[where do I find the Vectorworks Crash-Dump-Files???]

Thought I'd add value to this discussion: I'm on macOS Monterey (12.7.4) and my Vectorworks crashes are recorded in the Console app. You can right-click on them to 'Reveal in Finder' which (currently) reveals that they are saved in ~/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/

[AI for automated processes]

I follow the AI space closely Matt and I've heard many experts explain why they are not 'smart' enough yet to made proper, considered, design decisions. Someone posted an image of an AI generated image of a floor plan this week and it exemplified why the the image generating models are of no use for this sort of process yet and probably won't be for years. 

 

But, there are other types of solutions that can help with floor plans and other aspects. Maybe you can use them in combination with Vectorworks. Check out these 6 and 7-month old videos (really old in the world of AI development) featuring some promising looking products that might be useful in your workflow: 

 

 

 

[Copy And Paste won't work]

@Jen Casa, I've just been online with a user experiencing this exact same problem. The customer has two licenses. License A is installed on one computer and has this issue. License B is installed on two computers but this issue only occurs on one of them. All Windows computers. Have tried everything but a clean installation of Vectorworks at this stage. 

 

Have determined the issue: 

• Is not fixed by restarting. 
• Is not file-specific. 
• Is not due to User Folder data. 
• Is not remedied by the Vectorworks Updater's 'REPAIR' function. 
• Does not appear to be due to software conflict (although not fully ruled out). 
• Is not fixed by a clean installation of most recent graphics card driver. 
• Is not subject to having multiple displays. 

[Vectorworks 2024 failing to run program after loading]

Hi @Elias B, 

 

Because Vectorworks was working but now is not, the cause of the problem is likely caused by something that has changed and because yours is the only report I've heard, at this stage it is likely caused by something particular to your machine. 

 

Because there are correlations / conditions relating to graphics involved –as @Dave Donley and @Pat Stanford's suggested– your graphics card drivers are the likely culprit. I understand you've applied the latest drivers, however graphics card driver installers only replace superseded components. They don't reinstall the whole thing so if one or more graphics card driver components have become corrupt, they won't get replaced. 

 

I suggest you run that graphics card driver installer again, but this time select the 'Custom/Advanced' install option, then check the 'Perform a clean installation' option offered on the next step. 

 

If this is on a laptop, you may then need to assign the dedicated graphics card for use with Vectorworks. 

[How to buy an InteriorCAD update?]

On 6/17/2023 at 5:28 AM, Tom Pearce said:

You can view the interiorcad Manual at:

https://conf.extragroup.de/im/2021

 

The new location for the Interiorcad Manual is: https://icmanual.scrollhelp.site. But choosing 'Interiorcad Help' from the Help menu in Vectorworks is working as of this moment. 

[Project Sharing 'Refresh' button needs to reflect status (like it used to)]

A customer has provided the following feedback about the new project sharing 'Refresh' button in the redesigned View Bar: 

 

<feedback>

One annoying thing with the new interface is that the Refresh button doesn’t change to show when the project file has been updated, unlike the old versions where the icon would change to let you know to do a refresh

 

 

 

Also I remember reading that they had overhauled project sharing so that it was faster etc – seems just as slow if not slower to do a save and commit as the previous versions

</feedback>

[Graphic Legend]

@BG has offered a convenient means to achieve the desired result [when a model is elevated above 0]: 

Duplicate the Design Layer that the windows/doors are drawn on and changed the elevation of that later to ‘0’.

Edit the Graphic Legend's Style to only include objects on the new Design Layer. 

 

@BG, perhaps a Design Layer Viewport on a new, empty Design Layer would enable a 'live' version of this solution. So changes made on the original Design Layer will automatically show up in the Graphic Legend. 

[Graphic Legend]

2 hours ago, BG said:

What is the release date for update 2?

 

Vectorworks staffer Matt Panzer has said that Update 2 is expected at the end of November. 

[Warning pop up when opening 2023 files in 2024]

Hey @Vectorhead, 

 

I'm not sure if this is what @Matt Panzer meant, but in his earlier comment he mentions that Door plug-in objects can be reset after the file is brought forward. I take this to mean that simply running the 'Reset All Plug-Ins' menu command will have the same benefit as turning off the thresholds prior to import. Go: Tools > Utilities > Reset All Plug-Ins. 

