domer1322

It works ... thanks .... but now I have to show my ignorance. I opened your file in VW 2015. A "custom palette" dialog box opened automatically. I made a wall with many peaks. Then I double clicked on the custom palette command, and it set all the peaks to the height I entered. Success. BUT ... in that file, I found the custom palette under the menu WINDOW>PALETTES>CUSTOM. I quit, then re-started VW2015. The command is longer there under the menu "WINDOW". So .. how do I load this new command into my copy of VW2015 ? I assume I have to load something into a library, but what ?

thanks ... but .... I could not find that command. I am using VW 2015, so is it possible they might have added that command in a newer version, but it is missing in VW 2015 ? Is there another way to do it ?

I used the command to "fit walls to objects" and the walls properly extend up to the next object (ROOF). HOWEVER, sometimes I make a mistake, and I want to "un-do" it. I find that I select the wall, but in the OIP there is no field to correct the extension. I adjust the 'top bound' to a ceiling or roof, but the wall retains the height it generated after I used "fit walls to objects". i can manually delete vertexes in the walls, but I still end up with a wall that is not the correct height for the top bound. So ... how do I "un-do" the "fit walls to objects" command ? (that is assuming I've made too many changes to use the 'un-do' command.)

Each case is different, and yours is different than mine. My problem was that VW2015 initially worked well on my 2009 MacBook Air. Then, I upgraded the MacOS and Safari and didn't realize until later that VW2015 would no longer initialize on the internet from my MacBook. My older version of VW 2014 still initializes on the internet so I can use that on my MacBook Air. I was (and am still) using VW2015 on my newer iMac with Yosemite (OS 10.10.5) but I can not upgrade the MacOS without also having to upgrade VW. Since I am retired, I don't intend to upgrade VW ... so I'll keep the same Mac OS and iMac until they are dead .... for the sole reason of keeping VW 2015 functional. I still think Nemetsheck is deficient for not making a patch for the internet initialization so I can use VW 2015. However, I doubt I'm the first to have software become outdated and I guess no software company cares about that. In my view, I paid for something and I can no longer use it . i think that is bad practice.

well .... it turns out the solution was to upgrade everything. Nemetsheck will not allow anyone to use it without internet activation. It seems when Apple upgraded their Mac OS, that caused a problem with the VW version activation. I suppose I could try to downgrade the Mac OS, but that simply causes the browser to be downgraded, which makes internet use inconsistent. So ... it is the same story we've all suffered with computers for years .... upgrade or die. In this case, I'm dead. (You are too .... :)

Dave: thanks for the help, but ..... I looked for "caustics" in those places you mentioned, without success. I opened the VW help manual and searched for 'caustics' and returned "no results". I suspect this feature is in a newer version, and not available in the version I'm using - VW 2015. Does that mean that I can not generate the light reflections that I want in VW 2015 ? (as mentioned in the original post). .... or is there another way to do it ?

I tried to set up the glass texture on a window to act like tinted glass with the sunlight bouncing off the glass and then showing up as a reflected light on other objects like the pavement. I've been tinkering but can't find the right settings to show any light bouncing off the glass. I've set the texture reflectivity to "mirror" but that doesn't seem to make the light bounce. (It does make other textures visible on the glass as I would expect for a 'mirror'.) I set the 'lighting" control to allow indirect light (1 bounce) but again, it didn't work. Is it possible to make the texture work in the way I describe ? If so, please tell me the proper texture settings because I'm obviously too ignorant to figure this out. Thanks. (I'm using VW Arch 2015 with renderworks)

I've never figured out how to make a normal brick texture. The ones included with VW libraries are based on images that repeat. I want one that shows normal red-brown brick with slight color variations between bricks that don't repeat. Does anyone know what shader settings to use to make a non-repeating brick texture that looks real (or at least close to real) ? I've tried and tried, but I'm beginning to think it is not possible. I'm only a part-time user, but I recall 10 years ago VW could make a non-repeating brick texture, but when they changed the rendering engine several years ago it seems that it isn't possible anymore.

