Benson Shaw

Also, @JunoA. Welcome to the forum! -B

@JunoA. Your second screenshot shows that you made a working plane on that tilted surface or were about to make one - you need to click somewhere on the highlighted face. Next step is to disengage the Working Plane tool by selecting another tool, eg the rectangle tool or other 2d or 3d object making tool, and draw objects with that tool. If you keep the Working Plane tool active in the Planar Face mode after you establish a working plane, your next click will disable the one just created and make a new working plane. In your third screenshot it looks like you did not choose another tool, but instead clicked on the layer plane with the Working Plane tool. That click cancelled the WP on the tilted surface and made a new WP on the layer plane. Note that when a working plane is established (the pink rectangle is present) the mode bar plane indicator (upper left corner of the vwx window) will be greyed out until a drawing tool is selected, at which time Vectorworks will automatically enable/indicate the Working Plane mode for that tool. Also note that while the Working Plane tool is very useful, but a newer function, the Auto Plane mode, can streamline the workflow for many object making tools. Activate via the little pink square icon in the mode bar. Engage a tool, click the Auto Plane icon and hover on a face where you wish to create an object. Click to start the object and it will map onto that highlit face. No need to make a working plane. If desired, click the Layer Plane icon in the mode bar to create objects on the layer plane. hth -B

Found that image export size is inconsistent at different layer scale. Bug? Goal is to export image of a line drawing for use as texture (not repeating) and as file for printing Silicone Edge Gasket fabric printed with image for backlit signage). Success if drawing layer set to 1:1. Image Export dialog correctly displays dims to match scale of graphic. Fail if change layer to eg 1:48. Image Export dialog shows incorrect width/length ratio, and the export matches the incorrect ratio. Fail @1:48 if adjust the ratio in export dialog (uncheck the Lock Ratio) - that only changes space between image repeats. Fail if try to adjust the OIP Render texture scale - Texture is not same aspect as original. Workaround is always use 1:1, but Why??? Test this in attached vwx2024 or a new blank file. Do an image export and create an image texture at 1:1, then another with layer scale changed to 1:48 -B ImgExport @ Scale.vwx

Lost? Sleepless? you never know. Whoa! Cool look. But circulation is difficult. Build, too. -B

ok, as you suggest, never mind the mag vs true north idea. Internet lookup shows declination in Seattle (USA) about 15 deg east, Berlin (Deu) about 5 deg east, and Faroe Islands (FRO/DNK) about 3 deg west. Not certain of your location, but these declinations are not similar to your 30 deg rotation. B

@izaac welcome to the forum! Suggest you make a signature to show your vwx and OS info in forum account settings. -B

Zoomer, sorry, if some or all of this is not relevant. I'm adding questions and speculation, because I don't know. Does Nomad apply GIS location? I think GIS systems deploy top of map as True North (Geographic North) rather than Magnetic North. Or? Or maybe GIS/Nomad uses Grid North (Meridians are straight and vertical on the page)? Could one correct the Nomad rotation with field data? Eg use a compass on site (Mag North) to note alignment of a wall or other component in or near the scan. Then rotate the scan to match? Or maybe compare the scan to local GIS maps and rotate to match? If drawing alignment to True North is needed, apply the current declination data? Regarding North in general - I think modern electronic survey equipment applies, or translates to, True North according to local CRS. Designers often create a Project North for graphic convenience - eg page sides are parallel to a curb line or property edge that seems "close enough" to be called "North". But then the official survey sheet in the drawing set is aligned differently. Could some portion of the Nomad rotation be result of declination between Magnetic and True north or Grid North? I think CRS choice also affects North direction. Is the commonly used WGS 84 dependable for North? (Google maps?) I think further from equator makes more distortion. USA has 2 or 3 basic CRS choices for many states (eg north or south portion of the state) and those choices have historic as well as updated versions plus more versions for the measurement system applied (Foot, Survey Foot, Meter). These CRS could present differently in drawings, including rotation. Yi, yi, yi, the Survey foot (US Foot)! US is supposed to have abandoned the Survey Foot and adopted the Foot (International Foot), but we still depend on the huge library of old surveys made with the Survey Foot. - no significant difference between survey foot and tape measure foot in a small lot project, but regional transit systems, road networks, waterways, state and national boundaries, etc need attention to such differences. Metric please! OK, enough. -B

