johnharley

That is far too tedious for the number of footprints (and complexity) needed to be clipped. Is there really no way to generate a point-point, irregular shaped selection marquee? That's hard to believe....If not, that is a program basic that should be added to the wish list.

Larry, Check out a device called the Shuttle Pro2 by Contour Design. It's actually designed for video editing, but it works great with CAD and graphics programs. I have been using one for months with VW 11, AutoCAD, Paint Shop Pro and Corel Draw. I have set up the "jog wheel" to zoom in and out in VW. This makes it possible to zoom with a finger tip. By the way, I also use a Logitech MX500-I wouldn't give it up for the world. It's the best optical mouse out there.

This is probably a dumb question, but I am new to this tool. I am using the clip tool to trim polygons (footprints on a site plan). The objects are at different angles on the sheet, however the marquee that comes up is rectangular and square to the sheet, is there a way to rotate this OR better yet a "point to point" type marquee to create an irregular shaped pick box? [ 09-06-2005, 10:47 AM: Message edited by: johnharley ]

Now I got it. This is a great tool to play around with for various effects.

When using the stipple tool, is it necessary to draw the area/shape you want to stipple? Or, can you copy an existing shape? I am trying to apply the stipple to a site that has an irregular shape (it would be a bit of a pain to re-trace). also, has the stipple tool replaced the "material fill? I can't seem to find material fill.

I must be missing something. When I try this I don't actualy see any thing, although the new object has grips and the smart cursor "blips" on them. ??? I am using a drawing set to "use layer colors", will it pick up the color from the layer? [ 05-10-2004, 06:27 PM: Message edited by: johnharley ]

I also have been using image fills. They are nice to use, however, they greatly increase print/processing time. I have been playing around with converting to 3d polys. I have only had marginal success. I find if there are any 2d elements left in the drawing, it crashes. Since this IS a wish list forum I'm sticking with my original request. In fact I will slightly modify it: I would like to see the Artistic Effects extended to 2D, including the ability to work if an image is inserted in the drawing and....... in the options box a "check box" to ignore text. Anyone who uses Photoshop or PaintShop Pro knows that using filters is extremely powerful. I really do believe this would propel VectorWorks to an entirely new level. [ 04-30-2004, 07:56 AM: Message edited by: johnharley ]

Katie, That did it!. I installed the QT6.5 included with the upgrade and it worked without a hitch. In fact, this is one new improvement that works VERY well. I can give you a actual example. Yesterday I used VW10.5 to apply color to a tif image. The image was a 12600 x 9000 pixel tif file with a 1 bit color depth. It was a fairly simple drawing. In VW10.5 the total .mcd file was 13.8 MB. Last night I brought the same image file into VW11 and reproduced the same amount of color. The VW11 file was 540KB. Very impressive.

It looks like I'm using v5.02. Should I update this to a more current version?

I have just upgraded to VW11 this week. When I try to bring in a tif file, the program pauses then gives me a runtime error and closes. I have tried this serveral times with the same result. Am I missing something that has changed for this process? I can bring the exact same tif file into VW10.5 (and previously also used the same files on v9) WinXP, Dell 2.4 ghz, with 1,5 gigs of ram and a 128 mb ati video card.

I have Doodle. If this feature worked on 2d it would be far more powerful than Doodle.

Unless I am really missing something....That is correct. After trying this several times and getting runtime errors I finally resorted to the instruction manual which states: "Note: Artistic Renderworks does not produce sketch rendering of 2d objects".

I have just upgraded to VW 11 and are still in the process of evaluating the improvements. One feature I was very excited about was the new "artistic effects". This is very much akin to using filters or plugins in Photoshop. I was very disappointed to discover this feature does NOT work on 2d objects. There is a note in the manual, however, I think it should be listed in large bold print in the online literature. I would like to see 2d capability added to this feature. I really believe this is a major missed opportunity that would clearly put VW in a class by itself. Please keep in mind, that for myself (and a lot of other design professions)2d documents are the bread and butter. 95% of our documents are 2d plans. 3d renderings are the "special presentations" and are far less frequent. Please expand this new tool. The ability to draw blocks of color and then apply a filter to achieve a visual effect instantly would be incredibly valuable!

