d1solution

Still available? Cost?

@alit Try this as it has worked for me before. 1) Open a new blank document (name it as you like) and save it. 2) Open the organization dialog box and reference your damaged file into the new blank document. [ Select "References". Select "New". Locate you damaged file. Select Open. Select "Save reference cache to disk" and "Update class definitions for referenced symbols" but deselect "Automatically update..." Now select "Ok" and 3) With the referenced file selected go to "Settings" Select "Layer import" and make sure "Only update out of date references" is e Selected 4) With the referenced file selected go to "Edit" and select all of the layers containing the information you want to recover. Select ok 5) Exit the "Organization" dialog box by selecting ok. 6) Save file. 7) Now remove the file refererencing. [Reopen the "Organization" dialog box and select the referenced file and select "Delete". Make sure that all options of "Keep in current document" are selected. 8) Save file. You should now be able to rebuild your file and organize it as required. Pleas note...... This does not transfer viewports or layer links from the damaged file but it is better than losing the whole file.

Christian, You should know by now it is easier to make quotes (talk) rather than provide the actions to back them up. Go figure. When beam-me-up technology is common place we will by then have a stair tool that works. Now come on what's wrong with that picture? *******(crickets)********

WOW!!! I am soooo not surprised that there is no response from NNA on this matter. More puzzling is the fact that our big sister (Archicad) makes use of such features. I would hope that NNA is taking note that Autodesk has stepped into the Mac arena with it's release of Autocad 2011 for Mac. It is not far from possible to think that a Mac version of Revit to be far behind. WAKE UP already! I am also really tired of registering for these so-called BIM webnairs that are basically filled with product hype rather than the "real" issue at hand; how to get the job done without drawing twice. *******(crickets) Hello??? NNA??? *******(crickets)

I agree with this as well. Why would you be trying to design on such a small screen anyway? Yes it has the potential of being a great tool but the main program is more important at the moment. Get the current issues solved first. No need to have the problems duplicated.

What about #2 and #3?

Add my vote to this wish. I currently use the notes database but it really makes me wonder at times why it remains such a poorly designed tool. Here are my reasons (please let me know if I am missing something): 1) When placing a note you get the annoying "Cannot find the selected note in the Database." Now... come on... How could the program know the note if it has not been selected yet? Shouldn't it automatically just go to the database that you have as default? Why the annoying "ok" selection button. UMmmm Duh!! 2) If you are like me you may have hundreds of notes accumulated from different projects. Now lets say you find the note you want... but hey... it has an error. You go ahead and edit that note. You update the database. You are asked "Save databases changes" (shouldn't it be "database changes") If you select "yes" why doesn't the database change all the other corrected notes in the file as well (more evidence of a poorly designed tool) Let's think about this logically. If you have the auto locate functionality (if you go to edit a note it searches for the original) That means there is some sort of link. SOooo... what good is the database if it doesn't go all the way? If I chose to delete a class that is in use the program know to ask what class I want the associated items to be placed in. If I chose to delete a symbol the program knows if it is used in the file as well. Soooo... what are notes? Are they not part of the file as well? Ok, I'm done for now... BTW.... what's up with the choice of keynote bubbles? Here are the "only" choices 1 None 2 Box 3 Round Rec 4 Cloud 5 Bracket 6 ISO Who came up with shapes 2&3 ? I have been breathing Architecture for quite some time and have never seen key notes in those shapes. I have however seen hexagons and pentagons. Why are these common shapes not part of this list. Further more why can't you just simply have a choice of any symbol for that matter. Is it really that hard or am I clearly thinking way out of the VW box? My wishes..... 1) See Christian's above. 2) The death of the annoying additional click. (see above) 3) "Real" bidirectional database (see above) 4) Industry standard keynote bubbles with the option to use a symbol. Thank you.

