Jump to content

Francois Levy

Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    321

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Posts posted by Francois Levy

    iMac advice for 2019

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    We're getting ready for a new iMac purchase. The $200 processor upgrade seems an obvious choice (to a .2GHz quad-core i7 processor, Turbo Boost up to 4.5GHz), and of course we'll beef up the RAM. Is there a functional limit to RAM, or does 64-bit VW use as much RAM as is available? What about a drive upgrade? I don't hear good things about Fusion drives; I think for our purposes a 1TB SSD is adequate storage and real-world performance has always seemed much snappier with SSDs. Anyone have any advice on Fusion drives?

    BIM to DWG

    in Workflows

    Posted

    Hi Nina,

     

    Thanks for your response. Are you suggesting that in order to achieve the desired DWG output, my section viewports should be on design layers? I've tested that and it doesn't seem to work. Here's what I did:

    —I created a sheet layer with three viewports: a top/plan viewport, a section viewport, and a "back" viewport.

    —For the sake of the "back" viewport I created a distinct design layer for a single section. There I created section viewport, populating it with the design layers where the model geometry occurs (source design layers), like an old school layer link. Other than this design layer section viewport, this design layer is empty.

    —Back on the sheet layer "back" viewport, I placed all annotations for the section drawing there, in its annotation space. Same for the sheet layer section viewport and sheet player top/plan viewport.

    —I exported the sheet layer as a DWG.

     

    Here's what I get:

    —When importing the DWG back into Vectorworks as a test, both sections come in pretty much the same, whether the sheet layer section viewport or the "back" viewport from a design layer viewport.

    —The section plane geometry is a scaled block, uncropped.

    —Annotations as well as the geometry beyond the section plane are 1:1 objects (hence out of scale) on the sheet layer itself.

     

    This is really not a usable outcome for my DWG recipient, and seems to be different in some respects from what you describe. Do I need to abandon sheet layers altogether to get the workflow I want? I need to figure this out by September 20th or so, and can share files with you offlist.

     

    Thanks!

    BIM to DWG

    in Workflows

    Posted

    We are working with another design firm on a project, and eventually need to hand off DWGs that they can use. Internally, we're employing a BIM workflow: 3D model of the project, viewports for plans and section viewports for interiors and sections. Ultimately we want to be able to export drawings (plans, sections, and interiors in sheet-layer viewports populated by design layer geometry) as DWG model-space entities (design layers) that are annotated and cropped on DWG sheet layers (paper space). Unfortunately, when we do a test DWG export of one of our sheet layers and re-import it back into a blank Vectorworks file, we get  sheet layer viewports of plans (good), but scaled symbols in lieu of section viewports that are not even properly cropped (not so good). Is it possible to achieve what we want? Is this a matter of settings, or am I asking the impossible?

    OT—found Revit project image for book

    in Architecture

    Posted · Edited by Francois Levy

    I'm completing my second book on BIM in the next few days. I would like to include an eye-catching image of a representative, design-oriented architectural project produced with Revit. If you have any colleagues or associates using Revit who would like to share an exemplary project with me for publication, please contact me offlist: francois.levy.architect@gmail.com. I'd prefer a high-resolution rendering or composition of a smaller project, say under 20,000 SF. Thanks!

    Cinema 4D to Vectorworks

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Maxon lists these export formats for C4D that Vectorworks can also import:

     

    3D Studio .3ds

    DXF

    STL

    Wavefront .obj

     

    I would guess that STL is polygons/meshes only, so probably not suitable for my purposes. I'll ask for 3DS, DXF, and OBJ and see which is the cleanest import into Vectorworks.

    Can you change the Sills class on Windows and Doors?

    in Troubleshooting

    Posted

    By default, the Sills class is applied to the door leaf and swing arc in Top/Plan. You can override that in Settings/2D Visualization. Thanks to Door Styles, you can create default styles that eliminate the use of the Sills class for that door style (same is true for windows). When you insert a non-styled door (or window), however, the class will probably be re-created in your file, even if you deleted it.

    Screen Shot 2018-06-08 at 9.04.14 AM.png

    Cinema 4D to Vectorworks

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I know it's a backwards workflow, but I may have a new client soon who does concept/visualization in C4D, and I'd like to import their models into Vectorworks. They currently have this workflow: C4D --> SketchUp --> AutoCAD. Ultimately they should go: Vectorworks -->C4D, but I may or may not convince them to change their workflow. Meanwhile, can anyone tell me whether there's an export path from C4D to Vectorworks that preserves C4D NURBS? Their current workflow does not, obviously, and that's a headache for them.