[Wall textures when upgrading to VW24]

Hi @b303lmr, 

 

I provide Tech Support for the New Zealand market. We've not received any reports of this. 

 

Here's my suggestion to you: 

Migrate other files from 2023 that contain walls with textures applied and see if the issue occurs. Ideally such a test would be done using a new blank document (using File > New… > Create blank document, not one of your templates) and use the same texture-with-hatch. 

 

If the problem doesn't occur in the new blank document or in most of your existing 2023 files, the file concerned might have a compromising condition in it. Either a corruption or (most likely) 'far out objects.' To check for these refer to the guide here: 

If the problem occurs in the new blank document or all your other 2023 files when opened into 2024, please contact Vectorworks Tech Support for your region. 

 

[Warning pop up when opening 2023 files in 2024]

Hi @Vectorhead, Thanks for posting about this. Depending on the conditions responsible for this it might affect a number of our Architect users and interior designers, so I'd like to get ahead of this. I'd greatly appreciate having a 2023 file with one of the affected doors. Could you provide one for me to test as well please? Thank you! 

[WinDoor]

As I recall, in overseas markets you have to go into the Workspace Editor and manually add it to your current Workspace. Go: Tools > Workspace > Edit Current Workspace…

[Frequent Crash To Desktop]

Hi @Asemblance, I'm glad Dave jumped in because I never think of that setting, hopefully because I've not had any cases that related to it! If that setting doesn't resolve things here are my suggestions:

 

For the benefit of other patrons here: If this wasn't happening with both your installations/computers I would suggest you try that clean installation of graphics card drivers. Because updating them won't replace any corrupt elements that aren't being supplanted by updates to the software. But, as this is happening for you on two seperate computers here's what I suggest: 

 

Establish if the HomeScreen window being over the edge of your display is a function of how it has been set/positioned. If you can't make it fit the display's bounds properly then it might be caused by something outside of Vectorworks, such as Windows Display settings.

 

I use an external 2560 x 1440 display too and looking at the size of the text and UI elements in your screenshot I suspect you're using unconventional scaling and/or resolution. See what happens when you use the 'Recommended' options for both of these in Windows Settings > 'Displays'. Although I can't find or invoke it today, I'm sure I've seen a warning from Windows 10 along the lines of, 'some applications might not display/behave normally at this resolution/scaling.' 

[Smart options display hostage situation]

Hi @jmcewen, 

 

This is not a widespread issue (I've not received any reports of this) so it is almost certainly not due to a bug. Given the nature of the problem it is extremely likely to be caused by something local to your computer, including the possible corruption of your installation of Vectorworks or one of its Settings files but there are other potential causes for which you're the best person to assess because they require more insight, like third-party graphics software (like gaming tools, such as Alienware Command Center etc) or uncommon peripherals.

 

Because you've said…

On 8/20/2023 at 3:29 AM, jmcewen said:

the smart options display pops up and follows my cursor

 

–This is not a normal behaviour. Under no circumstances is the Smart Options Display programmed to follow your cursor around. And because you've said… 

 

On 8/20/2023 at 3:29 AM, jmcewen said:

(I have suffered a few crashes lately)

 

…I would say your installation or one or more of your User Folder's Settings files have been corrupted. As such, try the following potential remedies: 

 

To check if your installation of Vectorworks is the cause: 

1. Quit Vectorworks. 
2. Open the Vectorworks Updater app. (Found inside a folder of the same name, within the Vectorworks program/application folder. 
3. Open the 'Advanced' menu and select, 'Repair.' 
4. Reopen Vectorworks and see if the issue persists. 
   • If the issue persists: Then this is not the cause. Move on to the next potential remedy. 

