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CEA

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Everything posted by CEA

  1. Now that the version 12.5 of Vectorworks is out, I'd like to replace my duel 1.25ghz G4 PowerMac. Does anyone have any thoughts about the relative merits of the MacPro tower vrs. the new 24" I-Mac for running Vectorworks? The computer would be used primarily for running Vectorworks for mostly 2D drafting. At typical project is broken down into 2-4 referenced files, each about 20-30MB). I'd typically have a number of other programs running simultaneously with Vectorworks, included Microsoft Entourage, Word, Adobe Acrobat, Safari, I-Photo and FileMaker Pro. PowerMacs have always been very reliable for me- I have three in my office now and have never had a problem. One is over 6 years old! I'm a bit concerned that the I-Mac could be a bit less reliable since they are putting so much technology in a small package. Any thoughts would be appreciated!
  2. The problem opening files reappeared. I trashed the VW preferences; that seems to have solved the problem. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
  3. Here is an update: 1. Copied file from G4 Desktop to USB flash drive. 2. Copied file from flash drive to G4 laptop. 3. Opened file on G4 laptop with no problems, made a few minor changes on laptop. 4. Copied file from laptop to Flash drive. 5. Copied file from flash drive to desktop computer. 6. File now seems to open fine. I seem to have stumbled into a solution to the problem, but I wonder what could be going on???
  4. Christiaan: I have tried duplicating the file. Unfortunately it does not solve the problem. Thanks anyway.
  5. Thank you all for the suggestions. Some New Information: I tried opening the problem file on a laptop at home last night. It opened fine on the laptop computer, so I now think the problem is somehow caused by something within my office Apple G4 desktop computer, and is not with the VW file. I am thinking the problem could be either corrupted font or perhaps the VW preferences? I have used the Apple "Font Book" program to "Validate" the fonts on the computer. They all check out as OK. Is there another font program I should use to double check for corrupted fonts? I will search the tech-board for information on deleting the VW preferences and try that as well. Does anyone have any additional suggestions or any other thoughts as to what might cause this problem? 1.25mhz G4 duel OS 10.4.7 VW 12.0.1
  6. Wow! That was a fast response! I don't recall getting any message except an OSX message saying something to the effect that Vectorworks has unexpectedly quit and asking if I would like to report the problem to Apple. Other VW files open fine: this is the only one that has a problem.
  7. I have a file for a small project that may have become corrupted. I am using VW 12.0.1 and Mac OS 10.4.7 When I try to open the file, it often causes Vectorworks to crash. I don't get a message with any induction of what is happening. I can sometimes get the file to open, and have tried saving multiple copies, but the copies all have the same problem. I have tried OSX permissions repair several times, and I have also use the OSX "Font Book" to verify the fonts on the computer. Does anyone have any tips on what I can do to save the file or easily either export or cut and paste the information into a new file? The file has about 15 viewports with notes and dimensions made in the viewport. Their are 12 design layers and 5 sheet layers. Using viewports seems to make it complicated to cut a and past information without a lot of work setting up a new file and creating new viewports within the new file. I have made a backup each day, but may need to go back two days to get a stable copy of the file. Any suggestions to help repair or salvage the file will be appreciated!
  8. We are currently using the print driver that comes as a part of Mac OS 10.4.6. OS 10.4.6 gives two options for the 488CA; we are using the "CUPS+Gimp-Print v4.2.6-pre1" driver. It has worked well in our office over a small ethernet network. Good Luck!
  9. I think you should be able to get the HP430 to work with the drivers included in OS 10.4. If there is no 430 driver, try the 450 or 488 driver, they are all basically the same machine, with slightly different features. We use an HP488CA with OS 10.4 on an ethernet network. It work well- MUCH better than with the inferior software HP provided with the plotter when we purchased it! We use the HP network interface device ( I think they call it the "jet direct?")provided with the 488CA to connect the plotter to an ethernet network. You may need this.
  10. For me, the tool works well; however, it did take a while to figure out how to use it properly. Click on the point on the path where you want the first object to be located. For me, this is typically the beginning of the path. As suggested in the previous post, it is the centroid of the duplicated object that is used as the insertion point. I have always used the ?Click on Path Option? mode, I have not used the ?Create Path? mode. Be careful where you click; you can get very confusing results with random mouse clicks. It does take some trial and error to understand the various options, but the tool does work.
