Damon Design

Agree the easier way is to place the floors on separate layers, in that you mostly don't see the floors except for level changes on plan views; I tend to use a floor plan only class and draw those changes as lines and, (obviously) have that class on only in that plan view. That keeps the walls and other elements always visible regardless of their stacking order. Having floors layers visible for me is mostly used for sections, and modeling.

I concur. After getting the upgrade and spending just a few hours exploring it I can easily see a substantially quicker workflow potential. Maybe not the 10x faster but the improvements made in this area are real. I think it would be difficult for a complex app. like this not to have some bugs but I am producing designs and documents for clients, consultants and the city working only in VW everyday so if you follow the credo of saving constantly it seems to me that most of us can work through the bugs; obviously hoping that Nemetschek is working to fix them.

Thanks Darick

I think you mean to use the split tool (it looks like an exacto knife) and just split the wall by clicking the area or use the line mode.

I am just now venturing and experimenting with plant graphics in VW Landmark so this is likely user error but I am going through the VW09 Landmark exercises and when I use this mode the I am getting odd extensions to the geometry. It seems to take place whether or not I try to close the polygon or just double click after establishing some geometry. http://tinyurl.com/3wt7d5 Is this me, the program, or related to my hardware (not enough RAM)? Thanks

I wonder if one could use the column tool -per Peter's Cipes clever use of the new width and length adjustment parameters for a wall with a cap (no column base)- and just have a wide column with a base but no capital for a foundation?

Jeeze, and I have been stacking thick short walls (caps) on top of thinner tall walls to draw site walls with caps for years-and the extra work to stacking, classing and maybe coloring to edit the elements. Nice workaround Peter!

Wow that looks like a putting green. I guess that just goes to show how a bit of experimenting with all those almost overwhelming number of shader options can give you something unexpected yet just about right. Still, that would have taken me way too long to figure out. Thanks for the example Dave, I'm inspired to think outside of the shader box!

I think I mentioned this once before but I am generally having a grand ole' time in VW08 context clicking clip and add surface (though I had incorporated this in my workspace previously) on edit group-roof faces primarily- and sometimes this function simply refuses to work. Add surface command removes everything and clip surface removes all of the bottom object except for the area beneath the clipping surface?! It does the same thing if I use the menu commands instead of context clipping. Is this just my machine or does anyone else experience this? Does the magic of Parasolids in 09 solve this? Thanks

You can use a simple window symbol for a skylight, (monkey with it a bit to get the glass up close to the sash/frame) rotated to the roof slope from a side view and plop it (well, carefully place it) into the clipped hole instead of modeling the window from scratch. It won't "lock" into the roof face like it would in a roof object but effectively works just the same. Also as Jonathan suggests, the general rule is to try to create the roof with the create roof command, add all the goodies you think you might want; facias, dormers, skylights... edit it as much as you can within the parameters available, and then, if you still need to ungroup the roof object for some challenging geometry break it up to roof faces with all the goodies there but not as editable.

I downloaded the update and it is nice and stable now. Thanks

I just got VW '08 a couple of weeks ago (and will update to '09 shortly) -how do I know if this is the most recent version? App is crashing and I will update to SP3 but need to know if this is necessary since Nemtschek just sent me a hard disc install of the app. Does this change the version to above 13.0.0? Thanks.

That 4GB RAM requirement (recommendation?) with RW is up there a bit. My shiny, brand new and (I thought) pretty powerful machine is looking like a 98 lb weakling way too soon. I can squeeze in more RAM but jeeze -you'd think we need darn near super computers to run this stuff. Still, just upgraded to VW 08 to take advantage of the free upgrade to 09 and it all looks pretty cool to me.

You could either draw the geometry, use the offset tool, the clip tool and then the extrude tool to create the symbol or I suppose you could use a gable topped window symbol, get the angles close by the rise and other definitions, ungroup it and then edit its geometry.

Not Sketchup! Kinda does look like it though. VW Final Quality Viewport, Overlaid with Hidden line, Sketch Viewport.

Testing upload widget Finally. (tip: deselect the shorten URL option) Thats a cool widget!

Thanks gmm18 That looks exactly like the simple solution I was looking for. Cheers

Me thinks you have placed me upon a pedestal which I do not deserve to occupy. As I emailed Andrew of MacB I am quite certain there are 100s if not 1000's of VW users who are far better modelers, designers and presenters than I, (including your excellent examples-and who among us aren't at least a bit intimidated by Islandmon?) but I have offered to help if I can. (side topic-I can't even figure out how to attach an image here when I need help-no hosted web site and the image hosting sites that I've tried to use the Forum won't take-any recommendations?) But you are right, even self taught as I am, and hanging tightly to this forum for help, VW can do it, there is such flexibility inherent in VW that there nearly always is a work around, or a different process to achieve (or nearly so) what you want. When you do make the jump to 3D and do a fly-around of a proposed design with the client, are able to figure out complex roof intersections and then pop out those elevations for CDs and consultants in a flash for annotating- I think the power of VW really comes to life. And yes, modeling is challenging and takes more than a little while to get the hang of it, but ultimately it is the way to go. I am still on a learning curve though as far as techniques and processes go-even as I make the program work for me. Now, back to trying to figure out how best to hatch and annotate that elevation... Cheers,

Mac B I understand your issues with flared walls and hidden line over final quality viewports. I am working on a 85 y.o "Pagoda" Craftsman and while the hidden line overlay looks fine for most of the elements the flared walls add extraneous lines at the flare. You can select the actual flared elements and turn off the hidden line for it in the OIP render tab and that helps. This is a very detailed building -exposed rafter tails, decorative verge boards, decorative rounded beams, trusses, piers, upturned eaves etc... and although it did take some time to model the elements the accurate elevation views that result-and the ability to rotate around the model for design and presentation purposes is invaluable. Because it is a landmark house in a historic district the proposed additions can be more sensitively designed and then accurately represented to the historic resource board for approval.

Instead of dummy walls you can notch out the area of each wall with wall peaks at the corner to the geometry of the window(s), and then place the window group at that area. I hope we get some more features like Windoor as well.

My workaround for sink cabinets has been to make the cabinet very shallow -just a few inches deep-and drop the sink into a counter slab that I create and clip. Then the cabinet won't cut into the sink. You can't tell the cabinet in too shallow if bordered by other elements.

Try using the standard lower resolution on Design Layers-72 DPI- and increasing the Sheet Layers resolution for final rendering and exporting-say 200 DPI. This does increase rendering time but makes for a crisper image.

I find the best way is to use the offset duplicate tool after defining the initial geometry. Then using the clip tool you can set up the sash, frame, trim (if wanted) and glazing. Extrude away, set up attributes for elements, define it as a symbol and you're pretty much good to go. I do not however understand how come an oval/occulus window with editable attributes is not included in the architect module.

Hey Jeffrey, Now I'm feeling very ignorant- I know I've heard of Space objects before but honestly can say I don't know exactly what that is. Assuming a new class is automatically created when using it/them? and no class named space objects exists in my doc. Can you add a picture without having your own website, or where should I go to assign a URL to a pic on my computer. Thanks

Thanks for the quick response- not quite sure exactly what you are asking though. The cut is definitely showing as if I have extruded a simple solid house form (box with a gable on top) but I have not modeled it as such, and the cut is not through a continuous outside wall. Still not quite sure how to attach picture-I know, I know, I should and its easy but admit to not being as Web savvy as I should be. Thanks