Yes! I add 3d loci for target(s). Class them so can hide for movie saves. At least it works with snapping for the manual aiming method as long as view is orthogonal. I found no snapping or cross hairs or other aiming aids for the walkthrough tool method in Camera View. But the loci would be visible if the class is not hidden. The Saved View animation is still pretty good especially by applying the duration and motion options near bottom of the Saved View dialog. These with the OIP key frame duration controls kinda take the place of that old interface with the sliding graphic. I did like that one, but think that has phased out. Or is it still there somewhere? I have not found any option for the Look To Selection you mention. I suppose one could select the object, the zoom to selection, then save view. The object could be a camera aspect rectangle scaled and centered in the view to create the desired scene (workaround city!) I find working with these view tran is a bit unpredictable. I have not figured out what controls the flight path between views. It may follow an arc when a straight line is expected. But results can be quite pleasing. -B

Others may have a direct way. My experience is that most router software imports dwg. Export your vwx file to dwg and import that into the router. Older cnc versions, maybe accept only dxf. Some router software correctly interprets vwx beziers and cubic spline curves. Others only accept/interpret curves as circular arcs. Take a close look at the router preview before any cutting! -B

I think the process is to create an image texture from your modified aerial image. Here is another thread on the topic: Another indirect way, recommended a few versions ago, is to create a Drape Surface over the DTM and apply the image texture to the drape. Usually best to keep the drape in a separate layer. DTM updates will require a new drape and reapply the texture. -B

Still chewing on this one. Keyframe aim in orthog views seems to respect the snaps, even in flyover views. Split screen is super helpful. So that at least is working for me. Perspective just doesn't do the snaps. ??? Something odd: Edit the aim multiple times at the key frames (all orthogonal view). Test occasionally with Camera View. Maybe edit some of the path loci in xyz a few times. All seems as expected in top and side views . . . Until the camera object acquires a z offset??? Not clear when this happens. Maybe after 50 or 60 edits? Interspersed with a few Camera View trials? I have not found a way to correct or undo the offset. Maybe it does not matter because the OIP "Play" function shows the wireframe progression as expected with no z offset. Not clear that it affects the movie output (other things to work out first). Any experience with this? I can ungroup the path object, retrieve the NURBS curve, create a new animation from that, and reaim all the key frames. No offset, at least at first. OK, Edit Seems that edits to keyframe duration, or adding additional key, or maybe even moving the path loci might reset. any of those actions causes a "recalculating animation" progress bar. After that, the z offsets are corrected. At least temporarily. Oy! -B

For this, the parametric circular stair is probably best process. An alternative is to create a straight stair, parametric or modeled, then bend it with the Deform Tool. It’s no longr parametric, so save the source. see also elliptical stair thread: or marionette, or direct model, or . . . -B

@VIRTUALENVIRONS thanks, I thought that might work, but . . . Aiming with the walkthrough tool in camera view native pane or in a tear off pane is even more of a challenge than the 2 step top/side orthogonal method. The camera view has no snaps, and not even a cross hair, or grid. Aiming is rather imprecise causing jerky output. So far best for me is the split screen orthogonal edit with only occasional jump into the camera view (switches to perspective). -B

Thanks, @Jonathan Pickup - I have all that down and working well, but great to see it here. Problem is wanting to aim in 3d in one step. The key frames are not at constant z. The look to height value also changes. Thanks, @Pat Stanford - The multi pane is a good suggestion, but requires several steps - transfer to pane, zoom to acquire arrow point, zoom out/in to acquire/click target, zoom out again to find next key, . . . Also, laptop, so small panes. Works with some squinting. (As they say, “sounds like a personal problem”) Seems that aiming should work by snapping in 3d perspective views. Similar to aiming lights. The camera arrow end point, and the target locus are both acquired snaps, but result direction is confined to some mystery plane rather than a straight line. Might be sliding into wish territory. -B

Working with Path Animation p, first time in MANY years. Editing the Look To direction manually is, um, a challenge. Path is a NURBS Curve that approaches the model from a distance, then spirals around and dives into the Center. The key frame z values vary up and down. Goal is to aim each key at a 3d locus near center of the model. Aiming in 3d perspective skews the aim off to some imaginary plane, or doesn’t change it at all. Tried activating a 2d tool and toggled the Layer/Working plane option to no avail. The camera object preview outline moves around unpredictably. My work around is to make the edits for each key in 2 steps: top, then side. But only in orthogonal view. Animation Path object implements a perspective view at every view change via current View Menu. Edits require frequent menu switch to orthogonal view. Any alternatives to accomplish this directly in the 3d flyover perspective views? -B