CEA

Ritchie: Thank you for your input. Are you using Cinema 4d for modeling, or primarily for rendering? The idea of generating a fairly rough model in Vectorworks and then importing it to Cinema 4d to add detail and rendering is appealing to me. Is this how you use the program? I have download the Cinema 4d demo, but it is a hard program to get a handle on quickly, especially with the demo?s limited documentation.

I have been considering purchasing the Cinema 4D ?Vectorworks Edition? to use for architectural modeling. Does anyone have an opinion as to how Cinema 4D compares to other 3D modeling programs? The animation features are not of great use to me, but I am very interested in the modeling capabilities of the program, and the ability to intergrate well with Vectorworks is appealing.

I am not sure I understand the capabilities of the plug-in. Could I export a model to Cinema 4D, make changes to the model using Cinema 4D?s modeling tools and then import the revised model back into Vectorworks? A second question: How well does Cinema 4D work for architectural modeling? Any advice would be appreciated!

Thank you!

Katie: This sounds good. I'll look forward to trying it after downloading the upgrade. I do still think it would be nice to have the option of placing the cavity lines in a separate class. Should I post this request in the "Wish List" section? Thanks!

It would a great help to be able to put the wall cavities in a different class. There are many plan drawings in an architectural set where it is inappropriate to show the wall cavities/detail. Typically, an architect will have the wall cavities displayed on the architectural plans, but hidden on structural, mechanical, electrical plans (among others). This feature should be added. It is one of the reasons we do not currently use the wall tools in our office.

When I used Microstation several years ago, they had a feature that allowed you to hit the X or Y key and the entry point for the data bar would jump to the X or the Y value. I think it would be an improvement if Vectorworks would implement a similar shortcut in the data display bar. Tabing to move through the values is OK, but hitting the X, Y, A or L keys to move directly to that value would be a nice addition.

quote: we use one of the G4's as the file server, but we are not using OSX server for the server, just plain old jaguar. i have found that there are some difficulties in doing this that i have not been able to rectify yet. What problems are you having using Jaguar as the OS for your server?

This is a great idea. It would be very useful to me.

I agree with the complaints about the Setup Assistant; it creates a document structure that is far too complicated to be practical for my office to use. In theory the Setup Assistant is a great idea, but in its current state it is not a useful feature for us.

Thanks Katie: I wonder how I managed to not figure that one out!

When I turn on or off the ?constrain Angle option in the constraints pallet, it seems to have no affect. For example: if in the angle constraint dialog box I set the ?Alternate Coordinate System? option to 22 degrees and turn on the angle constraint option, the angle will be constrained to 22 degrees when the shift key is depressed. However, if I turn OFF the angle constraint and press the shift key, the angle is still constrained to 22 degrees. I can see no difference in behavior with the angle constrain turned either off or on. It has been this way since I began using the program in version 8. This behavior occurs universally on all of our 3 computers. Am I misunderstanding how to use this constrain angle option? It would be nice to be able to easily toggle on and off the alternate coordinate. Mac 10.2.2 VW 10.0.1 867mhz duel 1MB ram

I used Archicad about 4 years ago before switching to Vectorworks. I only use Vectorworks for 2d DD and CD architectural drawings, and I have not really investigated the 3d capabilities of the program. The theory behind Archicad is appealing. Essentially, you construct a 3d model and then the 2d plans, elevations and sections are extracted from the model. However, I found that in practice, the 2d drawings very crude and of unacceptable quality for our office, and the 3d models took a great deal of time to develop to an acceptable level. I was putting a lot of time into the 3d model, and then ending up breaking the links between the model and the drawings to gain more flexibility for the 2d drawings. If you are interested in constructing a 3d computer model and doing construction drawings, Archicad is probably a good choice. For us, the 3d model was of limited use and the technology was not there yet (with Archicad 5.5) to practically link the 3d model to good quality 2d drawings. Our primary use for the computer is developing construction drawings in a small office, and Vectorworks has been a good program for that task. However, our work is primarily highly individual custom houses; Archicad may work better for buildings with fewer unusual conditions. I did find that Archicad had some real advantages in printing. I am reasonably certain that Version 5 shipped with print drivers and I remember that printing was very easy. With Vectorworks and Apple computers, I think you really need to buy an expensive postscript plotter.

quote: Originally posted by Katie: You can't change the boomerang mode to use the 2d selection instead of the pan tool. The boomerang mode was designed for the ability to pan your drawing while in the middle of using another tool. Going to the 2d selection tool while in a boomerang mode, would end the process of the previous tool. Is there a specific instance where you are in the middle of another tool and you need the 2d selection tool selected? Katie: I often use the boomerang mode with many of the "modifier" tools: the mirror tool, the offset tool, clip tool among others. Using the boomerang and these tools, I use the "x" key to switch to the 2d selection tool, but it would be nice to skip that step. I tend to use the arrow keys to pan.

When I use the boomerang feature by pressing the space bar, the program seems to to automatically select the pan tool. I'd rather have the 2D selection tool be the default tool selected in boomerang mode. Is this possible? I've check the preferences, but I may be missing something.

I Agree. I have often thought this would be a very useful feature.

I have had good luck using Adobe Acrobat to print Vectorworks file to an HP488CA plotter (the predecessor to the 500PS). I use Acrobat distiller to generate a PDF file of the sheet and then print the PDF file to the HP plotter using the HP plotter's software. Don't ask me why, but this is much faster than printing directly to the plotter from Vectorworks. The incredibly poor quality of the HP software is a real scandal. It makes the HP products almost unusable. Someone previously suggested the idea of a class action suite against HP.

I often use PDF files for printing. I have found that they are much easier to use with our in house HP plotter, and they are also easy to send to local print shops. For some reason, I have noticed quite a difference between PDF files created using Adobe Acrobat Distiller, and the PDF files created using Mac OSX?s built in PDF creation abilities. The PDF files created using the built-in Mac OSX feature have incorrect (heavier) line weights and often problems with hatches. Adobe Acrobat Distiller 5 gives me much better results, even with the resolution set to 300dpi. Has anyone else experienced this? Any advice on haw to get better results creating PDF files directly form OSX?

I have found that e-mailing PDF files works best for me. I use Adobe Acrobat to create the PDF files. If you use a mac and OS X, you will need to download an HP plotter driver so you will have the large format page sizes available on your computer.

It would be a BIG improvement to add the ability to simply draw a hatch pattern, select the lines and then convert then to a hatch pattern as suggested by Matt. A few years ago I purchased a Vectorworks add-on product for version 8 that allowed you to do this, but this feature really should be added to the program.

Thanks!

I agree. Also, allowing more control over the way walls join would be very helpful. A tool that allows the user to selectively delete portion of a wall's outline would help eliminate many of the problems I run into joining walls.

Thank you all for the warnings!

The best solution I have found is to use Adobe Acrobat to create PDF files. The PDF files can then be sent to the service bureau for printing. You would need to buy the full version of Acrobat to do this.

Katie: Are you sure that the "Black and White Only" option does not produce a black and white prints? I faily certain that it does for me at least. It even drops out gray tones in my prints when this option is selected.