Johnm

Many thanks for documenting your procedure for going from SU to VW . I use both and given the extensive number of Sketchup models around it's great to have a clear procedure for bringing them into VW . Reiterating the important steps in each of the videos ( e.g - like purging the unused layers ) helps me retain the method . Thanks for sharing ! Johnm

Hi I have just upgraded to VW Architect /Renderworks 2014 . I started working my way through the Getting Started disk and I tried setting up my screen in the way mentioned in the videos i.e with one of the Workspaces "shipped " with 2014 but when I tried and access the VW Architect workspace file in the 2014 Workspace folder I get the message "This is an unrecognised file ,It may be a vector works file created by..........,or it may have been corrupted by a hardware or system error. Have I mucked up the installation ? OS X 10.9.2 Imac 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo- 6GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM

Jim There must be quite a few VW users out there who regularly switch between VW & Sketchup and who could meanginfully talk about the issues in your 2nd paragraph. I use both but even though there is an import function from VW to Sketchup I never manage to get it to work , so I work the other way round and make dwgs of my VW stuff and import them into Sketchup . As far as Sketchup is concerned I do know that layers work differently to other programmes and are used for controlling visibility . The golden rule in Sketchup is to keep all geometry on the one layer (Layer 0) , then make components of related geometry and assign the components to other layers to be able to control visibilty ( turning them on an off as required ) . I have never bought the idea that you can be up and running in Sketchup in a couple of hours , but I would urge you to persevere as the combination of VW & Sketchup is a very powerful armoury . Aidan Chopra's book "Google Sketchup for Dummies" is a great place to start. Johnm

I have been working on a particular drawing and all of a sudden I started to get a pixillated effect each time I use the scroll middle button /scroll wheel on my mouse , as if screen is refreshing . I checked other drawings and everything is normal . I must have pushed some key or other to have caused this effect on this particular drawing . Any thoughts on how I can get back to normal ? 2.8 GHz Intel Core2 duo, Mac OSX 10.5.8, VW 2008 SP3

I like to put people on plans but find the scale of figures I have downloaded from internet is off and doesnt look right. Is there a source of 2d people in top view within VW ?. What do others do ? Johnm VW /RW 2008 - Mac OSX 10.5.8 - 2,8 GHz intel core 2 duo .

Input would be appreciated on the following In the days of drafting by hand I used to generally include 3D views of particular pieces of construction on working drawings , as I knew it helped those making the pieces to make sense of the plans , sections & elevations. Since moving over to cad I am not able to do this anywhere near as much as I would like as I find I spend many more hours than I should trying to generate 3D images of things like the attached steps . (VW &PDF files attached) My question to the seasoned modelers on the forum is in two parts 1) What are the main moves you would make to model the attached steps . 2) How long would you reasonably expect to spend on the task . Look forward to you response Johnm Imac 2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo - VW Architect/RW 2008 SP3 - HP Designjet 120

Nicholas Thanks for the clarification . jonas mac

In the recent WW E Newsletter you are directed to a feature in VW 12.5 "VW12.5 has a new image extraction feature that allows you to create an image from any image-based image fill,texture,or RenderWorks background in a a VectorWorks document " I am trying to use Renderworks more in my work but have always found great difficulty in understanding the written documentation in RenderWorks ,its like learning another language , so I would be grateful if someone would give a simple explanation of what is behind this feature .

Peter Yes I did and it worked . The only issue I have is having to do it each time I launch VW. But it solves my problem. Much appreciated. Jonas Mac VW Architect / Renderworks 12 , Dual 2G Hz G5 , OSX10.4 . LG Flatron 20.1 display

Thanks for your suggestions which have allowed me to get access to the view bar and breathe more easily. I notice however the dock dissapears below bottom of the screen when I set the monitor to its highest resolution . Not strictly a VW issue but would be like to know if this is because I have a wrong setting or other. Jonas Mac VW Architect / Renderworks 12 , Dual 2G Hz G5 , OSX10.4 . LG Flatron 20.1 display

I am not able to access the view bar on my VW drawings as it dissapears below the bottom edge of my screen . I can't work out how to remedy this , I don't know whether it is a VW or Mac OSX or LG screen preference issue . Would be grateful for any direction . Its silly but painful. Jonas Mac VW Architect / Renderworks 12 , Dual 2G Hz G5 , OSX10.4 . LG Flatron 20.1 display.

I know the thread has veered from the original question but with regard to the matter of door swings appearing on reflected ceiling plans there is one very good reason why they should. If you use full height doors the swing will alert you to a possible clash between the door and lights or other ceiling features which may be dropping below the general ceiling level. Believe me its real embarrassing to stand with the client and watch the door smack into a light.

I will check out the method recommended. I enjoy the forum and am always amazed how willing the contibutors are to part with their hard earned knowledge . Long may it continue Thanks to you all. Jonas Mac

I did as propstuff suggested and found replies to a similar question by Geoffrey P 03-21-04 which I need to digest as I am not too well up on mask transparency etc. Thanks also for the other replies. I would like to progress to taking a thicker sheet say a half inch thick standard sheet of ply with holes drilled at regular intervals and then bent to a curve , how would you model this in VW /RW. Jonas Mac G5 dual 2 OS 10.3 VW/RW 10.5

I would like to be able to draw a perforated sheet of metal bent to a curve of my choice (perforations as say on the face of a mac G 5 tower). I want to end up with a perforated solid object to test the effect of light passing through . I'd be pleased to hear how do you go about achieving this. Jonas Mac G5 dual, OSX10.3 VW&RW 10.5

I've been following this string from the beginning and from an unpromising start it's developed in an interesting way. Many thanks to alanmac and David O for posting the gallery sites which were very inspiring , particularly Nicolas Rivera's work on the Abvent site . WayneG - you must be impressed with the generosity of contributors to this forum , I am. Jonas Mac

Jonathan I will have think aout your predicament. In the meantime would like to say how much I appreciate your contribution to the VW forum ,have learnt a lot from your replies to others (and mine -once). Thanks Jonas Mac

I have been using VW for a few years untrained and producing drawings which when printed look reasonable. But I am aware that any anaylsis by a seasoned VW user would have them throwing their hands up in horror at the make up of the drawings ,no of layers etc. Recently I have had to interface with the outside world sending and importing drawings to an office using a cad programme call Micro GDS and my private activities have been brutally exposed . Briefly , a fundamental in GDS is to use the intelligence of the programme by USING the object structure ,ie, before you draw lines you create an object giving it a name and a hook/insertion point so that when you click on any part of the drawing it tells you on the screen what object you have clicked on. It is an absolute no no to have a drawing with all the lines merging into one object which is how it appears when my drawings are exported to the GDS office. My question to the VW forum is how do you organise your VW drawings so that when you click on any part the programme tells you what it is. Hope this is comprehensible. Look forward to any feedback Greatly enjoy the VW forum Jonas M 2Gz G5 OSX 10.3 VW 10.5

BG I upgraded my recently from a macG3 /Formac 17"/Minicad7 to a MacG5dp / LG Flatron L2010P lcd / VW10.5. I was not pepared for the weeks/months of problems involved in the change. I can't say i have noticed too much differnce in the computer performance (part of this may be down to how I am using it) but the 20 inch lcd screen is a tonic and all of my family agree. - The LG screen can be used with macs or pcs . - The height adjustment is good but this leads to a sturdy column and base which I dont mind but others might - The screen can be rotated 90 deg with special software supplied for this but I havent used it in that format yet. - The proportions of the screen I find satisying which was a factor when deciding between it and the Apple screens. So it is worth checking out the LG screen. Hope this is of use Jonas