Philip Wheelock
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Posts posted by Philip Wheelock
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Thanks, Bob. I checked Sketchup in some depth yesterday. What I have found so far is that VW 2010 successfully imports Sketchup files with the "automatic" option and turns objects into walls, floors and roofs as long as the Sketchup objects are single planes (no thickness). The "3D polygon" option, importing as .3ds and .dwg seem useful only for tracing purposes.
I hope to be proved wrong, but, from what I can tell, the more detailed Sketchup models with wall, floor, roof and trim thicknesses, which are necessary for effective presentations, essentially have to be redrawn in VW.
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I can see where modeling existing conditions/surrounding buildings in Sketchup and importing same to VW would be useful for rendering and presentations, but I can't figure out how a Sketchup model could be converted into something to build on in VW since the entities seem to be 3D polygons without intelligent info that walls and roofs in VW have. I suppose tracing floor plans on separate layers?
Is there something I'm missing in terms of using the actual imported Sketchup model?
Thanks.
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This is a serious time-saver when working with viewports.
![[Cool]](images/icons/cool.gif)
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Created a file in v.11 (using viewports) and placed the beginnings of a plan on a floor plan design layer (1:48 scale) with simple walls without doors, windows, etc., then created a layer link to the general site plan design layer (1:192 scale), then unlocked and rotated the layer link. I now find that the floor plan design layer walls cannot be selected by clicking on them, although a rectangle drag-selection will capture a few of them. Cmd-A will select them all, but when cycling through them in the Info Palette, the highlights are offset and rotated from where the walls appear to be. Zooming in closer than 50% results in some or all walls disappearing. Walls cannot be snapped to in the floor plan design layer, although the layer link in the site plan design layer will allow snaps.
I erased the layer link on the general site plan design layer and the walls on the floor plan design layer and started over. Creating a non-rotated floor plan layer link on the general site plan design layer resulted in the same behavior. Started over again, but did not link the floor plan design layer to the general site plan layer. All appears to be working as expected now, but who knows whether other problems remain as a result.
Anyone else seeing this wall visibility/location/snapping/selection issue with layer links between layers of differing scales?
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Not sure why anyone or any office who actually relies on VW for a living would upgrade to Mac OSX 10.3 while the only Vectorworks version that works under it is still in beta. Why worry? I'm having a nice, stable ride with VW under OSX 10.2.8.
BTW, I like AutoCAD; used in in the last office where I worked before starting out on my own. But it's expensive - nearly $5K in software and setup costs for an ADT seat a couple of years ago... The price/performance ratio of upgrading to Vectorworks v.10 looks pretty good to me from that perspective.
Philip S. Wheelock, Jr. AIA
Wheelock Associates Architects
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Katie:
Problem solved, at least for the short term: for some reason the object library files, door files in particular, became corrupted or unusable, as evidenced by a singular modification date for all of them sometime in 06/03. Unfortunately, I didn't save them. Mark Fiorucci (NNA) helped me track down the cause, although we don't know what caused the object library files to be modified in the first place - perhaps a third party-disk repair utility. In any event, I'm backing up the object library folder to CD, and many thanks to Mark.
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Installed VWA 10.5, created *new* file and find that placing door symbols results in the following Script Error:
"A VectorScript error has occurred on this locked plug-in. Refer to the file "Error-Output" for a further explanation."
This includes 3-Pnl, Flush, French and Patio door symbols. Moreover, opening a recent file created in VWA 10.1.2 results in the appearance of eight dialog boxes giving the identical script error message as above. In addition, all door symbols are now missing from their respective walls, but still show up in the Resource Palette. This file opens up as expected in VWA 10.1.2 with all symbols intact.
VWA 10.5 update is *unusable* on my Macintosh 933 Mhz G4 desktop. Have emailed "Error-Output" file to NNA for evaluation.
