Ron Kenyeri

The complete message is: "There were objects selected which are locked or are illegal in 3D solids. They have been deselected." As far as I can tell this is a generic message, I have gotten it when I had end points that did not match, when I forgot to "ungroup", and some time I have no idea as to why I get this error. I wish it would be a bit more specific at to what is the problem. Thanks, Ron

Hello Support, Why is that when I make any type of extrusion that is not a simple rect or circle, I get the above error close to 50% of the time? I used simple, line and arcs to build a profile, "composed" the profile. Then extruded it. Did a render and its ok. Made a circle, extruded it, and tried to add the two solids and got the error above and my profile was unpicked. This is driving me nuts! Thanks, Ron p.s. VW 10.5.1, MacOSX 10.3.3

Tom, Yes, it was made in VW 10.5.1 on a mac (10.3.3). I will try the BBEdit and see if that works. Thanks, Ron

I had a customer download the VW viewer (11) so they could look at and redline several drawings that I forward to them. Neither them or I can figure out how to use the redlineing tools. Am I missing something? I thought that the redline tools were available in the viewer? Thank in advance, Ron

I made some simple 3-D files and sent to them to a customer in IGES file format. Yet they could not read it Solidworks. I found out that I could not read it in AutoCAD or SmartCAM. Every time I get the following error: "unable to read file. Launched with truncated data" But I can read it back in into Vectorworks 10.5. Any suggestions? Thanks, Ron

At the moment I am only outputing G-code, with the modified: " G43 TO1 PO1 DO1 G44 etc G40 etc .... " Translation header code required for the AGIE NC 100/C controller. Input is a VW file (simple geometry only), 10.1.5 at the moment (I think). Its a command prompt app which is reading a fixed file name from a fixed directory, its a custom app for a custom operation, that the machine runs over and over. Like I said its not pretty... But I see its potential and I want to expand into a general CAM package. Later, Ron

Currently we are using VW 10.5 to develop geometry for a WireEDM (specificly and AGIETRON NC100/3 controller). At present, the actual NC code is generated in SmartCAM 11.5 (which is out of business). What we have learned is the following: 1. Simple geometry works best, (arcs, circles, lines) complex geometry causes odd results. 2. VW's can export DWG to CAM programs with good accuracy. 3. Taking a 2-D slice from a 3-D solid is 99% likely to generate garabage. What we have not tried is the IGES output from VW to a CAM package, but it is on the "to do" list and once I have some results I will post it. We are working on a CAM package to work with VW, the current version is a stand alone that reads in VW files. Its an EARLY ALPHA, and lots of functions are hardcoded for the AGIE. So do not call me for a copy, it will eat your harddrive and set your dog on fire in its current state. We would like to develop a CAM system that will operate inside VW or in tandum with it, depending on what works best (if there is enough interest in such a product).I would like input on what are you looking for in a CAM system? Please keep in mind that the first version would be a 2-D CAM application. Finally if you are in the Chicagoland area, and have a CNC machine (other than WireEDM AGIE's) that I can use for testing please send me an e-mail. Thanks, Ron Kenyeri [ 06-09-2004, 08:40 PM: Message edited by: rlkenyeri ]

Tom, I am on 10.3.3 I have no luck with safari, netscape, or ie. Have you tried to download a partspec file on a PC, save the file and then use it in VW on a mac? Not a very elegant method, but if it works, then I would like to hear from anyone who has win2000 running under Virtual PC and see if that works. Does anyone know why the CADRegister website does not work with a mac? Is it a java scrip or some other type of plug in? Thanks for the feedback, Ron

Does anyone know if I will be able to use those PartSpec CD on my mac? Or is this a Windows only option? Thanks, Ron

Nickolas, That is very true, the first few times I tried that I got the similar errors. It seems that the tangent command does not "work". If you take the end of a line, and start a line from that end, and go tangent to a circle everything seems ok. But once you trim the circle, it simply dissapears, so first you have to place some ref lines, trim the circle, and then go back and combine the arc to the line and then compose the profile to get a valid solid. I spent a lot of time this weekend learning how to get things right. Maybe I should put all of my notes together and make a manual! Thanks, Ron

Katie, Did a disk utility first aid, and no errors, but I haven't had that serial request pop up now for two weeks, Ron

Thanks, I new I was missing something. I have looked thru the power pack manuals and tutorials, and they never show this method. In progressive die/machine design, most projects start from a piece part, And they are never nice simple box/cylinder parts. It would be nice to see a "real world" example in one of the tutorials, showing how the tools in VW can be used build a progressive die/machine from the ground up. Well that is my two cents, Ron p.s. Ray are you a mechanial engineer?

Just started a new project and I was determined to use the 3-D commands in VW to simplify the view layouts. I started by laying out the main solid by creating its profile by placing the critical shafts and then using the line command and developing the rest of the profile using the tangent command. Got the profile done in 3 minutes! Now I want to extrude the profile.... Well the the remaining arcs are solids, the lines seem to be nothing but surfaces! So my questions are: 1. Is it possible to make a solids profile using 2-D lines & arcs commands in VW? 2. If not is there a command that will take my 2-D lines & arcs into some thing that can be extruded? 2a. I tried convert to polyline - nogood 2b. I tried convert to nurbs - no good 2c. I tried convert to curves - no good If the answer is - make a rect, extrude and then cut the rest away, then I will again not be using 3-D since I can never get any of the tangent commands to work with an extruded circle. And I do not want to spend all day calculating tangent locations to manually enter point locations on a 3-D polyline. Thats why I have a computer. Now if the answer is - make your 2-D profile and click X, Then does anyone have a GOOD 3-D tutorial!!!! Thanks, Ron

