Benson Shaw

What Pat said ^ Plus, if working with a string or chain dimension, right click any individual dimension within the chain, and in the context menu select "Edit Dimension". In the edit dialog, add or adjust text or values in the Leader, Trailer, or Notes fields (or any of the other fields). This action only affects the individual dimension. If the chain is selected (identified as a Dimension object in OIP), any change to the Leader, Trailer, or Notes fields appends that new info to every dimension in the chain. This action would overwrite any previous edits to same field in individual dimensions in the chain. -B

Modify>Convert to NURBS applied to a 2d curve (polyline, etc) produces a NURBS curve consisting of Control Vertices (similar to 2d Bezier points). Seems that earlier vwx versions of that command produced NURBS Curves with Interpolation Vertices (points on the curve, similar to 2d Cubic Spline)? Even if that is incorrect memory, is anyone aware of a way to convert a NURBS Curve or any vertex from Control to Interpolation? The Reshape Tool includes a Change mode, but it toggles to Corner Vertex and back. OIP does not have vertex type control. -B

Or, if I misunderstood (you don't want giant text), and you instead want the dimension label to indicate 2' rather than 2'-0": Click File menu>Document Settings>Units and change the values in several fields as desired. See attached screenshot for example. -B

Some things to move toward your goal: Text size for any individual dimension object can be changed via the Text menu: • Select the dimension object. • Click the Text menu to open • Click the Size sub menu and choose Set Size • Pick the Page Inches option and adjust to 24 or other as desired. • Note that height of a 24 page inch text character will depend on the specific font conventions - The height may be shorter than 24" because the font measures height from extents of characters with ascenders and descenders. Different fonts will have different heights even though assigned same size. One way to change dimension text size of a drawing full of dimensions is to select them all, eg with the magic wand tool or a custom selection, and adjust their size via the Text menu as described above. All the selected dimensions will acquire the new text size. Creation of new dimensions which automatically acquire this large text size requires 2 mods to the drawing 1) Create a new text style with font and size as desired: ...........Resource Manager>New Resource>New Text Style 2) Alter the Dimension Class definition to use the new text style: ...........Navigation or Organization Palette>Class Tab>Select the Dimension class>Edit>Change the Text Style to your newly created 24" style. ...........Be sure to check the Use at Creation option. These two steps will alter the definition of the Dimension class in this drawing file but will not affect other drawings. New dimensions created in this drawing will be 24" tall (+/- font characteristics) OK, post back with success or if other process needed. -B

1. There is one or more 3d loci, but it/they are hidden because the vwx pref> Display tab> Display 3d Loci is set to Only in Wire Frame, or Never. Switch drawing to Wire Frame, or switch pref as needed and look for them as above. 2. The Site Model min elevation is set to some crazy low value or the model itself is raised to a crazy z value (even if the source data is not), or the layer elevation is way below bottom of site model, some site modifier or modifier source object (a pad or texture bed source?) or other component has z value way below. Or some other z value strangeness. Might be a way to move the site model or the layer or other to a more reasonable value. 3. Make a new, test site model from new versions of source data and modifiers. Examine all source objects and vertices for wonky z values. Go a few objects at a time and see if one step causes repeat of the problem. Just some guesses. Good luck! Post back when you find a solution. -B

Thanks , Kevin. Good idea re symbols. -B

@Kevin McAllister one mystery solved (we think) , but another emerges for me. What is consensus about objects far from origin? Sometimes we need to locate things at great distance and be able to somehow work on them, eg if georeferenced or to accommodate positions in other software or for other reasons. Move the User Origin? I think this has its own problems and consequences which I can never remember, so I have not explored. Also, if this is viable where exactly does one place the User Origin ? Move things to drawing Internal Origin? But then move them again to previous locations? Some form of referencing via multiple files or design layer view ports? Eg place a guide object (3d locus at some corner point?), move all the geometry to another layer at drawing Origin, then snap a design layer view port to the guide object? But if something like this is recommended, then what part(s) do I port out to the other software? Other methods? -B

@Benjamin Emerson @AndyjBard One other thing to check in your setup is the VWX Prefs>Display>Navigation Graphics. It was added in v2017 (I think) and has settings to compensate for capacity of graphics cards. Lowest impact setting is Best Compatibility. May not be related to your experience, but it's quick and easy to adjust this setting and test. -B

@Kevin McAllister has it right. The end caps are 3d polygons. @Josh Hancock I see that your object is a long ways from the Drawing Origin which is sometimes a problem. To test, I created a new layer and pasted a copy of the object at 000 and worked with it there. Not sure of your starting geometry, but I made it work by extracting all 4 top edges and all 4 bottom edges, composing them, making their directions the same, then Loft No Rail with Create Solid option.

