cberg
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Posts posted by cberg
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I use data visualization to make the site model lines a very light gray and overdraw any lines I need for context.
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It is mind-boggling that wall "mark" information would be in three different places!
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Thank you for the video and reminder.
VW needs to review all these "quasi-legacy" tools and modernize them. It feels like they were developed in the 1990s and haven't been thought about again since then.
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Make sure that the Attributes palette is set to use "None" not arrow markers in your design layer. Otherwise, you get arrows in sections... Not sure why.
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It's probably not an either-or proposition—two files vs one integrated model.
At early stages when variables are fluid, it may make sense to maintain a single model to facilitate better integration of site and landscape. If the project becomes unwieldy, and you want to focus on the site (or building), you can easily split the models apart and reference them back together. Referencing also solves the perennial true north vs building north dilemma. That said, I have personally encountered referencing glitches when trying to bring a site model into my building model — likely due to some error on my part.
Having a site and building together in one editable model is very helpful for understanding relationships and making adjustments. The approach described above answers the original question.
Working on a project of a certain scale or complexity, however, requires collaboration. In those situations, I would gladly defer to the civil or landscape experts!
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In the seven (?!?) years since I've asked this question, I've concluded that the following approach is best. Model the site in real Z units, and then set the layer elevation of the terrain by the negative Z dimension that corresponds with your desired finish floor datum, where Z=0. In this scenario, the building model and site work together in one file.
For example, if the desired base finish floor elevation is 100' above sea level, make the layer elevation of the Site Model Level -100'. When working in the site layer, everything is set to the proper elevation above sea level. However, when working on architectural elements, walls and slabs are set by the datum floor elevation. 3d modeling is closer to the Z=0 plane. (No distortion working at high elevations). 2D Grades and Spot Elevations display correctly. Elevation benchmarks should also be accurate, since stories (with their layer elevations) define them.
This solves the problem of mounting ceilings and light fixtures at elevations above sea level. Hopefully, it will also broker a much-needed truce between architects and landscape architects.
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It would be helpful if we could manually enter an arc length and use the center of the arc as the work point. You can do this with lines. Unfortunately, the Arc OIP does not behave the same way.
I am working on geometry that must be applied to an arc plane. The green arc is my control arc. The pink line is the desired arc length (40.5"). Maybe I am missing something obvious when generating arc geometry. It's a bit of a pain to enter the arc length and reposition/rotate the arc at the center.
Handling vector geometry "should" be one of Vectorworks' strengths. 😀
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My favorite way to move objects between layers and retain their z value is to group them. Make sure you can show snap modify other objects and make to activate the layer you want to move things to. Ungroup afterwards to retain the classes. And you can do this with a key command. Control/command + G.
This approach is useful when you need to make a large global change in the organization of a model. But it also addresses the concern of changing layers using a keyboard shortcut.
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On 5/28/2025 at 4:20 PM, zoomer said:
Thank god I found that pressing CMD - temporarily lets you reposition the Gizmo - while in a translation mode ...
(I will forget that likely until tomorrow though)
I would never have figured that out on my own!
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Reshaping it fixes it, and reshaping it to another point breaks it again. It depends on where the stretched line "lands".
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I haven't used the Linear Material - Corrugated Deck tool in a while, and it looks like the fill/closure is not working properly.
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Figured it out. There is a way to extract a curve that provides the desired length/geometry. Possibly easier than switching back and forth to the annotations space.
The shop usually needs steel dimensioned to the 16th of an inch.
We are exploring digital fabrication -- i.e., sending STP files directly to the cutter. At the end of the day, you may be correct, and it is too much detail. However, putting all the pieces (accurately) into a worksheet helps check the data.
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Agreed.
It would also be great to pull a line off a cylandrical extrude, which seems like a much more modest ask. :-). Thanks for all the help!
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I put the data into a record format so that I can develop piece sheets & order totals for fabrication. Maybe a little beyond the scope of VW. Sadly there is no good way to automate the process.
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It goes back to the question of the bounding box delimiting the object vs some screen-oriented abstraction....
@Tom W. I don't think the length of your structural member would be correct. If one were to cut that shape out of steel (or any material), you would need to measure the piece from long edge to long edge, because the tapered bits are created out of a longer piece. The dimension is taken at the centerline....
@Jeff Prince I think you are correct, that the only way to find this dimension is by cutting a section, and overdrawing/dimensioning it in a sheet layer.
Thanks for the help!
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The tape measure tool does not yield accurate results.
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Is this the function you are referring to? If so, there is no way to snap the iso curve location, which somewhat defeats the purpose.... I can ungroup, move and stretch the line... But it is a little cumbersome, and prone to snapping errors.
It is surprising that there is not a better, one-step process to find the overall length of a 3d object. Especially with Vectorworks' promise of instant, 3d data. In general the 3d curve tools feel a little limited and outdated.
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Easy(?) question. Is there a function that will help determine the overall length of a rotated 3d solid? The object in question is a 3D section.
Pulling curves off a round extrude (or snapping to edges of cylindrical objects) is difficult in VW. The only way I can find the "out-to-out" length is to find the dimension it in the annotations space of a section viewport. This seems counter-intuitive given Vectorwork's focus on analytics and data.
That said, the OIP is incorrect, and the AEC 3D Properties, does not yield the desired results.
Is there an easier way to do this?
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This may be a VW Designer issue. The list of objects I can create is much smaller, which is why I never noticed this before.
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You can use a stylus and the VW freehand tool, but the lines are extremely bitmapped. There is no palm rejection; you frequently have to redo the lines.
I have used it in combination with an iPad when I wanted a freehand vegetation line for a site plan. If you have access to a Mac, link the iPad, set it up as an external monitor in System Preferences, and "extend" the display. Slide VW over, and draw as long as you can before the laggy interface drives you mad.
The result looks like something that was drawn using a stylus in 2003. You might be able to play around with smoothing, at the expense of accuracy....
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@Ed Wachter The wide flange 3d tool was developed when 3d really meant "plan item extruded". The tool was developed in the early 2000s.
Steel shapes generated in this manner have a tendency to lose their curved corner edges at random, inopportune times, which can be frustrating. I sometimes use it for posts and columns. And frequently regret it.
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Yeah I debated whether to call it quasi-legacy. Like many other tools (in the architectural and MEP toolsets), the Framing Member tool was developed decades ago and not thought about since.
Is zombie a better adjective?
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I am partial to the framing member tool. Use a steel profile.
Sadly this legacy tool can do things that the structural member tool still cannot.
Rendermall Trees - Adding Trees
in General Discussion
Posted
There is probably a resale market for the now-defunct Rendermall content. I, too, regret not purchasing, but at the time, a library of parametric trees was always outside my budget. The legacy tool still works, with the default VW list of plants.