Philip Wheelock
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Katie:
Until today, VWA 9.5.3 has remained unchanged on both machines since the 9.5.3 patch was available; VWA 10 has been upgraded similarly when available. Didn't notice any problems until I upgraded to VWA 101.2, but that may not be significant.
Deleting VWA 9.5.3, then restoring it from a stuffit archive seems to have fixed the problem, at least temporarily.
As you said, the crashing is a bigger issue. I've repaired permissions and run Norton Disk Doctor a couple of times with no apparent effect on the crashing associated with importing .dwg files and running "Show Ceiling View" on certain files. Another function I've learned to stay away from is adding or removing drawing sheets in large files via Setup>>Create Standard Sheets. Takes lots of time and 100% CPU capacity to adjust a 65-sheet file, while having to click "OK" on numerous dialog boxes that otherwise don't have text in them. Anyway, it takes way too long. I've been babysitting one file for over fifty minutes while typing this and eating lunch; the watch icon is spinning, CPU is at 100% and a message in the lower left of the drawing window reads, "Creating Sheet 65 of 65 - [100% Complete]" It's apparent that I'm going to have to "Force Quit" and re-open the file just to get some work done.
Other than the above crashes/hangs, which I invoked deliberately to see how v10.1.2 would behave, VWA 10.1.2 is stable. Unfortunately, these three functions are important for my work. The first two I can get done in v.9.5.3, but adding/subtracting standard sheets via "Setup" has never worked correctly for me. More troubling is the absence of productivity this morning.
Sincerely,
Philip S. Wheelock, Jr. AIA
Wheelock Associates Architects
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I keep a copy of VWA 9.5.3 as well as VWA 10.1.2 on my Mac (OS 10.2.4) in order to perform certain operations such as import .dwg files and "Show Ceiling View" , both of which usually cause an "unexpected quit" in VWA 10.1.2. Problem is that opening and saving a file in VWA 10.1.2 results in a file with a Mac OS 9 icon that, if double-clicked to open, tries unsuccessfully to open up in VWA 9.5.3 (OS X). Deleting the VWA 9 application or compressing it into a .sit file allows VWA 10 to save new files properly. This isn't necessarily a NNA issue, but it did cost me two hours' lost time to troubleshooting.
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Just for comparison, VWA 10.1 executes operations on my 967 mhz G4, Mac OS 10.1.5 faster than I can input, with the exception of rendering. I've seen one crash when invoking the "show ceiling view" command, but otherwise all is stable and fast. Could this issue be OS 10.2.4-related?
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Katie:
Try using the stretch command in Acad (Select objects then hit: "s" + "Return) to see what I mean. As I said earlier, VW stretch works very well, it's only that Acad's implementation is a bit crisper. This isn't any big deal so I'm not in complaining mode. Replicating Acad's stretch command isn't on my major wish list - that's reserved for viewports (croppable layer links). That will be a huge production time saver. :-)
All the best,
Philip S. Wheelock, Jr. AIA
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Katie asked whether I'd elaborate on "positive snapping"...
OK. If you've used AutoCad, you probably know that one of it's strengths is stretching. What I like about it is when the cursor finds a snap point, it latches onto it, even if you continue to move the mouse slightly. In VW, you get a dot and a snap point identifier (center, point, etc) and it works well 98% of the time, but the cursor doesn't literally snap to the point. I just have to be more careful when stretching to ensure accuracy than I normally would in AC.
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Selecting certain objects and using the resize tool does work well, similar to stretch in ACad. Moving windows within walls is easily done via this method. If I could add to the wish list, though, I'd ask for more positive snapping to points, in addition to the dot that appears next to the cursor when over a snap point.
All the best,
Philip S. Wheelock, Jr. AIA
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Do I feel upset at the prospect of upgrading to VW10? Not really. Gotta get back to work, now.
