unearthed

I don't work directly with .dwg much nowadays, and didn't know ACAD allows image embedding. Seems the file is parsed to become a new format inside the .dwg. Seems there's a way to extract/remake the raster but would need ACAD, or BricsCAD or similar - sounds a palava. https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/visual-lisp-autolisp-and-general/extract-embedded-images-from-autocad-drawing/td-p/5900562

AFAIK vw can only read the information in the associated .jgw (that usually comes with an image/raster file ) .jgw files hold the real-world location coordinates and orientation for the centre of the top left pixel. Normally a dwg/dxf file will have an associated raster file, along with a jgw file which is simply a .txt file, which looks something like this: 1.000000 0.000000 0.000000 -1.000000 263111.187500 4375666.000000 where the bottom two lines are the upper left pixel coordinates. there is an app out on the web createJGW.exe which will read/parse an image and create .jgw's (I think it will do batches of tiles too), altho' they can also be written by hand

@Cadplan Architecture Just read my post in depth, most of what I do for small file sizes is in there. I also purge imported files as many CAD users don't know how to reduce file sizes e.g. I recently had a file from a draught-person that came with 900 layers (moistly empty), I only needed 3. I don't render in VW - only in sketchup/kerkythea and then bring image files in. Don't duplicate, just make new classes inside your your groups for new / updated objects. I use vw mainly as a layup tool, plus its DB and worksheet for calculating huge planting areas.

@Cadplan Architecture No that large, and what really matters to me is how they come out in pdf sizewise as well as looking appropriately sharp. As area sizes get larger so I draw with less detail. I normally degrade images to reduce size and tile and class them to get control (this is where vw really falls over). I normally clean incoming files to get the size and clutter (reduce vertex numbers and reduce points) down. Simple - you don't get much more simple than my layer/class system and its really just a reduced form of that used by @jeff prince easy to scan a series of lines that start with numbers Most of my running jobs files are <100Mb and that often includes ~50Mb of images. I have found that viewports and saved views take up ~1Mb just by existing and without holding much data. vwx seems to be a very greedy/lazy file format. A lot of my image processing I do in Image Magick and QGIS as they both handle huge files - I've just joined and clipped 90 drone files into a 1.3Gb file that QGIS loads in about 5 seconds.Then I export smaller areas to vw. Only draw to a scale of what will be seen on drawings - no sense showing the brand name on your bolt heads!

I do smaller things up to very large (kilometres across) - mainly landscapes but also buildings to shell/massing stage. There's no relationship between size and complexity. Single-file approach only for whole project. No referencing, although I would if vw could parse txt files. I include sheet organisation in my file organisation hierarchy. I have this set up as a template: Sheets: 1a.. overviews and concepts 2a.. Details 3a.. Moodboards and palettes 4a.. Specifications and tables 5a.. File info Layers: _0 Swap space to organise info imports 00 Legal 02 spare 01 Trees 03 Arch 04 Hardscape 05 Plants 06 Underlays 08 Aerials 09 Sheet It'd be great if vw layers could hold attributes the same as classes, but this is poorly-implemented. Classes: Numbered same as layer hierarchy with a minimum of hyphens as they are time-consuming Drawing numbering For each issue save a dated file into that issue's folder, and if I think it'll be there long time save a dxf as well as vw doesn't honour backwards readability well. Quite a few nested classes for items like trees so I can turn of all trees; just have an circle/outline and code; or full graphics.

On old versions of vw (before 2012 which I'm still on) this seemed to be a real problem. I did some testing to get to the bottom of it and it seemed at the time their was no validation so if you selected 12 pt you'd actually get a size that ranged from just about 12 to just below 13 (whatever random numbers were in the buffer at the time) . 2012 seems to be better, but being if I use a non-standard size I always put .0 just to make sure. As vw bugs/flaws/ty coding seem to be cyclic maybe this problem has returned.

Someone here will probably do it for you, makes it easier if you put up the VW version number they were made with.

Have you tried using QGIS? - its FOSS and much friendlier both in interface and user communities than Arc. I just do the basics in it but i'll do anything you want. I tried a trial of Arc but found it impenetrable, and even if I got good at it could never afford the full package - here it's at least NZ$12000 plus annual fees. Whereas QGIS is free and just works.

Are you using an image-based texture? Also you should edit your subject to something meaningful and put your vw version in your profile; bugs and issues are often specific to vw version.

I do most work in 2D as many jobs kilometres across/regional and it works fine. Only time I do 2D is to put smaller areas of contours in. I do any 3D in Sketchup or QGIS and bring in or reference images/pdfs. The real issue with slowness is large area images, and how I get around that is to split them up and put each in their own class - a hassle and a kludge and only for larger jobs.

Thanks Pat, I've just found him on twitter.

HI Laura, I asked this question last year - which got a few different answers. I ended up using sketchup as someone sent me a script to do what I wanted. I have also used R (a statistics package) to do random placement of different sized circles representing plants. In 2014 I put this Q up - and Petri Sakkinen / Panta.Rhei replied and sent me a vso that I've used, but its more oriented to 3D graphics and hard to use Look for Petri Sakkinen on here and send him a PM - he may have a tool to do what you want. IDK if he is still here tho' I asked this a while ago and Petri had some useful ideas and contacted me via email so I don't know about sending the vso out. @Pat Stanford What are the rules around sending out plugins that users have sent us personally? from Petri 2014 > Hello, Nigel! I was told that you are after a plug-in for mass planting design. I’ve made one which may or may not be suitable. It is not really for ”design” but rather for illustrations (2D and 3D). Randomizes up to 7 symbols/species within an editable polyline, using density per hectare.

HI Laura, IDK if it will help but I've always done my plant area calcs using worksheets using the AREA function and working out my spacings, density etc from that - I normally have two or three weightings on each sum and have gone up to to the high hundreds of thousands with no issues. My plant areas are usually large (many hectares) and the file becomes unwieldy and unworkable with all these icons. If I need spacing graphics for a contractor/client I just do a small area as an illustration.

I'm hoping to get a (relatively) low-cost Emlid GNSS specifically a Reach+ - the agent here tells me I can use the Emlid app on my mobile phone acting as the RTK remote - this is looking like US$800. The main job I'd be using this for would be street tree surveys and also native forest surveys - I work alone so like you need something like a robotic theodolite, but I'd rather avoid the cost of one of those. I've found the majority of lower-cost solutions are just marketing hype to shift product but they are ineffective at best.

Deleted - answered wrong Q