alanmac

What you using to create your pdf's with? Alan

http://web.mac.com/jpickup1/iWeb/Site/Podcast/58A96115-AA8D-4533-8578-163BE596A9C6.html Take a listen to Jonathan Pickups Podcast, it may be of some help. Alan

I don't have records attached to most symbols In a recent project I created symbols of all the portable panels used to create an exhibition stand. By going to "create report" I could easily choose "symbols" as my criteria, and "summerize items with same" and get an accurate count of all the relevant panels within the design. the first line gave me the total then the remainder the number of each symbols in the drawing, so giving me the quantity of each panel to order from hire stock. I've done nothing to the worksheet default settings. First column sayes and shows symbol name, second column sayes quantity and gives me each symbols totals in the drawing. Sounds like you want to do something similiar but as a manufacturing quantity list. I'm on Windows XP running VW10.5. I'm sure you'll crack it. Alan

I think you'll find what you need as a plug in over on Vectorbits.com - Vector Move I believe its called, along with some other nice plug ins. Check out Vectordepot.com as well as a good source. Alan

Hi Katie I figured it out. Here is my reply in another thread on this "After all this time I finally sussed it !! If you go to the page setup menu, set print area and set the print size from the default to A3 it show "two" pages. Set it to one page and it reverts to something like A4 portrait. The secret, such as it is, is you have to also go to the file, print setup menu and change your printer setting to the same page size as your print area, then going back to the print area dialog shows "one page" in the text and on the visual indicator on the left. It will only print the one page if you leave all as your print option. Whilst in different places, they need to match up for VW to print correctly as in A3 on A3. Obvious really but I don't think it's very clear, but that might be just me." Cheers Alan [ 03-10-2006, 06:47 AM: Message edited by: alanmac ]

After all this time I finally sussed it !! If you go to the page setup menu, set print area and set the print size from the default to A3 it show "two" pages. Set it to one page and it reverts to something like A4 portrait. The secret, such as it is, is you have to also go to the file, print setup menu and change your printer setting to the same page size as your print area, then going back to the print area dialog shows "one page" in the text and on the visual indicator on the left. It will only print the one page if you leave all as your print option. Whilst in different places, they need to match up for VW to print correctly as in A3 on A3. Obvious really, but I don't think it's very clear, but that might be just me. Alan [ 03-10-2006, 06:43 AM: Message edited by: alanmac ]

Hi Katie I'm printing mainly A3 sized drawings, but some A4 and some AO. Using VW to print these drawings has always been the case of choosing the option to enter "print one page of one" to get it to print without extra blank pages. This is true of any drawing I've done, even if I remember correctly, A4. If I go to the printer page and set to one page as you suggest I get what looks like A4 portrait as my print/drawing area to work with. What am I doing wrong? I've just grown so use to setting my printing up this way, I've never looked for an answer or solution, is there one? Alan

Hi Vitanuant Just out of interest why have you got this set up and how did the decision to install a SLI configuration come about. "dual NVIDIA quadro 4500 with SLI toggle" You could say it's a leading question, so I'll explain. To my knowledge and understanding the only things making use of any SLI capabilities is games at present. Whilst this may or may not be true in the future, I wonder if this may be the cause, and perhaps try running with just one card installed and configured/set up to see how that works. Alan

Make sure the offending items in VW is not set to a very light grey fill by accident, which may not be seen on the pdf image but is held as info seen by your printer. what version VW and Acrobat Reader? Alan

You can make your own "default VW" file. Take the file, make all the required preferences you want metric, paper size, pens, fonts, class layers etc.etc. and save that as your default file, then it will come up as that file each time you open VW. Alan [ 03-08-2006, 07:05 AM: Message edited by: alanmac ]

When you print, go to the dialog and change from printing all to print - and make it 1 of 1 page then it will only print your drawing. Don't ask, I don't know why either !!! Alan

