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Samuel Derenboim

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Posts posted by Samuel Derenboim

  1. hi all again, 

     

    Is there a way to mass import several revit libraries? It would be extremely useful to make custom libraries for vectorworks from already made revit object libraries. Currently, importing one by one is a bit cumbersome, wanted to get a take on how to do that at a faster pace? A script perhaps? or is there a way to do this via marionette tool?

     

    Looking forward from hearing some ideas. 

     

    Best, 

     

    Sam

  2. 13 hours ago, Matt Panzer said:

    Hi Terrance,

    Our default content for doors and windows with attached catalogs all have the Catalog Item "by style". This means all instances of the style will use the same Catalog item. The recommended workflow is to edit the style, rename the style to something like "Window A", and choose the catalog item for the style. This way, all instances of "Window A" will use the same item from the catalog. However, if you wish to allow instances of a given style to use different catalog items, you can edit the style and set the catalog item "by instance". This will then allow each instance to use a different catalog item via the "Window Settings" dialog (or via the Object Info palette).

    Please let me know if you need more clarification.

     

    Best regards,

    -Matt

     

    Matt, any new ideas on how to update and create new catalog items? I can't seem to extract or eliminate the information for new catalogs, let alone modify them in excel. I do not know how to export the file so that the format will be the same as the catalog txt file. Any ideas?

  3. Hi everyone, 

    I have been wondering the new title block feature - is there a way to callout a time stamp (as opposed to a date stamp) for the titleblock?

    The time stamp tool doesn't work inside of the titleblock, and was wondering how that could be fixed? It useful in determining the latest revision of a set that might've not been issued as a new revision or a new issue set. Hoping to get some suggestions. The secret i think is in the new pop-up feature shown in the sheet and project dataset? Now, only if i knew a way to callout the timestamp function....

  4. 18 hours ago, Robert Anderson said:

    Based on the engineer's comments (see above), I think that either the moved-origin or the hidden-classes issue can cause this bad centering on conversion. I think the hidden-classes issue may be more likely than the moved origin. 

     

    I've had a bit of a problem with aligning the sheet because of the inherent bleed and margins for the printer. Usually its at 3/16" or so, but this configuration could vary depending on the printer you use. VW sees the margin and automatically integrates it into the paper space. So there are two ways to move it, based on dragging the edge to the bleed mark you set up in your title block (it drags by the bleed edge, not the edge of the sheet) or when you use the page tool - after pressing tab and accessing the position menu - enter 0, 0, 0 for all three components. It then resets it back to the 0 position. But if the page is offset, the tool doesn't center it to the page, it centers it to the 0,0,0 mark. That I think is the biggest problem that everyone is having.

     

    Hidden classes could be an issue, but with me it definitely wasn't and after experiments with a new file (no classes), I can confirm the tool doesn't position the titleblock on page center. 

  5. 17 hours ago, ericjhberg said:

     

    Thanks Sam, I am glad to hear you have success so far. Honestly, I haven't spent the time necessary to really assess the complete upgrades. What I am more frustrated about is that you MUST transition to the new titleblock since legacy sheet borders are no longer supported. This means I MUST spend that time up front before converting.

     

    It's really just an annoyance rather than a large issue. I am all for progress and I am sure we will learn the new way in time, but it is an issue that we need to resolve before even transitioning to 2018.

     

    I get your frustration. I'm there with you. I had to spend some time doing the same thing on my end as well, and I could see how that could be a problem if you have hundreds of sheets.

     

    I've noticed certain things you cannot do in the new titleblock feature - you can't put a time stamp inside. A date stamp is included, but I do not know how to integrate a time stamp. It's useful in recognizing the latest issues that were printed beforehand by seeing what time and date it was printed. But the time stamp tool doesn't work in the titleblock, nor is there an option inside the titleblock tool for one. Perhaps either a script or some command line? Will contact VW regarding that.

  6. 14 hours ago, Kevin McAllister said:

    Hi Sam,

    I'm not sure of the answer to that question. My thoughts about meshes are based on long term experience and from other threads in these forums. Its likely that a mesh converted to a generic solid is still not as efficient as rebuilding the geometry using solids or NURBS but I couldn't say for sure without some testing.

    Kevin

     

    In that case I'll experiment. What do  you supposed would be a good indicator, file size? or ease of navigation? I mean the two are interrelated, but still, don't know if a same sized mesh would operate the same sized (polycount) generic solid or nurbs object for that matter. nurbs are subdivided, so I don't know how that would reduce poly count.

     

    Thanks for the heads up either way, i'll experiment, see where that takes me.

  7. 2 hours ago, grant_PD said:

    Now if it could just link images to the record as well....