AMEN!!!!!!! As i have posted before..... "I have been with VW since Minicad 4 days and have experience with most of the major cad software packages out there. (ACAD, Archicad, Allplan, Revit to name a few) They all have strong points and fall short in other areas. The main problem i have with my favorite (yes Vectorworks) ;-) is the addition of bells and whistles while some of the core "should be bread and butter" tools remain useless. Case in point the stair tool. I have seen and used the "new and improved" Custom stair tool. Ooooookay.... it does remind me of the Archicad work horse.... but it performs like it's stepsister. According the posts with its issues and my own tests show the stair tool needs to be scraped and built from scratch. Does NA actually use designers to provide insight on what needs be shown (2D) and rendered (3D)? Why oh why is it sooooo hard to get that tool to work as it should? Any designer worth their salt or the sweat off their body after a 6 mile run should know that any building should have a foundation capable of holding its weight. Just the same so should VW. For some strange reason I recall answering a poll in relation to the stair tool and 2 versions later (while the tool "looks" better) it is basically the same... not working as it should. I WISH FOR THE CORE TOOLS TO DO WHAT THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO.... ****Clicking my heals while saying "There's no cad like VW. There's no cad like VW. There's no cad like VW"****** 8 hours to fix the problem and come up with a workaround- $1200 + 100 additional gray hairs 2 hours find and diagnose the problem - 300 + 30 additional gray hairs 1 min if a tool works correctly - priceless My 2 cents.

Well I have to agree as well. I have been with VW since Minicad 4 days and have experience with most of the major cad software packages out there. (ACAD, Archicad, Allplan, Revit to name a few) They all have strong points and fall short in other areas. The main problem i have with my favorite (yes Vectorworks) ;-) is the addition of bells and whistles while some of the core "should be bread and butter" tools remain useless. Case in point the stair tool. I have seen and used the "new and improved" Custom stair tool. Ooooookay.... it does remind me of the Archicad work horse.... but it performs like it's stepsister. According the posts with its issues and my own tests show the stair tool needs to be scraped and built from scratch. Does NA actually use designers to provide insight on what needs be shown (2D) and rendered (3D)? Why oh why is it sooooo hard to get that tool to work as it should? Any designer worth their salt or the sweat off their body after a 6 mile run should know that any building should have a foundation capable of holding its weight. Just the same so should VW. For some strange reason I recall answering a poll in relation to the stair tool and 2 versions later (while the tool "looks" better) it is basically the same... not working as it should. As far as the techno bit... I have found some individuals on here have something to be afraid of as far as being wrong is concerned.... yes.... even if logically proved wrong. I too am trying to imagine allocating the bandages that are currently holding VW together towards supporting the iPad. Not a good idea at all. But hey what do I know. Still makes sense to build VW on quality first then filter it out. ?Quality is free ? It is not a gift, but it is free. What costs money are the unquality things ? all the actions that involve not doing things right the first time. Quality is not only free, it is an honest?to everything?profit maker."--Phil Crosby Think about all of the workarounds one has to meet throughout the life of one design project (from file to construction) and tell me if this quote doesn't hit home. (okay so VW isn't free.... hmmmmm.... there's a thought...could that be why the cost is going up?) LOL ) I WISH FOR THE CORE TOOLS TO DO WHAT THEY ARE SUPOSED TO.... ****Clicking my heals while saying "There's no cad like VW. There's no cad like VW. There's no cad like VW"****** 8 hours to fix the problem and come up with a workaround- $1200 + 100 additional gray hairs 2 hours find and diagnose the problem - 300 + 30 additional gray hairs 1 min if a tool works correctly - priceless My 2 cents.

Okay it is a bit over a year since I commented on our beloved stair tool... we are now in the year of VW2010. Please someone tell me if it is worth my money to buy the upgrade??? My key questions are: 1) Is 2010 stable? 2) Does the stair tool actually work now? ____________________________________________ (Re: my last post: I have been using VW for a number of years and I am surprised that the stair tool is so far behind the competitors. I can say this because I use Revit and Archicad and find VW lacking. I love the program but it needs to step into the 21 century. PLEASE!!!!! Currently I create my own Hybrid symbols for 2d and 3d. I then create a VertCirc Layer to host it and turn on and off classes to produce the required views. A few of the issues.... 1) What ever happened to concrete stairs? I know that these still exist in the real world. What was the logical reason for taking the option out?) 2) The Handrail/Guardrail options suck! As far as I see it it is made only for the US market. Metal rails actually have bottom and top rails that are not installed in the manner portrayed in the tool. 3) CODE issues. We know they exist why aren't they included as a part of the tool's setting dialog box? I assume that we are all not just designing to get our creations kicked back because of noncompliance. I think it is possible to make a fully functional tool that just requires the user to input a set of known variables and then make slight adjustments to get what is "required" to meet code. Just my 2 cents. ___________________________________________ I have been looking through the posts and it doesn't look that promising.

