GAS_light

I am running Spotlight Version 9.5 with Windows 98 SE. I downloaded the latest patch for Spotlight 9.5 today and loaded it onto my computer. I cannot insert lighting symbols anymore. When I insert the symbol, it holds for a second, disappears and then I get the following message? Vector script error occurred. Refer to file ?Error Output? for further explanation. View error: Line #29: _275 :=CONCAT(KDRAWBEAMERR,((RAD2DEG(_268)-90)+(RAD2DEG(_261))),KDEGSTR);BEGINTEXT;_275 ENDTEXT;SETTEXTVERTICALALIGN(LNEWOBJ,3);POPATTRS;_266 :=0;END ELSE BEGIN _266 :=_264 /COS(_268);END;_186[1]:= | { Error: Identifier not declared. }| { Error: Expected a string. }| { Error: Expected ) } Help! I need to have this plot done by next week.

I am currently using Spotlight beta 9.5. I use the mirror tool to speed up the process of my designs to place instruments, especially when my plot is symetrical. This works great and really cuts out a great deal of time in the process as long as I am staying in the Vectorwrok platform. I am running into issues exporting plots to DXF/DWG with the text not adjusting its rotation. The export is not carrying the text rotation into the DXF/DWG format. Any thoughts? This and other issues experienced have got me thinking that Spotlight is not all that it is cracked up to be. In fact, the process of kicking out lighting designs is taking longer and more problematic. The whole reason I jumped onto the the MiniCAD/Vectorworks platform was because of its "one stop shop" to light plots/renderings and paperwork and its accesibility. The software's design process and its efficiency seems to be reverting in the wrong direction. More and more I am working with others that have jumped to the AutoCAD platform. I am starting to feel the same. The process of designing a complete plot, renders, and paperwork now takes way too long.

I am farely new to spotlight although I have been a Vectorworks/MiniCAD user since V6. I do both lighting and scenic design. I want to be able to show beams and gobos in my scenic renderings. I have been using Artlantis as my rendering engine but am finding the process becoming too time consuming, problematic and limiting with all of the upgrades of software. As I have been reading manual support, am I to understand that Renderworks is the only software that can produce visualizations of the projected Spotlight gobos? I have heard that Renderworks is getting better at rendering but not quite there yet. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I might better produce photorealistic renderings that reflect not only the scenic but light beam and gobo qualities in my designs? I started using Vectorworks to avoid having to use several types of software to kick out a design, so if possible I am interested in useful and compatable solutions.