doug shaffer

Katie - Is the serial number issue related to the cut and paste/crashing issue? If so, how?

Katie - The problem is definitely intermittant. Sometimes it wigs out, some times it doesn't. However, it will almost always crash after several cut and paste operations. Initially, the problem occured when cutting and pasting between layers now it seems more sensitive and will crash when cutting and pasting a line, for example. To clarify, once the crash occurs once, it is then impossible to keep ANY file open for more than 10 seconds or so. For this reason, I doubt that the problem is file specific. I will send the file on to bugsubmit for their analysis. thanks

Howdy again - I'm hopeful that the conflicts between OSX10.2 and Vectorworks will be worked out soon. We are also experiencing strange intermittant, inconsistant problems with 'application unexpectedly quit'ting. Last Friday, for example, a co-worker worked on a file all afternoon. This morning, he opened the file and the program crashed during a simple copy/paste operation. Now he can not get VW to stay open even after a computer re-start. Basically, he can not use Vectorworks at all under OSX10.2. I have crashed during similar operations but always have been able to get up and running under OSX10.2. FYI (tech support) his machine is a G3/300 with 256MB. My machine is a G4/466 with 512 MB. Please keep us updated on progress regarding these problems.

Hello - G4/466/512mb, VWA+L9.5.3b1, OSX10.2 (since 9/4/02)G4/466/512mb, VWA+L9.5.2, OSX10.1.5 (before 9/4/02) This is a lengthy message, but I highly recommend that OSX users read this. I have been using OSX 10.1.x for 8 months with very few problems. In the nearly 4 years since I have been using Vectorworks, never have I had major, unrecoverable corruption of a Vectorworks file. However, a file that I have been working on for two months now is completely corrupted and unusable. Fortunately, I did a backup of our files last night so only 6 hours of work is lost. Here is what happened... I was working on some elevation drawings that I was constructing using many VW objects and many typical VW functions including duplicate array, revert to saved, hatch, etc. I was using my HP Laserjet 4V printer to make 11 x 17 vinettes of parts of a 24 x 36 sheet. Also, I was using 'revert to saved', making changes, then 'page setup' again to make more vinettes. Suddenly, right after doing a 'revert to saved', I got an error message that read: "One or more objects in this file have become corrupted. The file can not be saved." When I clicked the 'okay' button, a 'save as' window opened and I saved the file to the desktop. The file it created is only 450K, compared to the original 14MB file. When I open this new file, I get an error message that reads: "This file is damaged - it will open with as much data as possible" In addition, the file has only 3 of the original +/- 20 layers, and it much of the information is missing from those layers. When I try to open the original file (still +/- 14MB) I get an error message that reads: "-39 End of file reached during read. Attempt to read file FSREAD" - when I click 'okay', the program crashes with an 'unexpected quit' error message. I sent the original (corrupt) file to Nemetschek tech support to see if they can fix it. Because this problem occured within a day of my installations of VW9.5.3b1 and OSX10.2, I attribute it to this major change in my system. It is my understanding that the VW9.5.3b1 update fixed a couple of conflicts with OSX10.2 and that it fixed no other unrelated (VW specific) problems. Is it possible that the "one or more objects" that became corrupted is due to something completely unrelated to the updates? I realize that VW9.5.3b1 is beta software that I use at my own risk, but given that the glitches with VW in OSX10.2 were relatively minor, I never would have expected such a major file corruption. Until the problem is fixed, should I run VW in Classic only? Revert to starting up in OS9.2? It is my understanding that reverting to prior versions of OSX is quite difficult. Thanks for listening and for any suggestions you may have. d. s h a f f e ra r c h i t e c t

Hello - I am having touble copying information from one VWA/L 9.0.1 file to another. Here's what is happening. I have a file that contains numerous layers, classes, symbols, etc. that was created in the preliminary stages of a project. I now want to 'archive' that file, and start fresh with a new project file. I tried this by simply selecting all of the elements from one layer of the original file and copying them to a new layer in the new file. No other work has been done on the new file. The problem that I seem to be experiencing is that symbols that contain doors and windows do not come in correctly. For example, I had made a comglomeration of doors and windows into a symbol that then get inserted as one large unit into a wall. When copied to the new file, the wall that contains the symbol is shifted radically in the 'Y' direction and the windows and doors within the symbol are placed in random locations (and orientations!) around the plan. Is this a known bug, or do I need to send you a file, Nemetschek? Thanks - ------------------ d. s h a f f e r a r c h i t e c t

