Robert Anderson

The problem is fixed in the next update which is imminent.

My primary platform is: Powerbook G4, MacOS 10.2.3.

VectorWorks preferences, display tab, "Zoom line thickness" option. This will scale lineweights as you zoom, to the layer scale. In versions prior to VW9, there were issues about scaling and units that could at time cause items to disappear, but these have as far as I know been resolved with VW9 and the move to floating-point coordinates.

Send a copy of the file to randerson@nemetschek.net and I'll look at it...

VWA has made a lot of progress since the version based on VW8. Here are a few random features, in no particular order or priority: WALLS -now maintain their connections when reshaping in 2D; -maintain their "joins" when reshaped; -now have true Y-joins (this is true in VectorWorks Foundation); SPACE PLANNING -new Space objects report areas, perimeters of spaces; -New Create Walls from Spaces and Create Spaces from Walls commands; DIMENSIONING -Dimension Floor Plan command dimensions entire floor plan with a single command; -New Grid Bubble dimension object for placing column grids quickly and easily; -New Slope Dimension object for dimensioning roofs and ramps; SETUP/VIEWING -Model Setup command allows you to set up your model and begin design without worrying about standards or naming; -Custom Naming command allows you to use VWA, AIA, or user-defined naming for layers and classes interchangeably; -Model View Tool creates one-click elevations or perspectives from your model layers; FRAMING -Complete floor and roof framing commands in addition to Wall Framer; -Floor framing joists can be (in 3D) solid wood, wood trusses, I-joist, steel bar joist, or WF steel beam. MEP -Electrical circuiting tool to create automatic electrical panel schedules and elevations; -Comprehensive set of HVAC ductwork objects that work in 2D and 3D with extensive notational and take-off features; -Export to DOE-2 data format;

OK, I ran a little test. In a 1:1 layer, I made two random polygons each with bounding boxes of approximately 500 million feet X and Y and line thickness of 1 mil (1/1000"). I then zoomed in on them. In VWA 9.5.3, I was unable to make them disappear. I was able to zoom in on them until the zoom indicator read 100 billion percent. The lines totally obscured the screen (I had the scale lineweights option on) at about 1.5 million percent. So I guess you could say I was unable to replicate your problem. I recommend you send to bugsubmit@nemetschek.net a copy of your file along with the description of the problem you are having.

I'm having trouble making the road take on a RenderWorks texture and am looking into that, but giving a road a color in 3D render mode is easy: select the road object(s), and on the Attributes palette, give them a solid color. They will now render in that color.

There's a minor bug in Setup in 10.0 that causes this flag to be set on. It causes plug-in objects (such as roads) to be non-colorable. I should have thought of this before (note to self: slap self in forehead.)

Make sure that the "Use at Creation" button for the None class is UNCHECKED.

The Plant Database Utility is self-documenting. Open it up, and every screen has a "help" button. Click the help button to see how to use that screen.

Viper x, I don't understand your question. What exactly do you mean by "enter plants"?

Well, there are several approaches to this problem from a programmatic point of view. One is to create a little "jumpover" object (what you described as a "bridge") that could be applied to any line, any where. The advantages of this approach are that (1) it's simple and (2) it can be generally applied to anything--lines, callouts, etc. etc. The disadvantages are that (a) it can require futzing about with the drawing order to get the exact look you want and (b) if you move your object, it needs to be moved also. Still, it's an approach that can be done quickly. A second approach would be to put a "jumpover" option in the callout. This could be turned on then controlled with a control point. This approach eliminates disadvantage (a) and advantages (1) and (2) of the previous approach. Would a "jumpover" object that you could easily apply to a line be appealing to you?

gnkarch, my only guess is that the doors are not being regenerated. Try this theory out by selecting a single door, and check or uncheck one of the "category" checkboxes on the Info palette. If this updates your door color, you can regenerate all objects in your drawing by selecting the Organize:Scripts:Create Plug-in object... command and simply clicking on the OK button when the dialog comes up.

This feature has been fixed and will be out in the next maintenance release which is due for release very soon.

See the related topic "Why are my Redlines black?" for an answer to this topic also.

My guess is, your redlines are black because the "Use Graphic Attributes" option on your None class is turned on. (We discovered that there's a minor bug, which will be fixed in the next maintenance release, that certain of the setup commands set this option on.) Open up your Classes dialog, scroll to the None class, open it, uncheck the "Use at Creation" checkbox, and now your Redlines should draw in red.

Mark, With a text editor, take a look at the file: [VW folder]\Plug-ins\Data\Wall Hatches.VSS This file defines the 4 wall fill patterns and 7 hatches that are used in the Wall Styles feature. The patterns are hard-coded, but you can substitute any 7 hatches you like with a little cut-and-pasting. You can re-name the hatches, also. My recommendation is to tweak up 7 hatches you like in a blank document, then export that document as VectorScript, then cut-and-paste between that document and the Walls Hatches.VSS document, and name as appropriate. Caveat: (lightweight) knowledge of VectorScript (or liberal amounts of courage and luck in approximately equal measure) are recommended. Also, save the document in its original form if you mess it up, etc. etc.

gknarch, please send me a copy of the file. randerson@nemetschek.net

Does this happen with plugin objects only? Not with lines or rects or such? And does this happen when you insert objects from the Resource Browser or just from the object palette?

OK, the 3D polys you've created are the site data. Now use the Site Model... command to create a Digital Terrain Model (DTM). This DTM, once created, can be displayed in various ways in 2D and 3D, and can be analyzed and modified to create grading plans, cut-and-fill, etc.

The way to do this in VectorWorks is to draw all your redlines on a single layer for each sheet in your drawing. Then use layer colors to set all layers to B&W except for the redline layer, which you set to red. Then instead of using the "Black & White" option, use the "Layer Colors" option in Document Preferences.

If you're placing plants around a circle, you can just draw a circular polyline with the Place Plant tool and twiddle with your plant spacing until it looks right.

Bruce, I've just run a little test. It appears that it doesn't matter what the settings are in the "master" document, only the "target" document. Make -sure- that everything in the target document is deselected before you regen the objects. Note also that since you are dealing with a WGR file, (you didn't mention this before!) you may have to refresh the WGR, since objects on WGR layers come in locked and therefore may not regenerate.

Check to see that you don't have the 'Black and White only' or 'Use layer colors' options enabled in document preferences.

Are you using the objects from the Object Browser or the objects from tools?