MKingsley

Thanks for all your help Michael. That's just too much working around the issue for this instance. Unless this is a bug, I'm going to jump this question over to the wish list forum, unless anyone from VW can add anything here....?

Yes, the first and second ones are what I want where the lines created by the sectioning plane are grayed and I assume they are on different layers. By the way, where did you get those table and chairs?

Great. How pray tell? To be clear, I mean the lines created by the cutting plane of the section. I have "Separate Cross Sections" checked in the Attributes window of the Advanced Section Properties with no help. It doesn't help either if I override the class attributes of the wall being cut. I can give the Section class gray attributes but that doesn't separate out the layers. What I'm saying is the Viewport Layer Properties button in the OIP gives the option to gray separate layers in the Section Viewport but nothing is changing on my file when I click the Gray option for a certain layer. Should it? Making layers invisible works. Thanks for your help.

Yeah, it kind of feels like I'm talking to myself here.. Yes, it's Hidden Line, but I'd like it if the section plane was gray on the layers that I want grayed. May not be possible.

All I said was D A M N.

I there any box I haven't checked here? I've double checked my settings in the OIP but it isn't happening. One caveat: this was a file that started in 12.5, but it, I couldn't wait to test my recently upgraded version which is 2009, SP2 (build 99197).

Brilliant. That was the difference, Pat. I had them all tight together before and nothing was working. I suppose they need room for expansion just like in the real world.... Thanks again!

I've created some car decking (2x6 T&G) in 3D that I wanted to show in a cut-away type view. I want to show just part of it, as if you took a jigsaw and cut a curvy slice through it. I made the decking by just extruding the profile and bunching a several of those together, and then I want to make a curving slice through all those. As I'm writing this, I'm thinking I may have to make one solid sheet that gets sliced and then add line details later. But is there any way to model it as I was first doing it, like you would actually do it in the real world?

I use a mini USB numeric keypad with my PowerBook which is another thing to take up one the two USB ports, but my mouse is wireless w/ Bluetooth and with Airport Express my printer is wireless also. I use that keypad a lot and with other applications as well.

How about any programs for making your own font(s)?

Excuse my daft question, but what does DPC stand for? TIA,

Yes, but if you only have the Architect version of VW, they will be of no use. At least, you will not be able to import them as ".shp" files. Am I wrong?

They show which view each layer is currently in. The plan-looking icon means that layer is in a 2D plan view. The 3D-looking icon means that layer is in a 3D view, be it Top, Side, or Isometric, etc.

Don't forget to hit "Save" after making your settings with nothing selected or it won't stick.

Version 12 has this capability.

I don't have an answer for you, but you may want to repost this in the "General Discussion" section.

Was I dreaming or did Katie say somewhere they extended the time frame to make a post?

Mechanics, Are you able to somehow import shapefiles with just VW Architect? I thought this was only available with Landmark. IMHO, I think this should be part of the Architect package as well, nudge, nudge.

Graham, The Viewports have their own lighting options at the bottom of the OIP. That probably needs turning on or a bump up in intensity. Also, if your lights in the design layers are pointing directly, horizontally at the elevations, you won't get any shadows in the RenderWorks rendering. That may be what you want anyway... Tilt them down to some degree to get shadows. Keep tweaking all the knobs and buttons like the Wizard behind the curtain and you can get any look you want. It does take time and experimenting at first.

Instead of Artistic Renderworks, try using one of the "regular" Renderworks options - Fast, Final, or Custom. And then add the HL on top.

Check out the "Slab Object" plug-in by Patrick Higgins at http://www.vectordepot.com/PlugIns1.shtml. You set the class of each surface to get different colors or textures all the way around.

One of the color shaders that comes with Renderworks is called Roof Tiles. Make sure you scoll down to the bottom of the pop-up list to see it. It does a good job right off the bat of a grayscale roof or siding shingle texture. You can have two copies and change the color of each to differentiate between the two. To make the rendering more white, turn on Ambient Lighting to at least 75%, and then set the sun position to something close to your pacific time. Then in the edit window, change the two colors of that shader to white to completely get rid of the gray. I don't know what "1x8 "teardrop" 3 drop siding" is...no help there.

Wow, I never knew that. I thought I read somewhere that it was a bug. Thanks for that solution.

Yes, if I want to fill in a part of the roof, that is on a design layer, with a hatch, let's say, that's being shown in elevation in Hidden Line, I can use the fill bucket mode of the polygon tool and do this in the Viewport Annotation window. Or if I want to put a heavy outline around the whole building elevation, I can use the Lasso mode and that works as well, and again, on objects from different layers as being shown in the viewport. Sometimes the lasso mode does funny things like wrap around shapes within the larger shape but is easily cleaned up with the reshape tool. But like I said before, it sometimes doesn't work at all and I don't know why.

I have found this to work on most occasions. I say "most" because sometimes it doesn't work and I'm not sure why. Sorry I can't help more than that. I will usually use that tool mode with a hidden line rendering if that makes any difference. HTH.