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Benjamin Weill

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Posts posted by Benjamin Weill

    Focus Point Understanding

    in Entertainment

    Posted

    I am using the Focus Point Tool and setting the Focus Point shape I used the default setting, however it show’s (and I can’t show you the entire list but I have the attachment) focus 5ft circle or square, 7ft circle or square etc., 8ft circle or square, and of course the standard hybrid, 2D & 3D, and locus points only. Is this only referring to how the Focus Point is being displayed or is it what is being shown for the beam and field size?

    The circle size doesn't have anything to do with the light's beam size. It's a visual cue for you when plotting to show coverage of your areas - to make sure that you have enough areas/specificity to cover your stage.

    Once you've dropped focus points THEN you can drop lights into the drawing and figure out the photometrics. When you have a light selected, go to the Object Info Palette. You'll find a field that says "Focus," enter the name of the focus point in that field. Then you can check the "Draw Beam" toggle, and you'll see the beam.

    Also, I was wondering about the falloff distance; can someone tell me if I have this right. Is it where the light begins to reach its furthest point and you can cut the beam off?

    I always think of the Falloff distance as the light past the Focus Point. The default Falloff distance is 5' (same as the default Focus Point height). So if you switch to Falloff, as opposed to Focus Point, then you'll see what the light'll look like when it hits the stage deck.

    Locus points are points that you can use to snap objects to or set perimeters with. The great thing about them is they never show up when you print.

    I hope that helps

    2016 - Can't adjust Label Legends

    in Entertainment

    Posted

    HI All,

    Having just updated to VW2016, I find that I can't adjust the position of pieces of the label legends. I can switch between label legends, but I can no longer move specific pieces (channel/color/purpose/etc.). The Legends seem locked somehow. is this a new feature? Is there a way to Unlock them?

    I've tried on both an old file (created with 2015 and converted) and a new file (built from my template).

    Any thoughts?

    Thanks

    Vectorworks 2016 is here, ask us anything!

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Hi all,

    Ironically, I can't get Palette Docking to work in a custom workspace. It works fine - I'm I'm really looking forward to it!! - in the stock workspaces, but I've now tried two custom ones,a nd neither seem to work. I've added the menu option to my workspaces in the workspace editor, but they just don't appear in the menu after I've saved. I've attached to screen shots to show what I mean.

    Is there something I'm missing?

    Thanks!!

    Favorite Files maintain symbol folder hierarchy

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    yes, exactly. It only asks about folder heirarchy if I actually import, as opposed to just inserting a symbol. I'm so used to it all being in one file, so the idea of having to import stuff first will throw me for a bit. It'd be great for the folder hierarchy to assert even if I just double-click, but I guess I'll just have to get used to it.

    Thanks

    Favorite Files maintain symbol folder hierarchy

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Hi all,

    When pulling symbols in from a "Favorites" file, is it possible to have the current document maintain the symbol folder hierarchy from the "Favorites" file?

    I currently have about 600 symbols in my template file - lighting symbols, parts of Multi-Circuit symbols, Section symbols - a bunch of stuff that really means, I have a close-to-50mb file before I draw anything specific. I'm looking at making those symbols a favorites file, instead of having ALL of them in the template. however, in order for me to be able to do that with any sanity, I need the symbols to maintain the organization of the Favorites file. Otherwise the resource browser is just a jumbled mess, and would A) slow me down because I can't find anything and B) rally mess with my OCD. When I import a symbol from a NON-favorites file, I'm given the choice to keep the folder hierarchy, so is there a way to do this with Favorites files?

    Thanks

    Normal File Size

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Purge. It'll (potentially) get rid of tons of things that you're not using.

    Make as many repeated objects as you can symbols. 10 instances of one symbol is Vastly smaller than 10 instances of the same group.

    Another trick is to convert and solid-additions or subtraction into generic solids. They are a much smaller "thing" for the program to process. Be SURE you're happy with how they look, though, because once you've converted them you lose the ability to edit them.

    hope that helps.

    Connecting 3D Pipes in different directions

    in Entertainment

    Posted

    Can you upload some screen shots of what you've done already?

    A "line", is inherently a 2d object, so it can't attach to a 3d object until you give it some sort of 3d component. I would suggest trying to make all of the parts - the mourning ring, the light bulbs, the spokes, the cente post etc. - in 3d, and then use the "Solid Additions" command under the Modify (I think, but it varies by workspace) menu to put them together.

    Something else you could do would make all of the parts that repeat, like the light bulbs, a symbol. That way if you have to modify it, you can do them all at once. Then just arrange the pieces as you want and group them. Or better yet, turn the whole thing into a 3d symbol.

    I hope that helps

    Better "full screen" on mac

    in Wishlist - Feature and Content Requests

    Posted

    I am a mac guy. I love most things about macs and much prefer working on them than PCs. That being said, there is one thing about using VectorWorks that, I think, is nicer on the PC platform. That thing is "full screen." Something that's great about the windows version, is that the palletes can "snap" to the edge of the screen, and essentially become part of the border. I find that this makes for a much cleaner and neater work environment than the floating windows of mac. For my personal workspace, I've pretty much set up all of my palletes like that - creating a border on the screen that I can work in the center of - but it's not as clean as the windows version. It also allows for me to accidentally close windows or drag the palletes out of place. The Mac version DOES have a full screen mode, but it only extends the actual drawing window to the edges of the screen. This seems silly to me, because now all of the palletes are on top of, and obscuring the document. It would be great if activating full screen worked more like it does in native apple apps. Photoshop 2015 is another example of how it can work.

    Thanks

    Lighting Position Rotation on all 3 axis?

    in Entertainment

    Posted

    I had a venue that was similar. It looked like a converted church (though, apparently it wasn't) and the FOH position was a "V" that angled 45 degrees in two directions. The end result being that the averted of the "V" was both higher and farther from the stage than the ends of the "arms."

    At the time, I figured out how to create the lighting position and rotate it, but I wish that VW was smart enough to ACTUALLY recognize a position with 2 "Z" heights. That way, when you drop a light onto the position in Plan view, VW would give the light the appropriate height for that specific point on the pipe. It would be EXTREMELY useful for sectioning.

    Grey out PDFs

    in Wishlist - Feature and Content Requests

    Posted

    I'd love to be able to "grey out" PDF files - and other image files - within my documents. I get set drawings and other things that I want to put into my light plots files, but I don't always want them to be so prominent. I'd love to be able to gray the class with the PDFS on them, but they just turn into squares with an X through it. As it is, if I want to "grey" the PDFS, I have to draw a white fills box over them and then play with the transparency. It's a work-around, but it's pretty clumsy. I wish there were a way to make this a native thing.

    Thanks

    (S-4) PAR Lamp rotation

    in Entertainment

    Posted

    I know this is not the original reason for the thread, but this was a good lead-in. I've just bought savvy sequencer, and I'm trying to use it to rename/number focus points (something that the webpage claims it can do) but I can't get it to work. Is there something that I'm missing?

    Thanks

    Navigate to Title Block Symbol

    in Wishlist - Feature and Content Requests

    Posted

    I do all of my printing from saved views that all use the same sheet layer. Because of that, my title block has text blocks and other elements that are duplicated and classed so that when I want to look at "plate 1" only the appropriate info for that class is shown. And since all of that info is built into my record format, then I double click on the title block, I'm able to fill in the info for all of the plates at once and just know that the correct info will show on the proper page. It is still a manual process, but at least it's all in one place, as opposed to have to go to a plate, update info, then go to the next plate and start again.

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