    That would be pretty cool :)

     

    Eric, I understand the frustration, but imagine if they didn't progress? Yes, sometimes the changes will affect our workflow, but generally speaking, the titleblock tool is a little better than the one before - especially since i had to work around the idea that if i had several different titleblocks in one file and some sheets i wasn't using, i would have to come up with a workaround for modifying the record info regarding sheet lists, etc... and a list of changes embedded in the sheets. 
    I'm sure things will improve. VW just got blasted with bugs right now, I'm sure they'll get resolved.

  8. 3 hours ago, Kevin McAllister said:

    Definitely a useful feature, but I still wouldn't recommend having a mesh in a symbol that's going to be used 400 times in a file. VW is just way to inefficient with meshes.

     

    Kevin

    Kevin, 

     

    Would it help to reconvert back to generic solid after poly reduction? Just curious, what makes the object inefficient? Right now I'm looking to make libraries, so this would be a great help for the future.

     

    Sam

  9. On 9/14/2017 at 10:13 PM, Robert Anderson said:

    I am sorry you're having the problem with the incorrect conversion of the Title blocks. I believe it has to do with (as one poster suggested) the changing of the origin on the Sheet layers. I have created a bug report covering this issue and referencing this thread. If anyone is having trouble converting a v2017 Title Block, please send me a copy of a Vectorworks file with a single sheet layer and that title block in it. If we can reproduce the conversion error, we will fix it ASAP. Send to randerson@vectorworks.net and I will make sure the example files are attached to the bug for testing.

    The biggest problem is the centering issue. So it can be universal. If you move the page, the title block should move too. So in a new file, its easy to create a new titleblock, then move the page. Youll see even if the title block is centered on page, itll remain at the 0,0 mark.

    • Like 1
  10. Theres another great feature that VW snuck in this update which is a lifesaver. 

    When selecting an object, convert it to a mesh. Once converted use modify->simplify mesh.

     

    This thing is great because it reduces polycount right inside VW. Hope this helps.

     

  11. Hi Grant, 

    You can do one of two things, either use the same symbol to convert the titleblock, or just copy and paste the information into a new titleblock pio.

    I would recommend making one from scratch, its easier than modifying / or converting one.

    1. When you create a new one, go into the Titleblock menu (third from top) and click edit title block layout. Just past the linework and your titleblock in there. 

    2. When you create a new titleblock, it has margins and a grid. I would recommend disabling / turning them off. I normally use 0" sheet margins all around and sheet fit mode set to outside dimensions.

    For sheet zones / grids - turn all options off

    3. The most important part is the record information that related your titleblock info parametrically. Once you copy your line work from the symbol and paste it into the editable titleblock layout all the previous record information will be invalidated because the new pio has a new record format connection thats just for the title block plugin in object.

    4. when directing text to the record information, instead of linking text to record, under the shape info - the text has a new option all the way at the bottom called - Titleblock data link. Use the information there to link to the title block PIO.

    5. When you need custom records that isn't there, add them under Project Data or Sheet Data bars in the plugin object. Once you add them, they will show up in the link values when you use text as linked record information.

     

    That's all there is to it to the new tool. Took me about 30 minutes to figure it out. 

     

    One major problem - when exporting to Acad - it doesn't link the record information to the attributes of the block like it normally would if you were to export a symbol with record information. So, be aware of this glitch if you use acad and vw side by side.

    Hope this helps. 

     

  12. Good afternoon, 

     

    After taking a look at the Titleblock elements for VW 2018, it is indeed flexible, however there is an issue regarding exports. Normally, when any symbol is exported with record information - in autocad it automatically converts it to attributes that can be modified for the symbol - very convenient when setting up standards in between two platforms. 

     

    What I like - Before record information exported on a multiline field automatically converted to a single line field which made it impossible to modify multi line text without dramatically modifying the exported titleblock.

    This issue seems to have dissapeared, but for a different reason i believe.

     

    Now - with the new Parametric titleblock - the record information is there, however it is not exported as linkable attributes in autocad. In other words, record information for the symbol is there - however, attributes assigned to the text do not modify the text anymore. I believe it is because it was converted to a parametric record - not a database (modifiable) record. I thought I'd share this because it was quite handy to work in between platforms that links records and attributes together. Parametric constraints however do not. Perhaps theres a fix i don't know about?

     

    Either way, Thanks for the help in advance!! 

  13. Good afternoon, 

    I know one of the features for vectorworks was the ability to import native elements into vectorworks from Revit. So I tried to do an example door - using TRUstyle doors as a guinea pig.

    Here is the attached link : http://www.trustile.com/tools/revit

     

    maybe I'm doing something wrong?

     

    Also - Simplify Geometry - Awesome Addition to importing complex models. Breath of Fresh air!!!