I remember reading somewhere about this and it begining related to drawings imported into VW from Autocad. Does the drawing contain any imported dxf/dwg stuff? Do a search although it may have been mentioned on the user subscription list not here. As I say do a search, in both in possible. Alan [ 03-07-2006, 06:38 AM: Message edited by: alanmac ]

quote: Originally posted by Kaare Baekgaard: [QB]Skot, this is a symptom of crisis. Not from where I'm standing. A comment to my mind more like the reality that many of us face in todays competitive marketplace. Maybe in your industry the profit margins are high and wide, but certainly with mine it is very tight and competitive. Clients expect more and more for their money, and its usually with money less than last years budget. You may be lucky enough to deal in estimates, finally submitting invoices that are above this, but in the industries I work with they want a quote, a fixed price taking into account the work required and you have to stick to it. It's the same for my suppliers also. We expect and get a fixed price for the job and that is what we pay. Not interested in the unexpected "problems" the job entailed such as system crashes, equipment malfunctions, etc. A few missed hours or unexpected overtime working can kill any profit in a job. Alan

Hi Jan 15 Got the old dog to start, and in the default VW8 workspace you don't see it , switch to the AEC and its there. A word of caution....I don't know if its because of the state of my machine but when I switched back it stayed in the VW8 workspace, then it all froze and I couldn't get any tools to work, rstarting VW8 had no effect on unfreezing and reboot caused the machine to do it's I'm bleeping at you and not going to start routine. As I said its old and ready for the skip. Anyway, to answer your point, it's there at least under the AEC workspace. Jeez, that's like NNA saying only Architects would need a use for that tool, as a disappointed of late basic VW version user that has a familiar ring to it ... Alan [ 03-06-2006, 05:50 PM: Message edited by: alanmac ]

George I think it sayes 8.5.2 on the screenshot. Its been so long since i used 8.5 I can't honestly remember but I'm sure it had the two modes on the bar as you speak of. I tried firing up my old machine with it on but its on its way out and refuses to boot unless I catch it unawares!! I know the Mac version of 8.5 had them, and I'd be most surprised if this basic function was missing in the Windows version. I'll keep on trying. In the meantime I reckon there is a glitch or a setting causing this not to appear in your copy Jan15. Having said that I to agree it would be nice if you could select easier, the basis of this thread. Alan

VW 12 has been out some time. If you only as you say upgraded to 11.5 a few months ago I would have thought you'd be in the catchment time for a free upgrade. Worth checking your dates and with your dealer to see if you are entitled. Alan

Hi I'd say this was specced out by somebody using software more akin to Photoshop or 3D Max etc than VW, would I be right? The questions you ask in the second half of your post can only really be answered by NNA regarding advantages and dependancy, as this needs knowledge of how the program and its code interacts with hardware. I will say the raptor drives seem somewhat excessive, and expensive in a VW set up but this has to be taken in the context of what other software the person has advised you they wish to run on the machine. Sorry, jnr, to state that NNA support on this issue of Apple and Windows not being a levelling playing field is simply not true. They don't give any other recommendation than the "minimum "requirements for a machine to run VW. Sadly they do not give the best either, but with the huge variety, certainly in the Windows machines, to go through researching ever combination would be far too costly. If they did take a small number or even one manufacturer such as Dell to recommend they'd no doubt be accused of favouritism and that xyz is faster and cheaper etc. They do however give information that relates to software/machines regarding such issues as the new Intel processor Apple machines, which is understandably as this involves a changing of program code to suit the new equipment. I'm sure that issues/information regarding the up and coming Windows Vista OS will also be addressed by NNA regarding VW compatability etc. As regards Graphics cards. As I'm lead to understand the only area these make a difference to any program, apart from games, is in screen redraws and connected OpenGL performance. All other program computaions are handled by the main CPU not the GPU on the graphics card. So buying a 256mb memory card over a 128mb will see little difference in VW. The dual processor capacity only shows its use in Rendering situations - I don't use Renderworks, but understand it is "dual processor" aware and you should see two lines of render on a dual processing machine, as both processors undertake the rendering task. I do in Cinema 4D, which will use as many processors as you have, on both windows 2000 and XP So a fast processors be it Intel or AMD with plenty of memory is the first priority and the graphics card whilst important does not have to be wildly expensive. I found these to be very expensive if going for such items as the FX Quadro range from nVidia. It appears that "at present" the only advantage Windows 64 has over the 32bit system in general terms, is that it can use and address much more memory but this is only of use if, firstly the machines hardware can take more than 2 Gb of memory and secondly the programs can also within their capabilities, can also access and use this greater amount of memory. A question for NNA I'd assume. Funny although all those things are important to me, I'd also put noise levels and energy use as a high priority, and certainly something that manufacturers are becoming more aware of. It's no good having the fastest machine you can buy if it sounds like a jet engine next to you all the time your working with it. Getting it to run cool and quiet is just as important. Good case design, quiet PSU unit,are becoming more relevant as the speed increases in processors become less and less noticable. Alan

