Dave M

3 years ago, I successfully installed VW 12 and the 12.5 updater on my Win10 laptop. Recently, I installed VW 12 successfully on a new laptop, but I'm unable to install the 12.5 updater. Instead, I get the attached error message below which suggests some required files got deleted from the VW servers. Has anyone else run into this? I know it's an ancient version, but a perpetual license is supposed to be perpetual.

Thanks to all for the input. I know I should upgrade, but 12.5 was such a fine release- very stable with everything I need and very little I don't need. I am excited about getting a Mac, though. Windows seems to have lost it's way. Dave

Call me a Luddite but I'm still using Version 12.5 on a PC. I'm sick of Windows and thinking of switching to a Mac. Is anyone out there running 12.5 on a current Mac? Otherwise, it's update time for me.

Katie, thanks for the reply. What about the Open GL issue which is my favorite quick rendering mode in VW? I've heard Open GL isn't supported in Vista.

Vista is now a reality for us PC people. I'm hearing rumblings that it's a disaster for CAD in general and OpenGL applications in particular. The word is that some CAD systems can run up to 50x slower under Vista. Has anyone tried VW on Windows Vista?

In previous versions of VW, I could advance/tab through dialog box options with the arrow keys. This doesn't seem to work with VW12. Has anyone else had this issue? Does anyone know of a workaround?

To accurately move a symbol inserted within a wall, you must open the 'Position' tab in the Object info pallete. This is tedious and there is no preview of the action. Why can't the nudge commands move the symbol within the wall. They currently move the entire wall even when a particular syumbol is selected. Being an architect, I admit to being picky about arrow heads. VW's arrow heads are not sufficiently customizable and cannot produce an architect's standard chisel pointed arrow head. The limitation is that head line weights are the same as the leader line weight. A simple solution would be to add a new field in the arrow head dialog box allowing you to set the arow head line wight separately.

David, Yes, now I see how it works. It still seems a bit counter-intuitive since you have to deselect the parameter you want to change. Maybe the documentation could be a bit clearer. Thanks for your help. ---------------- Dave M.

When I change the Image Export resolution on my PC (Macs may be OK), the image size (in pixels or inches) in the Image Export dialogue box does not update automatically. The exported image has the correct resolution, but it has also been shrunken or enlarged correspondingly. For example, if I double the resolution (from 72 to 144), the resulting exported image is half the size of the original. Sometimes, I can get the correct results by manually changing the image size to correspond to the new resolution, but this doesn't always work. Sometimes, the image size in either inches or pixels will update automatically, but only if the corresponding radio button is deselected. Any suggestions?

We recently upgraded from VW8 which printed tiles in order from top to bottom first and then left to right. VW12 prints left to right first and then top to bottom. This change is causing a problem with some of our template files. Is there a preference to set the tile order (like there is in Excel)?

I'm upgrading to VW12 from a much older version (so old that I'm embarrased to say which), and many of the Windows shortcuts (underlined hot keys have changed. I believe these are (arbitrarily?) set be Windows and not by the workspace editor. Is there any way to customize them?

Can I create an orbital movie where the sun doesn't rotate? I'm making movies of my architectural models. To get shadows on all 4 sides, I've had to use at least 2 light sources (at the corners facing in opposite directions). This creates duplicate shadows in many views. What I really want is to have my model rotate below a fixed sun. The shadows would sweep around the model, changing with each view, and all sides would be lit by a single sun source. Is there a way to do this with Renderworks?

Whatever happened to Quickdraw 3D? It was a fabulous 3D model exporter/viewer and one of the best features of earlier Minicad versions. I'm aware that it has also disappeared from the Apple web-site.

Dear jan15, Why does Vectorworks offer us the ability to use unlimited numbers of layers if we can't access them efficiently? Why does it matter what I use them for; the point is that they are there to be used. You're right, I am proposing that hyphens in layer names be used to dop that layer into a sub-menu. This provides an additional functionality- the ability to organize layers- which the program does not already offer. This would also further synchronize class and layer syntax which appears to be where NNA is headed.