 

To check if any 'Settings' file is the cause: 

1. In Vectorworks, go: Tools > Options > Vectorworks Preferences…
2. In the User Folders section, click 'Explore…' (if on Windows) or 'Reveal in Finder' (in on Mac). 
3. A File Explorer / Finder window will open. Leave it there and quit Vectorworks. 
4. In the File Explorer / Finder window rename the 'Settings' folder with the date at the end. i.e. 'Settings 2023-08-28.' This will stop Vectorworks from 'seeing' it and result in a new one being created with default settings files. 
5. Reopen Vectorworks and see if the issue persists.
   • If the issue persists: Then this is not the cause and you should quit Vectorworks, delete the newly created Settings folder and restore your old one by renaming back to 'Settings'
   • If the issue has gone: Go through your Vectorworks Preferences and make sure they're all set up the way you want them. 

[unknown and not easy to understand graphics problems in vectorworks. any idea?]

@matteoluigi …you could make that case! I understand anyone can edit Wikipedia pages… 😜 

[unknown and not easy to understand graphics problems in vectorworks. any idea?]

3 minutes ago, matteoluigi said:

hugh, now I am curious, how I could "reset" or "reinstall" the graphics card driver. On windows I would be able to reinstall the graphics card driver without any problem, but on mac? i will try to google.

You don't need to because after you restarted the symptom went away. The corruption event I expect happened occurred to data loaded into memory, not to the driver's software saved on the hard drive. When you restart the computer graphics card driver got loaded up again, fresh and free from issues. 

 

All 'active' software get's loaded into memory when it is open/run. (Same with files). This includes the operating system and drivers that are needed. Anything stored in memory (not so much hard drives) are vulnerable to cosmic rays (and other sources of corruption). When this occurs, the solution is to make the device/computer/smartphone etc reload everything it needs to function into memory anew. This is why the cliche exists, 'Have you turned it off and on?' Although these days restarting a computer is better than shutting it right down and turning it back on. 

[unknown and not easy to understand graphics problems in vectorworks. any idea?]

@matteoluigi Yes, when I saw your first screenshot showing the graphical anomaly on the Dock (and outside Vectorworks windows) I thought it unlikely to be caused by Vectorworks. I responded to your mention about restarting though in case it helps but also so others might benefit also should they find this thread while troubleshooting other issues, as I don't think I've posted that info before. 

 

I gather your MacBook Pro is out of warranty. If not (perhaps you have Apple Care?) I'd call Apple. Have general internet searches turned up anything similar? Never mind. I've just been browsing Google Image Search results for 'MacBook Pro display problems' and none of them match the 'style' you got. My current best guesstimate is that the graphics card driver (loaded into memory, as active software does) got messed up the same way that any program or other data can be. This would explain why restarting the whole computer remedied the symptoms. It is definitely not the same as the 'shards' problem also shown in this thread and because it has only happened once I'm expect it was caused by a random 'hiccup' in the operating system or the hardware that you're unlikely to see again. Ref: Data corruption caused by 'Cosmic Rays.' 

[unknown and not easy to understand graphics problems in vectorworks. any idea?]

On 5/5/2023 at 1:50 AM, matteoluigi said:

got that problem again, and, it persisted after closing Vectorworks.

Only restarting the computer did help...

 

Hi @matteoluigi, the problem might not have needed the computer to be restarted, but it depends on how quickly you restarted Vectorworks after it was quit.

 

When you quit Vectorworks be sure to wait at least 5, preferably 10 seconds after it has finished quitting before opening it again. This allows time for the operating system to release Vectorworks-related data from memory, which will include data related to this problem. If not enough time is allowed you can expect some types of problems to persist after restarting Vectorworks. My suggestion is founded on two things: 1. Personal experience and 2. Indicative evidence: If you reopen Vectorworks the instant it is closed, it will take less time to load because at least some of it is still/already loaded. Also, the memory consumption shown in Activity Monitor on Mac and in Task Manager on Windows reflects this. 

[Vectorworks unusable after fresh install on new high end system]

Hey @jacoporicci, I've just re-read this thread and a couple of extra thoughts came to mind, prompted by the relatively slowness when doing things seemingly unrelated to the graphics card. 

