michaelk

Silverwolf?

This is a good place to start: http://www.nemetschek.net/training/free_resource.php Start with the Fundamentals tutorial and then try the Architect tutorial. hth mk

Final, Final NB: If you make changes in the drawing you need to prompt the worksheet to update - - Little triangle > Recalculate

There are probably many ways of doing it. And I bet Pat and Jonathan will be able to offer improvements. What I did was this: Set up classes: Trim - This class is assigned to objects who's length we want to list in the data base. Profile - Not necessary, but I used it to illustrated where the value of the area of the cross section came from. - Create an extrude 60" long. Turn it into a symbol. Set the insertion point to something that makes sense. - When you need a shorter piece, insert the 60" symbol then Command-K (Control-K on a PC) to "desymbolize" it. If the symbol was two or more objects, it turns it into a group. If only one object was in the symbol, you get that object. My symbols were simple extrudes, so I got the extrude. Making changes to the original symbol will NOT be reflected in these objects! - Grab the handle at the mid point on one end to resize. It's important that you don't grab a corner vertex handle and stretch the profile of the object. To create the worksheet: This method of finding the length of a solid object works by finding the volume and dividing by the area of the cross section. To find the area of the cross section, place the profile of the trim on the drawing and assign it to the profile class. Select the profile object. In the cell ((D3 on the example) type "=" then -click little triangle in the upper left corner of the worksheet and choose Paste Function... > Area -Click the little triangle again and choose Paste Criteria... > Class NB: There is a note that AREA is an obsolete function and CRITERIAAREA should be used. They both seem to work. AREA returns square inches and CRITERIAAREA returns whatever units you have set for area in File>Document Settings>Units. Probably square feet. You have to keep an eye on this and be ready to multiply or divide by 144 to get the correct result. And we haven't switched to the metric system because why? Then right click on a row header (4 in the example). Choose Database. A criteria dialog box opens up. You want to get objects whose Class = Trim. I also added a Type = Extrude criteria just incase I inadvertently put something else in that class. New rows will appear: 4.1 through 4.x. One for each object that meets the criteria. In the cells of row 4 you enter the attribute you are interested in. -Type "=" -Little triangle > Paste Function...>Volume. -add "/" and then then click the cell with the profile area or just type in the area. -multiple or divide by whatever multiple of 12 will allow us to continue using King George's foot as a unit of measure - 'cause that doesn't make us look ridiculous at all. NB: Same discussion about VOLUME and CRITERIAVOLUME. If you have lived a virtuous life, data will appear in the column below. Format the cells (little triangle>Format Cells...>Number>Dimension) to be dimensions. To count the full length pieces: - Select one of the symbols - Click into a cell (NOT a cell whose row header is a .x ~ie. not a row in your database) - Little Triangle > Paste Function... > COUNT - Little Triangle > Paste Criteria... > Symbol Name After you get it looking the way you like, Little triangle > uncheck Database headers. This will make the header row of the database go away. I'd advise making a test piece of trim of a known length and making sure it comes out correctly. It's easy to multiply by 144 when you mean divide. Cool trick: If you right click on a row header in the database (ie 4.3) and then left click on the only choice in the flyout "Select Item" the drawing will change to that layer and class (if necessary), zoom to that object, and select it. Great for troubleshooting. Final NB: This method assumes square cuts on both ends. hth mk

Hi Carl Does VW12.5 add a little 3D poly above the fixture? (Don't remember....) Are you seeing that or pixilation in the gobo projection? mk

Would something like this be easier? Use a symbol for full sticks. Just count them. Convert the symbol to a group and change the length as needed for cut pieces. Create a database to get their lengths so you have an actual cut list. This is for a 3D trim. But the 2D analog should also work. It saves having to enter data for every piece of trim. mk

Grant It's there. Transparency > Edit > Image Mask > This Image's Color blah blah blah hth mk

In the resource browser, duplicate 60" trim symbol. Rename it 58" trim. Right click on 58" trim symbol in the resource browser and choose Edit and then choose either 2D or 3D. Edit the 2D and/or 3D portions to be 58". (you can jump back and forth between the 2D and 3D parts of the symbol by right clicking on an empty spot in the drawing) Insert the 58" symbol or choose one of the 60" symbols and in the OIP click replace and navigate to the 58" symbol. hth mk

Johathan Perfect example. I want to be able to do that from the OIP. I often don't know the name of the viewport I'm working on. I'd like to be able to select the VP on the sheet layer and adjust the class and layer visibility like the visibility option in the organization dialog box directly from the OIP. mk

