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broc croll

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Everything posted by broc croll

  1. Somewhere I have heard of the importance of templates not containing data. Is there anything wrong with having templates that contain objects and text such as title blocks and perhaps even general notes? Thanks, Broc
  2. I would just like to encourage Poesy to let go of your struggle and your fear and just experiment. Find a way to make classes & layers work for you in the way you like to work. I can't add to what Archoncad described as the basics buy I might give some examples. If I need to design spaces where the client wants specific furnishings to work, I create a furnishings class. I toggle the class on to make sure the space works but after that it remains off unless I want to include the furnishings in a printed drawing. As an example for graphic attributes I may use an electrical class to give me a dashed line with no fill so that I can draw arcs from switches to fixtures, etc. I use classes and layers freely and with no rules just to explore their functionality. It is a liberating start and I'm at the point where I need to refine and standardize my uses. You can't learn to swim without getting wet!
  3. Thanks. By using Travis's suggestion, I discovered I had objects in classes I never would have searched that were the problem. How a line in a reflected ceiling plan can end up with a door record, I don't know. I had limited success with custom selection tool in general. Can anyone explain the particularities or the limitations of this tool when searching for windows and doors in walls. I had no success searching inside of all containers, nor would it locate objects with particular record field values. I couldn't even find doors and window I could plainly see! Thanks, Broc
  4. Whose got the best trick to find missing doors & windows that show up on my shedules but are no where to be seen on the drawing? My goal is to be able to use these schedules without having to mask over the items that are duplicated or otherwise not wanted on the schedule. Thanks in advance! Broc
  5. Thank you both for your responses. Kevin, you're exactly right. My schedules are listed in perfect order if you think like a computer. An easy fix, which makes this a perfectly usable tool! Thanks again.
  6. I set up my schedule & record formatting, then placed about 150 doors & windows. Place schedule on drawing and all that info appears, I'm impressed. There's a few more objects listed than I had planned but I hope to be able to find them. My bigger problem is that all the objects are not arranged numerically even though I had that feature enabled and I placed all the ID's in a consecutive manner. Two questions: 1) How can I sort these schedules to list the objects in numeric order and 2) Is it worth the effort? Architect 11.5 Mac G4 OS 10.3.9
  7. I'm a general contractor and have been using VW for several years now but am seldom able to immerse myself in it. I paid the big bucks twice for some weekend seminars that came thru San Francisco. For me, it was worth the price to give myself the time and space to focus on VW. I came with a list of difficulties I had been having and most of my questions got answered. A lot of the material was stuff I had already been exposed to but since I don't use the software on a daily basis I didn't mind paying to be reminded. I'd try it, it's a good kick start. In the end, the learning really starts to happen when you are committed to produce a set of drawings! Broc
  8. Can you tell me 1) Is the Mx100 set up that you describe compatible with Mac and 2) How much of an investment was your setup? I'm limited to dial up and your answers would save me a lot of research time on the internet! Thanks
  9. Thomas, A few years ago I too was trying to decide if the seminars were worth the expense. Everyone has a different situation and a different requirement for learning. For me, I was working construction 5 days a week and was having difficulty getting focused time to get acquainted with VW. I had already used Janis Kent tutorials and practiced drawing my own house. In short, the seminars provided me an organized overview of the program. It gave me an opportunity to ask a list of questions I had generated, and it provided a different sort of learning environment that helped me to focus. In the end, there is no substitute for making a commitment to a client that you will produce blueprints. That's when learning really happens!
  10. I had thought about that but hoping that wasn't the solution! Thanks for your quick reply. Broc
  11. I have made my window schedule using ID label style 1; W-1, W-2, W-3, etc. I have eleven windows and I labelled them using auto-increment. They appear in the schedule in this order: W-1, W-10, W-11, W-2, W-3, etc. I suppose this makes sense to a computer but I would prefer them in numerical order. How can I achieve this? Thanks in advance. Broc
  12. Katie, I have two questions: 1) I have installed VW Architect 10.5.1 using Panther on my 867 mhz G4. I installed from a CD and I thought it would replace my previous 10.0 version. I am now using either one version or the other depending on how I open the file I guess. Should I trash my 10.0 version so I don't have this confusion? 2) You've helped me with this before by sending me some kind of patch. I place my windows in my floor plan and from there I llike to utilize an isometric 3D view which I get from a layer link. Once the windows are in 3D I notice they are not what they are supposed to be. Right now I am using horizontal sliders and they are often showing up with a transom. I cannot uncheck transom because it is grayed or it will not change. What can I do? Thanks, answers are welcome from anyone!
  13. Katie, Thanks for your quick response. When I go to the actions dialog box for the 5550 I do not get an error message. First it shows that it is "opening printer connection", and then it says Jobs Stopped. If I click on Start Jobs it goes thru the same thing. Understand that before this was happening I was in the process of printing several sheets from the same file. Page Set-up for letter size for Deskjet 5550 and VW Set Print Area for one page. Size set up is not the problem because I had just been successful printing in that same file. Nor can I print from other VW files. That is why I thought there might be some kind of "clean up" procedure I could do. Even if you are at a loss as to how to advise me on my printing problem, could you say something about the usefulness of "Repair disk Permissions" on OSX and also the procedure in VW that I have heard discussed on this forum. I think it had something to do with VW preferences. Any help is appreciated. (I should mention that while I am attempting to print, my efforts are often interrupted by "VW unexpectedly quit" messages!)
