islandmon

Ah .. yes .. Great Minds... they does think a like ... ; )

If the requirement is to attach info, then use Hybrid Symbols and attach Records and/or text with the 2D: 2D Planview of structural steel: http://www.fractalnet.org/gallery2/v/CAD/StructSteel/CAD_HybridStl-2d.jpg.html 3D isoview of same plan: http://www.fractalnet.org/gallery2/v/CAD/StructSteel/CAD_HybridStl-3d.jpg.html

A few years ago ( v9 i think ) i wrote a simple Excel spreadsheet that imported the collector datum, reconfigured it , and then exported a Vectorscript which would create a new VW file with everything perfectly in place. Then I would WGR the survey file into my working Site Plan. You can pick it up here if you're interested . It may still work: [ur]http://www.fractalnet.org/CAD/VSS_SRVY_DATUM.zip[/url]

Sheet > Viewport > Annotations Assign Classes to the variation annotations for ease & consistency.

Is that PDF a Vector or Raster or a combo of the two ? A confusion / corruption in the Vector scales can cause problems. Are there any image masks involved ?

Edit>Sheet>set DPI should be at least 300dpi , depending on the size.

Try > sudo cupsd -h this will list options ... as long as cupsd is active you can then: Safari >http://127.0.0.1:631/ which opens the CUPS System GUI. If there are no issues withCUPS or FileName... great ! Use Font Book .app to analyze your entire fonts libraries.. [important] make sure that you don't have fonts laying around in unblessed directories.

Automator may be able to handle this for you with a simple Finder script that uses > copy new>delete existing>paste new > to a "WorkspacePlaceHolder.vww" : 1) Create new ( or copy >Rename existing ) generic workspace name it > " MyCurrentWS.vww" 2) Copy content from one of the existing Workspaces ( which are XML ) ie. > "WS22.vww" 3) GoTo file > 'MyCurrentWS.vww" > select All > delete contents 4) Paste the XML from "WS22.vww" into "MyCurrentWS.vww">Save 5) Export Finder Script > "Launch WS22" 6) Point VW to always load workspace > 'MyCurrentWS.vww" at launch. repeat to create launch scripts for each of the various Workspaces

Sounds like it could be a FilePath corruption issue. Have you checked the name of your file for UNIX oddities ? Are any of those Sheets linked to old Printer drivers with incompatible PPDs ? Have you checked for incompatible Fonts ? Try running >Terminal cd /private/var/run/ sudo cupsd or just cupsd -f

If that statement is intended to be condescending, try telling it to the CEO who was hired in '86 as a programmer by the creator of MiniCad. I'm certain that you will get an earful ... Just because VW is not currently the pre-imminent BIM application doesn't mean that it lacks significant strengths in other important areas of CAD design and production. For many long term Users a predictable GUI is essential to consistent workflow.

Requires 3 NURBS arcs : 2@90?, 1@45? 1@ Y ( Sideview= 90? arc ) > Topview Z = 0? 1@Y ( Sideview= 90? arc )> Topview Z rotated= 45? = gore segment angle 1@ Z ( Topview )= 45?= hemisphere gore segment angle then Loft 2 rails = Y arcs with 1 profile= Z arc viola ! one gore = 45? NURBS surface

Alas .. mighty Blender translates numerous formats including > STL & SLP ... but not STP

Yikes .. attached the wrong image to previous reply... Here's the correct illustration:

Here's an analysis of the Gores texture mapping problem showing: 1 of 8 Gores as a 2dPoly fold-out >3dPoly>NURBS textured surface. This illustration helps to clarify the NURBS mapping issue:

Preferences>Display>Adjust Flipped Text

Per wikipedia: "A gore is a segment of a three-dimensional shape fabricated from a two-dimensional material.[1] The term was originally used to describe triangular shapes, but is now extended to any shape that can be used to create the third dimension." There's a kool Photoshop Plug-in called "Flexify" that maps images to segments. The problem comes with the translation to 3D. VW can map images to NURBS surface gores , but the images are distorted by the curvature. Try: 1) create the 8 image gores in PS using Flexify 2 2) export the image file for each of the 8 gores 3) Use the gore images as textures 1-8 in VW 4) Map those textures to the NURBS surfaces being careful to maintain proportionality. Getting the image > gores >map > NURBS curved surface is very challenging. Here's a quick test of the concept:

VW uses Class attributes to assign colors, etc. Export>DXF offers numerous options including Classes>< Layers and Line Colors >< Line weights. Try converting a simple object with the required attributes to test the settings. The defaults are usually adequate for most conversions.

Ambient: amount of ambient light that the object will reflect. Duffuse: brightness of directional lighting Specular: brightness of highlights. You can assign Phong to get the basic three or use Multi-layer Paint to get the full range of available options.

okay .. what are you talking about ... are you trying to replace PIO Objects with Symbols of your own making or Symbols created from PIOs ? Please be more specific and attach an image ... there's probably a simple solution. Possibly a script can be created to facilitate the replacement process.

That really sucks ... means the translator is screwing with ALL the Hybrid orientations. Most likely a simple programming calculation error involving 0 radians or something. Forcing stressed out Users to reformat entire projects. Stuff like this drives me crazy... Please submit a BUG report on this thing ?

Jeffroyer ... a couple simple tricks ... 1) Floor & varnishes require reflectivity 2) Place Directional Light(s) ( possibly colored ) above ceiling panels, then assign the panels a simple transparency to allow the light to radiate through. ( i sometimes do this with fake walls opposite the ambient for brightness ).

VW Help>

Forgot to mention .. you also have the various artist sketch/rendering options

You can use an "Image Fill" into a polygon. Search Google > Images >watercolor. Or compose a gradient fill.

PDF are less problematic if the Drivers, PPD, Fonts, and page parameters are set correctly. #1 Have checked the DPI on those sheets ? #2 Assuming you have Acrobat installed. Unfortunately, PDF is very font sensitive . Some older fonts will not resolve and will be replaced with Courier . Use Font Book app. to check your fonts for corruptions. This also may be a Driver issue. Use the free Font Finaggler to convert the offending fonts into a version Acrobat 1.4 will recognize. #3 This could be a conversion > image rastorization problem. Ideally, the SitePlan would be vector NOT rastor or a combination of the two depending on whether or not images are embedded. Getting the PDF process set-up properly and compatible with your print service takes some patient trial & error.