[page setup/print window]

Starling,

You should click above on My Stuff and choose Edit Profile. Add a signature that contains your version of Vectorworks, your computer specs and your operating system. It will be much easier for us to help you.

I suspect your drawing is set up bigger than the printer can print and the operating system is forcing you to scale. Can you give us a screen shot of the other Printer Setup options.

Kevin

[NEED A CAD ENGINEER!]

It all boils down to different terminologies in different industries and different countries....

audio engineers, CAD engineers, train engineers, structural engineers

the legally binding building specification sent out to tender, the equipment list spec sent for a lighting rental order, the technical spec for my computer

There are some great terminology resources for theatre -

http://www.oistat.org/content.asp?path=bqpo6t7c

http://www.theatrecrafts.com/glossary.php

Kevin

:-)

[Importing Bitmap Images]

It would be great if when you imported bitmap images they retained some knowledge of their original file names that was accessible in Vectorworks (ie. was displayed in the OIP on the Shape tab or in the Object Name on the Data tab.

KM

[Merge 2D and 3D commands for Adding, Subtracting, Intersecting]

It would be great if Vectorworks was 2D / 3D aware so these commands could be combined -

Add Surface / Add Solids

Subtract Surface / Subtract Solids

Intersect Surface / Intersect Solids

The same keystrokes could do either depending on what objects are selected.

KM

[Vectorworks for iPad]

If you're interested in NV viewpoint about the iPad, this article has a quote from the CEO -

http://architosh.com/2011/08/the-ipad-how-the-cad3d-industry-is-being-changed/

KM

[Questions on 3D objects]

I recreated the shape by entering each extrude, selecting its polygon and copying it. By combining the root 2D objects the problem point is still there. I think its a basic problem with the accuracy of the geometry.

If you get the 2D shape right the 3D shape will follow. When you rebuild the shape, do the same thing I did and combine the 2D shapes first. Then double click on the 2D shape to edit it and delete the stray point. Recreate the extrude and subtract your other shapes.

I have found that getting the 2D shape right often solves the problem. I have a rule about not nesting too many solid additions / subtractions to create a 3D object. There tend to be small inaccuracies introduced after a few 3D operations (especially with curves) and shapes don't always behave as expected.

Kevin

[Questions on 3D objects]

Michael,

You triggered something in my memory so I opened Vectorworks and gave it a try. It turns out you can step backwards through the steps of filleting by choosing your filleted object and ungrouping. I wondered if Fillets behaved like high level objects and apparently they do....

Kevin

[Bookmarks in PDF Exports]

Ok, this has got to be one of the most annoying things in Vectorworks. Why do the automatically generated bookmarks in the PDF exports use the names of the viewports. I spend so much time just so these bookmarks make sense. I wish -

- that you could turn the automatic bookmarking off in the Export PDF dialog.

- that bookmarking used Drawing Names instead of Viewport Names.

- that in general, Vectorworks did away with Viewport Names, that they were always labelled only with the Drawing Name.

(The workarounds include naming the drawing and the viewport the same thing which is a lot of clicks because the drawing is named in the Shape tab of the OIP whereas the Viewport is named in the Data tab. Alternately you can export using the Print to PDF function on a Mac to get no bookmarks. Or you can remove the bookmarks in Acrobat Pro. All time consuming.)

This idea is so simple but takes so much time and energy the way its implemented now if you don't want all the bookmarks to say Viewport-X.

Please fix this.

Thank you,

Kevin

[Scaled symbols mismatch with foreground render]

Hi Ian,

I found a similar problem described here -

http://techboard.vectorworks.net/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=158880#Post158880

I sounds like something is amiss....

Kevin

[For all you 3D modeling Masters - Stair rails]

Michael's advice about the OIP is very good. In my experience it is the easiest way to move a single NURBS point in a predictable way. Editing single points can be a challenge using the mouse directly as they always seem to move in an unexpected direction..... the 3D constraints are getting better but its still not super intuitive like say Cinema 4D....