Hello - I am working on several site models using the new features of VWArchitect and VWLandmark 9.0.1. Is there an easy way to make 'sides' on the DTM using new tools that I have not used yet? I would like to avoid the tedious 8.5.2 method of drawing vertical 3D polygons if at all possible. Thanks, d. s h a f f e r a r c h i t e c t

Frank - Thanks for your response. I had tried your method and it does indeed work. The problem is that I don't want to have to do this every time I run into this issue. In the case of the project I am currently working on, There are about 20 layers containing non-DTM information. As you know, it is a total pain to copy them over to a new file layer by layer. It seems to me that this should be submitted to the Bug List. Thanks again, ------------------ d. s h a f f e r a r c h i t e c t

Hello - I am having a problem with the DTM tool in VWArchitect/Landmark 9.0.1. Basically, I created a Site model using 3D loci - it worked quickly and beautifully. For reasons that I won't go into, I decided to delete the DTM and create a new one. I used the procedure described in the Landmark manual - it gives you three 'warning' messages prior to actually deleting the DTM. I then tried to create another DTM, but the software seems to think there is still one there (I think). At this point, when I use the 'Sitework>Site Model' command, the 'Source Layer' and 'Destination Layer' pull-down menus are grayed out, and the check boxes below them say 'update' instead of 'create' proposed/existing site model. I then deleted the site model symbols in the, DTM classes, etc. to no avail. What's going on? ------------------ d. s h a f f e r a r c h i t e c t

Matthew - Thanks for looking into this. I agree that the 'length' and 'angle' precision input fields work identically in 8.5.2 and 9.0.1. The procedure I am enquiring about regards the use of the 'x' and 'y' fields. Do bugs #23677 and #23678 address my problem? How do I 'inquire about' them? thanks ------------------ d. s h a f f e r a r c h i t e c t

Sean - Does the description above make sense? We do alot of renovation work, and the old (8.5.2) behavior was extremely convenient for drawing existing floor plans. I hope this can be changed for 9.5. thanks - ------------------ d. s h a f f e r a r c h i t e c t

Hello- I have noticed this too. G4/466/256 VM off. >>I have noticed in 9.0.1 you have to grab the "corner" (smart que) of the wall and not the "point" at the end of the wall. If you grab the "point" at the end of the wall the constrant using the shift key is slightly off 90 degrees. Happens every time.<<

Hello - In my opinion, rcarch's description above is most logical. However, there are problems with this approach. Depending on the plotter/printer you are using, the 'grayed' background layers may not print dark enough. I have requested from NNA (for a couple of years now) the ability to assign a 'degree of grayness' to grayed layers. Perhaps this could be done using percentages - for example; 10% gray vs. 40%. We NEED the ability to make grayed back-grounds that change as as the floor plans are changed. Copying and pasting defeats the purpose of CAD. ------------------ d. s h a f f e r a r c h i t e c t

Howdy again - I just received an email back from Patrick at VectorDepot. He said that he will create a 'Textures' section as soon as someone sends him one (some). I, for one, have never created my own, but would sure appreciate it if others more capable than I would send their custom textures to them. (vectordepot.com) thanks - ------------------ d. s h a f f e r a r c h i t e c t

Hello - Vectordepot is excellent. However, it does not yet have areas for textures, scripts, worksheets, and other things. I suggest that anyone interested should visit Vectordepot and request useful additions. ------------------ d. s h a f f e r a r c h i t e c t

Howdy - I occasionally have this problem. I, however, am using a G4/466/256. For me, it certainly is an intermittant problem and I have no idea what causes it. Quiting VW and re-opening fixes the problem. ------------------ d. s h a f f e r a r c h i t e c t

Donald - I think you meant to say 'attributes' pallette, not constraints pallette. Although it may seem like a minor glitch, the arrowhead bug slows down my work significantly. I hope it is fixed soon. It was one of the first bugs I submitted - within 3 days of receiving VWA9.0.0. thanks, ------------------ d. s h a f f e r a r c h i t e c t