mac@stairworks I think the preview thing is driver related in the case of Windows. I know on my little 1220 you have to go "file" down to "print set" up in VW and press "properties" next to the printer showing as the active printer, then under the tab marked "preferences" change the setting to get a preview at print time. May be the same for you. Alan [ 02-16-2006, 12:41 PM: Message edited by: alanmac ]

Hi Tom Great story about the guy measuring on screen with a scale rule. No, wasn't upset really, but I would be if my boss said we were switching from VW to AC ;~) Alan

If I remember correctly the only VW versions with limited export facilities as you describe are educational copies that only go back one or two versions, which of course you cannot use for commercial purposes anyway. Worth checking out to save any future grief. Alan

Working on a drawing board always meant working to a scale that suited the information you wished to impart and the size of the choosen drawing sheet. This method of working was therefore perfectly natural in transition over to a computer using VW. What it also gave was the freedom of choice to choose at any stage to change and present the drawings at any scale on any sheet size without the penalty of redrawing the work as you would have had to do back on the board. I've had the impression more than once that people using Autocad believe that they truely are drawing at actual size, and that this somehow makes their drawings more accurate than mine. It's they who cannot grasp the concept that you can input information at any scale but it will visually always be at a constantly changing scale, veiwed from the monitor screen in front of you and only when printed will it truely attain the scale defined by the setting given within the program. Why if need be I can even draw at a scale greater than actual size, how about that. The actual advantage with VW is that it also conveys this scale in relationship to the paper it is proposed printed on, therefore giving a more "accurate" representation of how the finished drawing will appear. Rantastic... Alan

The issues of poor print quality using pdf's Aqueous mentioned is not something I have experienced. I do however set my resolution to no lower than 300 dpi and don't see a difference in this over printing straight from VW to my printer. What it does do on using pdf for external print services is to ensure, as jan15 touched on, your fonts of choice print correctly without the worry of supplying them etc. and you can view them with Adobe's free Reader. As for pdf creation, inbuilt if using OSX and if on Windows XP use pdf995 which will go to the larger drawing sheet sizes, downloaded from their web site. Alan

Take a look at HP I think they do a new model, a successor to my old Deskjet 1120 and 1220 for reasonable amount. Not up there with the photoprinters but if the old 1220 I use is to go by not bad either. Print A3+ size. Its called the Deskjet 1280, take a look, for plans it should be fine. Please note that in comparison to other companies, the replacement cartridges may be more expensive, but you are buying a cartridge with integral print head. On the others you can easily use up to half the ink in a cartridge just cleaning/priming the heads, where as with the HP they are new each cartridge change. Alan [ 02-12-2006, 06:45 AM: Message edited by: alanmac ]

I'm still unsure of what you are saying, sorry. You know doubt know you change an objects class via the OIP (object Information palette). Do you want to select an object and change its class? Do you want to create a class with the same specifications as the object you've selected? Alan

For some reason, and this has always happened to me with Vectorworks since 8.5, when I print at my usual size, A3, with everything set correctly the print dialog box shows up as printing 4 pages. I always have to change it and manually enter print "1 of 1" pages, then it prints as it should, one A3 page perfect. I've never complained because I used the print 1 of 1 workaround and forgot about it, but it is strange when everything is set up for a single A3 page and it shows 4 pages. Maybe its to do with borders defined within VW. Alan