[Interior Mouldings]

Yes. Extrude along path is only adequate for small amounts of wall trim. It has to be created and edited manually, so it's not at all a solution for regular and large projects.

 

The above plugin facilitates molding creation. While similar, not the same as wall trim. As part of a wall, trims would have huge automation. 

[Interior Mouldings]

IMHO, moldings should be integrated into walls, similar to components. Optional checkboxes for ceiling, chair rail and base trim where you simply select the profile, and set a control point for height (some cases where base trim would be above the floor). Such trim would be secondary to door & window trim (in case of conflict), and automatically stop at door/window openings. Option to continue through cased openings. Individually classed of course. Would make interiors so much faster, as all the trim would auto edit with changes to walls, doors and windows.

[Watercolor style?]

Anyone find a decent workflow for watercolor style rendering? AI render would probably do pretty good w perspectives, but I’m looking for 2D graphics with a watercolor look.

[3D printing recommendations]

On recommendation of a buddy, who is a 3-D printing hobbyist, the Bambu P1 series printers are very cost-effective ($700 +-) and produce models just under 11 inch cube in size. Out of box settings are perfect for anyone who doesn’t want to make a career of 3-D printing, but simply needs to print things. Of course, it’s always good to know your equipment better, but you can get up and running very quickly. You have to be realistic about what level of detail you will get with this level printer.,(opt for the 0.4 steel head) but for the most part, we’re very happy.
 

VW export (STL) works pretty well. The problems we have is any cabinet or door plug-in object which has panels. The panels do not print and you get a flat surface…or simply a void.  Our workaround is to create a copy model, just for 3-D printing, and then convert these problem items to mesh.

 

Every brand has their own settings. So  jump in.

[Known Issues with SQLite linking]

Other VW employees have acknowledged that the link breaks on the Mac, but they don’t know why. So it’s not a new issue or an unknown one.

[Known Issues with SQLite linking]

Apparently for quite a while, it's known for a long time that there are Mac issues connecting SQlite databases to a VW document. It's highly buggy at best, and broken at worst. The issue has zero weight to get fixed.

 

So I find it disingenuous that VW would publish a FEATURE ARTICLE on a tool that rarely works.

https://blog.vectorworks.net/guest-video-sqlite-databases-vectorworks-objects

 

If the issue won't be fixed, fine. Then please remove the tool/function from the next update. But don't advertise things which clearly are not ready for mainstream use.

[Mac M2 Render Speed Test]

...so it begs the question: WHY do any final render in VW anymore? 

 

The modest cost of TM or ES for the speed and final product are an incredible value. I LOVE that ES operates as a live  plugin, making the start-to-finish process even faster.

 

Of course VW was never design to primarily be a render program, but the speeds of even top-end machines are dinosaurs compared to what base-level machines can do with TM or ES.

[Mac M2 Render Speed Test]

Mac Studio M2 Ultra 128 GB ram (OS 14.0)  = 5:42

VW 2024

 

TwinMotion or Enscape onscreen = 2.3288964 sec

Output to jpeg = probably under 15 sec.

[Enscape for Mac]

BOSS ! While I like TM renderings, the TM interface has been so clunky for years and years. Using navigation in TM is an exercise in frustration if you use a trackpad. ES live link is better than TM as well.

[VW partner plug-in or workflow for 3D printing]

Thanks. While it can be a straightforward process, one still has to invest time for the particulars of model tuning /check software. So I'm being a bit lazy maybe, hoping to pay for an established workflow to the same vendor for consistent results.

 

Let's say I just want a white model of "medium" detail. Do you know of some architectural model-friendly vendors? searching the internet blind and it takes alot of time to compare...many of them want the model to quote a price.

[VW partner plug-in or workflow for 3D printing]

20 hours ago, BartHays said:

So, in my mind asking why 3D printers can't make easy, affordable models is like saying, I have paintbrushes, why can't I paint like Bob Ross?

Don't accept your comparison...how many countless things are "farmed out" to other professionals? Surveyors, engineers, etc. I use large format plotters, and they're pretty much on autopilot. I don't have to reconfigure software every time I print. By "Easy" I mean customer-friendly to ORDER a model from a service, not BE THE SERVICE. Of course one would be expected to learn the process if printing in-house.