Sean - Thanks for your response. It does look like I missed one step in my description. In my originally described procedure, I should have indicated that I was trying to draw TWO walls, not one, and the procedure I described does not result in two walls. Sorry. Here is a better example: The result I want is a 3 ft. piece of horizontal wall and a 5 ft. piece vertical wall joined with a corner joint. It used to be that I could single click to begin a horizontal wall, tab over to the 'x' field and type 3', press return, THEN SINGLE CLICK (the step I originally left out) while the wall is constrained horizonatlly. The result is a 3ft. horizontal section of wall, and I am allowed then to continue the wall vertically. However, when I tab over to the 'y' field, type in 5', and hit 'return', the wall is offset 5' vertically AND 3' HORIZONTALLY. This is where 8.5.2 and 9.0 are different from 9.0.1. Note that this occurs with any precision input operation you may be performing. Let me know if you need further clarification. thanks again, ------------------ d. s h a f f e r a r c h i t e c t

The leader line tool is there, it's just hiding. I added it using the workspace editor. It is included with the '2D tools'. Good luck. ------------------ d. s h a f f e r a r c h i t e c t

I may have posted this already, but it's a doozie and am wondering if anyone else has seen it. Bug Report: This is an INTERMITTANT problem that occurs on my Mac G4/466 with 256MB RAM. It has occured with files that were originallybegun in 8.5.2, 9.0, and 9.0.1. Occasionally when working in on a VWA9.0.1 file, UNDO stops working properly, and in a way that is potentially very dangerous. Here is an example: I was working on a file and selected a portion of the drawing to do a 2D reshape with marquee. I accidently stopped it at a funny angle. When I tried to do an UNDO, it jumped to a different view (seemingly unrelated to previous views) WITHOUT undoing the 2D reshape. The only way to go back was to 'revert to saved'. However, the file still would not do UNDO's. I quit and re-opened the file to no avail. A computer shutdown, then restart solved the problem. temporarily. Later the problem came back (same file) and I had to shut down again. Some tests I did after doing a 'revert so saved' - I drew a line at random, did an UNDO and was zoomed back as if i had pressed the minus-magnification button. The line remained. It seems that the problem is unrelated to the complexity of the action I am trying to UNDO. I tried all the UNDO options in the 'preferences' to no avail. The problem has occured several times on four separate files. Has anyone else reported this bug? What a pain. d. s h a f f e r a r c h i t e c t

Nemetschek - Please respond to this issue. Thanks - ------------------ d. s h a f f e r a r c h i t e c t

HELL0 - There are some strange things occuring with walls, and one disabling bug when doing precision inputs in VWA9.0.1 for Macintosh. These occur on all machines (G3's and G4's) in our office. 1. This is the main problem which occurs in 9.0.1 and NOT in 9.0 - There are glitches when drawing 'walls', polygons, etc., in plan when using the 'tab' key to move through the data entry fields at the top of the screen. For example: begin a wall, then tab once to move to the 'x' field. Then enter a dimension of 3', for example, and push the return key. The result is that a horizontal wall that is 3 ft. long is drawn and the wall tool is still activated, 'waiting' to be continued. It used to be (in VW8.x and VWA9.0) that I could continue the wall 12" vertically (for example) by tabbing over to the 'y' field and entering a dimension of 12". When this is done in VWA9.0.1, the wall jumps to a spot that is 12" vertically, but ALSO 3 FT. HORIZONTALLY. I assume this is bug, not a new feature, of 9.0.1. 2. When the wall tool is picked, a wall is started, and single clicks are used to change the direction of the wall (but not end the operation), the wall edges seem to be shooting off in odd directions as the mouse is curser is moved around on the screen. Related to this, it seems that the smart cursor cues are working correctly, although what is drawn on the screen is not. For example, when continuing a wall after several single clicks, if I want to make another horizontal portion of wall, the smart curser cue will be 'horz' but the wall will be drawn (before clicking) at an odd angle which is not horizontal. If I then click when the cue says 'horz', indeed the wall is completed correctly, i.e. horizontal. I'm sure this is confusing. more fundamental stuff that needs to be fixed soon... d. s h a f f e r a r c h i t e c t

I totally agree. Please change this tool back to the way it worked in 8.5.2. Thanks, ------------------ d. s h a f f e r a r c h i t e c t

Hello - I too have experienced general 'slowness', especially when using plug-in objects. Using plug-in objects in 8.5.2 did not seem to be so slow. Also, the slowness of the measuring tool is really strange. Surely this is a fixable bug. Thanks,

I don't know why the quick-key was removed, but you can add it using the workspace editor. I did. ------------------ d. s h a f f e r a r c h i t e c t

i have requested this many times. I hope others think about the time saving potential in this concept. ------------------ d. s h a f f e r a r c h i t e c t