Kevin McAllister

Most of the challenge will be file organization, since the Vectorworks users will have access to both layers and classes and you will only have access to Autocad layers (which normally convert to Vectorworks classes). In my experience geometry transfers pretty well. I would stick to solids geometry where possible. Kevin

Another useful workaround is to use the Align/Distribute command along with a 3d locus to accurately align objects to the ground plane or any other boundary. Kevin

Is the object custom built geometry or created using a PIO? I've noticed that some PIO's generate facetted geometry because their code generated 3d polygon geometry not solids geometry, meaning that the facets are baked in by the PIO. Kevin

^ YES! I was thinking that today too. @Jim W KM

^ Don't we all wish the "3D Grabber" interface for the Subdivision tool was available for this step 😁 Kevin

Here's a slightly different take on how to approach this - I started a 2d rectangle as my boundary in Top/Plan and quickly drew a bunch of lines to form a variety of triangles (Far left). Next I used the paint bucket mode of the polygon tool to quickly "draw" the triangles themselves. Then I selected the triangles (polygons) using the Magic Wand tool, used Cut to get them out of the way, deleted the foundation guidelines (rectangle and lines) and paste the triangles back in place. Next I converted the triangles to 3d polygons. Next I converted the 3d triangles to a mesh (second from the right, highlighted in orange). Finally I selected individual join points and moved them in the Z direction. The advantage to this approach is you can use the joined property of the mesh to your advantage. Even if you place 3d depth loci first so you have something to snap to, the mesh is the way to go. Note that I've drawn the panel on its back and it would need to be rotated into its vertical orientation once its complete. Kevin Facetted Surface.vwx

^ I think a lot of us work this way..... This is a pretty important wish. Kevin

I have this problem all the time. I'm not sure why the sheet layer list in the Publish dialog isn't exactly the same as it appears in the Navigation Palette (stacking order etc.). Its frustrating to have to reorder sheets. Kevin

Here's my original post when it first started happening - Kevin

Here it is as a VW2019 file. Kevin Taper Tree Trunk v2019.vwx

I'm sure this is a bug. It happens to me all the time and I would never turn off Unified View. I also don't use Saved Views. There's no keyboard shortcut for it so I'm not triggering it accidentally and it happens in multiple files. I've been actively looking for the cause to bug submit it. It may be related to duplicating layers. The problem was present in VW2019 but its much worse in VW2020. Kevin

I'm not sure that the Taper Extrude command is modern enough to do what you want (some tools/commands haven't been updated for a long time). I would suggest making an extrude and using the Deform Tool to taper it. Use the Taper Solid Mode and make sure Symmetric Mode is turned on. Here's an example (first one is an extrude, the second is an extrude tapered with the Deform Tool, the third shows what the Taper Solid Mode does on a simpler shape and the fourth one is both tapered and twisted) - Kevin Taper Tree Trunk.vwx

I think you'll find that the sphere slices are the correct size, its only the wireframe isocurves that indicate the sphere that are moving on the surface of the sphere. To see the true sphere, you would need to render it with edges. I've seen this before when working with spheres. Note that you can get a cleaner result by cutting the sphere in a front view and then rotating it to the orientation you need. Kevin Sphere.vwx

I'd draw it by lofting and then use the Push/Pull tool to subtract the 45º and 60º chamfers. Here's an example (there's something weird about the proportions vs. dimensions on the original drawing) with each step. - I drew the bottom profile curve, copied it, moved it up and adjusted its length. - I converted both curves to NURBS and lofted them using the first mode of the loft tool and the Create Solid checkbox checked. - I drew guides on the side for the two chamfers. - I used the third mode of the Push/Pull tool to remove the 45º chamfer and then the 60º chamfer. Kevin V Shape v2019.vwx

Ah, the saddle-span tent..... I've spent way too much time trying cleaning up models of it. It is possible to make a close representation using NURBS, but it will have surface breaks because of the complexity of the surface. Try doing it in quadrants. Vectorworks is not necessarily the best option because you have very little control over the NURBS tolerances when making surfaces. These days I just use the manufacturer's mesh model like you are. Its unfortunate that its so low res. I have the faceting in my renders as well. Kevin