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Neil Barman

Vectorworks, Inc Employee
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Posts posted by Neil Barman

  1. Jonathan, It's great to see that you've updated this for v2015!

    Your Guide to Productivity is superb. I have gone through it from start to finish, and I keep referring back to it whenever I need a refresher.

    I have also recommended it to a few colleagues I work with and it has helped them understand Vectorworks like they never had before. They are definitely more productive & efficient AND they find they enjoy using VW even more now.

    In their cases, they completely overhauled the way they use Vectorworks but the Guide is equally handy if someone simply pick individual topics/tools/methods to focus on and improves at your their own pace. It's quite versatile in this regard.

    Keep up the great work.

    Thanks again!

    -Neil

  2. ... in my workflow I have a unique layer for each scenic element or exhibit area. This isn't just for organization but also for smooth back and forth to C4D and because I have to present each separated out on a sheet layer.

    Dillon, might you be able to share one of your typical files here, with the existing layer and class setup you're using? It might help to have us check it out, as we may have suggestions how to arrange or streamline things while we wait for Jim's requests to become a reality.

    I know that I have certainly appreciated colleagues' input when it comes to using the software in new ways.

    -Neil

  3. I concur with RGCN and would LOVE the ability to have multi-views. It's actually a bit surprising that it hasn't become available in VW already given the connection to Cinema 4D. It's definitely a feature that will keep Vectorworks competitive in the face of alternative applications.

    Thank you for resubmitting this one Jim. And thank you RGCN for waking up this important topic.

    -Neil

  4. +1

    I'd be interested. I have done beta's before and have been good at them, from what developers have reported back. I am good a troubleshooting and at explaining steps done in order to recreate issues. It's good to be able to help as an actual user in the field too.

    Also, I was born in the Chinese year of the dog so I am known for my ability to keep secrets.

    -Neil

    • Like 1
  5. Hot off the presses is my review for the 6th edition of Jonathan's Pickup's Vectorworks Essentials Tutorial Manual. If you are new to using the application or a seasoned user who learned it informally, you owe it to yourself to check out this manual. Read the full review here:

    http://vectorworking.novedge.com/profiles/blogs/book-review-vectorworks-essentials-tutorial-manual-sixth-edition

    -Neil

  6. I've reviewed everything I can find (What's New brochures, Vectorworks module comparison matrices, etc) that explains how Designer differs from Architect, but I cannot find anything that lists the actual tools/plug-ins that differ between the two.

    For example, Designer has Landmark's "Plant tool" in the site planning palette... What other tools are in that palette that Architect is missing.

    Might anyone be able to shed some light on this? Screenshots of VW palettes would be great too, if that help illustrate the differences. Actual explanations of the tools would be amazing, but I'm not expecting that level of detail... Just knowing what tools & plug-in are different should give me enough to research more.

    I'm curious to know this as I own Architect but find that more and more I am having to do greeter amounts of detailed site work. If the benefits of Designer (for what I do) justify the cost, I will add it. I just have to be very sure it's justifiable because not only will I be adding the cost of Designer but my VSS will get rewritten to the new price, whereas I am currently still enjoying my day 1 pricing.

    Thanks in advance.

    -Neil

  7. JimW, Might you have any advice on how to get the left button of a Spacemouse to map to something other than scrolling through: "Using 2D navigation", "Using walkthrough navigation", "Using flyover navigation" and "Using unconstrained walkthrough navigation"?

    In System Preferences I have mapped the left button to a tool, and have even tried mapping it to the RM Views radial menu, but Vectorworks insists on scrolling through the above navigation modes (even after a restart of both Vectorworks and my Mac).

    Any thoughts?

    Thanks.

    -Neil

  8. The site plan's VP is definitely set to Top/Plan in the OIP, and was made which I was in Top/Plan view. If it makes a difference, in the OIP the "Projection" is also set to "2D Plan".

    I've tried again, and unchecking "Project Screen Objects" definitely makes those spot elevations vanish, though I know what you mean and they certainly should stay put.

    I've also noticed that unchecking "Project Screen Objects" makes the smoothed, curving contour lines of the proposed site model become straight lines, in case that indicates anything.

    Another odd thing is that the stakes I have made (as Site Modifier Objects) are set to appear with a cross, but are only showing with 1 of the 2 lines of the cross, so essentially just a single line. However, if I set the stake to be any of the other 3 modes available ("Include as site model data", "Set elev to site model", "2D graphic only") the cross appear correctly with both of its lines.

