Anthony Reilly

I inherited a late 2009 iMac: 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo; 4 GB 1067 MHz DDR3; ATI Radeon HD 4670 256 MB I wiped it out and installed Sierra. Now I cannot install the student version of Vectorworks. When I execute the Vectorworks install program, the icon does the normal start routine (a vectorworks icon appears on the desktop jumps up and down a couple of times) and then the icon disappears and nothing happens. I upgraded from El Capitan because I was having problems with another CAD program. Apple Care tells me that Vectorworks software is not compatible with Sierra. My hope is to take the computer into the Genius bar and have them reinstall El Capitan. From what I read here, it may be a problem with the install feature. I deleted the download file and started over. I get the same results. The program has not been installed.

Update: In the file that I screwed I had somehow moved the circle and hexagon symbols out of the container folder and into the top level "Symbols/Plug-In Objects." By right clicking on each symbol I was able to select and the "categories" folder was on a list I could move to. After moving them into the categories folder they were now an option under container type in the Sptotlight/label legend/edit fields drop down menu.

Thanks Steve, Where may I locate a procedure/tutorial for doing that? I also have another light plot. It has a useful lighting label legend. I have not been able to find a way to import or use that legend in my current drawing.

Condensed: How can I restored my lighting legend to a "Standard" lighting legend. Lengthy: I'm working on a light plot and when I go to create a basic label legend, I select Dimmer and Channel, but when I try to choose a container I can only get a rectangle or a triangle. I chose an Altman instrument and somehow I pulled up an option for "Standard" label legend. When I saw this I deleted my created "Basic" legend. Somehow I lost the good legend...not a clue, but I know me and this is right up my alley. When I go back to create a new legend I get the same two containers. I tried to update the container file from the original Vectorworks library for containers and I couldn't figure out how to do that. I could not save the correct file as "containers" because that file already existed, so I saved it as "container 1." Things just got messier after that. Thanks much for any direction you can give me.

I've edited a jpeg in Adobe Illustrator and exported it as a 2D dwg. file and then imported that file into a drawing of our current theatre production using Vectorworks. I'm attempting to use it to design/render a flat cut-out piece of scenery. Is there a way to attach it to a flat 3D panel and render it? ...or is there another method that would achieve that goal? My attempts have not been successful. I have been able to create a group of the image. I have also converted the color drawing to a line drawing AND created a symbol. I have not been able to use any of these to manipulate the image in a 3D world. The drawing is of a mountain range that has lines and color fill. It resembles a paint by color kit. It's too large to attach to this post because of it's size. When importing the .dwg into Vectorworks I saw that there were 3326 segments. Any direction would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks all! I got out of it, but I'm not sure how. Since then I've changed views several times using the method Nicholas suggested without any problems.

I was so proud of myself for adding textures and lighting in my drawing. I then created camera views and printed to PDF. Fantastic! But somehow I created an invisible border in my design layer so that when I zoom the perimeter of the drawing disappears. I'm not in screen view. This is very embarrassing. I hate to ask such stupid questions. Believe me, I try to search the knowledge base before I post. Can I get a hand undoing what I've done. Thanks much,

Thank you!

I'm drawing on top of an image with black lines. I've changed my pen color to magenta in the class "none." This is not reflected in the attributes palette. When I choose the "none" class, I am getting a black line even if I choose pen color in the palette and select class style. I tried creating a class called Magenta with the same problems. I've searched "update" and "refresh" in the knowledge base and can't see what I'm missing. I'm using VectorWorks 11. Pointers please. Thanks, Anthony.

Great ... Thanks!

Can someone point me in the direction of using my main drawing, the architectural drawing of a black box theatre as a reference. My main drawing is a work in progress. So if I could use it as a referenced link, I could create separate drawings of the sets and set props for shows and have my my changes to the original (black box) reflected in the other drawings. I'm not sure I'm asking the right question. It could be a template that continues to be updated? Thank you, Anthony

