Bryan_dup1

I've been editing "Call Out" text in the objects menu after automatically trying the text tool a bunch of times after upgrading to Ver 9. The objects menu method is fairly clunky. I noticed today that you can edit a "Call Out" text box also by selecting that tool from the line tool pallete and drag it accross the call out text on your screen and it opens in a popup edit window. A designer I once worked with would call an unexpected event like this a "happy" and this certainly counts as one.

I have that happen along with another goofy thing. The select handles (little black boxes on the item) sometimes reverse in that they are visible when the item is not selected and invisible when item is selected. I've gotten used to it and have thought it was a monitor card issue.

The similarities/differences between the files that print and the ones that don't possibly hold the key to your problem. I would also update all of your machines to the same system software. Perhaps the files that don't print were created with an older version of VectorWorks? I would also update all of your machines to the same system software. I've taught VectorWorks/MiniCad since version 1 in various school labs so answer the above and perhaps we can find a solution or Katie & Matt may have an idea.

Do you perform this script before or after the render?

Kevin, I believe I do simular types of drawings, (such as the convert to [ line>hidden line] I have running in the background right now). Your problem with the multitude of lines are as TS stated, potentially related to your 3d resolution settings. Check your 3d resolution in [File>Preferences>Vectorworks Prefs>3d Tab]. Besides using the curved wall tool, you can also draw the wall, VW9, by drawing the inner arc & outer arc in 2d, extrude to wall height, ungroup the 2 arcs if extruded together and then {Model>Subtract Solids} . This would work if the wall doesn't have windows or doors. This gives you a 3d solid that has less lines when hidden line rendered. There is also a way to set the render, also VW9, to eliminate sets of lines. A frind of mine told me that trick and I will ask him again if the answer doesn't appear here .

Thanks for your reply. This makes sense since Quicktime 6 is being released with OS 10.2. Will the new VW 9.5 patch for OS 10.2 also fix this Quicktime 6 problem?

Hopefully someone has an answer to this one. When I export to image file, jpg., in VW 9.5 I only get the lower 1/4 of my drawing in the upper left hand corner of the jpg file. If I move the entire dwg out of the bounding box of the page into where the jpg file thinks it should be then the whole dwg is in the jpg file. That is a paint to do so... I currently export to VW8 and then export to jpg there without any problems, ie, I don't have to move the dwg. for it to be visible. Mac G4 @ 400, OS 10.5, Quicktime Ver 6, Video Card is Rage 128s

Epson Photo 1200 OS X driver is now available on epson website. web page

Something I do at times is to {convert to lines}{hidden line} and then you can rescale by menu or curser with shift key held to keep proportion. If you are doing a top view be sure you are in 3d top view or several or all of the symbol/PIO's will not appear in the conversion.

You can also try www.vectordepot.com which has a few different styles of people.

Katie & Matt Thanks for your response, sounds like a workable solution. Thx

Katie, Perhaps I wasn't clear in my post. I am aware of the competition's CAD products and know that there is value in Vectorworks, which I've used since version 1.My bold comment is in regard to how some marketing/sales area of graphic software companies often sell needed addons at a price that is close to the entire package price of the now "basic" version of Vectorworks. I work in tradeshow & museum exhibit, retail, film, tv, video & corporate theatre design and fabrication. No one version of VW9 will have the items I need that were in earlier versions. If you would pass on my suggestion about making some of the toolkit/plugin items available it would be appretiated.

Matthew & Katie, Is there a chance that some of the removed objects from version 8 to version 9 might be reinstated sometime in the future in the "basic" version of VectorWorks? It is a real "kick in the pants" for a long time user like me, and I'm sure others, that previously used objects that are now split into Spotlight. Architect and the myriad of other now specialized Vectorworks versions. The small amount that is in the basic object library doesn't really cut it. Perhaps Nemetschek could sell these, at a resonable price, as add-ons.

I've wondered how you get out of text, I've accidently entered hot key sequences in text blocks. from time to time. A helpful hint.

Wow, "learn something new everyday" Thanks Chad

3/16" To 1'0" Scale is 1:72 The seat of the pants method to figure this is that this scale is halfway between 1/4" (1:48) & 1/8" (1:96). I do this alot to rescale drawings to 8.5" x 11" paper to fax.

The important point is to export from VW in low rez and rely on a program like photoshop to resize and print your image. I've found that VW/RW really lags when exporting or especially printing a high rez. file. Another advantage using an outside program to print from is tha ability to keep working in VW. All part of the learing curve.

I use Art*lantis as a rendering package that exports directly out of VW via a supplied software addon. I haven't used other rendering programs and wonder what others use for creating presentational color renders.

Mac Plot isn't supported under OS X, only on OS 9 or earlier. So you would have to either use OS 9 when printing, or use VW 8.x in classic, or use the VW 9 viewer reset to start up in classic mode from the apllications Info Window. The latter is the way I currently use Macplot to drive an EnCad plotter. I've checked the Macplot website but haven't seen any updates yet.

The type of color print you need to make would be the answer point to your question. If you are doing different colored lines and such a color lazer works well. I print color renderings from Vectorworks exported to Art*lantis render exported to Photoshop almost daily and use an Epson Photo 1200 that uses 5 ink color cartridges, plus a dedicated 6th black ink, that do a great job on media up to 13" x 19". There currently isn't a OS X driver but it is promised by Epson to be available this quarter. The trick previously listed to use VectorWorks Viewer operating in OS 9classic works well until the native driver is ready.

There is a 3rd party shareware application (haxie) that will "windowshade" the drawing window, but not the pallets. It is offered by Unsanity and called "WindowShade X"

I also have this happen that I will start up 9.5.2 in a document previously worked in and none of the pallets are deployed and I have to open all which then appear in the positions I left them. A connected oddity that I'm guessing is platform based is when my G4 goes into screen saver mode while I'm on the shop floor. When I return and touch the mouse, my screen returns with the pallet borders where I left them but they are empty white spaces. I have to close them and reopen each one. Just clicking on them doesn't fix the situation.

I also vote for a user selection option for the way this selection function operates.

Epson changed their opinion on not doing an OSX driver for the 1200 printer. Their support web site states that it will be available sometime during the 3rd quarter this year.

Actually I also have experienced that V9 is much slower in editing than V8. I only have a G4-400 which I believe is the reason. Since our EnCad plotter does not have an OSX driver I have to zip back and forth from either V8 to print (or restart in OS 9). I do the same for editing.