No need to split the extrude. The Shell tool can work for this in one go. Trick is to highlight both ends of the extrude cylinder, but not the “side” surface. Then click the green check mark (or press Return). If only one end highlighted, then the other end stays with the shell and makes it closed at that end. I know, late response. Sorry about that -B

^what zoomed said. Plus a couple other workarounds: 1. Select the top object then Modify>Send to Back. Repeat as needed. MacOS shortcut is Cmd b. So, click with select tool, then send, click, send etc until the on you want is highlighted. 2. (Similar to Zoomer’s) use the Move (Cmd m) command or Move 3d (opt Cmd m) by some convenient amount. The command remembers the distance, so click to Select, Move, click next one, Move, etc. When ready , Move them back ( negative sign to reverse the direction) individually or as a marquee selection. Lots of workarounds! -B

@line-weight - Looks like we posted about same time! Having horsed around with this some more, even with the marquee selection working, the NURBS Curves can become misshapen and require some serious vertex by vertex edits requiring a working plane or view changes. Can be done after getting the hang of it, but sheesh, what a pain! So, maybe a hybrid approach? Instead of @digitalcarbon's hardware store full of fixtures, maybe just a few path bends are needed? or make them on the fly? Start with an arc or poly of correct radius and arc length. Convert to NURBS. Snap it to end of a straight and 3d Rotate as needed to point at next station. When the run is complete, select and compose, then EAP. Or? Gotta be a way to do this. -B

Um, sort of, SP3 fixed it? For NURBS Curves, marquee selection of multiple vertices is enabled again, but with a serious limitation. Except . . . If any of the vertices are changed (eg to corner) via the Reshape Tool>Change Vertex mode, then marquee select is not available anymore. If any vertices are changed and then all of them are changed again to original status, then the marquee select is able again. @HEengineering - is this consistent with your v2017 setup. Your screen capture video shows marquee select operating. What happens if you change one of the vertices to corner? Is there a bug submit on this? I will try to submit a separate thread and a bug submit over the next couple days. -B

@line-weight Apologies - I don't think it's a setting. Rather it's me assuming and not testing. I find now that I also cannot marquee select multiple NURBS vertices with the Reshape tool. No way to go back and test, but I thought that was a valid process in earlier versions. I thought it might be screen plane needed, but that makes no difference, either. @HEengineering - are you able to marquee select multiple NURBS Curve vertices with the Reshape tool in Move mode? Or by other means? I'm still on v2019 SP2 but this evening will update to SP3 and post back. A stoopid workaround is to start with a 3d poly, all straight sections. Make the EAP. That 3d poly is now a NURBS path made of a bunch of corner vertices. Edit (reshape) by adding vertices in the bend segments. Every new bend vertex on that segment has to stay on the plane established by the adjacent straights - a problem if it's no straights, or they are skewed. Trying to make a NURBS bend tangent to the straights and maintain codes for min radius is visual only, therefor uncertain. sigh -B

It's super easy to make a 2d array of squares or any other shape via Edit> Duplicate Array. The x and y duplication distances should include the grout space. Then convert the whole thing to 3d polys and place on top of wall. Class the whole thing for viz control in the SLVP. Or, if there is an intricate color scheme, use several classes, one for each tile color. Apply classes to appropriate tiles with the eyedropper, or multiple selection. If the goal is super accurate shop/layout drawings, eg to avoid cutting or to place tile relative to fixtures, remember that real tile has thickness which means diminished available wall area/width. That is a good reason to use extrude symbols representing actual tile thickness. Create duplicate symbols as needed classed for different colors. Anyway, the ceiling grid is an interesting idea. Let us know how it works out. -B