David Bertrand

quote: If you have a particular size you want your detail bubbles to be for a particular scale, I recommend you do that, and then name your symbols accordingly ("Detail bubble 1:1", "Detail bubble 1:48", etc.) Thanks Andrew. That's what I was getting at. So it isn't possible to scale a symbol to the drawing scale as you insert it. I'd have to save a separate detail bubble for each drawing scale. quote: In viewports there is the annotation 'layer' which is in 'paper scale' 1:1 - this might help. Petri, your right, the annotation layer is 1:1 and that would be the correct solution since everything inserted there has to do with notations. In AutoCAD I was always accustomed to placing everything into the design layers and eliminate the complication of "paper space" (annotation layer in VW) with all the alignment problems. Inserting notation "blocks" required scaling them up to the plot scale, such as 1:48, etc. Thanks to everyone for your input. Dave

Hi Katie, I don't want to change the size of the original symbol, just resize it on a particular drawing. For example, a detail bubble on a 1:1 drawing is 1/2". But on a 1:48 drawing, it's 24". So I insert a symbol drawn as 1/2" and then resize it to 24" so that it'll be appropriate for that scale. Does that make sense, or am I missing some way to have these symbols automatically resize for the scale? Anyway, according to the tuturial CD, if I save a symbol with "convert to group" checked, it should be resizable after it's been inserted. That may be the answer. But it would be better if the symbol automatically resized according to the scale of the drawing. Still puzzled, Dave

I'm a newbie VW user, having retired from AutoCAD. Is it possible to insert objects in VW and scale them up or down? Objects like detail bubbles, grid bubbles, door swings, and other notation objects? Am I missing something? The manual says that symbols can't be scaled, but it appears that plug-ins can be scaled. However I don't want to learn the scripting language to create plug-ins. Is it possible to do it some other way? Thanks for your help. Dave

>>My issue with the speed of VW is the speed of the OIP.<< What is OIP?

>>Most speed issues relate to seriously complex files<< I don't expect my files to be huge, just simple architectural plans and elevations -- a hobby activity. I'm using OS-10.2.8; I hope that's not a problem. I hope to upgrade to 10.4 when it's safe to do so.

jan15 wrote: >>2. Assuming you mean using the AC Offset command to lay out geometry because entering coordinates in Autocad is so slow and frustrating, with the @ symbol and the comma:<< >>In VW there are many easy and quick ways to enter coordinates, so we don't use the Offset tool for that. << Exactly. There's no easy way to enter coordinates in AutoCAD, so we just offset. AutoCAD is best at editing; throw in a few lines, and then edit the rest. I'm looking forward to trying VW. Thanks for the tip. I saw the review in MacWorld of VW 11. I emailed the magazine to ask about speed issues that I've read about on this forum.

Thanks for the help guys. I was working with building plans and details, all 2D, so we were working in a single plane and "offset" and "fillet" were indispensible. I'm hoping to get a demo copy of VW soon to try it out.

Is it known how many VW users there are out there? (Katie)! I am evaluating the most popular Mac CAD programs to make a purchasing decision. As a former AutoCAD user, I did most of my drawing with the "offset" and "fillet" commands. How convenient are these commands in Vectorworks? Thanks

I'm thinking about getting VW for my powerbook. So I can't speak for VW specifically. When I learn new software, I create a simple project and then learn as I go. For example, with a CAD program, I would design a small building and then learn how to draw it by referring to the manual for each drawing task. This gives the learning process some meaning and makes it easier to remember.

I have a 1.25 Ghz powerbook as well and it gets hot too. A small 6" desk fan gets the temp back down to comfortable level. I downloaded a utility called "Temperature Monitor" which lists the processor, processor bottom side, power supply, and battery temperatures. The computer's fan comes on at about 142 degrees processor temperature--a little too hot for me.