Benson Shaw

So, several things. If the upper slab and lower slab edges are not parallel because different slopes, then the stair will have to adjust, eg an uneven riser at bottom or sloping tread at top and/or some subtle adjustment at each tread. Much easier if the stair treads don't have to slope side to side! Just an idea: Stair can be drawn as vwx stair object with standard blank guts. This will create generic sections. Then use 2d tools in detail/section viewports to describe & specify the various structure materials. But - If detailed modeling (ya know, BIM) is desired so that sections can be pulled directly, I suggest using the stair tool to create a Solid Stair (construction tab) with correct tread/riser count and size. Then use that stair object in side view to draw/trace the profile of the treads & risers for extrusion and texture. Then delete the source stair object. Construction guts of the desired stair can be additional extrudes developed in side view from the tread arrangement. Class the various extrudes for data extraction, texture & attributes. My 2 cents. -B

Lumion? https://lumion.com/showcase.html

@All - you are welcome. I think this problem is still evident, but attenuating with upgraded versions. I am surprised, though, that a solution or workaround is not offered by vwx folks. @Tamsin Slatter? Eric G? @lisag Good luck with eval. If you move to another software, it would be really great if you could post back with comment/critique re differences or suitability. Couple more comments about this: Also, note that vwx can generate site model from points as well as contour. Site survey info often starts as point data that then is translated to contours by surveyor. Perhaps asking for the point data would work better in some instances. One can generate point data from contours, too. Duplicate a 3d locus or a stake along path for each contour (or some of them). choose total number of points or spacing. Probably does not directly solve the clipping, but offers control over the vertex spacing. Instead of points, short snippets of intermediate contour can be drawn between the trouble contour areas. Start with 2d poly, convert to 3d poly, adjust the z. I often convert 2d poly contour to NURBS, then to 3d poly to cut back vertex count. Then z adjust. Often better curves than the built in Simplify Poly. -B

Hi, Chickpea - Welcome to the forum! It's very helpful for troubleshooting if you create a signature in forum Account Settings to display your Vectorworks version and a brief description of your hardware. Similar to my signature. Can you post a screenshot or diagram of your terrace & stair? or a vwx file with an example of the issues? Answers depend on site conditions and what objects you are using for your retaining walls and stair. Some guesses: The "sliver of air" might be solved by editing the slabs or walls or stairs, or by adding filler objects, or by surrounding the terraces & stair with a grade limits site modifier. Hard to tell without an image. The retaining wall has thickness and top offset controls in the Object Info Palette (OIP). And you should be able to add points (wall peaks) to top of wall to make it rise or fall. Newer versions of VWX have more options and controls for retaining walls. Here is a bit about creating and editing retaining walls from v2018 Help: http://app-help.vectorworks.net/2018/eng/VW2018_Guide/SiteModel2/Creating_Retaining_Walls.htm Lots of video out there if search Vectorworks Retaining Wall. Lots of the older ones still apply. And, some of these Getting Started guides might be useful: HTH -B

Whoops Meant to say fix goes goofy if contour interval is changed. Rescale is ok. -B

@lisag - here is a video showing a fix. The problem is contours connecting to selves rather than to next contour up or down. Basic fix is to edit source data and add 3d loci or stakes at intermediate z values between the contours. Usually only a few are needed. Video is from v2017. Starting v2018, a different path to the source data is used (sorry, I’m away from keyboard and don’t remember exact access route). In v2019, I think the new points can be added as site modifiers assigned to existing model rather than to source data - pads maybe? Or? But I haven’t tried it yet. Post back if not working. -B ps the fix gets kinda goofy if the site model is later rescaled.

Was v2016 provided on flash drive rather than dvd disc? If that murmur of memory rings true it might be worth searching the backs of drawers and the bottoms of bags for the little rascal. Otherwise best to call tech. -B

Thanks! Nice improvements! Thanks for showing. Which iMac Pro options did you choose? Current base model spec from Apple website (5K US$ -trade in +tax): •3.2GHz 8-core Intel Xeon W processor, Turbo Boost up to 4.2GHz •32GB 2666MHz DDR4 ECC memory •Radeon Pro Vega 56 with 8GB of HBM2 memory •1TB SSD •Magic Mouse 2 - Space Gray •Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad - US English - Space Gray -B