In the OIP of a viewport, when selecting the visibilities of layers, it would be great to have a way to also select the visibility of classes w/o closing the layers dialog box and opening a new classes dialog box. What I'm hoping for is an analog of editing viewports. You can be in the annotation edit space and go directly to the crop edit w/o exiting the VP edit. Hope that's clear... mk

Hi Bruce I have to disagree. I'm finding that I'm more productive in 3D modeling using layer planes. I do goof up and draw in the wrong plane occasionally. But only slightly more often than I draw something in the wrong class. I would like to see a couple tweeks: 1. Assign keyboard short cuts to change to layer or screen plane. Maybe a modifier of the same short cut to change objects to layer or screen plane. 2. Have a preference for screen plane to be more persistent. ie., if screen plane is selected, have it stay selected during a fly over. Or have it return to screen plane in left, right, front, back views, etc. if it switched to layer for a flyover.... 3. Improve text on working planes. Make it visible in rendering modes. Make text attached to data on a working plane not go crazy in open GL. (bug submitted) mk

Mike I assume you are using spotlight instruments? And not regular generic lights? If so, make sure they are in the correct 3D height. Then insert a Focus Point Object for each area. Then assign each light to one of the focus points. Then you can select a fixture and turn on "Draw Beam" in the instrument's OIP and it will show you the beam for that instrument or group of instruments. hth mk

I just exported it back to VW 2010 and VW 2009. No problems on either one. I'm way outside my comfort zone here, but isn't Open GL handled by the video card and other rendering modes handled by the CPU? I wonder if the machines with the problems have a specific card or vram size? mk

Video cards?

No, I'm actually on 10.6.7. I have occasionally seen the issue with walls and with extrudes made from clipped surfaces. But I opened GWS's original file on my machine and nothing I could do would make it render with those extra lines. It opened up clean and stayed that way. curious.... mk

Is it possible that the object is duplicated? I often see that behavior in open gl when two surfaces are coincident. mk

Vince If your lighting positions are not stacked on top of each other, you can create a viewport crop to isolate each position. If they overlap, you will need to put each position on it's own layer or in it's own class and control the visibility in the VP. hth mk

Andrew I agree that this is a bug. I think the loft tool will probably do what you want. It's certainly more predictable. I just wish it had history... mk

Open the Visualization Palette (Window > Pallets > ...) Go to the Light tab. All the lights will be listed. Click to place a checkmark to the left of the lights you would like to turn on. Render. hth mk

Andrew It's not the geometry. It's the mult extrude object itself. I was able to create an identical object as a loft w/ no rails using the original polygons that defined the mult extrude. Worked great. mk

I take that back. The ability of a mult extrude to convert to a generic solid and add are not related. I think. I was able to convert the problem mult extrude to a generic solid. It still won't add. mk

Andrew I just tried it with 2011. I was able to add some multiple extrudes. But some just won't. I noticed that Mult Extrudes that don't add also won't convert to a Generic Solid. I even tried to make a mold and "pour" a new identical sold. I subtracted the problem Mult Extrude from an extrude and subtracted that from another extrude. The result is a solid subtraction with identical geometry that won't add and won't convert to a generic solid. I'm guessing that there is some property of the geometry of the specific mult extrude that it doesn't like. Sorry. Not much help mk

It works the same as other instruments. In the OIP select "Set 3D Orientation" (at the bottom of the OIP) Then enter a rotation value in the X Rotation and/or Y Rotation fields. hth mk

Yell if you get stuck.

Welcome to the forum. It would help if we knew what version of VW and what computer OS you are using. A couple things that might help: 1. Nurbs curves can be combined. Select 2 (or more) nurbs curves whose endpoints are exactly coincident. Then Modify > Compose. You now have one nurbs curve 2. You can edit vertices of nurbs curves. There are two ways. -1: Select the nurbs curve. Select the 3D reshape tool from the 3D toolset (or double click the nurbs curve - in recent versions this will automatically select the 3D reshape tool). There are modes to move a vertex, add a vertex, subtract a vertex, and change vertex type. There are also modes to constrain a vertex move to a specific axis. -2: Select the nurbs curve. In the OIP change the Move pulldown from Entire Object to Vertex Only. Clicking the buttons next to Edit will cause different vertices to flash as they are selected. Then you can enter the desired location for just that vertex into the OIP. hth mk