TiTaNiuM sAMuRai

VectorWorks 9.5.3 non-beta QuickTime 6.0.2 MacOSX.2.2 model drawing on a network drive (OS9.1) saving image to that same network drive The rendered image of my model will not save. The Export Image dialogue comes up, I make some parameter changes, then hit the Save... button. The save dialogue pops up, I type a file name, then the re-render begins. When it finishes, the cursor returns to normal, and the Export Image dialogue is still there, awaiting my input. Clicking Save... again goes through the re-render. Clicking Cancel instead, closes the dialogue. When I check for the file, from Finder, it's not there; it was never saved. I'm going to try from Classic.

We can't gripe too much about acad compatibility since AUTODesk is being a bunch of snots about their file structures. Pricks. VW should be commended for doing as well as it has with import/export.

Is anyone using a black background? What is your text-fill setting?

The wait for 9.5.x while others discovered the inadequacies of 9.0 and 9.1 was a prudent one. We moved from a 'stable' (I use the term very loosely) 8.5.2 to a 'stable' and 'not-too-buggy' 9.5.2. I, for one, do NOT give a heck of a lot of credence to Mr. Pacylowski's claim, regardless of what numbers he has to back him up. Sorry, dude. I, for one, am waiting until 10.5. We have almost all the functionality we need with 9.5.2/3, and have no interest in the possible decreased reliability and stability for added 'features' that we do NOT need -- or even want, really. Trust isn't given; it's earned. The committed staff at NNA work very hard, but VW has not earned my trust.

Beziers do the same thing from time to time, although the 'lines' are just a matter of the curved lines not ending in exactly the right spot.

Specifically, we just bought a PSL3 printer. I was hoping that the transparency feature that was missing with our PSL2 printer (HP LaserJet 4V) would be resolved with the new unit.

I couldn't find a newer topic to re-address this issue, but... I know PSL1 and L2 don't support transparency, but doesn't PS Level 3 add support for transparency? I thought I read it in an Illustrator manual.

Yes, 9.5.3 covers QT6 issues. But -- if you happen to know -- does QT602 fix any 'issues' that VW952 had with QT6, or is Apple's API call implementation permanently going to be an issue? Just curious, that's all.

Mike: glossiness is fine, but the phong is off. The diffuse reflection (roughness) is too tight, so it gives a metallic appearance. If you dull the angle of interaction with the light, you can keep the same level of gloss, but the gloss will be mitigated by the actual tile colour, and appear more like ceramic.

Has NNA had a chance to see if QT602 solves any problems that 6.0 introduced to VW 9.5.2? I'm still sitting with QT503 and VW952, so I'm not having any troubles.

Joe: Someone here had the same problem with a floor finish pattern plan that used quite a few hatches. I popped in a 64MB card to complement the 128MB card that was already in. That alone appears to have solved the problem, so it is likely bad VM vehavior. Just FYI.

Maybe a silly question, ghost, but did you try the copy&paste to a fresh dwg?

Set the attrib to 'no fill'. Display should be fine, but printing to a PostScript device won't work that way, though.

Make sure that the layer is Paint, not Overlay.

Aside from Maya, there doesn't appear to be much in the way of high-quality architectural modelers/renderers that give me the same results as POV-Ray. With POV, I export to AutoCAD, tweak a bit, then import into Rhino, name groups, then export to POV. I need something that others in the office -- who are not as adept at such manoeuvres -- can get into without extensive training. Suggestions? 3dcafe doesn't appear to have what I'm after.

If you go into 'Create Plug-in', you can find the PIO in question, and there should be a place under 'Parameters...' (?) to change those class names. If not, you'd have to edit the script manually. That wouldn't be too tough, since you'd just replace all instances of the offending name with your own names.

Richard: Find a good grammar checker. Check your ego while you're at it. KT: I know how hard you guys work. The work demanded, though, in creating an app inherently more complex than AutoCAD, is more than one can *reasonably* expect from a smallish team such as yours. You're doing an excellent job for such a large task. Software credits sometimes list all contributors, but that's not always the case. Ask some database management developers.

KT: AHA! I KNEW IT! I knew that NNA must have had under a dozen people to work on its products. As I've said before, there really isn't much in terms of resources. As for those M-F addressing issues, tell your techs to spend less time with homemade assembler routines. (yes, I understand what you said, but it's funnier this way)

With softened shadows, I believe that the size of your scene determines the jagginess of the shadow map used, and therefore the choppiness of your umbra.

In order to pay its employees, NNA must sell products. Management sees a bunch of v8 copies sold, then the demand diminishes. Solution? Make another product so that they can get more money. This creates a vicious cycle, as we all know well; updates to an existing product to not generate revenue, yet consume resources. I must agree with the ghost, though. If more time was devoted to fixing existing things (not just the slap-in-the-face OSX glitches), and less time to introducing 'revolutionary' or 'innovative' features, less time would need to be spent on tech support. User confidence would increase, morale would grow, and the sky would shine. Pointy hair gets in the way of logic like that, though

Can we start a new thread? Please?

KT: Distance blur = focal blur. Look it up in a photography discussion somewhere for a full explanation.

Interesting (assuming you weren't alt-tabbing to-from explorer/netscape to read the directions). VW9.5.2 on MacOSX.1.5, iMac G3. I followed your directions, and clicking on the box cleared the field, with nothing subsequently showing on the dim line.

Is VW10 or RW10 designed for multiple processors?

I certainly hope that your input-display has operations have been synchronized in v10... It appears, though, that NNA aimed more at the architects designing the buildings (I'm okay with that) but really not as much to the draftspeople who have to do the other 90% of the documents. I'm eager to test this...