The start of this topic concerns:

- automation of out-of-house model printing. I'm happy to pay someone else to learn, configure, manage and print a 3D model. 

- but if I have to learn and do all the intermediate steps to simply hand someone the file, I may as well print in house.

- I imagine it's not that difficult for someone to write that intermediate step software to automate model production for a specific supplier. 

everyone in the pipeline gets a cut of the fee, and the architect (me) is happy to order a 3D model without much more fuss than buying ink cartridges on amazon

[VW partner plug-in or workflow for 3D printing]

On 10/3/2023 at 2:35 AM, Claes Lundstrom said:

Nowadays, even cheap China machines are pretty good and they cost like an office printer

What's the max XYZ dimensions for a single piece? I researched this a year ago, and in-house printers that would create a USEABLE size (let's  say 8" cube) were quite expensive.

I have no problem stacking sections together (having to slice a building, for example) , but at the end of the day it's time vs results. Too much time and it doesn't matter what the results are. Not interested in taking up a new hobby.

 

3D printing has been around long enough that there's bound to be a fast, automated method to output to a model, in-house or out of house. There's profit incentive for some company to write that code. VW would probably have to partner w/ someone to make that happen.

[VW partner plug-in or workflow for 3D printing]

The wish is to automate the process, via 3rd party optional plugin. Most VW users can’t afford a model printer that produces an architectural model of useable size. The small percent of firms who have gear in-house must train and dedicate staff for that. It’s in no way equal to using a paper plotter.

 

- much as photo apps on Mac (and I’m sure windows) allow a 3rd party plugin to speed the process of a photo book, it would be a win-win for VW to partner w a few physical model services to have direct ordering. Export-model check-then order… all in the same screen. At least 2 competitors to keep prices down and the process easy. I would think model-printing services would be all over this.
 

- it’s difficult to find reliable services which offer a reasonable price for a single model. If there’s presently a list from VW, I’m not aware of it. 

[VW partner plug-in or workflow for 3D printing]

thanks, maybe post the steps

[VW partner plug-in or workflow for 3D printing]

Unfortunately, 3-D printing with Vectorworks has remained a very small niche market. We would very much like to do a lot of 3-D printing, but the process is so cumbersome we don’t do any at all. Much as a Vectorworks has done a plug-in for twinmotion, making it a very excellent workflow, we need something in the same way for 3-D printing.

 

If VW could partner with one or more 3-D printing companies to make a simplified workflow, this would be a huge boost for both the supplier(s) and Vectorworks Users. 
 

I would bet, less than 1% of vectorworks users have access to a 3-D printer that will produce models of any practical size, let alone the time involved.

[VW open House Virtual vs Design Summit in person]

6 minutes ago, E|FA said:

I can’t see myself traveling to an in-person event and appreciate the newer online opportunities and hope they continue. 

Have you been to a VW Design Summit in the past? If not you don’t know what you’ve missed.

[VW open House Virtual vs Design Summit in person]

Offered in genuine constructive criticism for the improvement of the VW public and User marketing. I'm pretty sure I'm saying what many users are thinking.

 

From a 30-yr VW veteran, Summit or Open House on-line is massively disappointing. Having attended Design Summits in person in the past, there's simply no comparison. Covid is over, let's move on from that excuse.

 

Design Summit Success:

In-person VW Conferences make Users excited to be associated with product. In-person conversations w/ VW Engineers and key staff creates strong product loyalty. Users feel they have "real" input into future development. VW Engineers learn how Users make the software accomplish things they didn't think of, and/or understand a better way to implement features. The extra-curricular events of a Design Summit are HUGE in bonding the VW community together.

on-Line (epic) Failure:
It's time to abandon on-line Design Summits (aka Open House) . They accomplish nothing noted above, and are, frankly, poorly executed. Boring, unengaged, recycled content. More than 2 sec of "dead air" is bad...and there were LONG pauses of people trying to get connected, find their notes, etc, etc. I didn't attend more than 20 min total across several classes, it was so hard to participate. Engineers must admit they are not marketing professionals, and everything will improve from there. Even if VW hired a professional AD firm to run it, everyone I know dislikes Zoom-type meetings vs in-person. This is NOT the future of successful Design Summits.
 