thanks .... even though the slab drainage features are not included in VW 2015 your help is appreciated. HOWEVER ... it still doesn't function as I believe it should ... you correctly pointed out that I could add or subtract solids from the slab and shape it the way i wished, but, when I do that, the slab changes into a "solid addition" and loses the characteristics of a slab object. Thus .... I still can't shape a slab object in 3D as I would want to do. If I'm missing something, feel free to let me know. Once again ... thanks for the help ... I did learn something.

The video from Matt is nice, but doesn't really solve my initial question. I am convinced there is no way for VW to solve my problem. If you go back and look at my previous posts, you'll see one that shows a 3D image of slab with turned down edges. The slab drainage tool that Matt shows in his video does not allow for the slab to have turned down edges nor changes in slab thickness. In my area, turned down slabs where the edges are thicker, just thick enough to allow the slab to bear below the frost line, are very common. However, it appears there is no easy way for VW to model this. My 3D modeling skills are not good enough to easily this type of geometry (or perhaps VW just won't do this easily). For what it is worth .... I was attempting to draw an entire project (simple garage/shed) entirely in 3D, right down to the bolts). It appears that a designer simply can't do it ..... I seems to me the closest I could expect is to generate sections/details from my 3D model, but always expect that I'll have to alter or fix the 2D image/section to make it accurate. In other words ... a perfect 3D model is simply not possible now .....

thanks for sharing .... that tool is better than the VW original. It works nicely in VW 2015.

test slab.tiff

I'm using VW 2015. This is an academic discussion, because I already made the slab in 3D. However, it was very cumbersome with many steps. Also, when done, my slab can not be edited. If you look at the attached image, you'll see my turned down slab (in 'clip cube' view) and notice how the thickness is not uniform, due to the slopes of the surface. When I used 'screen grab' to make this 2D image, it shows the selection lines, and you can see they indicate the triangles of the different slopes in the surface of the slab. I figure there must be an easier way to do this using solid modeling instead of the way I did it ... I set elevation 3D loci at corners and elsewhere and drew 3D triangles. Extruded each individual triangle, then combined them into a solid. Then subtracted the solid from the "unsloped" slab. This case was simple ... but what if my slab had more complex geometry ? Also .... the concrete would not have 'edges' in it between the triangle slopes, as the conc finisher would be pulling his screed to the center point, then sloping toward the end. test slab.tiff

thanks ... I learned a few tips, but ..... that wasn't what I had in mind. I'm trying to exactly model a concrete slab that has very slight slopes (for drainage), so the final answer should be a 3D solid shape. I only mentioned using a DTM because that was the only way I could figure out how to try and model the slab .... although I can't get the final result.

this should be simple for someone who knows what they're doing ..... I want a 3D model with a special slope for a standard concrete garage slab. I can model the slope using a DTM, and the result is shown in the attached image. Since I can't figure out any way to model a 3D solid to show the slope, how can I generate a solid from the DTM with the correct surface slope ? (I'm open to any technique. It doesn't have to use a DTM. Also .. I understand more recent releases of VW have some slope creating features ... but please answer this for a guy like me who has VW 2015.) I've tried many ways to save the 3D model and convert it into a generic solid, but I just can't find a way that works. PS: in the image, don't be alarmed by the contours ... they are set at 1/8" ... it isn't as steep as it looks.

Boh: thanks for allowing me to think it isn't all due to my incompetence. I started with trying design layers and had issues so I tried making the garage as a symbol instead. I have a surveyed site plan, and I want the units to show on the survey lines as feet-decimals. However, I also want to make construction drawings of the garage in units "feet-inches". So the survey is on a externally referenced file. If I make the garage a hybrid symbol, then I can make the garage show up as a 2D rectangle on the survey/site plan, without showing the walls/roof/structure on the 2D image. I thought this would allow me to duplicate the garage symbol and make several different versions, all of which could be suitably located by using the "symbol replace" option. Unless someone comes up with a solution that I can understand, I'll guess I will have to try something else. (PS: I'm using VW 2015, so hopefully this "wall in a symbol" issue is fixed on more recent versions.)