@mattao - I'm still thinking about this. Perhaps I am not interpreting your question properly. Please explain a bit more how you are using the stakes and the trouble you are encountering. Are the stakes used as original source data for the various dtms? Placed as site modifiers? Informational objects placed after the dtm is formed (eg grade markers at building corners, etc)? Are all the dtms on same design layer? Are they superimposed? Side by side? Are the stakes visible on the drawing when you are trying to determine the associated dtm? Or is the problem in list of stakes in worksheets? Or is the problem trying to place a stake as a site modifier and having to click into the dtm pull down to assign it? Or??? Can you post a screenshot or a sample file to illustrate the problems and goals? Trying to make this work for you. -B

I think you are finding two problems. 1. Any new stakes added to the drawing need to be visually or data linked to the corresponding dtm. 2. Some (all?) existing stakes need a visual/data link with a particular dtm and phase. For 1. above, try any or a combo of of the following: A. As suggested above, Place the dtms and associated stakes in separate design layers. B. Create a new stake class for each phase with class color assigned. Apply the class to new stakes as they are added to the drawing (many ways to do this). C. With layers and/or classes established, create Saved Views and Sheet Layer Viewports as needed to isolate or compare the various phases. D. If this is a huge project, it may be cumbersome in a single vwx file. If that is the case, at end of each phase, Save/Close the vwx file. Duplicate the file and name it with the new phase. Rename objects and features within the new file as needed. Create a Master File and reference the single phase files into this Master File via Design Layer Viewports. Create sheet views in this Master file. For #2. above, I don't know of any automatic way for an existing stake to report which dtm is its host. It might be easiest to delete all the existing stakes and start again with properly classed new stakes. But maybe this could work: • Set up the layers and/or classes for each phase per ABC above. Select an existing stake and determine its dtm by whatever knowledge you have. Change its class or layer in OIP. If that new class/layer is set to invisible, the stake will vanish from this view and you can move to another stake. Reset visibility as needed to return the stakes and dtm into view. • If it's easy to determine to which DTM any existing stakes refer, place a new properly classed stake and pick up the settings with eyedropper tool. Then option click on appropriate existing stakes to apply the new class. As for the hard work, I feel your pain! I have been there. Train yourself to follow a workflow on all projects that uses Vectorworks classes, layers, saved views, viewports and referenced files to your advantage. Reformatting this project will take some attention and time, but the workflow will save you tons of time and uncertainty on future projects as you learn to class and layer things and present and work with them in saved views, viewports and referenced files. As for your wish for an OIP field to assign a dtm. That's a pretty good wish! Work up a description and post it in the wish list forum! -B

Thanks, Kevin!! Very helpful, just what I needed. Received a bit of a reprieve. The prelim sizing is 1" instead of .75". But those 2" OD tubes still scale to about .01", so not gonna work! I will fatten things up. Sort of a caricature of the original. Still a fun project. Thought I responded to this last night, but guess I didn't press the Submit button! So, again, huge thanks! -B

I'm creating a vwx model (v2019) of a real life gazebo/pergola, preparing for 3d export and ultimately 3d print. Model contains sweeps (at .70°segment), extruded circles representing pipe (highest 2d & 3d conversion), a few vwx sphere objects, and some other kinds of objects. Model is 1:1, representing a structure about 12' tall. Ultimate print will be jewelry, a pendant or charm bracelet charm about 3/4" tall. I think they are planning to print wax for casting in silver or gold. The project is rather fluid. I should know more about the mfg as things progress. Some of the pipes will likely be too small, but I can resize components in vwx as needed for printablilty. But overall scale sequence for best print? • Scale down this big drawing, its' about 1:200, then export to STL or other (print shop will tell me desired format)? • Redraw everything very small then export? • Export at full scale and let the slicer do the rescale? I don't know enough about 3d printing to predict what will happen to the spheres or sweep segments or circular extrudes during rescale. Or in general best approach to export for rescale. I could probably redraw the whole thing as NURBS lofts, but what happens to vwx NURBS when converted to solids and then translated to 3d print formats? NURBS can get faceted in a vwx screen. Any comments welcome! -B

