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JHEarcht

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Posts posted by JHEarcht

  1. VWA 11.1 on Windows XP

    I added a small VW standard low-res tree prop (tree 1 sm texture) to a building plan. Next I imported several more tree props into the Resource Browser. I double click or click "apply" to place some of the new props (tree 2, tree 3) but the active symbol doesn't change from tree 1. When I render the drawing in Open GL the correct tree (tree 2) displays in the OIP, but in the drawing "tree 1" is the only tree that will display. For some reason, the active symbol seems to be stuck on tree 1. Any ideas how to get it unstuck? Thanks,

    JHE

  2. Jim,

    Props are 3D resources available in VW11 Architect/RenderWorks. They are like a combination of a symbol and a texture. A bitmap image of an object, such as a tree or car or person is mapped onto a flat surface which automatically reorients itself to face the viewer. Thus simulating a 3D object, but with far fewer pixels to calculate. At least, that's my understanding. This is my first attempt to use a prop, and it's not going very well, so far.

    JHE

  3. VWA 11.1 on Windows XP

    I added a small VW standard low-res tree prop (tree 1 sm texture) to a building plan. Next I imported several more tree props into the Resource Browser. I double click or click "apply" to place some of the new props (tree 2, tree 3) but the active symbol doesn't change from tree 1. When I render the drawing in Open GL the correct tree (tree 2) displays in the OIP, but in the drawing "tree 1" is the only tree that will display. For some reason, the active symbol seems to be stuck on tree 1. Any ideas how to get it unstuck? Thanks,

    JHE

  4. It may not be common knowledge, but if you hit the letter "C" twice the view will zoom in ("C"loser) by a factor of 2. When you hit "V" twice, the view will zoom out ("V"ertical) by a factor of 2. A single hit on C and V will change the pointer to the zoom-in or zoom-out tool. This was the method before scroll-wheel zooming was added. And I still find it quicker for minor zoom changes.

    JHE

  5. VWA 11.1 on Windows XP

    I have exported a site drawing in DWG format with the building plan pasted as a symbol on the survey. My client says he can't copy and paste my drawing to another file, because the Floor Plan symbol doesn't paste. I assume that AutoCAD can't handle VW symbols, so I converted the symbol to a group and exported the file again.

    Next time I'll try to remember to convert before exporting. But, my question is this: if DWG can't handle symbols, shouldn't the DWG export filter automatically convert them to Groups?

  6. The Runtime errors stopped after I unchecked the VW Cache option. I had already turned off the hardware acceleration because of similar problems. So it seems that NNA needs to work on both of these functions. Good idea, bad implementation???

    JHE

  7. VWA 11.1; Windows XP (SP1); ATI Fire GL X1 CAD video card; all five months old.

    I have been getting a lot of Runtime Errors in VW11 on a new computer. The errors occur at random in different files. No special video processing involved. Usually occurs after a double-click on an object. I have already disabled the Hardware Acceleration to see if that would stop the crashes. Vector Cache is still on, so I guess I'll turn that off too. Any other ideas will be appreciated.

    JHE

  8. Thanks Katie,

    The EPS was saved with no preview. Still none of the bitmaps would import. Eventually, I discovered that I could export all PDF images as PNG. VW11.1 imported that file with no problem. So far, PNG is the only bitmap format that doesn't give me a problem in VW11.1. Oh well, back to work.

    JHE

  9. VW 11.1 on Windows XP

    I'm trying to import an Adobe Acrobat PDF file which was saved as a bitmap in several formats: TIF; EPS; PICT. Each time I import the image displays as a gray box with an X. The image looks fine in Photoshop. Any ideas will be appreaciated. Thanks,

    JHE

  10. VectorWorks 11.1; Windows XP

    I have created a hip roof-from-walls, then a cross roof-from-walls with gables. Now I want to remove part of the hip roof that is visible behind the gable (glass gable wall). I created an Extrude object to subtract from one roof face. But instead of cutting a chunk out of the face, it deletes two whole roof faces. The Extrude was only touching and penetrating one face. It also seems that any modification of a Roof causes it to lose some roof properties, such as different color eaves.

    Why can't a roof object be modified like any other 3D object? Is there a way to achieve the end product without extruding a bunch of roof planes? Thanks,

    JHE

  11. Jonathan,

    I used the Wall Type tool on default settings to make the brick + block walls. All 3D stuff, so far, is standard VW11 objects. I will have to make some custom elements before I'm thru.

    I do have an overhead door object (made with the overhead door tool) in two of the exterior walls.

