Jonathan Pickup

from the menu bar choose File > Preferences > Document Preferences... from the Display tab make sure that your bitmap resolution is set to the highest possible.

and if you really want the right mouse click to be faster, don?t have submenus in it. I have taken my sub menus out. Also consider adding stuff the document context menu (when you right mouse cilck away from everything) that you use a lot but is not specific to an object, like preference menus...

if you need to keep the plan view of the object after it?s extrided, then use the floor command instead of extruding it.

I have added a lot of stuff to my right mouse click, it means that you don?t have to go looking for commands that you use a lot. If you have my Architect Tutorial manaul, there is a section at the back that has all my tips on customising your workspace.

my export shows export to 10, 9, 8 try changing to the standard workspace

Page on the Menu Bar

the standard workspace on my VectorWorks has the folloing keybd shortcuts: Previous View (Shift+cmd+,) Next View (shift+cmd+.)

you can set a keybd shortcut to the align layer views command. At the back of the Architect Tutorial manual there is a section on customising your workspace and writing simple scripts...

The Resource Browser is a palette that allows you to copy resources (symbols, hatches, gradients, worksheets, textures, etc) from one file to another. There are two ways to do this: first one both files and then use the Resource Browser to point to the other file. Second, as Jim says, create a file and store in somewhere and then use the Resource Browser to access it. For a really detailed explanation of how to use the Resource Browser you could try my essential manual. It is designed to help you learn VectorWorks from nothing.... https://vesta.safe-order.net/archoncad/manuals/manuals.php

if you do this Brendan, remember that there is a VectorWorks preference to control whether you see other objects while in groups, turn that off.

You?re welcome. If you have any of my manuals you should have learnt that making symbols is and efficient way to work. I have some other tips about symbols, and making window schedules....

many architects work crazy hours and some make a lot of money. The Architects that make money in architecture do so because they run their practices as a business, not because they are the lucky ones. To which you can say, let?s keep overheads down, or you could say we need to invest properly in the tools that make us the money. I know some Architects that run old versions of VectorWorks on old machines. Are these Architects reducing overheads? or are they refusing to invest in the tools that they use for most of the day to earn their money? Using old machines and old software is not working efficiently. I agree that CAD requires an investment. It requires a continuous investment in computers, upgrades and training. Remember that products that you specify change, and get updated, and laws and building codes change and get updated. You have to invest time to learn these... But it comes back to giving your practice the tools it need to complete the tasks that you want. VectorWorks is powerful and with the localised Australian and New Zealand version it has some great capabilities, you can do things that we could never dream of in earlier versions... and these make you more efficient, they improve the quality of your work and the quality of your presentation and some of the new concepts make creating drawings much faster (more efficiently).

what do you think this tool is called, maybe you are looking for the wrong thing. Are you looking for the Attribute Mapping Tool?

I'm not sure this is the right forum for this type of essay on the life of an Architect. Telling yourself and use that you are in a time-poor profession does nothing for your business and does nothing for our profession either. Part of running an Architectural practice is running a business, and it has to be run as a business. This means that you have to make a profit. You need this profit to invest in the business (new computers/software/training). It?s not VectorWorks fault. I agree with Brendan, VectorWorks is amazing power for the money you spend.

try using the split tool, i especially like the last mode that splits and tidies up...

i cover this exact roof type in my VectorWorks Architect tutorial, so if you want a longer explanation you should look at my web site : https://vesta.safe-order.net/archoncad/manuals/manuals.php but a couple of suggestions: 1. In elavation draw lines to represent the roof slope. 2. Don?t nudge the roof, move it accurately. 3. From the Menu Bar use AEC > Fit Walls to Roof to get the walls to meet the barrel. This command works with all 3D geometry, not just roofs...

do the cresent light shapes have a solid fill in them? Is the light source deep enough in the cresent shape? On the object info plaette, does the light have cast shadows ticked? When you make a bunch of lights like this, I know it?s tempting to sort out one lightand copy it to make the other lights. Don?t! Make a symbol of ir. Then when you fix the problem for one light, you fix all of them. Oh yeah, and as a symbol, you can add the light to your library and use it on another project

i still find that you can reuse your details from project to project, but you have you set up your library parts in so that they are useful in viewports. You could for example have annotation and dimnesions on a class in the symbol. Then you could place the detail in a section, yet still use it to make details with viewports.

sorry, I meant movie. I have a movie if you want

I think your view was looking at the wrong thing maybe, or the wrong view. I was able to render it OK. I have a move if you want...

you could email me direct and let me try

hidden cloud, when you first go to place a callout, cilck on the preferences button on the mode bar and change your preferences, I change all of them so that the callout suits my style better. just in case you weren't aware of it, you can do the same thing with all plug-ins that have preferences.. If you do this in a new file then save it as your default template, you won't have to do it again.

are you talking about a worksheet. If so, why convert it? It will loose the ability to be recalculated. Just place the worksheet on the drawing. In the Resource Browser doulble click on the worksheet. It will be applied to the drawing.

if you want a copy of the object on the same layer i use duplicate. An easy way to duplicate is to drag the object the new location while holding down the Option Key (macintosh) or CTRL Key (windows). I call it drag a copy and it is really fast! Copy and paste when you want to copy the object to a different layer or inside a group (or symbol, roof, floor etc.)

I have a tool that does this, and anyone that has my VectorWorks Architect Tutorial will find it on the CD in the back of the manual.