QfanatiQ

Well, after many years, many issues, many failed attempts at answers I am pleased to say, a business case was put forward for Autodesk Revit. It has been started in earnest and this 100 (+ a few floating in ant out) VW seat office will be no more by the end of this year (2014). Cheers.....Q

How many times have you saved as the older version with tis error message? What happens if you try and open the 2008 file in your newer version of VW? When it is missing a lot of information, are these such things that are not comparable with previous versions? I understand there are certain options/commands used in the newer VW versions, that when actioned and then saved back to an older version are not decomposed for recomposition. Finally, are you abel to post the file up? Q

ARGHHHHH, I did not know this and we have done the fatal move of PRESUMPTION for some walls on a project knowing they are very lily to change!!!! This is not good, not good whatsoever. Oh for the love of god, please can they think of the children, if i get too angry I am likely to hit some. Q

No idea and the VW help does not make it any clearer to me what so ever Copied from VW 2011 Workgroup Referencing Vectorworks? Referencing Capability A ?workgroup? is several people who work together on a project. Group members may work on the same file or on different files for the same project. Additionally, it is often necessary to create standard elements and reuse them in different files. It can be difficult to share these standards with other members of a workgroup and to keep up with changes to them. Referencing is the ability to link the current (target) file to a master file that contains the standards. Layers, classes, and resources (such as hatches, worksheets, or symbols) in other Vectorworks files can be referenced. In Vectorworks Design Series products, image files and PDF files can also be referenced. When a referenced item in a master file changes, the changes are reflected in the target file. Updates to target files can be performed automatically or only when manually requested. You can reference specific layers with all of the classes and resources used in those layers, as well as any resources from a master file. Workgroup-referenced design layers can be displayed in viewports. Referenced items are indicated in the Resource Browser and in the Organization dialog box by italicized names. There are two ways to reference design layers: ● In the Vectorworks Fundamentals product, design layers are imported into the target file when they are referenced. For backward compatibility, Vectorworks Design Series products support this method; see Setting the Referencing Options. ● In the Vectorworks Design Series products, the recommended method is to create a design layer viewport and then reference the desired design layers from the master file. See Creating a Referenced Design Layer Viewport for details about this type of reference. Depending on the type of object referenced, you may be able to update the master file from the target file. ● Resources can be edited or renamed in the target file, and the corresponding resource in the master file is automatically updated. See Referencing Resources. ● Objects on layers referenced with layer import referencing are locked; they can be unlocked and edited in the target file, but the change will not appear in the master file. Moreover, when the target file?s references are updated, referenced items are over-written to reflect the master file. Therefore, any permanent change to a referenced item must be made in the master file. ● Objects on layers referenced in a design layer viewport can not be edited directly, but there is an option to navigate to the master file, make the change, and then return to the target file to view the change. Keep the following concepts in mind for both design layer referencing methods. ● Drawing information is shared and updated on a layer-by-layer basis. ● For layer import referencing, referenced layers should be treated as read-only layers; any changes to referenced information and any information added to referenced layers are removed the next time the referenced layer is updated. ● Referenced layer names cannot be changed. ● Resources (symbol names) in layers that are referenced from the master file take precedence over resources in the target file. ● If there is a naming conflict with pre-existing symbols or pre-existing layers in the current file, rename the symbols or layers. ● Sheet layer viewports cannot directly reference layers in external master files. If you are using layer import referencing, create a reference to the master file, and select the external layers to import into the target file; then make the imported layers visible in a sheet layer viewport. If you are using design layer viewport referencing (Vectorworks Design Series required), create a design layer viewport from the master file and make the desired layers visible; then make the design layer that contains the viewport visible in a sheet layer viewport. Workgroup Referencing Strategies Communication within the workgroup is essential when workgroup referencing is in use. Discuss a strategy for how to name, maintain, and update master files. Keep each other informed of major changes?especially the deletion of a master file or resources, which can affect multiple files. If either the file name or the location of a referenced file is changed, the reference is broken. Items referenced from that file cannot be updated until the broken reference is corrected.

After being on may different CAD forums, I have learnt to never assume the topic is posted in the right place, the moderators have a lot of moderate and follow and the best tool is SEARCH. Whiel I agree, it is not all lost. My gripe is the lack of answers to a lot of peoples posts and hard nature of VW makes explanation difficult as well. Q

How long have you been using VW for? I am not offay with creation of ID tags but like the idea of getting some step by step guides generally. I see by your join date and posts, you must have some good knowledge and wonder if you might be abel to either put somethgin together or offer some tutorials of topics you know well. Q

How long have you been using VW for? I am not offay with creation of ID tags but like the idea of getting some step by step guides generally. I see by your join date and posts, you must have some good knowledge and wonder if you might be abel to either put somethgin together or offer some tutorials of topics you know well. Q

Contact Nemetschek direct and please keep us posted for future help to others. Q

I'd contact your reseller/support and or VW direct. I can't find any info online that satisfies this to any degree. All I find is evidence of troubles and a mass of people using Vray over C4D due to better use and conversion. Q

I have failed to find any kind of support group. I typically only ever need 2D so trawl through the large amounts of DWG archive places and import. Depending on the details you need, often manufactures now offer a large library of their information in dog/dxf form. Q

No, I get this on 2011 but not until now known of anyone (in our office) who suffers. I see you are on windows, we are on Macs. So would appear to be something in the program itself. Q