    I'm using VW11.1, so if the object is the culprit, it hasn't been fixed yet.

    I guess I'll have to make a fake overhead door from extruded objects, and try again.

    Thanks, JHE

  12. VW 1.1 on Windows XP

    I have downloaded a RegularTruss.VSO file from VectorDepot, but I haven't figured out where to put it so VW can find it. The User Guide was no help, and placing it in the Object Library didn't work. I can import .VSS files, but not .VSO. I'm sure it's very simple, once you know how, but I don't. Any help will be appreciated.

  13. Joel,

    Unfortunately, VW doesn't work like a Word Processor or Desktop Publisher. It magnifies the text editor to make it easier to type. But it also conceals the rest of the page so you have to use your imagination to adjust the layout.

    Although text handling has improved a lot in recent versions, it is still tedious to do a lot of formatted text. With experience, you will learn some work-arounds to make the job easier.

    One solution is to create your fancy text in a WP or DP and import it into VW. I haven't tried that in VW11, but if you want to try it, just post again, and we'll try to help. JHE

  14. Katie,

    1. The computer and video card are about six months old. The original Windows driver is installed.

    2. I haven't waited more than 15 minutes because it is obvious that something is wrong.

    3. The whole screen turns white, except the blue VW header bar and maybe the bottom bar.

    4. No other programs are running.

    I tried various quick rendering modes and they all hung up. The drawing consists of 4 brick and block walls: no roof, no details, some door and window symbols and PIOs. Thanks for looking into this. JHE

  15. ""JHEArcht-

    How long do you wait when the screen "turns white" before you decide it's hung?

    How much built in memory do you have?

    Have you updated to SP2?""

    I waited about 15 minutes, while trying various things to abort the render. My RAM is 512MB and my video RAM is 128MB. both have always been enough in the past for my simple models. Due to negative experiences recounted in this forum, I have postponed the SP2 update. The only recent update was VectorWorks 11.1 the same morning as the crash. Thanks, JHE

  16. ""But not to worry: To change "z" values of walls AFTER drawing them all you have to do is select all the walls (and only the walls, not any other type of object), then just change the "z" value(s) in the OIP. All the selected walls will change.""

    This is what I was trying to do, but the drawing didn't change. Thanks, JHE

  17. I just updated to VW 11.1 today. In Windows XP, I drew a 2D preliminary plan. Later, I tried to convert it to 3D for a quick look. I discovered that I can't globally set a Z+ dimension for all exterior walls. So I selected each element separately and added the wall height. The wireframe views worked OK, though a little slow according to my limited experience.

    However, when I tried to render with Shaded Polygon or Fast RenderWorks, the computer hung up. The screen turns white, except for the VW11 header. The hourglass displays for a long time. So I gave up and tried to quit the render by typing Control + Period, or Escape. Then on the upper right of the white screen, I saw the progress bar: "Destroy List". Later it said "Build List". After waiting several minutes I tried Control-Alt-Delete and dgot "Program not responding". Eventually VW would shut down.

    All 3D conversion settings are on default Medium. Vector Cacheing is "ON"; Hardware Acceleration is "OFF". CPU usage during hang-up was 50%.

    This is the first time I have tried to render this drawing, but I have successfully rendered other drawings in VW 11.0. Could the VW 11.1 update be causing the rendering glitch? Any suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks,

    JHE

  18. Dear Rosebud,

    One cause of disappearing viewports that I struggle with is the fact that currently you have to manually turn on the classes assigned to the viewport. I think the selected viewport should automatically turn it's classes on, as the Saved Views do. If a major class in your viewport is not already on, your viewport may be there but invisible. Ooooh, spooky! You can feel its presence, but you can't see it.

    I also agree that showing the Viewport name in the OI dialog would help in navigating and editing the VPs. I'm hoping we don't have to wait until next year to see these fixes.

    JHE

  19. MT,

    VW11 seems to have a bug which causes callout arrowheads to disappear. In my case it is only the black arrowhead. The other arrow styles are OK. In most cases the arrowheads will print, even though the are invisible on screen. I assume that a future update will address this glitch, which has been discussed on the General Topic board. JE

  20. Is there any way to use a Sheet Layout layer as an underlay for a Design layer?

    I have imported a DWG survey into VW11. The layout is properly oriented and all items are in the correct place. But, on the Design (model)layer the orientation is rotated and there are bits and pieces of the drawing spread all over the place (including the remote origin). It would be much easier for me to draw a Site Plan over the Layout. It will take a lot of time to make the AutoCAD Model layer look like the Layout layer. Any suggestions? Thanks,

    JE

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