Yes, the file is an Educational Version 2012 saved as 2011. I work on my personal MacBook and have to 2011 and transfer the file to my work Dell Desktop to have access to the plotter. Things have gotten much more complicated. I am able to see your PDF on my MacMini at home and my MacBook, but when I download on the Dell I don't see the drawings, just the annotation. The Dell: Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 3, Ineel® Core Duo CPU, E6550 @ 2.33GHz, 233 GHz, 3.25GB of RAM. I've gone back to the MacBook and exported to PDF and can see everthing on the Dell and print as well. It's great that this is the case, but I am no less frustrated, because when I experimented more with printing in VectorWorks from the sheet layer, the previously printing Front Elevation dissappeared [operator error, not system right?]. I reverted to the old document and it printed again. There is something that I am missing that may resolve this whole issue. I am hopefull that I can figure this out. It's not the page set-up, I know that. The annotion prints under the blank space where the views shoud be. In the past I have always copied and re-drawn objects to come up with various Orthograhic views. This is the first time that I have attemped to draw an object in 3D and then set up a sheet with the various views. It's fantastic! I just need to make the printing work. By the way. The viewports were problably grouped because I was experimenting with making the file smaller. It was 640 KB and I wasn't able to upload it. Benson, thank you so much for all your help! You got me to the point where I can print the image I'm seeing! I really appreciate your time.

Thanks so much for your patience! I looked under FAQ's and saw how to upload a file and come back here to see that you took the time to give me the procedure. I tried modifying the crop as per instructions, but don't get a crop outline. There are 4 viewports on 1 sheet. Each viewport has it's own crop. Thanks,

I created each viewport by selecting a different view of my 3D object and then drawing a rectangle around the view and using that as the crop (with fill and pen "none"). All of the views are visible on my sheet. I was going to to try to upload a view of the file in PDF format to for a visual, but when I exported the file to PDF it looked the same as if I were printing, i.e. only the front elevation visible. How can I attach a file or create an image to attach to a post? I don't see an upload or attach icon in this window. Thank you, The sheet layer with all the viewports is labeled "Sht-1 [section]".

I created a sheet layer using several viewports I created from the design layer. I have a front view, 2 side views and a plan view. Only the front view prints. I've examined the OIP for each view to try to find something different from the view that is printing; no luck. I checked to make sure the layers I wanted to print were visible. What am I missing? Thanks,

I did create a new object. I tried and could not figure out any other way to do it. thanks much!

In my drawing I have decided to change a 2" X 2" square tube to a 1" X 2" tube. My problem is that when I change the shape of the 3D object in the object info palllet it pulls away from the adjacent 2" X 2" vertical tubing and I want them to touch. I have tried changing working planes so this doesn't happen and have not been able to figure this out. Can someone point me to reading material(s) relating to this. I'm just trying to determine how to create an anchor point (for lack of the proper word) that the altered shape will stay at. Thank you,

Just repeated process on my Mac. I didn't have a problem. Went to the web and downloaded a true type font. I was prompted to save the font in my "Font Book." I did this. I looked for the font in in Vectorworks which was open when I was playing. I couldn't find it. I restarted Vectorworks and the font was in the Vectorworks Font List. Not sure what's going on with Windows XP.

I have installed a true type font on my office Dell PC in the Microsoft Font directory. The font does not show up in the font list in VectorWorks 2011. I have searched "Installing true type fonts" on and in the knowledge base and can't find the basic instructions for doing this. Will someone point me in the right direction? Thank you,

Thanks, I checked that out and that option is not selected. Must be something else I'm doing. ~A

Okay, I have been having this problem for a while and I just can't figure out what I'm doing to cause it. It's occured in 2010 and 2011. In my drawings I can end up with 6 to 8+ layers of the same line with the same attributes drawn on top of each other. What I've been doing to fix this is capturing and deleting each instance until the last is deleted and then I . Symbols don't seem to be affected by what I'm doing. I don't have multiple copes of doors or lighting fixtures. I don't copy and paste in the same position at all. What I may do is copy one part of a drawing and paste it on a plan of the theatre I'm working in (in another drawing), but I'm careful not to capture the objects that exist on the drawing I'm pasting to. Has anyone had this problem before? Can you tell me what I may be doing to create duplicates like this? Is there a way to delete all but one occurance of duplicates? Thanks, Tony

Learning to ungroup PDF imports has opened up an entirely new world for me. Thank you!

Yes, I am working with ACAD files that have been exported to PDF format. They're the same files that I've been working with in 2010. I don't have access to the details of the exports.

Just checking back after having another PDF issue. This is great! Thanks much.

I use viewports too. Thanks