Benson Shaw

"I shall call him Mini-Me" (Dr Evil, 1999) -B

Right, Bruce - I guess your starting arc PI is not actually on my point A, but rather up the leg a bit. Decompose your final tangent poly (pink) to reveal two arcs and 4 straight segments. Offset your poly and, as expected, find two arcs and a bunch more straight segments (blue). That cluster of 3 new segments between the arcs destroys your curve/line/curve tangency, although the end segments seem tangent top the arcs. As oft noted, any operation (split, extrude, etc) on an arc poly places corner vertices on all those interstitial line segments which were hidden during poly creation. Offsets don't hide the straight segments. Maybe the VW2009 arc poly modes can be of help. Anyone apply it to this situation yet? -B

Bruce - Sympathy for the problem with the poly arcs. Ignore this if irrelevant, because I do not exactly understand laying out roads from PIs. But I am not sure that after all your machinations, you actually achieved tangency and coincidence between your two arcs. My drawing shows your orig lines and final poly in pink. I added angle bisectors and tangent arcs in blue and green using point A as the start. Point C1 is your corner point btw your two arcs. Anyway, if you strike a 3 point arc on top of your 80' radius arc, it does pass through point A, but does not pass through point C1. It does have center on the angle bisector. Perhaps there is a straight segment in there? No need to school me on road layout, I assume you know what you are doing, and I do not. I just thought your final poly did not look quite tangent. -B

Duplicate Along a Path is another option. It places copies of an object (short line eg) along any 2d or 3d linear object, closed or open. The duplicated object can be used as a cutting/split marker. Use Split Tool in Split by Point mode to cut the poly if the divisions are needed as separate objects. Zoom way in for the splits to avoid snapping to points or centers other than the intersections of the poly and cutting objects. Many have noted in this forum that the Dupe Along a Path tool can yield uneven segment lengths when duping on curved polys. But it's usually really close, and it's quick. I always struggle to make the Snap to Distance constraint perform on wavy polys. Even with most other constraints disabled. -B

Create a simple site model in a new blank drawing to test whether these are problems from your software and hardware, or whether the import is involved. Re irregular heights - You might consider changing the drawing units to a precision much coarser than .001 inch. Did things get nudged or dragged at some time during contour manipulation? A nudge of a contour in any view but Top will change the z value. Perhaps the imported contours are not perfectly planar or perfectly parallel to the ground plane? You have probably discovered that Edit Group reveals the Site Model contours, and that the z value of entire contour or of individual vertices can be changed in the OIP. Are you finding that if you reset a contour to desired z, it reverts to incorrect z after other operations & saves? Re broken coutours - I have found more than one broken contour in ACAD imports. (VW translator problems? ACAD operator error?) Decompose/Recompose did not help. Trace with VW Polyline Tool and delete all parts of orig contour was only remedy. Good luck. -B

If it's any consolation, your 17" PB currently has good resale or donation value. That won't entirely pay for new equipment, but might relieve some of the pressure. I recently donated my 17" PB to a local Not for Profit. Donation value was set at price for similar equipment advertised for sale in Craigs List and eBay. I know that my tax advantage of the donation is really only worth value x my tax rate, but donation also saves time of advertising, meeting and testing with potential purchasers. Also I did not have to purchase OS10.5 which saved $100 plus shopping and install time. Data migration to MBP and wiping of PB went without a hitch. PB value will fall faster and faster as software and hardware upgrades make the G4 system increasingly obsolete. My MBP and VW2008 are very stable. VW almost never crashes. Many functions are faster. VW 2009.1? Who knows? -B

I am not quite sure what you are trying to accomplish, but here are several things to consider (comments are valid for VW12x): 1. If you need the symbol for insertion point setting, Create the symbol in TopPlan, then switch to Front and invoke DAP with the symbol and path. 2. Start with your object off the path and in vert or horz orientation. It can be anywhere in the layer. No need to place or orient it on the path, VW will place it tangent. 3. The Start Offset tool controls dist between start of path and first dupe, not dist btw object and 1st dupe. If desire is for 1st instance to be at start of path, then Offset =0. 4. My example shows DAP of rectangle symbol in both vert and horiz start orientation. Any angle works, but vert & horiz illustrate best. 5. DAP command works with any combo of 2d & 3d objects & paths. No need to start with a 2d symbol and later make it 3d. But symbol edit would change all instances, which could be handy. Hope some of this helps. -B