  11. I think a feature like Safari's "Mark Page for Snapback" would be a great addition to Vectorworks. Many times I need to briefly look at another area of a drawing before returning to the view I am currently working in. A "Mark View for Snapback" feature would help me quickly navigate back to the view I am actually working in. (I know I can accomplish something similar with saved views, but I think my suggestion would be useful for day to day drafting).
  12. I agree. I think this feature is critical for 3d work, and very useful for 2D work. Both Microstation and ArchiCad have this feature. I would really like to see it in Vectorworks as well.
  13. quote: For a lot of the purposes that you'd want to divide a line into segments, it's faster to use a group. Brilliant!
  14. As I recall, version 11 gave you several option when using the "Import Image File" command that were very useful to help reduce the file size- I think it allowed you to choose color or black and white and the "bit depth". I have been importing a number of JPEG images into a file using version 12 and I do not see these options to control the imported image. Am I missing something, or has this feature been removed? It is very useful to me to be able to reduce the file size of images while they are being imported.
  15. We are a small architectural office with 4 computers: 3 G4 Power Macs and 1 G4 17? laptop. I?d like to upgrade 1 of the Power Macs this year. The dilemma is if we will be better off waiting until later this year and getting a new Intel based Power Mac, or purchasing a G5 based Power Mac and postpone making the transition to the Intel based machines for a year or two. The new computer will primarily run Vectorworks 12 and Microsoft office. Any thoughts?
  16. "re smart curser cues - I have unrequested changes to them! Very irritating! They change from "right top corner" etc to "object/object" and no centre point cue is visible. Any ideas why? I'm still on VW10... " You may need to have the "8 Selection Points" preference enabled to see the center point.
  17. I used Archicad in the late 1990's (version 5.5). When I started my own office I chose Vectorworks. I imagine Archicad could work well if you are willing to buy into their system of extracting 2 dimensional drawings from the 3D model. However, I found this approach far too limiting and time consuming for highly detailed, custom work. In addition, the Archicad's 3D model approach required either major compromises in the drawing graphics or time consuming work arounds to generate the kind of drawings I require. For me, Vectorworks is a much better tool for producing the 2 dimensional plans, elevations and details that are the bulk of my work. It's a great program for drafting. Surprisingly, I also have found Vectorworks more versatile for 3d modeling; however, the version of Archicad I am familiar with is now 6 years old!
  18. I would also like to see this feature added. It would be a big help for 2D drafting.
  19. Does anyone have any recommendations for large format scanners? I'd like one that can handle 11X17 drawings.
  20. I use a 1 ghz 17" Apple G4 Powerbook at home and while traveling, and a Duel 1.25 ghz G4 desktop with a 22" monitor in the office. I find the 17" powerbook to be a very good computer for Vectorworks. I don't miss the larger screen when using it; perhaps because I tend to sit closer to the laptop than the desktop. If you do get the 17" Powerbook, I would also get a wireless mouse (I have the Apple mouse and am very happy with it). Both computers are fast enough for my needs. Most of my cadd work is 2D drafting so I can not really comment on 3d performance. I had no trouble converting to version 11.5 from version 10.5.
  21. Yet another method is to double click on the rectangle or polygon tool (or push the keyboard shortcut twice). This will bring up a dialog box that allows you to enter the desired dimensions and then position the object with the next mouse click. I find this useful at times for rectangles or lines, but I generally use one of the methods outlined above.
  22. I was able to get prints from a print shop in Washington DC by sending them post script files. This was several years ago, but I recall there were some minor problems with printing gray tones that we use to identify a wall type. We have been sending PDF files to our print shop for a number of years and this system has worked easily and flawlessly. If you use Adobe Acrobat to create the PDF files, the print quality is superior to the PDF creation function that is part of OSX. Any print shop should be able to print PDF files. This does not help with the initial question regarding the cutter, but it may help with "ga"s question.
  23. I updated our 4 computers from version 11 to 11.5 with no problems or difficulty at all. I have noticed no change in speed. Mac G4 with OS 10.2.8.
  24. While drawing, I often need to refer to another area of a drawing or another layer in the same document. I generally then use the Previous View and Next View commands to get back to the area or layer I am currently where I am currently working. It would be a help to me if a "Mark View for Snapback" command could be added, similar to the "Mark Page for Snapback" command in Safari. This would allow me to quickly return to this view and continue working. While I could use Saved Views for this, I often will only need to refer to the view a few times.
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