Did you solve this? Try a restart? Here is some info I"m seeing about colors and north arrow: The north arrows are typically black line with some fill areas in black. But Layer color can alter this if enabled. Some components of a North Arrow object can be re colored via Attributes palette depending on status of OIP Arrow Graphics option. Some attributes can be assigned via class settings, too. But some of the components of a North Arrow seem to be unaffected by direct mods to attributes or class settings. Layer Colors may be changing your arrows to blue. If Document preference for Use Layer Colors is enabled, then layer color defines the color fills in the North Arrow placed on a design layer. In the Navigation or Organization Palette pick the layer and click Edit. In the Dialog, click Colors and set the foreground and background fill as desired, Pen colors, too. Layer color Foreground fill default is black. Background is white. If Document pref is disabled, then class or individual attribute settings control North Arrow fills and line colors. Except, several of the arrow configs (3,5,7,8) have one or more elements that are black if the OIP Arrow Graphics option is Filled. Class color or individual attribute is substituted by toggling Filled/Unfilled. Otherwise, you are stuck with the black fill. My north arrows accept and maintain class and class attributes changes, except for certain components in configs 3,5,7,8. Not sure why your north arrow does not. Try a restart. Sheet layers do not have an option for Layer Color. As far as I can tell, a viewport annotation space also has no Layer Color. HTH -B

Convert to Group does not break the Viewport into editable objects. It is mainly intended to convert an instance of a symbol to a group. The group is no longer linked to the symbol definition. I think it only operates on Symbols. Here are some options. But don't use your project file. Either create a new simple file with a few objects and a sheet layer VP, or at least Duplicate the project file (name it Test or similar) and in the test file, try the processes in duplicate of your viewport. 1. Do you need properly scaled 2d objects represented by the outlines in the front view? Render the VP in Hidden line or Create a Section Viewport. In the VP, enter the Annotation space and use the Polygon tool in Inner Boundary (paint bucket) and/or Outer Boundary (lasso) modes to make 2d shapes bounded by the VP objects. Or trace with 2d tools as needed. It can be kind of tedious. These 2d annotation objects can be used in place in the VP annotation space - change their attributes, shapes, etc as needed. These annotation objects dimension, move, etc in scale of the VP. Also, they can Copy/Paste into a design layer. They scale properly in the DL. 2. Convert to Lines with help from some other steps (not a great option). • 1st step is to update your Front view VP in Hidden Line render. Then Convert to Lines. The result is a group. If there are curved outlines, they are converted to myriad segments. The conversion might take a long time, and entering the group can take a long time, and navigating in the group can be problematic. If you try this, a second step is to select large areas of the objects and Compose.This will join many of the segments into single 2d polygons -the object count is reduced and navigation is improved. Select and compose as many times as needed. The objects in this group do not retain scale of the original VP. They will be in 1:1 scale on the sheet. 3a. Are you trying to use the Viewport to edit the Design Layer objects? This is called Direct Section Editing or Live Viewport. It is available in Architect and Designer products starting with vv2018. This feature only works for section and elevation viewports. To create a Section VP displaying a Front View Elevation: Set the Design Layer view to Top Plan, click View menu>Create Section Viewport. Draw the sectioning line offset enough to not intersect any of the objects. The resulting VP is a live section and can be edited via Right click or choose View> Edit Viewport, then Section in Place. In the Edit window the view can be changed (eg w flyover tool). Objects can be added with the drawing tools. Objects can be edited with the Reshape tool. Dimensions apply to a plane as 3d dimensions. Etc, etc. Try it! 3b. Another similar option available on all products back at least to v2008 is to create a Saved View of design layer objects. Match the class and layer visibility of the Saved View to the corresponding visibilities in the Front view Viewport. Edit the objects in the saved view. A Saved View is a design layer view, therefore edits are design layer edits. Then navigate to the sheet layer and update the sheet layer viewport to view the changes made in the design layers. HTH -B

Here's a couple thoughts 1. Math related to the extrude(s): Use the =Volume formula to find/display the extrude volume, then divide by the H to return area of the LxW surface. Context: Volume = LWH, Area of any face would be V/L or V/W or V/H The extrudes can have individual names (lowest field in the OIP Shape tab) or a class or other designation which would call them into to a worksheet. 2. If it's a bunch of shapes cut from sheets, eg for cnc router cutting, layout the extrude 2d sources or the extrudes on rectangles representing the sheets. Then count the sheets. You can use =Area (see top post in this thread) to get the areas of the individual source shapes and total area of them. Again, they need to be named or classed or have a record, or something to get them into a worksheet. Note about names - If a name is assigned to an object, and that object is duplicated, the dupes will have orig name appended with increasing numeric suffix. Probably loads of other ways. HTH -B