benboggs

https://techboard.vectorworks.net/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Main=44041&Number=221004#Post221004 It was submitted as a wish list item.

I assume this is the survey base information? One thing that was pointed out to me was to use the CAD DTM (if it is an autocad file) for importing the survey info. This gave me almost 100% accurate survey contour lines. The one thing I did notice is that this created an unusually large file. As in 125 meg site model file. When I just imported the CAD survey file for use as the site model info the file was about 15 megs. So I am not sure why the file size is 10 times larger - as it makes it almost impossible for me to work in.

No - the polylines do not have a solid fill. I am more or less tracing the site model generated finished contours to create smoother finished contours for bid documents. When I go to trace the model contour (start at one end) and draw a polyline (with multiple arcs, straight segment) and when I am done drawing the polyline - sometimes segments of the poly line will disappear. Attached is an example.

I wanted to give an update (thanks Robert for your time yesterday on the phone). My experience so far has seen that when just using the autocad polylines to make a site model - VWs will take some liberties and truncate some of the swales, ridges etc. Roberts suggested I use the DTM file from the surveyor. It worked and the contours are almost (very few minor/insignificant differences) identical to that of the survey. however I am still curious as to why the VWs generated site model - when using jsut CAD 3d polylines - will not mimic the CAD contours perfectly? Thanks for all of the help from everyone who has commented. Ben

I am having to draw dumb contours to eliminate all the jaggedness of the model generated contours. Also - the model wants to close contours when I do not want it to (trying to create deliberate low points and swales - but model wants to draw 105' contour through pad modifier stakes with elevations of 103, and 104). My issue is when I draw polylines over top of the contours - segments disappear, the first part of the polyline goes away, or the last segment. Does connecting them to contours with elevations cause this? Thoughts?

Thanks for the replies. Robert - Ill try to send you the file today. Alan - the issue is when I move the crop - it adjusts the existing contours - it actually moves them in the site model. Therefore - the site model is no longer accurate.

I have had a similar issue. I found that I had to use "Align with User Origin" for all imported files/xrefs. I would insert the survey file and then draw to it. If I used the Recommended option after I closed it down and reopened files the files would be all over the world and 1000 miles apart.

Hello - We have a survey of a large high school site. The site is very long and skinny, lots of topo change. I have been trying to compose a site model for the site. However the model does not clip to the site boundary that I have drawn. What it does is it connects contour lines and generates its own boundary. The blue lines are the existing topo lines to my generated grade limits. However the green lines are the automatic connected topo lines. I do not want the site model to automatically connect lines. What I have done is take the survey CAD poly lines and generated a site model from those. Also - when I go to change the site model crop - the crop moves/manipulates the original survey contour lines. You can see as the contour labels from the survey are not in line with the VW generated survey contours. Why would a site model crop move the survey contour lines? I have watched many tutorials - but most are of square sites and not large complex sites. Thanks

Again thanks for the comments folks. I do appreciate the help. I will give this a go. Ben

I was wondering how I can get the contours to look the way I want them. The first image shows how I want the contours to look - the second how they actually look. Is there a way to make them not truncate? I have added spot elevations and used the grade tool to get some to work but others do not. When I do not use spot elevations or grade tool - then the contours truncate even worse. The tolerance is set to 0. I have tried different tolerances. Does anyone have a good video showing how to properly use contours? maybe I am doing something wrong? I like my contours on my plans to look a certain way - just trying to achieve this - or is this something I am going to have to learn to accept as apart of VW? Thanks

Thanks J Wallace. I guess I didn't realize that by choosing that option it doesn't impact the contours. Learn something new everyday.

When I want to use a stake as a 2D graphic for a spot elevation - it will not allow me to enter the spot elevation number. When i do - it still says 0'. How do you get the 2D stake to show the elevation you want it to show? All of the Z values for this object show the right elevation, but the stake just says 0'. I have to insert a stake as a modifier, position it where I want it to be and then change it to a 2D Graphic. Thoughs? Thanks again for all your help.