[Suppress Zero in Database Worksheet]

In our workflow, we're using Database spreadsheets which read record formats to track tree calipers to remain, be removed, etc. The caliper field MUST be a number (VW won't total "text" fields, understandably). But we're forced to have a default of SOME number , typically 0.

 

Why are we forced to enter a default value of 0 in a database worksheet reading a number field? The final worksheet is extra cluttered with cells that have a zero value for their number. At a minimum, there should be a checkbox not to display anything if the value is Zero. Everyone who reads a spreadsheet knows an empty cell is "zero".

[Mac M2 Render Speed Test]

On 1/31/2023 at 11:27 AM, sdfireguy said:

Can someone tell me how to run rendering this file?

If you're talking about the original speed test file, it's a VP on a sheet layer. Simply select the VP and hit "update" in the Object Info Palette

[Mac Silicon OS and VW]

On 2/8/2023 at 9:23 PM, Lunar Waneshaft said:

Nitpicking here but RAM isn't installed on the processor chip itself.

yes nitpicking. The direct connection to ram is a first-time design, if I'm not mistaken. Point being M-chips can do VM ram like never before.

[Mac Silicon OS and VW]

On 1/27/2023 at 3:27 PM, E|FA said:

What is virtual memory

as above, simply the machine using the hard drive as a scratch pad when the limit of installed ram is hit.

-Very slow w/ a traditional spin drive. Read/Write vs chip-to-ram communication is drastically slow

-Much improved w/ SSD drive read/write speeds

-Improved dramatically w/ Nvme drive (essentially a ram stick used as HD)

-improved dramatically again w/ M-chips having installed ram on the processor chip itself

[Mac M2 Render Speed Test]

2 hours ago, zoomer said:

But who would buy RAM from Apple,?

 

Everyone, unfortunately.

For the last few years Mac's ram has not been user-changeable. Soldered to the logic board. And now with M-chips, the ram is part of the actual chip. That's part of what makes them so fast. But the ram size is locked in at purchase, impossible to ever change unless you've got some pretty sophisticated equipment, if possible even then. We're not talking repair shop stuff here.

[Mac M2 Render Speed Test]

13 hours ago, Don Seidel said:

The Aston Martin will get you there in style

…when it’s not in the shop! 😜

[Mac M2 Render Speed Test]

2 hours ago, line-weight said:

I don't understand the "value" figure.

The “value” factor, the start of this topic, was to show how much processing power you can get vs the money spent. Any laptop costs a premium for the feature of portability. You also have monitor, keyboard and mouse all in one. So it’s less relative value for the cost…. Generally you can buy a more powerful desktop for less money than the laptop. But people are willing to accept the laptop premium because they must have or really want a portable system.

 

Headless Macs, on the other end, don’t come with monitor, keyboard or mouse. ( It’s funny Apple describes “accessory kit” as included with the Mini and Studio Macs… the only accessory is a power chord). So while there are needed peripherals to operate the machine, the collateral cost can be mitigated by using 3rd party products, or extra used products one may have around.

 

so the Mini, as intended, is a budget solution. One can always spend more, and have a more powerful, faster system.  But can one get a budget Mac that will work well with VW ? Clearly the answer is yes for many users, now that the M2 Mini has arrived.

 

 

 

 

[Mac M2 Render Speed Test]

1 hour ago, zoomer said:

So we all have to buy M1 Mac Studio Ultras from now on ?

or buy 2 M2 Pro Mini's . One can render while you continue work on the other. Wouldn't that, by definition, beat the fastest machine on the market? 😄

 

You get what you pay for, mostly. Everyone's needs are different. I always buy the most machine I can reasonably afford and never look back. Of course everyone wants a killer machine, but do you need it even if you could afford it? If my projects get that big and that complex, yes. Otherwise, nope...ego is talking. The Aston Martin will get you there in style, faster than the Toyota Camry. But the Camry will still get you there. 

 

M2 Mac Studios are probably 3-4 months out