JMR

Even easier would be if one could pick the space number directly in the "location" dropdown menu.

This topic inspired me to try the following: Previously I've tried to make room equipment schedules based on the GetSpaceNum function, which is a bit cumbersome method. I've had unreliable results for some reason, and therefore have not dared to use that for issued schedules. However, I tried Erichjberg's method of naming an object, applied to the space object, and it seems to work perfectly! This is a much faster way to achieve room equipment schedules than the "GetSpaceNum" way. One just needs to give the space an individual name, which can be same as the room number. Now, the viewport method would also work, but then the room is not allowed to change any longer (location, dimensions etc.) Attached is a screenshot.

I've been trying to accomplish auto-updating elevation benchmarks, too. How does one create one so that it's attached to a roof/eave height, for example. Is there a way? Mine won't auto-update if they are in the viewports.

Gulp... I wonder if our custom title block/record system stops working in 2018...haven't updated yet.

A bit like what is discusse here....we use "select similar" to make sure all similar objects have the correct record attached. Also viewport data visualisation can be used to check this.

Well I'm very happy with VW, just not the doors and windows. I like the freedom and the plentiful controls VW provides.

I was really hoping for door and window enhancements in 2018, too. The doors and windows really need addressing; as tools, they are THE most important tools for the everyday architect, excluding walls perhaps. Knowing what VW can already achieve in terms of technology, updating these tools should be very easy for the engineers. Heck, doors and windows don't even have any complex geometry - they are just extrudes etc. Very simple. As far as I know, I still can't make an unequal leaf that would be transparent without making custom geometry for the leaf These small but extremely important issues hinder VW sales and reputation! Wakey-wakey...!

Maybe a custom ID tag? I've tried this myself, but have not been successful though. http://app-help.vectorworks.net/2018/eng/index.htm#t=VW2018_Guide%2FAnnotation%2FCreating_Custom_ID_Label_Symbols.htm&rhsearch=custom id tags&rhsyns=

BTW, is there a reason why Windoor is not sold in Europe? or NA?

I agree! Door tag is a very important, fundamental tool for an architect! The local standard over here is to show the following information in the door tag: -Door ID number -Door size in 10cm modules, eg. 9x21M -handedness indicator -Door type descriptor (steel door, glass door, sliding door etc) -Fire rating -Acoustic rating Trying to display these in one line that the standard door tag allows becomes a mess. I've tried to make a custom ID tag a couple of times, but these attempts were unsuccessful. I've thought I've followed the instructions but I can't get it to work. As I wrote somewhere earlier, all door data is there, any custom record data is there, one would think it's easy to connect these with a customized tag.

There is, Have a look at Worksheet Functions in the VW help file, and there for these: GetSpaceNameForObj(criteria) (Vectorworks Architect required) The name of the space that surrounds the object that meets the specified criteria. Related function: GetSpaceNumForObj Examples: ● Database header cell: =GetSpaceNameForObj returns the space name for each object in the database ● Spreadsheet cell: =GetSpaceNameForObj(n='chair-1') returns the space name for the object named “chair-1” GetSpaceNumForObj(criteria) (Vectorworks Architect required) The number of the space that surrounds the object that meets the specified criteria. Related function: GetSpaceNameForObj Examples: ● Database header cell: =GetSpaceNumForObj returns the space number for each object in the database ● Spreadsheet cell: =GetSpaceNumForObj(n='chair-1') returns the space number for the object named “chair-1” There are others than these as well. A word of caution, however: I have had inconstistent results with these so far. Issues I've come across are: -The door object, which is in the middle of a wall, gets assigned one of the adjacent spaces, according to some invisible logic. As far as I know, there is no way to manually assign the space to the door. Some programs have a small handle that allows them to do this; I've wishlisted this item. -On some projects, only some of the objects seem to be able to read this information correctly. I don't know why yet. -On some projects, the functions seem to work ok. HTH

Tolu, I sent you a message with a sharepoint download link to our problematic files. We do experience a bit too many crashes when committing. I've noticed committing often enough helps with this, once a day is too seldom and may cause crashes. We run SP4. Selecting "_Pohjapiirustus 1 .krs. alapohja" layer didn't enable the release button, however we were able to solve the issue by saving the project into a VWX file and then re-sharing it. It would seem that sometimes the soft locks remain in force, even though the daily work has been saved and committed/released. Now that I know to look for that enabled "release"-button, that has helped very much with these issues. Thanks

Thanks I'll give this a try.

Hi, Is there a way to edit class names "excel-style" or via a text editor? I reckon the class names are specified in some initialization file? Thanks

The process used is currently this: -Users always use the same working file, named automatically as per user -Users check out complete layers -Users close and release at the end of the day / work session, at the least -> these "soft lock" issues (if this is the case) still appear. Thank you, I'll send you the project file the next time we get these errors. I guess I must send the working files as well since re-creating the working files from the project file always removes these issues. Enclosed are some screenshots of unexplained errors we get: -"Opening and refreshing working file may... " : This is a "false" error - no changes exist in the project file and no data is lost if the working file is opened. This occurs quite frequently, despite hassle-free save/close and release previously. -"The attempted operation cannot be completed..." : Here I'm trying to open my own file. VW says I've checked out objects, even though I have not. -A screenshot of the project sharing window: Here I went through all layers individually to see if the release button would become enabled, but it didn't. I guess the last user shown working on something completely unrelated somehow had a lock on something.