  14. VW 10.0,iMac G3 350 mhz., 0S10.2, printer HPdeskjet 5550. HP 5550 printed letter size drawings no problem but after several print jobs the print center stopped the job. I would start job and it would attempt to connect to the printer but failed. I can print from other applications. It is only with VW that there is a problem. Is there a basic maintenance process I should try? I've heard discussion of doing something with VW preference file, and have also heard discussion of repairing disk permissions. Any advice on this specific problem or just basic "house cleaning" measures would be appreciated! I had been using OS 10.2.6 with VW upgraded somewhat from 10 (can't remember version!) before my G4 hard drive went belly up...HP5550 had caused no problems.
  15. You are right. I have been using Finder>File>Duplicate and apparently I am sometimes landing on Make Alias by mistake! The 2nd hard drive is a good suggestion. Thanks for your reply.
  16. I have the practice of making a duplicate copy of my previous day's drawing file, and then proceed to develop the drawing on the duplicate copy. I do this as a back up strategy. I notice that my current file is identified as an alias file in "get info" while my older files are identified as "drawing file." All this is to say that I have changed the nature of my file by making duplicate copies. My questions: is this a bad habit? Am I gradually corrupting my file in some way where I may soon find myself in big trouble? Can I somehow fortify my current "alias" version of my drawing and re-birth it as a "drawing file."? Any comments welcome, be it Vectorworks specific or general computer sense.
  17. Katie, The DISABLE TEXT DRIVER ROTATION seems to have fixed my problem. I only wish I had paid attention to your advice sooner since I have lost many hours trying to find a solution. Thanks for your consistently attentive responses!
  18. markf, I know your engineer is looking at my damaged file but I would like to update you on my ongoing problem in case anyone else can help troubleshoot this. I continue to damage my files each time I save to PDF. One sheet printed (from the service bureau) with much of the text flipped (upside down & backwards). I could not see this on the VW file but I could view the crazy text on the PDF. I deleted all these items and re-entered them (often pasting in place from another layer), and I was able to monitor my success by going to file-print-preview. My confidence was up and I continued to add to the drawing to complete this project. This time VW crashed even though I hadn't attempted to create a PDF. I am near to the end of this project and I am concerned I will not be able to complete. I wonder if by making a duplicate every day and continuing the drawing on the duplicate, am I damaging the file by not always working on the original. Is there a better strategy to back up my daily work?
  19. I'm using VW 10.1.2 & OSX 10.2.6. The last time I sent in PDF files I didn't have this problem, and it is likely that I have upgraded since then. This is the only file that I have had this problem with but it is the only file I have sent in for awhile. Any suggestions appreciated.
  20. I typically send out files to a local service bureau as PDF's which I create using OSX on my MAC. I did this about a week ago and was never able to open that file again! I had a back-up from the day before so I didn't lose much. Today I first made a duplicate before creating my PDF. Again, the file I used to create PDF's will not open and VW immediately crashes. (Both times it was the same project, same file in progress.) Any ideas, this is just a bit unnerving to me as it is the only way I know how to print from Vectorworks. Thanks.
  21. I'm still listening and learning, thanks for your responses!
  22. P retondo, Thanks for your comments on Property Tool. Fortunately, I do own Architect (although I've chosen not to turn over my layer & class management over to Task Manager until I myself manage them a little better!). I experimented with Property Tool for just a few moments and became a bit confused. I think your tip on the 180? is the thing I need to know about. Also, if you end up that the polygon doesn't close itself, will Property Tool allow a way out of this?
  23. Your cautions are well taken. I confess my naivety on this subject but it is not as it may appear. I did in fact begin by carefully drawing the plot plan based on a surveyor's exact distances and angles. I drew these lines using the data display bar consistently for accuracy. My beginning and ending line did not meet by about 2' and this is a 2 5/8 acre lot. The document I was referring to is 24 years old and not entirely legible; possibly causing this discrepancy. From this plan I have now scaled building and utility locations and created a preliminary drawing which I can take to the site to verify for accuracy as best I can with a compass and tape measure. I realize I am losing accuracy the more I get into this but my mission is to create documents for a renovation involving only changes in interior partition walls, cabinetry, door & window changes, and some mechanical upgrades. As I am not an architect I generally offer drafting services only to convey home improvement decisions made by the owner. I am careful to not take on a project I am not qualified for. Even so I am not aware of what liabilities I may be exposing myself to. I would appreciate your recommendations on how I may enlighten myself on this matter! As for the "property tool" and "boundary tool" I am eager to look into them. I have not yet discovered them. I thought the "how to" part of my question might bring a very simple response involving a file format I simple was not aware of. Now I can regard my drawing method as good solid practice rather than a waste of time! Thanks for your varied responses.
  24. I've produced only a few sets of drawings using VW. When I draw up a plot plan based on county information or other previously drawn plans, I scale it out, measure the angles and duplicate it. Granted, I need the practice, but what does a real architect do? Could I simply scan the image, turn it into some kind of file, & import it into VW? If so, could I turn it into editable VW lines, polygons, text, etc? If this is possible, which format is most useful for this purpose? Thanks for your input. (Mac user)
  25. Thanks for the replies. Whole new possibilities are open for me now. The polyline is a great intuitive solution. I wasn't even aware of this tool and I can see it is well worth learning. Katie, your suggestion about really understanding the cursor cues and the constraint pallette is a good one. On this go around I did in fact use "point" and "arc end" even though my settings on the constraint pallette gave me more cues than I needed. My main complication came by offsetting individual lines & arcs thus creating new sets of lines & arcs that no longer intersected correctly. The compose tool is the step that I missed. This process uses the polyline in a very precise way. Again, thanks.
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