Benson Shaw

Hi, Joe I think what you want is the Extract Loci from Point Cloud command. It's in v2019. Command is in the bottom of the Model menu in the Point Clouds heading. It has parameters for number of loci to extract. Here is a link to the Help topic on this: http://app-help.vectorworks.net/2019/eng/VW2019_Guide/SiteModel1/Extracting_3D_Loci_From_a_Point_Cloud.htm?rhhlterm=point%20cloud&rhsyns=%20 Here is link to a short video demo for this and a couple other Point Cloud features in v2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZLxdtgVC8A Your signature shows v2018. Look for them, but I don't think v2018 includes any of these features. -B

No, the Duplicate Along Path (DAP) command works with just about any vwx object. Symbols, groups, 3d objects and 2d objects, etc. So, draw your path poly (Top Plan, 2d), place a stone anywhere on the drawing (easiest is to place it close to poly so you can see both), Select the path and the stone, Then DAP (Edit menu). If you have a site model going (sounds like not for now), select all the stones and Send to Surface. Notes re DAP: When you first engage the command, a dialog appears, and, on the drawing, one of the objects highlights red (move the dialog box if it obscures). The highlighted object will be the path. If the wrong one is highlighted (eg if the stone is highlighted), click the Prev or Next button at top of dialog box to highlight other object (the polyline in your case). Adjust the other parameters as desired and click Preview or OK. If you click Preview and want a change, (more stones? longer space?), adjust the relevant parameter in the dialog and click Preview again, or click OK, or press Return (Mac) or Enter (Win). Post back if no joy. -B

On layer plane below site model create steppingstones. You probably want extrudes. Can draw individually. Or can be one stone and a path object (eg a polyline), Select both, then Duplicate Along Path (Edit menu). Parameters in DAP dialog for count, spacing, offsets, etc. When all are arranged properly in Plan, Select all the stones then Send to Surface. HTH -B

HI, Jainsworth Sorry no one jumped in here. Constant problem with site models through several versions. There are at least a couple things you can do in v 2018 and newer: 1. Edit source data to add some 3d vertices or stake objects at correct z between the existing contours (not on the contours). About the only choice in older versions. 2. Edit Proposed Contours (right click the site model) Here is another recent thread outlining these techniques, including a video for 1. and screen shot for 2. Some advantages to each method. Neither very difficult. Post back if you can't get it to work. -B

Isn't this also true for contour mods via the edit contours to get an accurate interpolation? I think vwx doesn't actually make a smooth terrain anyway, in that it triangulates with straight lines between vertices of the contours. Any fall line is a collection of these straight segments, or segments drawn on planes and edges of the various triangles. But, no matter, if you can get the results you are looking for! Congrats and happy modeling! Many thanks for sharing your model and troubleshooting process. -B

@iswope - If you are still trying to solve or work around this, here are some more things to try: Copy/Paste-in-Place one of the polys, and one adjoining wall into a new blank vwx file, make a SLVP and test the renders. If VP renders colorless, post the new file here so others can examine. If this new VP renders OGL properly, keep adding small bunches objects via Copy/Paste-in-Place from the orig file until fail. (object problem) If all objects get into the new file and the VP renders OK, then just start using the new file. (file problem) HTH -B

I have somewhat similar experience. Design layer color fill of wall style components disappears in OGL. SLVPs seem to render as expected in OGL and RW modes. For me, problem is with walls that have color fill for the various components instead of textures (textures are disabled in classes of the various components). In v2019 SP1 and earlier versions, walls rendered as expected, with separate component color fills assigned in wall style prefs by component class. As of v2019SP2, the same walls render OGL with all components displaying monochrome light gray or white. RW render modes render the separate component colors as expected. Problem manifests in new wall & components in new v2019SP2 file. Same fail in walls converted from v2018 and from SP1. Everything worked fine until SP2. Workaround for wall components: Enable/Assign textures (eg plain color texture) to the class definitions of the various components. Downside is that this can add some CPU/GPU overhead. @iswope - might be worth trying plain color texture on one of the floors instead of color fill? Is it a Floor or Slab or other "smart" object with components? My basic planar objects (rectangles, polygons, 3d polys, etc) display color fills properly. -B