Kevin

[Scaling Symbols]

Has anyone else had trouble with scaled symbols in Vectorworks 2011 SP4?

I have a symbol of a 3D nurbs curve. I have duplicated it into an array and scaled each one, stepping down in size. They all look the correct size in wireframe but when I render, they all render at the original, unscaled size. I have tried various render modes in both the design layers and in sheet layer viewports.

Kevin

[Copying symbol folders from a library]

If you want the folders nested as you describe, you will also need to put all of your subfolders (ie. "tables") in the furniture library file into a "furniture" folder. Vectorworks does not see a library file as a folder....

Kevin

[Rotate]

Please improve the Rotate tool including -

- show the actual object being rotated at all times during the operation, rather than just a bounding box (especially symbols and 3D geometry).

- overhaul the interface so that Rotate in 3D is much more like in Cinema 4D, with independent axis rotation.

Kevin

[Dimension Labels - Uppercase & Lowercase]

Thanks Mike. I didn't think there was. I was trying to match someone's drawing standards on a project.... they are working in Autocad.

Kevin

[Dimension Labels - Uppercase & Lowercase]

Is there a way to make Vectorworks show metric units in capitals within dimensions?

"MM" instead of "mm"

Thanks,

Kevin

[None Texture]

Please implement the selection of textures consistently.

I find as I use Classes and the By Class style more and more, there is a need to select a texture of "none" in the Class dialog. This is something that is not currently possible. You can, however, select a texture of "none" in the OIP Render Tab for a specific object. Why is this not consistent?

This is almost a bug.....

KM

[Text Styles]

Please implement Text Styles universally and consistently across Vectorworks. Some of the basics would include -

- being able to assign a Text Style to a Class (ie. Dimensions, Notes etc.)

- the option to force the Capitalization options within a Style as well

KM

[Help with sheet layers - 1/2 size set to full size set]

Note that you can select multiple sheet layers (or all of the sheet layers) in the Navigation Palette and edit all the Page Setups at once. When you choose Edit Vectorworks shows the normal dialog but "Multiple Sheet Layers" appears in the Sheet Number and Sheet Title boxes.

KM

[plug-in objects]

That type of flexibility would be great. It would also be cool to have a 3D rotate option like Cinema 4d's.

KM

[VW 2010 & Lion compatibility?]

Here is an article about installing Quicktime 7 under Lion -

http://www.macworld.com/article/161320/2011/07/lion_quicktime7.html#lsrc.rss_main

KM

[Is it me, or...(STRIPLIGHTS)]

I can confirm the same problem in Designer 2011 with the most recent service pack. Because I didn't need them to specifically be Spotlight fixtures I re-inserted them as symbols, which seemed to resolve the problem.

Kevin

[WARNING TO RETIRING ARCHITECTS]

I have files that go back to Minicad 5 in my archives as well. I strongly believe Nemetschek should have an online file translator for old files. Upload your old file and they send you a link to a translated version. How difficult would it be for them to support this? Not very. Most other software opens old versions of its own files. Vectorworks has been especially bad in terms of changing the file type.

My two cents.

Kevin

[Default Dimension Offset]

Hi Pat,

Thanks for your response. I use a few different custom Dimension Standards in my workflow. I don't think its possible to actually set a default offset for a dimension style. You can set the offset between stacked dimensions (constrained baseline dimension mode of the dimension tool) but not the offset of the initial dimension or a single dimension. You would think witness line length would do it but its actually independent of offset.

Kevin

[Default Dimension Offset]

Please add an option to set the default dimension offset. I like all my dimensions to have the same offset or multiples thereof. Right now I have to adjust them manually in the OIP after I draw the dimension. I have tried using the floating datum bar but it does not give consistent results.

Kevin

[Search for Resources in the Background]

Please update the search function in the Resource Browser so the searches can happen in the background while other drafting work is being done.

The Vectorworks library is frankly terrible to find anything specific in. The search function is slow and precludes any other work from being done. Even a PDF catalog of all the resources would be better than the current system....

Kevin