All the best,
Philip S. Wheelock, Jr. AIA
Wheelock Associates Architects
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I can affirm that bringing Acad view port-like capabilities to VWA would make a big difference in production work relative to elevations, building sections, wall sections and details. But I can appreciate the programming hoops this will require, especially in light of the fact that Mac OS X doesn't have everything under the hood that OS 9 has, and developing for multiple platforms will require additional resources.
As far as cost of upgrading to VW 10 is concerned, VW is still the best bang for the buck I've seen. For comparison, check out the costs of Autocad Architectural Desktop and the training and IT support/configuration it takes to really make that software work.
All the best,
Philip S. Wheelock, Jr. AIA
Wheelock Associates Architects
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I'm satisfied with NNA's position re: OS 10.2, especially after their huge effort to patch VW 9.5.1 when OS 10.1.5 appeared. All of my applications are stable now, I get my work done and am happy to sit tight for awhile. I use VWA for my architecture business and am convinced that early adoption of an operating system, even with the stellar Unix pedigree and killer potential of OS X, is unwise in a business environment.
I think NNA's progress with VW is excellent.
All the best,Philip S. Wheelock, Jr. AIA
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Anyone had any notable experience with Microspot X-RIP software running on Mac OS X, VW 9.5.2, to HP Designjet 500 w/HPGL/2 card via USB cable? Thanks in advance.
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Regarding the above post about files not opening, I was a bit premature, because restarting and then changing the files with the "Show Info" dialog box did the trick. This seems to be more a problem with a pokey Finder/OS 10 than with VW. All is well, it's 4:00 AM and I'm going to bed...
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Just installed VW 9.5.2, which seems to fix the issues I was having with 9.5.1 under OS 10.1.5. Another issue has surfaced, however, in that the installer updated 9.5.1 to 9.5.2 properly on one partition of my hard drive wherein resides OS 10, but indicated that it was actually doing the install on the other partition, which contains OS 9. Now my file icons all look like OS 9 versions and won't open other than by dragging them to the VW 9.5.2 application icon or its alias, or by opening them within 9.5.2. Trying to fix this with the "Show Info" dialog box doesn't work; the files refuse to be mapped to 9.5.2 and revert to being mapped to 9.0.1 or nothing if 9.0.1 is deleted. This machine is a beige G3 and requires a 8 gb partiion max. to run OS 10.
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Has anyone had good results using a black background for VW 9.5.1 under OS 10.1.5? I'm currently working in Classic Mode, but find I have to restart once or twice a day or else things start to go awry in VW after a certain point. Perhaps a memory problem... Anyway, is anyone able to use VW under 10.1.5?
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I recall that the spacebar invoked the zoom-in tool last night, but that was then. Right now, the pan/zoom-in/zoom-out toggle with spacebar/command/option is a great feature that will make me forget about ACAD's mouse zoom wheel fairly soon. Thanks, Ion.
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So, if one of the options suggested was to run VW in Classic Mode until things settle down, has anyone had better luck with 9.01 or 9.5.1? I know that 9.01 seems a lot slower for certain things, but I have seen one instance of strange behavior in 9.5.1 under Classic where striking the "Command" key brings up the zoom-in tool.
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Thanks, Ion. I hadn't until this moment considered how useful OS 9 would be in the event that an anomaly like this would crop up in OS 10. I talked to Apple tech support and there's no way on my G4 to reinstall an earlier version of OS 10 without pretty much wiping the hard drive clean.
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These issues under 10.1.5 are getting serious. . . Changing a plug-in window to match the wall thickness causes the object to turn white, effectively leaving a gap in the wall where the window object used to be.
How are people using SketchUp imports in VW 2010?
in General Discussion
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I'm guessing that the number of comments on this thread suggests that Sketchup hasn't been incorporated in very many workflows at this time. Google seems to be taking the program in its own direction rather than making it more useful as a front end to more established CAD programs.
Out of my experimentation with Sketchup, my wish list item for VW is an OpenGL sketch mode that replicates the rendering look of Sketchup and an optional horizon line/shaded plane at Z=0'.