  14. 28 minutes ago, Matt Panzer said:

    Creating catalogs is most certainly an expert/power user/super geeky level task. But, It may not be TOO difficult if you want to create your own using the same set of parameters an existing catalog uses. You can duplicate a set of existing catalog files and rename them for a new catalog. You can find the shipping catalog files in the VW application folder under Libraries/Object Styles/Door (or Window)/Catalogs. If you copy, rename and move the three (xlsx, txt, xml) files for an existing catalog to the same file path in the VW User folder (you may need to add the "Catalogs" folder), a new catalog of that filename will be available in VW. The three files MUST have the same name (before the file extension) and here are their purpose:

    • XML: Defines how the catalog is organized, which parameters are used, and plenty more geeky information. I highly recommend not editing this file.
    • XLSX: This is an Excel file used to edit the parameter values for all items within the catalog. This is for content creators and not used by the VW application.
    • TXT: A direct TXT export from the Excel file.

    You can then edit the "xlsx" file in Excel, replace parameter values with your own, and save as "txt" (replacing the previous "txt" file).

     

    WARNING 1: The data must be very carefully formatted.

    WARNING 2: If needing to create a Window catalog containing windows using Custom Sash parameters, it gets very tricky. I recommend steering clear of this until you really want to enter maximum geekiness. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! ;-)

     

     

    Matt, I was going this route until I had to copy the txt file export. It looks like a csv export of some sort. Direct export to txt? how would i go about doing that? I also noticed the xml file is coded, so therefore it would be best to leave that end alone, right? Once you empty out the spreadsheets, you can create the catalogs from inside vectorworks - no need to modify one by one. But I agree, copy and paste a few dozen times for various door and window manufacturers and you have yourself a great resource without filling in the blanks just modify the rough opening and clear opening elements and possibly frame sizes / descriptions of the window and its catalog cut sheet.

     

    Something we in NY specify often are Ceco doors, or other steel doors for egress / mechanical room access, etc. Surprising theres no catalog for them yet. But if I manage to get it to work, will share! Other door companies like simpson, etc... or window companies like pella. Looking forward to new releases! 

     

    One huge cumbersome element however - Descriptive elements for doors / windows are parametric - and cannot be edited or modified from a worksheet! Back in 2015, it was, until a more proprietary integration system was put into Vectorworks. That I believe is the biggest downside with automating schedules and updating libraries. Just my two cents. 

     

    Otherwise, this new update is a great breath of fresh air. Its faster too! Especially the additional viewports and the tabbed windows.

     

    Either way, I'll come back when I've explored a bit more regarding hacking into the catalog files ;)

     

    Thanks everyone! 

  15. Hi everyone,

    I do have a question regarding schedules, particularly those that are symbol styles (i.e. doors styles, windows styles, etc.)

    1. Is there a full list all the record format connection references in a complete guide for all objects? i.e. window.height, door.height, etc...

    I can create a worksheet with all records that are provided from the create worksheet menu, however, it's cumbersome doing this process for all styles in vectorworks.

    2. Is there a way to modify these records from a worksheet remotely? I've noticed that even if I unlock the parameters set (instead of them being controlled completely in them) in the styles, I can't modify them for ALL of the elements in a drawing, particularly if there is more than one symbol. I have to modify them one by one in the door/window dialogue box and in doing so its a very inconvenient procedure. Any help please?

     

    Thank you in advance!

  16. Just curious, does anyone have a mass import script for revit files handy?

    or perhaps something similar for marionette that would import and create symbols from revit libraries?

    Could be useful since alot of product manufacturers issue revit files only.

    Any takers? Willing to share some libraries after i'm finished.

  17. Is there currently a way a schedule can callout objects by their style in the database? I.E. Windows and Doors? etc...?

    or rather limit a function of windows or doors by their style type or name?

  18. Well i've narrowed it down, when i create the viewport from a clip cube, know the depth length and width of the viewport, it seems to render it fairly quickly. However, as soon as i turn on the markers layers for the windows, then it takes ages. By the way...by ages, I mean it freezes, and doesn't finish rendering...:/

    Any reason why?

     

    UPDATE:

    So for some reason when i assign a different class to a marker, it doesn't render, but when i keep the marker in the window class, it renders. Could this be a bug? I assigned an Anno layer only for markers...

    I have a total of 200 windows, maybe 1/3 are showing on this layer....Also, does the length of characters in the markers depend on rendering time? I know they're opengl, so i figured it shouldn't matter, no? 

     

     

  19. 3 hours ago, Alan Woodwell said:

    @Samuel DerenboimHi, have you purged recently and got rid of all your unwanted textures? they can bulk up a file quickly, also using patterns rather than hatches also cause the file size to grow. Images?? if you have imported then and scaled them down in VW can also grow the file exorbitantly. If you clean these things up you should reduce the file size and things should go faster.HTH

    Thanks on the tip Alan, 

    My file is pretty tidy in terms of textures, hatches, etc... I try to use line work, hatches and textures only once. I try not to use patterns because they require opengl, and i prefer to render in hidden line format. 