To open multiple view windows simultaneously, try saving several copies of your file with different names. They can all be open at the same time and set to different views.

I can't quickly select a new layer in files with large numbers of layers. The Layer selection drop-down box in VW10 (and 9) uses a single column scroll box that scrolls at 10 layers/second. This sounds fast but when you have 100 or more layers, it is unacceptably slow. Please give us back the old drop-down which filled the screen with a multi-column list. Even better, how about adding the hyphenated naming functionality like Classes have. Then we could organize our Layer names and shorten our layer lists. Until this gets fixed, I'm stuck with VW8.

I don't beleive either of these are original, but I will pile on: Wish 1: We need better Layer creation tools. Layers should have have hyphenated naming capability (as per Classes). There should be an INSERT layer command to avoid endless clicking through large layer stacks. A DUPLICATE layer commmand would also be helpful. Wish 2: I want to make arrow heads that look architectural. These have a slender leader line with fat lined head strokes. This can be done by adding an arow head line weight dialogue box in the arrow head definition frame. The leader line would still be set by class or with the attribute palette. Thanks for listening. Dave M.

I use up to 240 layers in my drawings and have encountered several issues when managing a large number of layers: To select a layer, I choose one from the layer pop-up list. In VW8(Windows) and all previous versions, if the list was taller than the screen, the list would have additional columns so that all layers were visible at once and any layer could be immediately selected. In VW9, the list is only one column wide and scrolls if the list is taller than the page. It takes 49 seconds (I timed it) to scroll through my layer list which is clearly a problem. Also, it is much more difficult to locate a particular layer because only a few are visible at a time. Can this functionality be returned to the previous versions? Inside the Layers Setup dialogue box, the up and down arrows take forever to move layers in very long stacks and to insert new layers. Could cut and paste commands be used to move layers the way they are with spreadsheets? You would: 1: Select a layer to be moved. 2: Cut it. 3: Scroll through the layer list and select a destination layer. 4: Click paste, and your original layer would be inserted above the destination layer.

Check up on the related discussion titled "Commercial Printing from a File". After years of trying, I have never been able to create a useable plot file within VW on a Windows PC. The solution is to use Adobe Acrobat to print .PDF files that can be printed by most services.

What a relief!!! I have Adobe Acrobat on my Windows PC and I'm finally able to have my drawings printed at my local printing service. The good points are: 1: It actually works (e.g. no more odd looks from counter people who want to know why I don't use AutoCad). 2: The file sizes are very small compared to plot or print files. 3: The plotted output is almost as crisp as the original file. The bad points are: 1: Acrobat costs real money (around $300.00). Mac users can find shareware versions, but sounds like they may not work properly. 2: The print setup is cumbersome and tricky. 3: There may be some discrepancies between the Acrobat file and the original such as additional lines appearing. 4: Your fonts must be fully licensed and postscript friendly. All in all, I think this is the answer to outside printing of a VW document, and I would like to see NNA help us all become experts in using Acrobat. How about including an "Export to PDF" command in the program?

Here is another alternative: A dot screen was originally a work-around for screened mylars that were originally created in black and white. You couldn't have a gray mylar, but VW will let you make gray objects. I usually create a separate layer for gray objects, make the layer color gray (my favorite is the 4th row, 5th column in the V8 color palette), and set the drawing preferences to show layer colors.

I've ordered Adobe Acrobat on a 30 day trial- will report back.

I have also had problems printing to a file. I have an HP330 plotter and have their HPGL and HPGL2 drivers loaded. My plotting service wants a plot (.plt) file but the plotter driver produces a print (.prn) file. Are these different names for identical files? My plotting service uses giant Oce machines and I have been unable to successfully load their drivers on my PC. When I take my .prn files to them, about half the lines print correctly, half print in the wrong locations, and no text at all will print. Any suggestions?