ErichR

Ray, in your successful imports, was any of the ACAD work done in paperspace, or was it all done in modelspace?

I doubt that the ACAD version makes much difference. From my experience, ACAD with x-ref files will NOT import. Minimally, the ACAD user must explode (several times) and bind the x-refed files before you import. Importantly, any work done in the ACAD sheet/paperspace files will NOT be imported to scale in VW in a way that can be easily used. The way ACAD is now being used (with a significant amount of work being done in paperspace, if only text AND dimensioning), importing into VW is not practical (or possible). Not meaning to be cynical or negative, but suggestive, VW should/must address this issue, or be resigned to the marketing of an entirely independent platform, meaning: bury the competition (not likely). It's tough, but VW is better.

Sorry Katie, it's not NT, it's XP that's running 12.x.x. Regardless, II can't imagine the video driver being associated with crashes for something as simple as the double line polygon tool. If so, then maybe there IS a bug? Or at least a conflict that causes VW to crash.

The Double Line Polygon Tool causes VW to crash. I was hoping that 12.5.1 would correct this, but not. The really annoying thig is that this crash trashes the Workspace Preferences. Very time-consuming to reconstruct after each crash. Soon learn that this tool is useless. WNT OS

GardenDesignFX.com, I'd sure like to know your drug of choice.

I just weighed a Dell corded and a Logitech cordless and a Kensington cordless mouse. All are 3.25 oz.

It's not a zoom issue necessarily. Lots of 3D apps allow smooth, 'rendered', real-time image manipulation. VectorWorks doesn't: GL sort of, RenderWorks not. A software; not a video driver issue.

Can we get on with the subject?

Duh! Thanks Katie.

VW crashed each time it was opened, before it opened completely. Same in Safe Mode. Same after restoring the system to before. Same after running Norton Utilities Windoctor. After reinstall (with the old Workspace preferences) it crashed. Upon using the new Workspace preferences, VW worked. But, the Door PIO tool is non-functional. Can anyone help? Thanks.

We weren't able, try as we might, to set a rule that would allow VW to work. A computer consultant we hired poo-pooed Nortons, so we switched to a different virus protection software, and sure enough, the problem never occured again.

I don't think Katie is correct that you can set the rule to ignore. We could not make this work. Had to replace Nortons - it's too clever. P.S. Ask NNA why they can't get Norton to recognize VW as valid.

Houses aren't necessarily the only architectural livlihood at all! In a $10M project, if there are 5% instances of unusual conditions (and believe me there are far more than 5%), it is the CADD app that can handle them without additional hours of frustrating trial and error that will engender confidence. Actually, a simple 2D app - you already know its limitations, so you don't waste time. ACAD, it seems, is a well-developed 2D drafting tool, and there are lots of people extremely facile with it. VW may be more of an architectural tool - one that goes beyond 2D drafting. Archicad?

Katie may be on to something, but none of the above posters indicated whether or not they were connected a network. We had to stop using Norton's (at the network level) since VW pings the network for other instances of VW (so that it can detect unregistered users). Contacting Norton's support system proves to be a waste of time (lots of time). Try a differrent network-level virus protection, and see if you notice an immediate improvement. As a test, you could unplug your network connection to see if it makes a differrence.

If importing a .dwg or .dxf file that has been annotated in paperspace, how do you get those annotations into VW's design layer? We've received a lot of ACAD files that have info only in paperspace, and they seem entirely worthless to try to import.

I do appreciate the input and effort, panthony. I assumed that if you had to, you could insert these components separately, but if you have a hundred fifty (or more) to do, it would be nifty (and expected) that you could make one symbol to do the dirty work, or at least to limit it. The key is to use the custom window PIO option and to make it two windows wide. The louver, inserted in its separate wall below the window, can be made to look rrealistic, with some fiddling. Thanks, Robert, for joining in. The problem seems to have been avoided as per the above. It only took a few hours to figure out how to do multiple windows. The documentation - is it there? I could not find it. Now that I know, the window tool seems very powerful, but I still feel frustrated that it took so long to do what seemed to be a simple application of a PIO and symbol.

In a word, What's wrong with this picture? There are two spearate PIO windows. If it's possible to gang windows, maybe that would help. How do you do that?

This is interesting. With my compound symbol, the result is different - the wall texture appears behind the glass. up to the width of the element below the windows. I'll try your fix, though. Thanks.

panthony, You missed the key differrence between my problem and your lack of one: make the bottom element narrower than the window units. It's on a PC, but I'll bet the Mac has the same problem. BTW, how did you insert the image?

No, there is only one instance of the wall. (I duplicated the problem in a new wall with a newly-created symbol.) The problem is only created with the inclusion of the louver below the double windows. I suspect the same problem would occur if there is just one window, and a smaller louver below it.

Is it possible to create a symbol with multiple (say, double-hung) windows? When I do this the wall texture reads behind the glass when rendered. (The texture problem arrises when I include a louver, that has a width less than the window, below the windows in the symbol.)

Can't seem to find the settings for Final Quality Renderworks. It used to be with the Vectorworks preferences, but has been removed.

I've had good luck exporting to AutoCad. But grave difficulties with importing. There seems to be some convention for AutoCad people to do their dimensioning and notations in Paperspace, which, in VW, is a Sheet Layer. Therefore when you import the .dwg, VW's design layers lack the requisite text, effectively rendering them useless. Unless I'm missing something.

It does seem to be a bit of hype because if you ungroup the PDF, you are left with a bitmap image. I don't believe you can do anything more with the imported PDF than you can with the resulting bitmap image. Therefore, this import function appears to be identical to that of importing a JPG, or any other image file. Now, to be truly finctional the imported image would be vectorized, but it's not.

I would be good to know which firms (in the Boston area in this case) are using what software. A market survey, maybe by NNA - has one been done ? - might be available.