DTM boundary must be a polygon. It will not work with a polyline, even a closed one. Do not add your manhole covers in the Edit Group pane. When you exit the edit, click Update in the Site Model OIP to see your clipped site model. Re manholes: Circles are not polygons, so they do not respond to the Send to Surface command. If your terrain is not too steep, the manhole cover can be added in the DTM top view as a 2d circle. Then Convert the circle to polygon. Select the new polygon and use the Send to Surface command. This will convert the manhole poly into a new 3d object which is a projection of the 2d polygon, and which resides on the DTM surface. Steep terrain will distort it. If the man hole object absolutely has to be circle, then extrude the circle, Send to Surface and adjust Z value and tilt as nec with nudge and Rotate tools & commands to make it show on the Terrain. Or add a fence around the extrude to make the terrain adjust to the location of the extrude

First, your question about editing the extrude creation poly without access to 2d model in edit mode. For this example, assume the extrude has at least two discernible points in its creation polygon (say two corner points), is created then moved and rotated only in top view, and you want one vertex of the extrude's creation poly moved to the center of a nearby 2d circle (but the other extrude poly vertices do not move). 1. In Top or Top Plan View, draw a 2d guide polyline from center of circle, to 1st corner of extrude, then to 2nd corner of extrude. Copy this poly to clipboard. 2. Dbl click extrude to enter edit. Deselect the extrude poly and paste the guide poly. 3. Move and rotate the guide poly so it snaps to the proper corner points of the extrude poly. 4. Select the extrude poly and use the 2d Reshape Tool to move the extrude vertex to the start point of the guide poly. 5. Delete the guide poly, and exit the extrude edit. Now the extrude has a vertex on the center of the circle. Delete the guide poly. Extrudes are special. The 3d reshape tool only changes the height, and only in views which show the height. The 2d Move and Rotate tools move an extrude parallel to the ground plane. These 2d tools can adjust the extrude extents, but only if the extrude has its creation poly on one of the three xyz planes. One way to edit 3d location of individual vertices is to convert the extrude to Mesh. Now use 3d Select Tool (not the 3d Reshape Tool) to marquee around a vertex(s) and click/drag it(them). Shift click to add or subtract vertices to/from the selection. The cursor does not change during the move to the familiar box with arrows. Mesh vertex locations can also be adjusted in the OIP. -B

Is the problem making the model appear solid in 3d views? Select the site model, use flyover or other tools to set the view, then in the OIP choose a 3d display mode such as 3d Triangles. In the OIP Render tab you can add/change texture to the site model surface. Render the drawing. Click Update button in the OIP to display the rendered (solid) site model. Find more about working with DTM in the Site Model areas of the VW help. It is often helpful to create a very simple site model in a new drawing and experiment on that. -B

Please make a signature in My Stuff tab of this forum window, showing your VW version and basic OS and hardware config. Cannot reproduce the problem. 2d and 3d plant symbols show centers where expected. Does this also happen when you add plants to a new, blank file? Could you post a sample file with the problem for others to look at? -B

This is not exactly grab and drag, but Cut/Paste actions apply to geometric center of object (2d or 3d). Cut (or Copy) the object, click on new location where you want the center to end up, then Paste. -B

I looked at both files on screen. Export file shows all lines as black in Adobe Reader and in Apple Preview. Same result for full page view and zoomed views. Print to PDF file in full page view shows diag lines grey in AR and black in Preview. Zoom a bit and all lines show black in both readers. On my screen, black seems more robust in AR than in Preview. Maybe the problem is display or graphics card issue rather than some problem in VW? -B

Right you are, Ian. Thanks for the correction. That would probably explain why it is called the Renderworks Camera Tool. Anyway, it offers a number of useful presets for the perspective box. -B

BUT, is there any reason or benefit to the "BOX" or is it just there in perspective view for no reason. The Camera Tool in the Visualization Tool Set offers great benefits with the perspective box. Unfortunately, I think the tool is not included in Fundamentals. It might be a reason to upgrade to an Industry Series or Designer version of VW: The Aspect Ratio pull down menu in the Camera Tool OIP has presets to size the perspective box to match the rectangle of the drawing page, or to many common camera, display and projection formats - 16:9 3:2 etc. Numeric control of custom rectangles is also available. Camera placement and view alignment are made in Top Plan view. -B