Sky Lights range incredibly. Post up a picture of the kind of thing you require, materials, 2D or 3D, plan, elevations, details or not? Q

Are the dimensions equally out of sink in both horizontal and vertical plane. I found recently there are a few places where you control the scale of an imported drawing. Have you explored all of these? Have you made your native drawing 1:1 and imported 1:1 accordingly? Bit more info on what you have tried would be good and if you are able and still struggling perhaps uploading the drawing. Q

I also agree, however, I would prefer more that the dimension is under the dimension line. I active this by using the text/dim offset when the Dimension is selected. Q

Haha, this is funny. You think VW wants you to work seamlessly between other CAD applications and the greater working community. You expect VW to have a professional set up to save their users time, effort and offer them stability and ease of use. In short no. There is no batch convert to dog/dxf. Nor can I find any third party, I looked as it has been a while since I let enquired myself. Do you actually need all these 5000 drawings converted? Or can you keep a seat of few of VW and either finish the working of them on that or convert them as and when needed? You may also experience another issue when converting to dog/dxf of classes, layers, groups, shades, line weights, line styles, text. Some drawings may well come out fine and others very bad. I would be interested if you do need to do this, how you find the end conversation and the handling of it/them. Have fun. Q

I have a new person sat behind me, recently over from NZ, I asked and was told in the 20 years they have worked in NZ, it was only the last practice of 5 years that used VW all others were AutoCAD. None of their working friends in other practices use/used VW. As far as they are concerned, VW is very rare in NZ. I am surprised at that survey and do find it hard to believe this is a true picture. VW is not BIM, not in anyway I can see when you look at Revit and what BIM is meant to provide as a whole construction team. Thanks for sharing though, it is good to know how trends form. I would be really interested to know how many licenses have been sold in VW, AutoCAD, REvit, MicroStation etc. This reminds me of my friend telling me the Japanese Architects only use MicroGDS, yet I struggled to find evidence away from the companies own site at the time. If you think VW is hard going, try that, although this was some 7 years back mind. Cheers, Q

WHat options are you selecting when exporting? Can you post pictures os this. I tend to send just the model space and not the paper space when exporting to dwg. Is there a hardened reason to why they need the sheet in dog format as well? Q

Post some screen shots so we can see what entries you are trying to change. Are you trying to edit one in place, or create a copy then edit? Is this on one or all layers (if applicable to the hatch)? Have you tried doing it the other way around, but drawing something and then creating a hatch patten? Finally, what version of VW are you on, and what SP. Others like to also know WHat computer and OS is being used. Q

Let's hope that culture becomes dominant. I'm only interested in my tools insofar as they help me to do my job: design. You should try Revit, I have worked with people who love this, they are abel to throw up many designs quickly and vary is greatly. I am a techie, I like precision not sweeping statements of art when it comes to package use. I do like the fact it seems Revit is used by designers and Techies and ease between them. I am looking forward to getting to grips with it. Q But, what of a VW presence? Also, user error, yes, in terms of greater use, but no, not in terms of crashing and unnecessary complications in getting to end result! Q

Love that! I used to administer IT support for a network of users for Autodesk AutoCAD and back then a few ADT seats. I used to love to say computers only do what you tell them to do, therefore it must be user error. I can certainly agree that some of the issues I have with generating tables are user error and other such things. But I do find there are a lot of glitches and further difficulties that make the use unnecessary. I am reporting my crash reports to our reseller now. It has not been a month and they are struggling, I fired 5 yesterday. Happened when deleting a fill, changing a opacity back to 100%, pasting a window into a new drawing. Editing text and changing the size of a text. All different drawings, different jobs (so folder locations) and a mixture of working on server and desktop. Again I feel ARGHHHHHHH

I have not found any other forums apart from one that was AUS based and subscription. I am a low worker bee here and have no authority to pay for such things. Can anyone here approach and ask VW to have someone dip in? Again, I cannot stress enough about other CAD package forums, users, and their own heavy presence as they want their end user to be supported and using the products well. I have images of two rooms. In one, is 1000 monies and keyboards programming this or in the other is a mass of school geeks that were bullied and now take it out on unsuspecting users of their code, while taking over the MAC/PC camera and laughing at what happens when you press a certain string of keys! independent forums needn't be without support from the manufactures in fact they should be embracing, helping, reading and learning themselves of likes, dislikes, issues, troubles, ways around, etc etc. Q

Just had another look on the general discussion page and we have 10+ posts with zero against them still. Nothing I can help with. I ask again, am I asking for the wrong thing by wanting a bit of end support direct from VW people to help us all? We are not being anywhere near as supportive to each other or new user as our collective knowledge base is low it would appear. Anyone? Q

Please can you share the link?

I am suggesting both. We notify NV of issues and post here as well if applicable. I don't think me posting my crash report here would help? But posting issues with wall joins, doors jamb appliance how to get,,,, etc does. If these continue to be problematic or not solvable because of NV limitations then we can also post feedback to them. Q

I just had a look down the list and there are lots of posts not answered or even acknowledged. We need help, many people need help and if they can't get it, they don't revisit, if they don't get help they or others don't learn and we do not build a community board of worthwhile content. Am I really missing the point and being unnecessarily obstinate? Look at all the posts with 0 against them and help my understand what what I am trying to do is so out of place and wrong? Q