Jim Smith

@zoomer @Kevin Allen @TomWhiteLight I guess my RW skills need some work. I find it really hard work to light, find & edit textures. I've used the cloud rendering but the issue I find is the lag time between what I've done & what needs to be changed. As I say, I guess I need to work at RW more to improve my renders.

@TomWhiteLight Please send a link to my MSG. Thanks!

For most of my work, I like Open GL with a Sketch filter as it communicates the design intent, while keeping things a bit rough so clients don't feel the design is "Finished". That said, we are being asked for more "realistic" renders more and more. Camera Match has it's advantages and RW is fine for many of these clients but we are being shown examples that I don't think I can reproduce in RW. I know that one of the best things about VW is there's more than one way to skin a cat, but I'm curious if there's one best 2nd party render software to take renders to the next level. I think that Cinema 4D was often seen as the default but is this still the case? I don't know what I don't know so this question may not have a clear answer, and from looking around the forum, I really don't get a clear direction. What are others using to take renders to a more photo realistic level?

I use the Purge command to delete coincident objects, but I would like to be able to fine tune this so I could select these items & view them, perhaps in a group. That way I could go through the items to ensure that I'm not deleting something that may be in the file for a reason.

When working on Schematic Design I like to send clients illustrations with a couple of different options, with a sketch style applied and from a couple of points of views. I was going to try a Renderworks style, but rather than have to try & figure this out, I just used the Open GL with Eyedropper tool to get the level of sketchiness & the look I wanted. I may try RW styles on some other files, but in the meantime I have a few questions: - Does the RW Style only work using with Renderworks or does it work with Open GL? - Is there an advantage to RW Styles over using the Eyedropper? - I seem to recall seeing a training video on the subject of RW Styles, but I don't see it on Service Select Any tips on the subject would be most welcome

Doors & window flexibility has been opined on for some time. Most of the time we either make do with what's baked in, or make a custom symbol. Sometimes it would be very helpful to take the so called "Custom*" Leaf choice and, well, make it really, like, you know, a CUSTOM Leaf. Allow us to duplicate the so called "Custom*" Leaf of our choice (within the OIP) to then allow for users to monkey about with the duplicated "Custom*" Leaf quickly & on the fly. * Note, a Custom object in my experience is something that is altered in way that reflects something that is presently not on offer. For example when a client request: " I would like my wall painted a custom colour to match my Homer Simpson themed slippers" we have the object scanned to colour match the object. Same with a door, if I need a small hatch cut in a door to allow for leprechauns to get in & I don't see this as a choice then I need something custom. Until some way of customizing is found, could we call the Leaf choice something else? How about "Fancy" I know lots of clients who like Fancy things.

@markdd @Tamsin Slatter OK, I am wrong as I must be remembering something else as I went back as far as VW 12.5 (not 2012) and it appears one could not edit a so called "Custom" Door leaf from the OIP or the Resources, so there's that. I do get the work - a - rounds but it's a pretty shabby alternative. Not that we have much need, only every comes up once a year or 18 months. Having said this, I'll add it as a wish list item, editing a door should not be a full time occupation.

@Taproot @Tamsin Slatter This what I've had to do, but I seem to recall that back a few interactions ago (2014 maybe?) I was sure we were able to copy a door leaf style, then edit that style. Maybe not.

@aa.schump The other issue is one also has to REMEMBER to return to the viewport if the drawing has been edited. I is a work-a-round & should be fixed.

In general I think the Texture function needs an update. Near the top of this list is importing & editing textures. I would like to be able to do this within the programme. For example. I used VW to import several images, edited these using viewports cropped & stacked on one another so the textures look not to bad. I then have to export the sheet, crop it in a 2nd programme save the image file then re-import the image file. It would be very helpful if there was a module that would allow me to do this as part of the "Create a new Texture" process.