@Tolu: We use version 2017. You indeed are correct, the program doesn't prompt to check out the layers anymore. But this actually allows accidentally drawing an object on a layer and thus producing a "soft lock" unwittingly? Even as it is, we don't check out individual objects any longer, only complete layers and we still get these issues. Apparently there is no documentation about these "soft locks" in the VW help file, at least that I could find. As rb-arch stated above, it is impossible to see these "soft locks" unless going through the layer list and seeing if the "release" button becomes enabled? Even then, one doesn't know which object is "soft locked" - if so, clearly something has to be done about this. This also comes to the question that what if the owner of the "soft lock" and the admin are away from the office? Or in case these are the same person? Perhaps there should be a separate option for releasing objects and layers that "project" users could also access, should the need arise, exluding other changes only admins can make.

2. No, no-one has created any objects on any other layer than those that have been checked out by that particular user. I see your point but that is not how we work. We nowadays work only by checking out complete layers, since we've noticed this produces less errors. The scenario is like this: -User 1 checks out layer 1. -User 2 checks out layer 2. -Both save and commit/close and release. -Let's say the next day user 1 tries to check out layer 2, but he can't since these above described errors. About "soft locks" - If I try to draw a rectangle on a non-checked out layer, the software doesn't even allow this and prompts me to check that layer out. How would I be even able to do what you suggest? Apparently there is no way for the users and the admin to know if there are these "soft locks" present (other than going to project sharing and selecting that particular layer and then noticing the release button is enabled)? What if I'm out of the office for the day? No one will be able to release the layers, since they are not administrators (since there should be only one). 3. Synology NAS drives are one of the best in the market. I seriously doubt that what you describe is due to a faulty setup, if true. We have had no file/data issues whatsoever with any other files and particularly any non-project sharing VW files. -We have no simultaneous file access problems - all files report correctly and immediately if they are open by some other user, including WV files. Additionally, the previous network drive was a Raid 1 configuration on a bit different network setup and the VW project sharing symptoms were the same. -Raid 6 is very fast when it comes to operation. Writing may be theoretically slower, but saving any VW file is just seconds. -We are a professional, live architect's practice and have absolutely no possibilty to "eliminate the RAID configuration".

2. We simply get error messages like "Layer xxx is checked out by zzz", even though it is not and even though the release/commit operation has been carried out properly, sometimes multiple attempts. I'll provide a screenshot when this happens again to give you the exact error message. 3. I concur, this is very unlikely to be a network speed issue. We actually had a network overhaul recently and it had no effect on these errors. -The connection is ethernet, there is no WiFi at all. There are no known issues with the network. -No SSDs, ordinary Western Digital Red disk drives -Raid 6, Synology 1517+ server (the previous server was a Lacie Network SpaceMax in Raid 1 configuration, with the same issues) -We run Windows10 64bit machines with built-in Windows Defender only. The server itself has no antivirus software. I'll set up static IP's and see if it makes any difference. The project file becomes "corrupted" somehow in regards to who has checked out and what, even if there have been no crashes or other known problems. Saving the project file as a copy .vwx and then re-sharing it always removes the "checking-out" issues, until after a week of work or so, when they surface again. Thanks

About project sharing issues in general: Do static versus dynamic IP's come into play? Should the workstations have a static IP assigned? We continuously encounter issues with checking out layers (and objects). The check-outs and releases don't seem to get through to other users properly. There seems to be some weird delays as well; VW says everything is committed and refreshed, however it takes several minutes for the changes to actually propagate to the project file. All working files are on individual pc's and the project file is on a fast network server. There are no networking issues whatsoever that we are aware of. VW project sharing is the only software having these "networks typish" issues currently.

To sum it up, if I understand correctly: -Having working files on local drives might be beneficial to network speed, but does not prevent the occurrence of project sharing problems -Seems project sharing is not ready for professional deployment? The issues described above are completely unacceptable if they are not due to user error (seems not). Again, @NNA: Please test these tools thoroughly before releasing them. We simply can't beta-test while at the same time producing economically and legally binding building permit and construction documents. This is something that your every marketing and engineering employee has to understand completely.

Thanks, this is how we have been able to "reset" these issues, too.

Interesting. Did this advice come from VW technical support? I'd like to keep working files on the server since the serves is backed up constantly, and the individual pc's are not. The network connection is linked 2x1Gbit connection and opening and writings files is very quick currently.

All files reside on a server, which is simply a dedicated network drive. There seems to be two ways to "solve" these issues: -saving and committing, then deleting the working file and reopening the project file and thus re-creating the working file -if it is a really serious issue, saving the project temporarily as an ordinary .vwx file and then re-sharing it. I'm glad to hear project sharing works better for you. We had to get a new network since the previous one was getting old, but the behavior remains the same. We're in a PC environment, maybe it has something do to with this.

We have issues with project sharing, too. We get unexplained error messages and warnings. Today I encountered objects duplicating and shifting for the first time. There is also some bizarre, unexplained behavior like resource browser folders acting strange, visible to some but not visible to some. One of our team isn't able to have a totally unrelated VW file open while working on the project working file. The working files and the project files are on a fast network drive with no connection issues. Saving and committing and then removing the working file and creating a new one from the project file usually helps with these issues. I would like to know, is someone using project sharing successfully, without these bizarre issues?

Most of the time spaces (rooms) are rectangular. It would be handy to be able to input space dimensions manually, for initial space planning and programming. Just like one does with the rectangle tool. Edit 2017-08-27: Added text and images below To clarify the above wish: The space tool does have a manual size input option, but it does not affect the actual dimensions of the space object. As to why, it's a bit of a mystery to me. I find it often that I know one limiting dimension for a room, but not the other. Therefore it would be handy to input this dimension into the space object manually as a prerequisite, or afterwards. To take things further, even more handier would be the ability to first input one of the dimensions manually and also enter the desired area, and the space tool would adjust the remaining space dimension accordingly. I know one can make spaces from polys and there are scripts for creating spaces from a room schedule, but that is a bit different from what I'm after here. I think this functionality would be easy to implement into the space object, programming-wise.