shorter

We need to be able to add/Subtract 3D object to stair like you can a slab, please

Cheers, @Domas Happy New Year!

Looking for system requirements for 2021 and the link on this page https://www.vectorworks.net/en-GB/support no longer offers the page with all versions, and takes you straight to @JuanP excellent page on 2024 instead. Could someone please fix this, or tell me which MacOS 2021 is compatible with as I have a client needing to run both 2021 and 2024. Thanks.

Getting warmer... 😉

You shouldn't need to do this. You don't for standard viewports. This is why we need a 'lock position' and also X, Y and Z feedback for section viewports in the OIP. It does not make any sense not having this information. The easiest way to check if a design layer viewport has moved is to check it's coordinates. If they are not all 0, it's been moved. If it's been moved it is no longer coordinated. The easiest way to put it in the right i.e. coordinated place? Set X, Y and Z to 0. Remember one of the reasons why BIM has reared it's ugly head is because of "the design team's inability to coordinate the design properly". Not my words. That said, even with BIM perhaps 10% of consultants we come across using BIM software actually issue coordinated data, and perhaps 1% do so in both 2D and 3D. The frustrating thing is that it is so easy to do, i.e. so easy to issue coordinated data from all dimensions.

Our models respect standard UK LOD definitions. They are never detailed enough to generate detail (because they are max. LOD3 or LOD4, and modelled to deliver 1:50 GAs only) and in any case I have never seen a detail extracted from a model that I would have been proud to have drawn in 2D myself (other than those derived from a model built in rhino and sectioned in vectorworks, but even then it was max. 1:20). So all our details are drawn in 2D, just as they are in other BIM authoring tools, using the model as the coordinating 'general arrangement' underlay.

The Section VP is on a design layer. The properties are very different on a standard viewport, i.e. one taken from a plan in top/plan view. Why?

Where do you draw details? Are your details coordinated with your model or anyone's model in modelspace? Would you be able to issue a DWG of a detail and know that it is coordinated with your consultants model... Would you be able to reference your detail back to your model or plan or section to inform the model/plan/section? Hint... If you draw detail in the sheet layer viewport, you cannot answer yes to any of the above.

@Elite Exhibits This does not work like the 'lock position' option in the OIP for standard viewports, which also gives you the option to change layers and classes associated to the viewport, so in other words, it's useless.

Would anyone find it useful to have a button to lock the position of section viewports when placed on a design layer? Why don't section viewports have the same X, Y and Z values that normal viewports have on design layers? It is impossible to know if one has moved, which is critical if you want to ensure your details are coordinated with the model.

This has been requested before but could you please stop the population of the folder defined as the workgroup folder with empty sub-folders. Thank you.

Notes Databases can be linked to files, and shared, why not Data Visualisation settings? Class and Layer Filters too would be good as settings that could be updated across multiple files like a notes database. I imagine making it a resource is one step too far and would probably not work if embedded, like many resources do not now.

can you draw what you are expecting it to do? my advice would be to not expect too much, and limit the number of components in each object. slabs are best not containing too many components and splitting them into structural and finishes components. ultimately you may find it is impossible to maintain the relationship between wall and slab anyway unless the building is very simple.

oh apologies. my comments were not aimed at you but simply clarifying things for the benefit of anyone bothering to read my drivel.

@lisagravy you are doing what is recommended, i.e. a local folder not in the same location as the central model. that's how cloud storage works. if you all share the same folder for local working files AND the central, as @Paul Snell has done, then file conflict goes into overdrive. 'usually' the central model is on a network server, and 'usually' working files are local. WIthout any way to back up these local files this is extremely bad practice from an office protocol point of view and having managed many offices IT and CAD systems, this would cause huge headaches. At least with cloud storage your local folder is being backed up, sort of. The only issue is the propensity of One Drive to 'forget' to sync, as it so often does, because it's consumer-grade software aimed at sharing Word and Excel files, not complex CAD and BIM models.

Have you created the wall tag yourself or used the one out of the box? It works for me out of the box. Wall Style 'W1' with mark 'W1'. Change it to W2 and tag updates. The wall tag in 2024 uses IFC data. #IfcWallStandardCase#.#Pset_WallCommon#.#Reference# It is possible the file you are using has an old data manager setting? You could also try creating a tag that read the mark from the style name using #OSTYLE# or #WS_WALLSTYLENAME#

I thought the whole point was to have one location for the 'master' or 'central' model to use revit parlance, and another, usually a local e.g. desktop (really bad idea but hey, when in rome) location for user files?

Yes. Reported this in 2021 too. Happens when using the clip cube. Objects appeared randomly on stairs.

Logic is that the window/door only needs to show the label on one side, being the exterior view only, because that's how schedules and window labels usually work on elevations. Have never seen an internal room elevation show the window label. Duplication of information.

My preference is always for a hybrid symbol as it does exactly what I want despite taking more time to set up. That's me though and the way I work. Rather have the control than the convenience. There are other, and arguably better ways to be more efficient. But, all plugin objects should behave like the slab, in my humble opinion, and remain PIOs after editing with clip or solid addition/subtraction and that includes walls.

A wholly unnecessary and undesirable step imho. autohybrids do not always play ball when exporting to ifc and are generally to be avoided. they are one of those native objects that are fine in VIM but not BIM. 😉

Elements like the slab allow this using a specific command. The ability to do what you ask would be great.

What do your user folder preferences look like? Do not connect the user folder setting to the workgroup. Some do, but this causes problems. I am sure you don't but just wanted to check. The first time often can take a while to load, I find. However, the correct data structure for the workgroup folder can be found in the Libraries in the User Data folder itself. It should though create the folders itself simply by setting a workgroup folder location, e.g. /Volumes/Workgroup/Vectorworks/2024 Once that's done, transfer the content of your converted workgroup folder to the new folder structure, i.e. don't just use the old workgroup folder because the folder structure changes (beats me why it does but it does and it's a pita when it does particularly for people like me managing 100s of practices) but make sure you are connected to the workgroup correctly via the workgroup and project folder setting, not the user folder setting. One tip... Do not copy every known resource in the universe to your workgroup folder. this should be ratified office content only. If you download all that is available on the VW portal you will find it becomes very slow to start up and use Vectorworks. Oh, and make sure permissions are correct on the workgroup folder itself.

I have not yet said 'Thanks!' for allowing layer import referencing of IFC files and DWG. When we get a validated, well-structured and compliant IFC or DWG, it is great to be able to reference it using layer import referencing. Layers import as per usual. Objects can be selected and data checked. Classes can be managed, although I would still like an option to force all objects to adopt existing class attributes on import. Data visualisation works as expected. Objects can be copied into the live model. #bestofallworlds But... Why do you still generate a Layer Link when DWG referencing? Who uses still uses Layer Links? Also, it would be very useful to be able to check the DWG import settings without updating the reference to the DWG.

Are all the spaces 'loose' i.e. not inside symbols or design layer viewports? Are they all linked/associated to walls, i.e. if the walls move the space boundary updates automatically? It used to be that the integrated space label, would slow vectorworks down exponentially, to the point that around 100 spaces would make it unusable. With the advent of the data tag, we have never used the integral label. If you are using space styles, try turning off the option to show the label, and place data tags instead in a separate layer and see if that helps. You can redistribute the data tage quite easily. It will read data already in the space.