That works. But why did it happen to begin with? The viewport scale is 1"=1'-0". The design layer scale is 1"=1'-0". So I am not sure why the marker scale when set to Automatic does not work. The custom scale is grayed out as a 4. So the markers are 4 times bigger. I had to just change them to be 1 and it's fine. But what caused the drawing to do this? It was fine from initial set up through several weeks, but yesterday it just decided to not be right. Thanks for your help Benson.

For some reason all of my dimensions in all of my detail viewports on my details page have gone crazy. See attached image Dim Error. The Attached image called Dim Correct is what they look like in the design layer I have set up for my 1"=1'-0" Dims. Everything is correct in terms of viewport scale, text sizes, proper dim scale etc. EDIT: Also - you can see the leader line arrows are huge as well. Not sure what caused the viewports to all of a sudden mess up the tick marks on the dims. Thanks for the help.

First let me start off with the VW staff, tech support and other folks have been worlds of help!! Being new VW users ourselves (2 folks in our office) we are in the same boat. I manage the site department for an Architecture firm. We purchased this product knowing what it could do. The Video about Landmark was awesome - and we were hooked. But how do you get to that point? During our trial run we were allowed to sit in on a 2 day tutorial webinar that was great. I learned quite a bit. I scan Youtube VW account, Sean O'Saka Youtube frequently and the Service Select VW help website daily. Also VW Help is great. I have found that I learned most of what I know by just diving in cold and watching tutorials, asking questions here and just messing around with the program (I suggest you save often and save backup copies of milestones you reach while creating your project file). Converting AutoCAD details to VW details has been a chore. I wish there was better info on how to convert over as well. There is one guy that I have talked to that will come to your office or do webinar to help you convert - he was more than my boss wanted to pay unfortunately. I do not want to give his name out as Eric Gilbey (a moderator here) introduced us. Please reach out to him and he can introduce you guys. I would love to see a "Landscape Architecture" set of construction documents as a "this is what the program can do for you guys'. I am a hands on guy and I have learned quite a bit from looking at 'sample files' and seeing how they are set up. I downloaded all of the tutorials and exercises. Good luck - and if you come up with other training info - please let me know.

I am new to VW - so my thoughts may not be correct. But what I found was that I had to decompose the line and then compose the line (if multiple segments) and then convert the line to 3d Polys. That made the lines assume the linetype that I desired and right class. I also did not insert the survey as a symbol - I inserted it into my drawing on a design layer for the survey. I hope that helps - if not - sorry.

Contour labels assume the document format for units. Please give us control in the model to change the units of the model for labels. Please give us the option to drop the inches part so that the contour label reads 104' or just 104 without having to change the entire document units. The current set up is nice if we are showing half foot contours - but that is rarely used. Thanks,

Hello - I have a couple of questions regarding Sheet Notes and the associated leader lines and generated sheet notes in the 'paper space' of the sheet. First image attached - is it possible to make the leader line stop at the hex instead of extending into the center? Second image - why do the sheet notes in the 'paper space' have a period after the number yet the tags in the view port do not? Third - is there a way to make it so that the hex does not stretch when the numbers get into the double digits? Thanks, Ben

Great info I may have to just do them manually as well - I also have a question (new to VW). How can you get your contour labels to be whole numbers - 1141'? And not 1141'0" - I would like to remove the inches part. Thanks,

Thanks. I was double clicking the grade stake and it was telling me that the object has no edit behavior. Then as I zoomed in I was able to see the the grab point to select and move.

How do you make it so a grade stake can have a leader line much like a tag? What I mean is sometimes when I place a grade stake to be used on my grading plan the elevation is right on top of a building wall or other site info. I need to pull the elevation number out into an open spot on the drawing and for it to have a leader line to the spot elevation marker. The only way I have figured out how to do this is to explode (ungroup) and then manually adjust it, and manually draw a leader line to the point. Thanks, VW 2016, windows 8