Pat Stanford

I think this needs some additional clarification of what you want. You can already use Cloud publish images. But you have to start it manually. Are you asking for VW to somehow know that you want a new set and run the publish automatically? I just used the standard Publish command, set the output to be Image. Set the Options to be JPEG. Set to store and process on VW Cloud and clicked Publish.

Thanks Tom. I love it when I learn something new 👍

@Tom W.Don't even joke about that. I have spent so many hours cleaning up DWG that used hatches like that. A file with 1,000,000 objects that after deleting the hatches turn down to 200. Not even funny. 😉

It has always been that way Bruce. All you can do is create the extrude and then Edit the Profile and move the point you want to the 0,0 point in the profile local coordinates.

Select the Viewport in the OIP. Scroll to the bottom. Click the Advanced Properties button. There are separate scale options for line weights and text. Another good reason to use a DL scale similar to what you will be using for final output. Less changes necessary to VP settings.

Yes, but you will need to edit the layer and class visibilities as what I have suggested to you is putting dims and notes into the design layer(s). When you duplicate a viewport and switch from Front to Right you have to change the visibilities. Just about as easy to go to your saved views and generate new viewports from there. I don't know what you model look like, but I would NEVER consider what I have suggested to you for the models I make. Influent Strainers 9-22-20.pdf

In my mind you will need some way to isolate the objects that should only be in one "view". I would use DLs, but you could also use classes. Does it have to be 1:1 - NO!! That is a great thing about VW. The Design Layer Scales are basically a preset Zoom to make the object fit better on to the paper/screen. You can draw at 1:1 but then you have to be zoomed way out to see the whole model. Set the scale to 1/4" it is effectively a preset zoom of 1:48. If you whole model fits on the screen at that scale you can use Command-4 (Fit to Page) to zoom out to get an overall view. But when you draw a 4' long line, the menu bars and all of the dialog boxes still say 4'. You don't have to think about it you just draw. Saved Views are basically a script that will take you to the view and visibilities that were set when you save the view. So you can have a saved view to take you to the Top/Plan view of the model, another to take you to the Front and then another to take you to a sheet layer showing viewport of all of your elevations at the same time. And you can recall the view to go to any other view at any time.

Take a look at some of the different TBB Styles that ship with the default content. I am sure you will find one that is close to what you need. Start from that one and edit to get your preferred layout. The hour it takes to set up will save you much more than that over a year.

Take a look at the Hole Tapped -3D options from the Detailing palette and then use that as part of a Solid Subtraction.

You know you can do this with tools already right?

IMNSHO you are fighting yourself in not wanting to use VPs. You don't have to use them the way VW suggests, but I think they are still the best way to get your final output. Think about this option. 1 Design Layer for your model. 1 design layer for each of your "elevation" views. Make your model however you want. Switch to a Front view. Switch to the "elevation" layer for Front. Click the button to set the working plane equal to the screen. Draw whatever annotations you want on that plane. As long as you go back to the same view they will effectively act as "screen plane" similar objects. Set a Saved View Create a viewport on a sheet layer. Put your title block and any other 1:1 type items on the Sheet Layer. If you need or want to change the scale, just change the scale in the viewport. It will get bigger or smaller without effecting the paper size. You can put multiple Viewports on a single sheet layer, even at different scales. So for me, composting your details onto a sheet layer this way is much easier. And you never had think about using the Annotation Group. You will probably have to crop to get just the portion of the model you want to display. And you can still use Saved Views to get to and from both the DL and SLs.

If you site is "2D" (everything is actually 3D now, so 2D is just a planar object that sits on some layer or working plane) I would have that site drawn on the Layer Plane. Your 3D structure sitting on that site would have its Z zero position at the layer plane also. If you then go to a Front (or any side view) the site will effectively display as a line (or bunch of lines) at the Z=0 position in the view. I can't figure out what you are talking about by moving the shelter. Leave it where it is and use VW ability to look at it from different views. If you move the shelter you either have to go back and move it every time you want to look at a different view, or you have to create multiple copies and then control which one you see. What are you really hoping to accomplish?

Take a look at some of the courses on site modeling at university.vectorworks.net

If you want something for more than 2023, and you want to stick to Mac, then I would definitely get something with Apple Silicon. I would expect that 2022 (or maybe even 2021) will be the last iteration of Intel Macs. Future OS's and support will all be focused on Apple Silicon. If you want iMacs and you possibly can, then wait and see what comes out this spring/summer. Or consider the new Mac mini and an external monitor.

If you are doing all 2D it has no real impact. You can draw on the Layer Plane and look at it in Top or Top/Plan and it will all look just like if you drew in Screen Plane. The biggest difference is when you are doing a combination of 2D and 3D. With Screen Plane you could put a label and then use the Flyover tool to move the model and have the label stay oriented to the screen. Now you can set the model to the view you want and set a working plane parallel to the screen to put the label on. But if you decide you don't like the view and move it the label will move too. Symbols and PIOs still have the ability to have different views in 3D and Top/Plan, you just set the Top/Plan setting a little differently. I'm sure this will break some workflows, but IMNSHO, it is going to allow VW to clean up a lot under the hood and make the program better and more stable moving forward.