Do testing in a duplicate file so you don’t endanger your project file. For quick test and more forum help, copy/paste-in-place into a new blank vwx file a wall with its windows. Or two walls at corner. If problem is demonstrated, post it here for others to take a look. Some conversions can go bad. Did this model, start in v2014 with conversion to v2018? Might be worth replacing a window or two with brand new window from v2018. Or just adding a v2018 window in a blank part of a wall to see if the trim sends out lines to the wall corners. Regarding origin - Objects (including dvlp, symbols, even simple extrudes, etc), that are long distance from the drawing internal origin,ie the 0,0,0 point, exhibit strange and altered geometry. Move them close to the 000, and they display as expected. Something to do with math overwhelmed by too many decimal places in the object’s internal data. Hence the suggestion of test paste model into new file centered on the 000 point. Long distance might be excess of 10mi or 16km, sometimes less than that. Seems to be getting better in newer versions. Your window trim does seem to activate the problem. Check in the window config that the interior trim attribute is assigned “by class” to your trim class. Turn off the class in the section to test. Try also different trim config, or no trim on one window. good luck! -B

Horsing around with this some more. Looks like a bug. Persists since v2018 and possibly before. The tag text force flips across the plan rotation angle line. It's not related to Document Pref for Adjust Flipped Text. Toggle makes no difference for existing or new placements. For this -134° rotation there are a couple positions near the plan rotation that read sort of OK. Rotation in opposite direction (eg for this one 226° instead of -134°) would be nice logic, but doesn't work. Stupid Workaround is None tag and text box or callout. Anyone else solved this? Or bug submitted? Attached file has rotated plan and stack of 6 plants with tags in different rotations. -B RotatedTag v2019.vwx

Disable the pref for Adjust Flipped Text? Your sample appears to be design layer, but if it’s a SLVP also try toggle the Adjust Flipped Text item in the Advanced Options - button near bottom of OIP. I think it defaults to “enabled” in both places. Your sample appears to be quite distant from drawing origin. That can cause problems (but never heard of flipped text being one.of them). To test, open a new drawing, rotate the plan view -134 and place a new plant & tag right at the 0,0,0 origin. Toggle the Adjust pref if still wonky and paste again. Also try copy/paste one of the problem texts near the new origin. Post back. I’m sure this is solvable.

Kinda looks like a few screen plane objects are hidden in there somewhere. Label line? 2d symbol? Try sequentially turning off layers in the section to find the culprit? Is anything in the drawing derived from sources outside vwx? Might have an symbol or other component that does not scale properly. Extreme distance from drawing origin can cause strange planes in renders. Copy/Paste the model at origin in a new blank drawing, Then section to test. All speculation. -B

Hi, Basher! Problem does not manifest in my system. Did you try making a new file with a new symbol and some outside objects? I'm on MacOS10.13.6 High Sierra, but that should not make difference. In Symbol Edit screen, with pref for gray outside objects enabled, I can snap to the outside object points as long as drawing layer visibility is set to Gray/Snap Others, Show/Snap Others, or Show/Snap/Modify Others. Outside snaps are not available in the edit screen if Layer viz is Gray Others or Show Others. My Class viz is set to Show/Snap/Modify. So, working as expected. Attached is a v2019 file that works as expected on my system, and a couple screen shots showing drawing status. File contains nested symbol of blocks on one layer, skewered disks on another layer. All snappable in Edit screen if the Layer viz includes snaps. HTH -B SymbolEdit.vwx

You show 2018 SP3. SP6 is available and might be worth a try. After restart try also switching to another standard workspace. Eg if current is Architect try Fundamental, then back to Arch. If you are in a custom workspace and a standard one fixes the palette, then the custom space needs remake. Another simple thing to try is toggle the Nav palette off/on via ^cmd n or menu. Strange that the check mark for Active Layer is displayed but the show/hide/grey icons and separators vanished. Are any of these clickable even though invisible? -B

Longshot, but . . . Did you test the Navigation Display settings in vwx prefs? This controls how things are fed to the graphics card. I think it defaults to most intensive (Best Performance). Try mid (Best Compatibility & Performance) and do a few actions that were slow in other settings. Or Lowest (Best Compatibility)

Another ApplyImageEffects Anomaly: Render a SLVP, Click into Image Effects, Adjust some things, Cancel. This closes the IE prefs window and reopens the VP (so far so good). But then the VP rerenders. Is that working as designed? VP Cache is turned on, so seems "Cancel" should just return me to the rendered VP. -B