Andy Jones

Hermann, All I can say is it works as advertised! I don't have a RIP and the driver seems to allow me to do what I need once I set up a 24x36 page size from the options. The autocut worked fine and told me I need to more accurately align the print area with my drawing and its border. I've only printed from Photoshop and VWA (so I didn't need the RIP I expect I'd need for Illustrator, which I don't use these days) It was all plug and play and no problems encountered. For Photoshop, learning about color management is a must if you want to avoid reprinting and tweaking. I've added a couple of links to threads on other boards about the printer (they're not VWA related particularly but might be useful anyway!) I've not priced how much it would cost to have a 24x36 e.g. floorplan printed by a service bureau so if you have an estimate of that , I'd be interested! I'm guessing my raw cost of paper and ink was around $0.50... Andy http://www.robgalbraith.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=3&t=001254 http://www.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1003&message=3657597

Yep! Twin 450 G4 System 9.2 (I think) and the 7600 works fine. Less than 2 minutes to print at 360dpi for a 24x36 floorplan on paper that's $20 for 150 feet so I'm not worried about testing things out...

Thanks Katie,I guess I'll check out the VWA CD - perhaps it WILL turn into a career move! Andy

Anthony, I totally agree with your comments 1) DTM is a capability that could be described as elegant2) The results do not seem predictable and 3) complete agreement on the lack of good help in the documentation.That said, however, I've used it quite successfully so far. I received a DXF file from the surveyor (in PC format) and VW (on a Mac) imported it successfully, albeit with a bunch of empty classes. I extracted a layer with the TIN data in it and created a DTM model with a hull and applied a groundcover texture so my 3D renderings of the house model on its site look very nice, with tree objects placed and set at the correct elevation etc. I know where to cut out the volume where the slab and foundations will go. Still exploring how to create the second DTM to do the cut/fill operation but since it's a simple residence, it's not critical for my job. I should point out that I have no remotely related training in engineering, architecture or house-building (I'm in biotech as my "day-job" but designing my "dream house" in my spare time!) so I'd say VW and VWA are reasonably accessible to someone who's prepared to put in the time to learn those things as well as the software to do them. The documentation for the DTM , like that for much of VWA, would greatly benefit from explanations and descriptions of tools and operations using real-life examples/illustrations as well as the "dry" descriptions in the manual and on-line help. My personal style of learning is by "seeing in action", understanding and then adapting to my situation. (In contrast to my wife, who's co-designing the house , I conceptualize things in 3D so that's why I even considered trying to design the house myself. In the 80's we had a remodel designed by an architect and I ended up building a 1/4 inch balsa wood model from the plans to convince her it was what we wanted) Perhaps some of the tutorial CDs have such examples, but I haven't had the time to explore them - nor have I had time to attend any training classes (this isn't really a career change in the making!!) Anyone have feedback on whether the CDs would help someone like me? ThanksAndy

There is a shareware ($7) called WindowShade X from Unsanity.com that returns this capability to OS X http://www.unsanity.com/ I have not tried it with VWA (I'm at my day-job right now) but the d/l is free and works for an hour per session so you can check it out without paying - if it works with VWA (as it should) you can register it.It is rumored that WS will return with Jaguar if you can wait that long!