3d dimensions? -B

It appears that you have the Full Screen cursor pref enabled. Full screen cursor displays as crossed dashed lines when a 3d tool is in use. Full screen cursor displays as crossed solid lines when a 2d tool is in use. -B

Whoa! Thanks,Pat. I am sooo old school! Good call, that works a treat! -B

Your original post asks for image in a polygon. I think that means an image cropped to fit inside a non rectangular shape. Sorry if this sounds pedantic: The photo imports as a rectangle, and you may need to use it with part cropped out to a non rectangular shape. VW can't do the crop, but you can mask out parts with a rectangle with a hole(s) in it to reveal the part(s) you want. The holes can have any shape - polygon, circle, etc. Draw the rectangle with a fill color (white would be common), and the shapes for the holes. Select base and holes. Use the Clip Surface command (read about it in VectorWorks help). Delete the hole shapes leaving the rectangle as a polygon with holes clipped out of it. Place this poly in front of the image and the image will show through the holes. Group the image and poly, and send it back or forward to work with other elements in the drawing. Another approach is to use other image editing software to make unwanted areas of the image transparent (alpha channel masking). VW can't do the alpha work, but the mask/image group described above can be exported as a png which can then be alpha'd by other software. If you are working 3d, then image textures are the way to go. -B

In Vectorworks, mouse up to Main Menu/File/Import/Import Image File navigate to the image on your disk and set the import options. Click Open. All is good. You can resize image with the reshape tool. Use a clipped polygon to create a polygon mask to change the perimeter shape -B

Here is link to earlier discussion on this topic: http://techboard.vectorworks.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=2&Number=105439&Searchpage=2&Main=22566&Words=tapered+thread&topic=0&Search=true#Post105439 -B

Hi, Brendan - I received the files via email. The wood texture (texture 4) is not one which has mapping controls. As you probably already found, grain scale and color can be modified in the texture Edit options (Resource Browser), but not grain direction. These edits will affect all objects with this texture. Here are some solutions: 1. Build your cabinets with 3d polygon faces. Rotate and reshape the polys to rotate the grain. Grain rotates with the object. This does not affect grain direction in other objects. 2. Pick another texture with mapping. Mapping textues have an asterix in the texture name, Pine Board for example or several of the other woods. 3. Make a screen shot of a rendered Texture 4 polygon and use that to create a new RW texture of the Image Color or Filtered Image variety (mapping controls available). To attach a file, click File Manager. In the new window, click Choose File and navigate to select a file. Click Add File and wait for it to load. Click Done adding files. You will not see the file in your post window, but the File Manager file count will update. Click Submit. Good luck

Ooo, good call, CW. Filtered Image with Object Fill option! My bad. Alternative to the wrap: An existing texture can be converted to Filtered Image variety, sort of. Create a 3d poly with fill, apply the texture & render. Scale the texture for best appearance and take a screenshot of the basic tile. Use the screenshot as imported image to create new RW Filtered Image texture. -B

Ya, Brendan, post the file. Maybe it is something besides the texture. I did submit the birch as a bug. Bug submit replies (!) that not all textures are created equal. So it's not a bug but rather an example of a texture type which has no mapping options. These NO Asterix Textures can only be manipulated to the extent of host object rotation, scaling etc. That's fine, but I am bemused that all the default RW wood textures except the yellow birch varnished have mapping options. Even my home made textures have the options! Here is the message and screen shot from Gunther at NNA (Thanks, Gunther!): Hello Benson. There are two different types of textures. Not all texture types can be modified. When you?re creating or editing a texture, you?ll likely see an, asterisk appear next to a texture?s name. This determines if the texture can be fully modified. See attached image and the circle help for better explanation. Hope this helps. Gunther

Or adjust color of an image outside of VW and import it as an image texture. Or put a transparent colored wrap or overlay: Dupe the object in place, scale the dupe a bit and give the dupe a transparent, attribute colored texture (eg glass). Change wrap color with attribute palette. Modify wrap transparency for color density. Veriegated Stone turned blue with glass wrap in attached file. -B