Walls are a great resources, but the Acme of frustration that the Eyedropper Tool only seems to work to change a Wall Type. Won't change pretty basic things like wall height or texture settings, or the offset settings for wall assemblies. Please add these (& some other settings) to the attribute choices in the eyedropper tool.

@Matt Overton I have a 2D symbol that does just that. 🙈

@aa.schump In the meantime have you attempted a work-a-round by adding a Hatch in the Annotation layer?

Thanks @Tamsin Slatter , I may not have been as clear as I should have been. My question is regarding the "Custom" tab. I thought once this choice was made, that I could then customize the door slab design. This does not seem to be the case, but I thought that I once could do this.

It seems I used to be able to do this: - Insert a door into a wall - Choose a Custom Leaf through the OIP - Duplicate the Leaf - Edit the leaf I don't see a way to accomplish this other than to import a baked in door from a catalogue - Have I been cooped up to long & my tiny brain is playing trix on me. (At least that's what the cat tells me; but he was wrong about Tiger King!)

Coincidentally, I happened upon this article: https://www.thespruce.com/do-replacement-windows-pay-for-themselves-1822914 This just looks at the "payback" time & does not take into account the embedded carbon that existing windows represent, nor does it represent the carbon footprint of new windows.

In both our day to day work in renovations, & my volunteer work on heritage issues this is an issue I've made the argument for embodied energy for at least 15 years now. It started with keeping & repairing or repurposing old windows and has moved on to other topics. Would be really helpful to make the case with a tool in our workflow. Great idea @Asemblance !

@Asemblance This is a great idea! Can you put it in the Wish list to get voted up?

It would be very helpful to be able to Right Click on a selected wall to choose 1) Replacement wall (& to be able to use the a Hot Key to align as per an earlier wish list) 2) Change the wall to an Un-styled wall 3) Edt components of an Un-styled 4) Duplicate the selected wall & Edit a wall type on the fly For example: - Select a wall, Right Click, Choose to REPLACE select a 115mm wall with a 165mm wall from the file's Resources, then choose (WITH A HOT KEY) how to align the replacement wall to avoid having to use the mouse 3 or 4 more times or - Similarly Right Click and choose to Change a wall to an unsettled wall, then Right Click a second time to edit the wall assembly to say remove one side of the GWB and choose (WITH A HOT KEY) how to align the replacement wall to avoid having to use the mouse 3 or 4 more times et cetera, et cetera, et cetera

Yeah, thanks, no. This is one option I was alluding to where I turn on a class that has a "NOT TO SCALE" note. As mentioned in the title, I would like to print a half size set At Scale. Also from my experience an ARCH D drawing doesn't fit on a Tabloid page unless it's reduced to 50%. 😊

From time to time it is handy to produce a plan set on Ledger sized paper. I've done it several ways: a duplicate file that's resized, a duplicate set of sheets, a class that reads "NOT TO SCALE" in grey turned on and just printed. As is well know an ARCH D piece of paper isn't a 50% reduction when output to Tabloid (I think 45% is close). My wish is to have an output choice "Print Sheets to Fit - at Scale". this would save a boatload of time and effort and avoid contractors & clients pointing out that a set of drawings does not have the correct scale called out.

I've worked on this before and I don't see that this technique works as the output's Drawing Label's Scale is not changed. In the past I've had to have a whole duplicate set of Sheets to make this read properly. Any thoughts on the subject?

Hi @Jonathan Pickup , The issue is in the past we could use a series of Keyboard Commands to choose where my replacement walls align to. Now one must use the mouse to select the replacement's position, just slows me down and every time I use the replace wall I get PO'd because we used to be able to use the keyboard to accomplish this task & now we don't. A little annoyance I know, but how hard can it be to re-introduce something that was there since the dark ages? Plus as I've illustrated, the keyboard command works for Align / Distribute and lots of other tools & commands allow for keyboard shortcuts why not wall replacement?

Would also be GREAT to be able to copy an area from the OIP

Really? Nobody?