I can't figure this out .... I have reason to make a small garage into a hybrid symbol. When I insert walls inside (using, copy-paste), as part of the symbol, the height of the wall changes immediately upon pasting. I try to manipulate the heights of various wall components (like the siding) and it does not respond in the same manner as it does when the same wall style type is not part of the symbol. The same behavior occurs when I simply draw the wall using the wall tool while in the "edit symbol" mode. I try to change the wall height in the OIP and by using the wall components in the wall style resource. The height may change, but not in the same way as it does when the wall is not part of the garage symbol. I try using "stories" but I am a novice at using "stories" and I suspect it is operator error/ignorance. Can anyone confirm if the action of placing a wall as part of a hybrid symbol results in unpredictable wall and component height behavior ? .... or ... confirm that i simply don't know what I'm doing.

thanks to all of you .... Matt: I read your answer and felt stupid for not seeing that on the OIP ..... until I tried it and found it does not exist in VW 2015. I figured out the best way is to put the survey on a referenced file. Cumbersome .... but I'm glad they fixed it in VW 2018. If I wasn't already retired, maybe I'd upgrade :)

Is there a solution for this ..... If I draw a site plan boundary survey on one layer, and the building plan on other layers, there is a conflict with the units displayed. That is, the survey boundary could be shown as feet and inches (like the bldg dimensions) but that is not typical. The common survey uses feet in decimals. That is not common for bldg dimensions. Thus ... is there some method to display feet and inches on some layers, while showing feet in decimals on other layers ?

OOps .... sorry .... you were right Markdd. I figured out how to do it ..... it was so easy if you know what to do.

thanks ... but ..... I have VW 2015 and when I right click I do not get an option for "extract image". Any other suggestions ?

Can the image of a texture that is shown in the thumbnail browser of the resource palette be changed ? I have some brick textures that show the entire image in the resource browser thumbnail, and it is impossible to really see the texture because it is as if you're looking at the bricks from 50 yards away ... everything is too small to see the bricks.

If I made a texture using an image from a jpeg file, then I deleted the original jpeg file, is there a way to recover the original image file from the texture ? That is ... I want to make a change to the image file, but the image file is deleted and all that remains is the texture. I understand I could apply the texture to something and make an export of the object, but that seems to have problems with resolution and an inaccurate representation of the original image due to lighting affects. Is there an easy solution ? I figure there must be a "hidden" file of the original image somewhere inside the VW file, but don't know how to find it.

just thought I'd add this note to bring this topic to the top of the forum list .... does anyone care ? I really do think that Nemetshek has some responsibility to ensure I can use the product I already paid for .... this is not really an "old software compatibility" problem. This is an activation problem. If I can't activate it over the internet, shouldn't Nemetschek just tell me how to make it run without internet activation ?

I found this old thread that is nearly exactly my current problem, so i thought I'd ask again if this problem is solvable. In my case, I have VW2014 and it activates over the internet just fine, and is fully useable. However, VW 2015 does not activate, and shows the same error message as listed above. There was a time when it worked correctly on my 2010 MacBook Air. Then, there was a time when I could click on the "try again" button multiple times and it might work. I think one time I clicked on it about 30 times and it worked. Now I've clicked over 40 times and it doesn't work. Sadly I tried to remove my DNS server number, but the little "minus" check box is grayed and I couldn't remove the DNS server from the preferences. I found that I could add a DNS server, and I put in a dummy number, that made no difference. I don't use VW on the MacBook for anything serious, so this has never been a priority, but I'd still like to solve this problem. Any help ? Jim ?