew

Hi So here is the challenge : I have designed a symbol of an exhibition counter. The exhibition counter could be used by several different clients (for simplicity say Green Client, Red Client, Blue Client etc) There are three materials used in the counter - white laminate, beech laminate and printed graphic. The printed graphic is blue, green or red, depending on the client. So I am wondering if anyone has any bright ideas on how I could change the appearance of the symbol depending on which client it is for. I was hoping I could draw a square for the graphic, assign it's attributes to "by class" and then be able to assign the whole symbol to a class called "Blue Client" etc - but that doesn't work. Of course - as the counter is physically the same for each client - it is only the colour of the printed areas that changes - I am hoping I can use the same symbol all the way through. The only way I can get it to work at the moment is to duplicate the symbol for each client, then assign the graphic within the symbol to the class relating to Blue client etc. Hope this makes sense!!! Andrew

Hi Don't know if you're still looking but I've just found out that you can : 1) Create a report (Reports>Create Reports) 2) List all Symbols and add both columns 3) Edit criteria if needed (right click on the second down row and select edit criteria) 4) type "=image" in an empty column. VW will populate with the symbol. 5) Fiddle about with format cells to get it looking pretty Superb! Going to save me a bundle of time - I used to type formulas , paste symbols etc - then things messed up if a new symbol got added. All automatic now! Great feature

Wow! That's superb! Thank you very much. Andrew

Hello I am drawing 4 separate exhibition stands at the same expo. Each stand uses a combination of 6 types of Kiosk. Symbols named Type A, Type B etc. I have each of the 4 stands on separate design layers with a sheet layer for presentation. The sheet layer also counts how many symbols of each type. Anyone know if I would be able to do a report that counts how many symbols on all 4 design layers of each type?? IE The report would have a row for each type of kiosk (6 rows) and a column for each exhibition stand. I would then be able to see easily how many kiosks each exhibition stand needs - and a total of each type. Does that make sense??!! Andrew

I agree. I really enjoy using Vectorworks. I knocked some stuff out today that was slightly different to what I normally do and was delighted with the results. But there are so many quirks and oddities that to me feel like they could be easily addressed. For example the duplicate array tool could be easily revamped to make it much easier to use. Live preview etc. Making a fuss about how the mirror tool now shows a live preview is the best example I can think of as I sup my coffee. I also feel the UI is long long overdue an overhaul too. Andrew

How right you were!!!

I would love (this should probably be in wish lists) it if when you edit a design layer through a viewport (Right click on a viewport and select edit design layer) that if you then change the class / layer visibilities using the funky visibility tool - it then saved your changes into the viewport properties. It would certainly save what I am doing now which is writing down the classes I need to turn off so I can then go back into the viewport and switch them off permanently in the viewport. Or am I missing something? Andrew

Artlantis 5 looks good - anyone had a chance to use it yet? How is the VW integration?

All very quiet on the VW2014 front still. Anyone got any insider information??

Thanks Christiaan, When I downloaded it, I seem to remember the file date being from early last year. Has it been updated more recently and I have managed to miss it? Thanks, Andrew

Hello Would be interested to hear anyones opinion on Artlantis. I've never been able to get Renderworks to do quite what I wanted (quickly) and the demo of Artlantis Render looks good so far (though only a couple of days in). Would rather get Renderworks to work better (as I have bought it, but also to save exporting files) but in the couple of tests Artlantis are promising - not too expensive either. I work in the Event / Exhibition industry. Any opinion appreciated! Regards Andrew

Hello I've often struggled with this : If I set lighting too bright, sometimes some white parts of a solid wall / piece of scenery, become transparent. I've never known how to fix it until now. Set the viewport's attributes to solid fill in the attributes palette. I can't take the credit for this - Matt Panzer (author of the superb Cameramatch plugin) put me onto it. But I can't work out the logic of it!! I would never have thought of trying that!!

Ok So I have been using AutoCAD pretty constantly for a couple of months now. I have though, just had to do a quick drawing in Vectorworks, and quite frankly for me it is like a breath of fresh air. I don't want this post to turn into a AutoCAD sucks / Vectorworks is fantastic post - but these are my observations. - AutoCAD is SOOOO expensive. ?1,500 for 2d only? (and half that price if you buy in the US for the exact same software. - VW Classes and layers are so flexible and useful. There are only layers in AutoCAD (which behave like VW classes) - snapping - as there are only layers in AC, there doesn't seem to be an equivalent of show others / show, snap, modify others etc. As a result I am constantly turning snap on and off (and cursing a lot). - viewports are just so much easier and quicker to make in VW - drawings seem to look nicer (important). AC drawings are angular, limited in colours and blocky. - I love the way the array function works in AutoCAD - very forgiving and flexible. Will miss that. - Can't find a way of 'nudging' objects in Autocad. Use that a lot - Can't find a way of distributing / aligning objects in AutoCAD - use that a lot too. - Can't fill objects with a colour in AutoCAD. You can only do a clunky hatch. That's ridiculous. So that is just a small selection. IN all honest, I have not bothered much with any manuals or tutorials with AutoCAD - so there may be ways of doing these. Certainly no way am I paying ?1,250 for it - my trial version will last just about long enough (I trialled the Mac version, then the PC) But for me, and the way I work and what I am used to, Vectorworks is FAR superior. Andrew

I wasn't really referring to the black screen - more the look and feel of the toolbars and the UI in general. But, after a couple of weeks of using it, I am yearning for VW. Ok ok, it's a different way of working and people like what they are used to (I am used to VW), but just doing simple things seems to take lots more key presses / mouse strokes than VW. I am just moving things around on an exhibition floor plan in 2d, but am missing the simple align / distribute options, dimensioning etc Finally, unbelievably, unless I am badly mistaken, AutoCAD LT 2013 is TWICE THE PRICE in the UK than the US for the exact same piece of software. WHY ON EARTH IS THAT???? $899 on the US Mac App Store (about ?520) ?1,250 + VAT for the electronic download version on the autodesk website. Where is the sense in that? I only need to use it for a couple of months too!