Katie, Could this be added to the wish list? I really think this would enhance the versatility of VectorWorks. Thanks

Apparently not. After a bit of experimentation, I have noticed this is a problem on large and complex objects. For instance using the tool on a large rectangle when used as a background. When it works, it looks great, like a piece of paper with a torn edge effect. I have also had problems on complex object (to simulate tree masses). But it does seem to work on small, simple shapes. Q: Are there any known size limitations on using this tool?

Is there a way to link (not insert) an image file into vectorworks. This way the image file could be revised and the change would show up in the vectorworks file when it was re-openned. I've done alot of drawings with the image import command. But when something changes we have to delete the image file and bring a new one in. Sometimes this can be cumbersome and time consuming depending on the complexity of the image.

I recently discovered using plant lines to create a jagged edge. The effect is great, however it seems to cause a printing problem. I have been using polygons with an image fill to create tree masses on site plans. After applying a plant line the drawing does not print correctly. The image fill (or solid fill) will have a diagonal line with the fill flipping over the line. (it is hard to discribe-and looks bizarre). The image looks perfactly normal on the screen. I have had no other printing problems. Anyone else encounter this? Using: VW 10.5, Win on a Dell 2.6 ghz w/ 1 gig of ram and a 256 ati video card., plotter is an HP500 with latest drivers and Maximum memory installed.

I often import DWG flies from the same sources. They have provided the Line weight information for the plot style files they use. Each time I import (for a new drawing session) I find myself going thru the import dialog box and re-entering the same line weights. Is there any way I could save these settings so I don't have to keep re-entering the same information?

Is their a way to have the end of lines be squared off (and not rounded)? On thin line weights this is not a problem. However, on very bold line weights (2.0 mm +) this does not look good. I realise i could draw very skinny rectangles, but his causes other problems with re-scaling and does not work for polylines.

I agree, I think think is a major draw back to the property line tool. It would also be nice if their was an option for how the text is set on the property line. For example, above below the line or spread out above the line, etc.

Thanks Katie, that does explain quite a bit. I agree with Matthew, I would hope ways of compressing the images are on the horizon. I use alot of images in 2d rendering. I consider it one of VW's strong points. I would like to see greater image compression in the file and also, faster processing of the overall file for plotting.

I think that would be a step backwards. It would mar the overall simpicity of Vectorworks.

I have started using image fills for renderings and have simply made my own. I use Paint Shop Pro and create a 2" x 2" orginal bitmap. Then I take a copy of the image and turn it into a seamless tile (this is how may wallpaper patterns are created). With most patterns you really cannot detect the edges/repetition. With a few it can be noticed, however I have discoverd by setting the fill on an angle this pretty much disappears.

I won't repeat all the banter here, please refer to the item "entering colors" in the general discussion section. Thanks.

Hey, hey, lets not get nasty here. Bruce is exactly correct. Introducing a color number input option would make it much easier to assemble standard color pallettes. In my case I am not interested in assigning "pen widths". I'm using this for 2d renderings of site plans. The line work is always black and at the desired line width. What I'm trying to do is replicate what I used to do with markers. That is, have a reference binder with sample color schemes for site plans, ie what color are the footprints, lots,grass, open space, water etc. We work on a wide range of projects and usually have VERY little time to prepare a rendering for a public meeting. With a color guide we can quickly and easily pick an appropriate color scheme for that project type. As far as what this should look like: I think a simple space at the bottom of the color pallette to punch in the number would be fine. Another possibility would be to use the Windows "smart tags" - the little explanatory notes that appear when you hold the cursor over something. I'm not sure if Mac's have any equivalent. Seeing a sample of the selected color is not all that helpful. I choose colors based off of a slightly modified Vectorworks color pallette printed out at 30 x 42 hanging over my desk (white space has been added between the blocks of color). You cannot pick a color based on the way it appears on a monitor. For one thing those colors are backlit by a light source. Most of us do not present drawings that way. Furthermore, as stated earlier, the color blocks on the screen are far too small. The purpose of improving Vectorworks is not just to produce software that looks "sleek" or "neat". The point is to make the program useful, practical and easy to use. Yes it should be un-cluttered. But if software looks clean and simple but is cumbersome to use...it's useless.