    -Neil

  9. I was wondering if there was a way to use a Stake object to modify a site model AND have those same Stake objects appear on my site plan (basically as 2D graphics set to the elevation of the site model)?

    If not, what is the best practice for showing those elevation readings from the actual site model on my site plan? Must I duplicate all of my Stake objects and set those duplicates to "Use 2D Graphic only" in the OIP to get them to appear? That seems prone to errors to me, as I will likely have to fine tune the site model more in the future, so I'm hoping there is a better way.

    Thanks in advance!

    -Neil

  10. Might anyone know how to subscribe to the VSS Training section RSS feeds?

    The Tips & Tricks, How To and Tutorial sections all have the RSS icon near the upper right, and seem to have an RSS address for that page, but I cannot figure out how to actually subscribe to a feed. (Do note that I use lots of other RSS feeds from other sources without any issue at all.)

    Ideally, given the infrequency of items being posted, I would like the service "If This Then That" to send me a message when a new item is posted to one of those feeds. However, when I try to create this action at IFTTT (as I have done with many other feeds) IFTTT tells me the feed URL isn't a valid and is missing a title.

    I have tried other RSS readers (Postbox, Vienna, etc) and none of them can subscribe to the VSS RSS feeds either.

    I'm stumped.

  11. I have a site plan as a main file with three different unit plans referenced in and placed on site (in 14 different locations).

    From the site's Design Layer, or even from the Sheet Layer, how do I go about exporting a DWG so that those unit plans are visible? So far every method I've tried shows all the items in the main (site) file but the units themselves are missing, leaving only blank space where they were located. The unit plans are exported as separate DWGs but do appear to be "bound" or inserted into the site DWG.

    Thanks!

    -Neil

  12. Yes, I am sure that the offending windows are listed in the OIP as "Window in wall" when they are making the jump. And when they are simply listed as "Window" they don't jump.

    Will do about troubleshooting that wall and the windows. At initially glance, they (the wall and the two windows) do not seem to be any different really than the others around them. I will investigate further though.

    I am suspecting that the wall, rather than the windows, may be the offender. I am thinking this because as a test, I took one of the other windows in the unit (that has behaved well so far) and I put it into the same wall as the 2 "jumpers". I saved, opened the site file and all of a sudden, the two original jumpers were where they should be and the newly added window had jumped.

    Mysterious indeed.

  13. I've got a strange problem that I am trying to troubleshoot and fix, so I'm hoping that someone here might be able to help...

    I have a 3 residential building types built in 3 different files.

    I have a 4th file that is the site, where the 3 units are referenced in (multiple times each, to total 14 buildings) and elevated to sit on a site model.

    Units 1 and 2 appear normal in Top/Plan view in each of their iterations.

    Unit 3 however has two of its windows "jump" out of the wall and end up about 3000m to the right, which is not at all the way they are in the original file.

    When I edit the original unit file and pull the windows out of the wall (in Top/Plan view) and simply lay them on top of the wall in the correct location they look correct back in the site file (when I update the reference.) When I re-insert them back into their walls in the unit file, then update the reference, they again "jump" out of the wall and far to the right in the site file.

    Any ideas as to what is going on and perhaps more importably, how to fix it?

    Thanks in advance,

    -Neil

  14. I would love to see workflows with importing/exporting recommendations for working with other major CAD/BIM/3D applications (i.e Revit, AutoCAD, Microstation, Archicad, Sketchup, etc.)

    It seems that it's always a matter of trial and error in terms of the best ways to export & import files with consultants & colleagues. It would be great to know...

    - Which formats work best with which applications?

    - What effect do each of the settings (for the above formats) have on the end result?

    - What are the Best Practices for importing files?

    - What are the recommended instructions to give to other who are exporting files for our use in VW?

    Demystifying the process in both directions would be a huge help in keeping Vectorworks viable and competitive.

    Thanks!

  15. Is there a way to display existing and proposed contours/grade in a site section, one atop the other?

    I have a (proposed) site model that I have cut a section through. It has numerous pad modifiers & grade limit modifiers for a series of buildings, so the terrain changes a fair bit. Now I am needing to show, overlaid on the proposed section, what the slope of the site was originally, before/without all the pads.

    Is there a "built-in" way to do this? If not, what might be the best workaround?

    Thanks in advance,

    -Neil

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