Katie, I have only one mac in my current network, and only one copy of VW. The others are LINUX boxes, one is running a web/dhcp, the other is running FrontBase SQL, the last is running Mathemaica , and a lot of compilers. Also I got this error once when my laptop and I were in a hotel with no Internet access. Thanks, Ron

Thanks! Was that documented anywhere? I did look thru both my paper and my on-line manuals before I posted. Its little features that make or break programs. But you can't use them if you can't find them! Ron

Hello everyone, I read on the board a while back, that in version 10.5 that there was an enhancement to 3D power pack that allows the cursor to find the center point of a line (or edge) of a solid. I even saw the reference to it on Nemetschek's website. That is great news, now how do I turn on this new function? I have upgraded to 10.5.1, but when I extrude a rectange, I can not find the center of any of the edges, no does the cursor report that it is a a point, the only feedback that I get is the ever vague "Object" text on the screen. Thank in advance, Ron

To continue the dimensioning thread, is it possible to stack fractions? I can't find the option. Thanks, Ron p.s. Parasoilds had been ported to the mac... I really am looking forward to see how 11 will compare to it.

P.S. I have a powerbook running on MacOS X 10.3.3

I have installed 10.5.1 for a few weeks and recently I have been working on a large project, and now after say 4 to 5 hrs of constant use, I will get a pop-up window that says that I need to select my serial number. In the popup is a space for serial numbers and it has only one (mine) and I click on it and the window goes away and I have no problems. Yet if I pull a all nighter, I have found after the thrid time the window comes up it will not accept my serial number and it shuts down the app. I can restart it with out a problem. what is causing this and how do I fix it. Thanks, Ron

Your description of you problems, has mirrored my own. As I use VW more and work on more complex projects. The issues that you have listed becomes a greater problem each time. VW 3-D is a nice add-on and you can really make some nice "pictures" but I have found it almost useless for production drawings. Why would I want to spend hours on a 3-D model when I can't easily us it to make 2-d drawings for production. Nor can I take a 2-D section from a 3-D drawing and send it to a CAM program. Because you are right, that hole is now a bunch of little lines and that CAM program will generate it onto cutting path for a WireEDM or a Laser. Worst still send it to a 2-d Mill for hole drilling and see what happens - its not pretty. But I still like the 2-D quality that VW generates expecially to PS plotters, it far execedes anything I have seen generated by AutoCAD. But 3-D is more and more a reqirement for the jobs I am quoting on. If Pro/E ever finishes its port to MacOSX, VW may loose a customer. What I really see needs to be added is: 1. MUCH better dimension refs in 3-D 2. A hole is a hole no matter what dimension. 3. Associative views & Dimensioning. What VW has and they really need to expand on is that Hybrid Drawing. I have played around with it for the ach end and it is really nice, they need to expand that into the mechanical end. Well I hope this rant helps, Ron

Amazing!!! Installing the CORRECT SDK seems to solve my problems why did I not thing of that...... Thanks for pointing the obvious, sometimes its just to easy to get lost in the details. Thank, Ron

I have just recently upgraded to 10.5.1 and after finishing up and plotting the job, I noticed that the machine components (holes, tapped holes, etc) are not matched correctly to the line classes. In 10.1 if I placed a hole, the 'hole" was mapped to the solid line class, and the "center lines' was mapped to the center line class. And if I changed the "hole" class, the "center line" class remained unchanged. Now both the hole and the center lines are mapped to what ever is the default class, and change as a group. Is this a bug or do I have something set wrong? Thanks, Ron

Had to reinstall everything this weekend my HD died. Once I got MacOS X 10.3 installed I installed VW 10 and got it upgraded to 10.5.1. So, all is well to this point. Next I installed CW 7 and following the readme, in installed the upgrade for 7.1 then 7.2, then I build the libraries, and then I added the carbonlib. All went ok, no errors, I've done this before. Then I go to build the VW libs so I can go back to work and I get the following error from CW 7.2: "Project "MasterCLibs.mcp" needs to be converted. Some target settings are in a newer, incompatible format. They will be initialized to the factory settings." Well I have never seen that before, but I clicked ok and tried it. As you may have guessed it did not work. When I compiled it I got the error: "Link Error : undefined 'main' (code) Referenced from '__start' in MSL_Runtime_PPC.Lib" So what did I do wrong? I upgraded to Mac 10.3 when I replaced the drive, and I also upgraded to VW 10.5.1. Are one of these components incompatable with the SDK? My current (and working) system was Mac 10.2 and VW 10.1.3, note before I had a full version of Mac 9.2 on my machine before now I do not. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Ron Kenyeri

Hello Support, How can I enter the dimension symbol or the angle symbol in a text field? Right now I want to enter: CHAMFER 45 DEG. TO DIA. 0.21 And I would prefer to use the symbols instead of text. But I can't find the option. Thanks, Ron Kenyeri

Tom, Followed your example, and this time I got the correct Item # AND the correct Quanity value. But still nothing in the description cell. So went back to the manual and looked into the record fields and I clicked on the "database header" option in the spreadsheet there were the following Items: =(('Part Info Record'.'Item #')) =(('Part Info Record'.Qty)) but the cell for decription was blank, so I added =(('Part Info Record'.Description)) to column B and now the Part List is working. But what caused this? Until tonight I have never used the database option in VW. I tried several other templates and I got the same thing. Is there some way I can update the templates (can I resave a template over a template and not break any critical links)? Let me know and thanks for the help, Ron