    Renderworks Issue - Geometry Not Updating / Viewport Turns Black

    in Wishes Granted / Issues Resolved

    Posted

    I'm testing a new MacBook Pro and I see a similar issue with 2018 SP2. Starting from a saved view (design layers, clip cube on, OpenGL), I turn off the clip cube, render in wireframe, then do a Final Quality Renderworks. All geometry disappears, though moving the cursor around activates pre-selection highlighting. Zoom out then zoom in clears it up and rendering can proceed as normal.

    DOE-2

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by Francois Levy

    Have you successfully exported a Vectorworks BIM model to DOE-2? If so, please message me or email me offlist : info AT francoislevy DAUGHT com.

    Seeking sustainable BIM project case study for publication

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I am completing a book on sustainable architecture designed within a BIM workflow, focusing particularly on skin-load dominated buildings (i.e, smaller projects than those often associated with BIM). The book will be published by Wiley next year. I am concluding each of my chapters (e.g., Massing Analysis, Passive Cooling, Passive Heating, etc.) with an approximately 500-word case study of a notable project. I intend the case study projects to concretely demonstrate the use of the quantitative analysis potential of BIM to support design decisions for high-performance architecture.

    I'm specifically looking for architects who employ the quantitative analysis opportunities in BIM to design skin-load dominated sustainable buildings for better performance, firms that are to some degree using the "I" in BIM coupled with building geometry to make informed design decisions. This typically involves applying in schematic design or early design development some or several performance design guidelines (some of which have been around since the 1980s), and/or sharing the BIM file with subconsultants (energy modelers, etc.) late in design development or construction documentation. The later is commonly done but by then it's often too late to make significant design changes; the former is less common and the emphasis of my book. The subtext is that building performance can be a form-giver for climate-dominated architecture.

    If you or your firm is interested in contributing a Vectorworks project for a case study, please message me or email me offline (info AT francoislevy DOT com). I would prefer heretofore unpublished built projects, preferably under approximately 20,000 square feet/2 000 square meters. I am particularly interested in case studies for these topics:

    Innovative software use

    Passive Cooling

    Building Hydrology

    I regret that I am on a rather tight deadline, and need to move very quickly. Images should be of sufficiently high resolution (minimum 1500 pixels wide, TIFF format) for publication. Interior artwork will be in black and white, but color images should be sent in color (the publisher will convert them to gray scale).

    Fran?ois

    Texture Bed

    in Architecture

    Posted · Edited by Francois Levy

    You have to assign a class to the texture bed not from the Class pull-down menu (as you normally would), but by typing in a class name in the appropriate field (Class) via the Object Info palette, or upon creation. Assign the texture you want to the class whose name you typed in.

    Vectorworks BIM classes: Bay Area and Pittsburgh

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by Francois Levy

    I have a Vectorworks BIM workshop coming up this weekend (August 1-2) in the Bay Area, with another in Pittsburgh on August 15-16. Here's a link: http://is.gd/1dcIX.

    ABOUT THE CLASS

    The BIM Workshop is intended for users of Vectorworks ARCHITECT or DESIGNER (and even FUNDAMENTALS) who wish to integrate intelligent models into their design and documentation workflow. Topics covered include:

    * Using hybrid 2D and 3D parametric objects such as site models, walls, windows, doors, stairs, etc.

    * File organization and maximizing the effectiveness of classes, design and sheet layers, and viewports for efficiently extracting views of a building model

    * General 3D modeling

    * Embedding data in hybrid objects and generating tabular views (reports) such as door and window schedules, area takeoffs, and performance calculations

    * Team collaboration using workgroup references, including integrating DWG (AutoCAD files) in your workflow, and importing and exporting IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) files

    For a preview of projects demonstrating some of these principles (and others) please see these two online movies (approximately 40 minutes in length each):

    http://download2.nemetschek.net/www_movies/Francois_Levy_AIA/Francois_Levy_AIA.html

    http://download2.nemetschek.net/Presentations/Levy_7shades_green.mov

    Macintosh workstations will be available for all participants, and participants are welcome to bring their own laptops with Vectorworks installed. Fast-paced and comprehensive, this training is helpful to Vectorworks users wanting to take their expertise to the next level. For more information, email me info AT francoislevy DOT com

    Preferred animation settings

    in Rendering

    Posted

    I'd like to save myself some trial and error time on this. Does anyone have a preferred export format for best quality animations? Video, PNG, MPEG, etc.? Which produces the best quality (least pixellated) in a broadly digestible format? I've been typically rendering in FQRW using Video format, as in my experience most people can view that, but even at highest quality I get some pixellation, particularly with raking light (low sun on a DTM hillock, for example). Anyone have any favorites?

×
×
  • Create New...