John Whyte

Hi Jim, Just wandered if you'd had a chance to look over that file ? Thanks John

Im on vwx 2014, ive gone to (on OSX) Vectorworks > about vectoworks. I can see an Application version which is 2014 (build ....) with a 6 digit number after the build but this dosnt let me know which Service pack im on.. any ideas ?

Thanks Jim, Please find below link to download a copy of the dwg file, it contains 1 model layer (autocad's equivalent of a design layer) and 1 sheet layer with some viewports (some are meant to be 1:10 some are meant to be 1:2) Link - https://www.dropbox.com/s/xe3cnms5v8kvzwn/for%20vectorworks%20scale%20check.dwg

Im importing a drawing from a dwg that consists of : - a design layer at 1:1 - a sheet layer - a viewport at 2:1 But when i import it into vectorworks everything comes across fine about from the viewport its now at 2.020:1. Similarly a viewport that should be 20:1 is coming in at 20.20:1. Ive checked the original file in autocad and its correctly in at 2:1 and 20:1 respectively Any idea why this is happening ? Please see images below for more info (click on the images to see them larger) -- VWX 2014 Designer OSX 10.9

The solution i found was to render the sections using the unshaded polygon render style, this allowed me to keep a style that is similar to hidden line, but include colored areas.

We've got some freelance technicians working with us in house, they work in autocad and to save time they are working in autocad and then we import the drawings into vwx. (its not ideal but we dont want to spend a week / week and a half to transfer them over). Our current workflow works fine, but in some of the autocad model spaces (the autocad equivalent of a vwx design layer) we have images (.jpg and .png) and some autocad generated tables / reports. When we import these into vwx the images disappear completly and the tables become just lines and text rather than a dynamic table. Is there any way to preserve these when importing the dwg files ?

Im trying to build a report from selected call out boxs. Ive had a bit of success working with tools > reports > create reports and then using ` =('Callout'.'Text') `. But that takes all the call out boxs and they are in a pop out report. What id really like to do is select the boxs i want in the report and then be able to display that report table in the design layer. Any ideas on the workflow to do this ?

Personally i would always try a stretch for a more powerful card even if i saves 30 seconds a render multiply that by renders per day then compare that to your hourly charge you'll see the more powerful GPU pays for itself pretty quick. Im not sure in the imacs but if the GPU is soldered to the motherboard like it is in allot of other macs you wont be able to update it later

I do quite allot of 3d setting out drawings, i really like the configurable items in furn / fixtures tab in the tool sets palette. Is there a way to expand these with either a library or add to with my own custom configurable icons ? --- VWX 2014 - Designer

Ive marked up some tiling areas on a 3d model using the 3d poly tool like the image below. I then take these 3d models and generate a plan, and 4 section viewports, these are rendered in hidden line. How can i do this so the colored areas in the model show up in the section viewports ? Ideally id like to avoid using multiple stacked viewports in my sheet layer as they are more fiddly to maintain. Id also like to avoid using the opengl render setting as im not really looking for a rendered image, im just looking to present a line drawing for setting out / calcs for tile areas.

Is there a way i can delete all items of a class across a mixture of multiple design layers, and multiple sheet layers ? I was thinking i could do a custom select and then just hit the delete key, but this would only work if they were on the same design or sheet layer.

Thanks @Jim - You mentioned that "(Assuming that is a symbol?)" If it wasnt a symbol just a group of rectangles would that make a difference ? When you say "this would have to be done manually within the geometry of that symbol." Does that mean i would have to make 2 symbols one for 100% size and one for 70% size each one having the 10mm dimension specified separately. As if they were scaled symbol instances surly everything would scale.