1. Antivirus: 
   1. Speed: Any antivirus software including Windows Defender can slow down certain processes. This happens every time software is installed, but might happen at other times too. Perhaps antivirus is active when performing certain file-related actions. –Monitor Task Manager during unexpectedly long processes. 
   2. Complete/sound installations: I've never had issues with Windows Defender but all third-party antivirus should be disabled during installations because they have at times prevented normal installations, quarantining files due to false positives. If you have ESET Endpoint Antivirus there is an additional setting that must be disabled, 'Host Intrusion Prevention System' (HIPS). 
2. Hardware Integrity: 
   1. Maybe your hard drive is being slowed down due to a physical fault. -I expect there are tests you could do to establish this.
   2. (I'm reaching here) Maybe a BUS on your motherboard is faulty but is only evident when under heavy loads or under certain operations that invoke its involvement. 
   3. Check all connectors between components are plugged in properly and aren't affected by heat distortion. There was a big hullabaloo about RTX 4090 connectors (like yours) melting when under load. If connection problems exist they could cause all sorts of problems, including slowdowns that might become evident under some circumstances. 

[Copy And Paste won't work]

That's some very thorough and scientific measures, Peter. Nice work. 

 

With those results, I see two possible remaining candidates: 

Assuming:

• A clean installation of Vectorworks has been performed at some point, or if this issue has persisted after upgrading versions while not migrating, AND
• that Vectorworks pulls certain data from macOS resources when writing new Vectorworks-specific .plist files (data that other apps also don't utilise)…

1. Your installation of macOS might have corrupt data in it. 

or

2. The current Mac User Account (login account) might have corrupt data in it. 

 

The way to verify #2 is to create a new User Account and see if the issue occurs in there. 

The way to verify #1 is to reinstall macOS –but as I recall you experience this on two computers and only one of them has/current has Default Folder X installed… in which case this is much less likely cause. 

 

8 hours ago, Elite Exhibits said:

The only app with Open / Save dialog box size issues (...on my MacBook Pro M1) is VectorWorks -  So ... ¿ What to do ?

It is not always indicative of a fault when one program is the only one with an issue. I have issues with Synergy occasionally not receiving (or passing on) clipboard data to my clipboard when Clipboard Center is running, but it is not clear which one is the cause because they both interact with clipboard. Before doing anything more involved than trying a new User Account, I recommend you query Jon Gotow. Again, no one else is reporting this, so the odds are stacked in this direction. 

[Copy And Paste won't work]

On 6/27/2023 at 2:44 AM, Elite Exhibits said:

At the office, I have two external monitors - Remotely, only the MacBook Screen. Problem exists in both situations.

 

Have noted that Save/Open dialog, appearing on the external monitors (...when in use) appear wider than normal, yet they are complete and do not spill off  left / right sides as they do on the MacBook Pro screen.

 

One of the team has supposed that perhaps this is a function of using the Save/Open dialogs on a large external monitor where the width is appropriately set, but later, when working without the monitor connected, the saved width for the dialog is (naturally) too wide for the laptop display. I came here to re-read your comments to see if this fits your scenario but am unclear what you mean in your last comment. You say the "Problem exists in both situations" –monitor connected or disconnected, but then also say [when the monitor is connected] that [the dialogs] "are complete and do not spill off…"

 

Can you please clarify?

 

Also: The .plist files records the size and position of Open/Save panels as pixel coordinates. This adds credit to the above supposition. 

 

Also: As no one else seems to be experiencing this and as you're using an app that is rarely present for Vectorworks users and as Vectorworks is the only app of yours affected this way, there is a chance this is a software conflict. –Software conflicts aren't necessarily caused by oversights or mistakes by the programmer. Sometimes the way software programs are instructed to behave simply cause issues with others. Vectorworks engineers have said there's not enough data to investigate further at this time so I suggest you consult the developer of Default Folder X, Jon Gotow, especially because (as mentioned here) he has addressed this behaviour in his software before. 

[Vectorworks 2023 Service Pack 3, blurring/blurriness on zoom and slow to zoom]

On 2/18/2023 at 10:27 AM, DMadonia said:

Hi,

 

I'm having a similar problem. Anytime I zoom, VW either automatically sharpens after half a second or waits for a mouse movement. The latter draws more attention than the former.

 

Unified view is on as is Accelerate Graphics.

 

I'm on 2023 and Service Pack 3. Windows 10 64. Ryzen 7 3700x, 32gb RAM and a 1080 graphics card. I've tried both the Studio and the Game drivers.