    I do have a lot of classes open, but I will be using them in the near future. Can empty classes really slow down a file by that much?

    Either way, I'll purge, will tell how it works out. Thanks !

  20. Good afternoon everyone,

     

    I've worked with vectorworks for quite a while in a few different firms, however, only the past year and a half did I really get into the parametric end and BIM end of vectorworks. I do love the features and time saving elements in vectorworks that vectorworks allows you to customize on your own or are inherently in the BIM elements. Having said that, when working with larger projects - i have come up to a few issues when working with larger and larger projects.

     

    Since I need to often share information with engineers and clients, they prefer the information in CAD. This means that all of my plans and elevations need to be exportable (not rendered in OpenGL). Whenever a project grows larger and larger in size (multiphased) the harder it is to work with the file itself. Why should a line rendering take 5-10 minutes???? But then again, it could also be the workflow.

    Generally what i do is store the entire project in one file rather than several. It doesn't take as long to update references stored in a separate file and is generally more responsive that way.

    But, i recently reached a 600 mb threshold, and i'm having a major problem rendering all of the elevations. Could this be a problem with the amount of information stored?

    All my walls are brick, and some elements have stone work...which could make the renderings intricate, however, this is unintentional. Using regular hatches should make it easier to render. Does anyone have any tips? or feedback? Maybe similar experiences?

    Thanks alot everyone!

     

     

     

  21. 59 minutes ago, Alan Woodwell said:

    @Samuel DerenboimHi, Definitely something wrong with this file. All works ok in my new file, copy one of your annotations over and its bad. Must be something corrupt there.

    The only fix I could get to work is to delete all the keynotes and copy the rest over to a new file and redo the notes and the problem did not reoccur.

    I wish it was that easy. But after i have 18 layers, and 19 references sheet layers and almost completed sheets, its very hard to redo the callouts....i was hoping there would be an easier way to fix this?

    Also, does this mean there's a bug? or the file itself is just corrupt? and if so, how do i go about avoiding this problem in the future?

     

    Thank you in advance!

  22. On 1/1/2017 at 4:36 PM, Pat Stanford said:

    Post the most clear and detailed version you can of what you would like to see the tool do in a new thread in the Feedback:Wishlist forum. You don't need to provide the how of how it will work. And you probably DON'T want to include details like where the buttons should be and what the labels should say, but a good explanation of why the current tool does not work for you and what benefit it will give you if the features you are requesting are added.

     

    https://forum.vectorworks.net/index.php?/forum/19-wishlist-feature-and-content-requests/

    Pat,

    Sorry for the bother again, there seems to be a bug - after heavily using the callout tool, it starts to behave very oddly. I am attaching a sample file where the callout tool has been corrupted.

     

    Problems include:

    In design layer view port -

    1. An additional leader element is added to the callout tool (usually on the right or left side - there is an unnessary line)

    2. Note is slightly offset when adding and additional leader that gets in the way of the text.

    In Sheet layer viewport

    1. Callout is displaced drastically from leaders

    2. Shoulder length function or text margin doesn't solve the issue.

    In annotation Layer viewport

    1. When placing a new callout - leader only is called from the left side of the callout, and cannot be switched normally - unless the mirror function is used.

    2. Cannot delete leaders in annotation mode.

     

    All problems therein have been bubbled. You can test it yourself, could you confirm it behaves similarly? and if so, is there a way to fix it?

    In new files, this problem doesn't seem to persist, but who knows? I just recently started using the callout tool.

    Anno_Leader_Trouble_Shooting.vwx

  23. 1 minute ago, Pat Stanford said:

    In the language of programmers this is not a bug. It is likely a design error, but not a bug. If you file it as a bug, it will be marked as WAD (Working as Designed) and nothing will ever change.

     

    You need to report this as an Enhancement Request or a wish. Then the powers that be will see where to sort it into the priorities for future version of VW.

    Thank you Pat, How do i go about doing this?

  24. Good afternoon everyone, 

    first would like to start off by saying happy new years ! 

     

    I've been playing around a little bit with the callout tool, however i discovered a bug.

    I've been trying to create a symbol detail library to reference for standard wall details - and i've recently discovered the callout tool (earlier posts)

    I really like the feature it has where it can generate a legend for a series of callouts - and then just that legend can be modified for that particular element.

    But i don't think this tool has been fully developed.

     

    The callout tool isn't designed to be inserted into symbols, something ive been trying to do. It loses its properties and generates a separate note for every callout every time it's dropped,

    something that i don't want to keep fixing all the time.

    Could anyone please confirm this is the case? Does anyone else think this is a bug?

     

     

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