Ive got a detail drawing of a piece of paneling / mounding. I want to be able to change the overall dimensions of the whole panel BUT keep the gaps between each level of the paneling the same. So if the panel was 1000mm x 1000mm with 10mm gaps and i scale it either using the scale tool or dragging it corners to 500mm x 500mm i still want to keep the gaps at 10mm rather than 5mm. Is it possible to specify static measures that will stay the same even when scaled ? Please see the image below (click it to see larger)

Thanks Mike, Im talking with my UK distributor, just for clarification could you tell me were the options / Menu is to manage / publish an release schedule in the Australian version ? In the UK version ive gone to File > Issue Manager which gives me the option to write release / revision notes, which are releted to the tilte blocks is that the same as the Australian version or does it give you an option to register like the image in my previous post ?

Thanks Benson, Is there a downside to this - increased file size, increased file loading times when first opening ?

I produce quite a few 3d setting out room drawings which i then take multiple section viewports from as well as a 2d plan. When editing these models i can pan and orbit the drawings in the design layer (in wireframe mode) as needed, this is really quick with no lag, but when i go to my sheet layer and have to update all my section viewports they take a while to update, the background render mode for them is hidden line and the foreground render is none. Is there another render mode (or something else) that i can use to speed this up ?

Im having trouble finding the 3d rehshape tool, im sure it used to live in the 3d modelling pallet, but when i look there i cant see it. I cant see it in the help menu either - any ideas ? Is it an add on that i need to download ? VWX Designer 2014

Thanks for all the above input, ive tried the "Create Polys from Walls" tool which worked great, but i could only get it to work if the walls had been drawn using the vwx wall tool. On an imported dwg drawing like the image below i couldnt seem to get it to work. @CipesDesign i looked into the inner / outer boundary tool, although they are not perfect at picking out the exact area, in most instances they create quite a good poly which i can then tweak with the reshape tool. All in all i think its still quicker for more complex spaces than individually skirting the perimeter of each room using the 2d poly vertex mode. Thanks

After writing this up, i was browsing through the tool sets and came across the 3d polygon tool, which seems to do the job quite nicely - so i think i might have answered my own question - unless if there is a better way to produce this ?

Ive imported a bath which i downloaded from the manufactures website. Normally i try and download dwg / dxf files, but they only supply sketchup files. When i import the bath it comes in quite strange with lots of heavy lines (see the images below) is there a better way to import sketchup models ?

Ive got a 3d model of a room like the one below (but much more detailed with sanitry ware etc - its a bathroom) I need to mark on the tiling areas, whats the best tool to do this ? In the example below i want to mark up that i want to tile the wall 50% of its height (from the floor level) and 100% of its width. I would show this by marking the area with a polygon, colouring it red (or other) and then showing that red = tiled in a key. Ive tried using 2d polygon tool when in front view and then positioning it into the correct space in top/plan, but it seems really Fiddly, i thought there must be an easier way. Using these models ultimately we produce 2d sections VPs. (click on the image to see it larger)

Is there an inbuilt way in vectorworks to generate / manage drawing issue / release registers like the one below (which is pulled from google).

We use the 2d polygon tool to fill floor areas for UFH (under floor heating) drawings / floor finishes and floor level drawings. These look like the image below. At the moment we draw these by going around the room and drawing our polygons, but on larger projects, especially if they are refurbishments of older buildings, rather than new builds there are many angles and returns to deal with and it can take ages to go through each floor marking off the areas. Is there a 'one click' fill or some other technique that we can use to mark off these areas quicker ? For the majority of our projects we get .dwgs submitted by surveyor which we load into vectorworks - not sure if that makes a difference for what we want to do, but just wanted to point out that the walls are not drawn using the vwx wall tool - having said that if they where drawn with the wall tool would there be a different approach to produce these flooring area drawings ?

We've got a 'Scope of Works' drawing that is marked up with call out boxes detailing each 'action' a contractor has to take. We submit these drawings to our contractors, but we also like to submit a spreadsheet to them with each row being an action relating to the drawing so that they can put their price in the cell next to it. Is there a simple way to say select all call out boxes and generate a spreadsheet from them. At the moment we are clicking into each call out box and then copying that text into the a new cell in a excel spreadsheet - is there a quicker way ?

Thanks Miguel