 

Hi @DMadonia, Your graphics card, presumably an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080, is more than 7 years old now. Typically, newer software places greater demand on hardware than older software. It is possible a card this old does not possess the processing speed required to deliver smooth experiences with Vectorworks 2023. It is also possible that the graphics card drivers made by NVIDIA for models this old do not include software technologies needed to work with the modern software conventions employed by Vectorworks 2023. However…

• If Vectorworks 2023 was performing well before but has since become slow, then there's more to investigate. It might be that the content of your file/s have become more burdensome than they were before. –This can be verified by closing all files, then going File > New… > Create blank document and seeing if these symptoms occur in this doc after drawing a few simple shapes. If they don't, then it suggests the other doc/s are overly burdensome for your hardware. Some such document-specific causes can be improved or avoided. 
• If Vectorworks 2023 has always exhibited this problem for you, there is some chance the current graphics card driver installed for this card is out-of-date or corrupt. Try updating the graphics card driver for this card. If that doesn't resolve it, you could try performing a clean installation of the latest driver. 

Please report your results back here so others may benefit from your contribution. Thanks! 

[Import workspace]

If you learn a little bit about data corruption you can more easily understand how to avoid, prepare for and account for them. The Wikipedia page on data corruption is a good place to start. An analysis of file storage servers revealed 1/1500 files are corrupt at any one time. It's not the same but my experience suggests it is fair to conflate this statistic to loosely mean, '1 in every 1500 file-save operations will create a corruption.' Or '1 in every 1500 file-transmissions (to/from a cloud storage service or through a file transfer service) will create a corruption,' although in reality, these will probably have very different rates of data integrity.

 

Operating systems move file data around on your hard drive as part of its autonomous 'house-cleaning' processes. These count as file-save events that might incur a corruption. So you can appreciate that the longer you have a file around [in an active storage device], or the more times it is re-saved, the greater the chances it will incur a corruption. 

 

If you want to maintain a file (of any kind) over time, make a copy on stable storage media that will be predominantly disconnected from your computer. Some storage media maintains its integrity longer than others. There are dedicated products that meet this need, but a quality USB stick might be good enough 🤷‍♂️. 

 

Regarding Workspace files (.vww) specifically, my advice has largely been based on the fact that migrating them forward into a new version has [historically] meant that new tools and menu commands don't appear in the user interface where they are intended to be and will remain unseen by the user. Rebuilding your Workspace each version provides at least the opportunity to discover the new tools and commands, but really, all users should be reviewing the 'New Features' section of the Vectorworks Help manual when a new version is released. 

[Teigha Error]

56 minutes ago, JHEarcht3 said:

I'm waiting for a new file. With fingers crossed.

 

Did you know that Vectorworks is available on monthly (and annual) subscription now? If you're interested in a monthly sub but want to be sure the file will open before starting one, supply the DWG. I'm happy to test it on my release (2023 SP5). 

[Vectorworks unusable after fresh install on new high end system]

As the motherboard is identified as a 'gamer' product –even though it is a custom build– it might come with gaming/graphics-related software. These have been known to cause issues for Vectorworks and the solution has been to either exclude Vectorworks from their effects or to remove the gaming/graphics software. If they're only running as 'Services' in the background they might be hard to identify in Task Manager. To learn more about this, check out this thread for full context. A proven solution is found after this comment. 

 

On 6/21/2023 at 8:57 AM, jacoporicci said:

What I was able to notice is that Vectorworks never used more than 20% of my CPU at any time during any of these operations.

Some operations use only one or few cores of a CPU meaning they could be working hard but the total CPU engagement does not reflect that. You can observe individual core activity in Task Manager > Performance (tab) > CPU. I suppose issues may arise if the few cores are being employed are being pushed to their limit. But I doubt this is the cause here because your CPUs base/efficiency speed is 2.20 GHz which doesn't really match the issues you're having. But I see that model does have an integrated graphics card, so if you haven't already, you will need to constrain your system to use the dedicated graphics card for Vectorworks. Instructions for doing this are found here: 

 

 

My money is on the graphics card.

 

I'm keen to learn from this case, so please report results here as it will benefit others.