I am going to go across the grain And wish for nothing new Instead I wish for something plain For a stair tool to do what it should do That is right the infamous stair tool. Being that I have been using VW since Minicad years, I can say that while many little bells and whistles have been added to this tool, the basic idea still remains flawed. I have seen types change, rails get added, and levels get introduced. Yet once again, it remains inefficient in both 2D and 3D. This is my wish: A stair tool that meets the requirements of being called such. One has only to go through each release to see the history of this tool. It makes more sense to model a stair in 3d then create the 2D information for each level then place it on a separate Vert-Trans Layer and control it with classes than to use the tool currently available. (well if you want it to reflect what is, in reality, a stair) BTW what are masonry stairs? I know of steel framed, wood framed, structural concrete, and even hybrids between two or more of them yet the structural concrete stairs have disappeared form the options. Will it be added back in in VW2010 and called "new and improved" This is getting ridiculous and old now. Yes, yes, I know "ALL" of the work-arounds and that is just the point; why should there have to be any? Is a stair not a simple straight forward design element that most architects have to contend with? Get the archaic and useless stair tool to work already!

Ahhhh!!!! Now there is an idea!!! I think it is too revolutionary though... LOL We are after all within a Wish Listing Forum. :grin:

LOL... I am glad to hear that... Sad to say many continue to ask, as Huckleberry Finn clones, "Please, Sir, I Want Some Moore..." As far as I see it more only makes sense when the simple yet "required" things work. Hmmmnnn..... for some reason that actually makes sense. LOL Yes, I too wouldn't mind spending a few extra bucks for the fancy hybrid if it gives me the core requirements along with a few bells. It is the lack of "efficient" required tools that continue to be the real pain in the ask-me-a-question. Let's see if this helps... efficient adjective (esp. of a system or machine) achieving maximum productivity with minimum wasted effort or expense "Please, Sir, I Want..." (it to work properly first.. then give me) "Some Moore..."

"...I'm just curious there are many enlightened souls on this forum that demand these(and other) changes/upgrades (partly in an attempt to 'catch up' with the likes of ArchiCAD Revit etc. but how in hell are they to compete with the 'big' boys with 1/4 (I'm guessing based on the retail prices) of the budget?" Hmmmnnn.... I am quite curious also. As I stated in my previous post I am all for running with the "big boys". However I also know that the "big boys" have many flaws that VW does not have one of which is the price Anyway, just for some fun... I look at VW core as a chassis. All of the modules are based on fitting onto this base. You have the engine, body, headlights, break lights, yada, yada, yada. Now what is a house without a window or a door? What about one without walls or a roof? Well guess what... we know we need those and we have something but lets go out and get the HDTV! (yes, even though it would be stolen as we don't have the means to protect it) Further more, lets say that we are the best and try to build our base as such while we continue to patch the worn tires taking us there. What's wrong with this picture? Shoot... and I thought it was wrong putting the cart before the horse! Could it be that we are so accustomed to our inefficient savior that we have neglected the fundamentals? Have we become more concerned with the "flash" of new tools while the ones we have had forever take work-arounds to get "Ummm DUHHhhhh" required results. (stair tool, door, window) Come on people!! LOL.... getting off my soapbox (obviously designed with VW... LOL) "Perhaps the challenge of integrating a BIM Structural Module will help in upgrading/fixing the other existing modules, in general the basics/parameters must be the same, right?" YES! I would hope so... My point is, What is the sense to continue to add onto the chassis and the body and the modules if the required systems don't operate properly at least 95% of the time or efficiency? Isn't that part of the reason GM and Chrysler are where they are? 1000+ different options when a few well made ones would do... What makes it worse is these companies were selling more fuel efficient cars elsewhere while creating gas guzzlers for others. I want efficiency so I can save my time for the beach or a fishing trip.

This discussion is quite interesting. As far as I see it you all are saying the same thing. VW needs to be a more efficient tool. The whole idea of VW having a structural module however, is at best, a real wish. When one can't get the bread and butter modules to work right I would be very concerned about trusting the Engineering Info... LOL examples: Stair tool, Door/Window tool, Roof/Wall tool, Worksheets, SAT import/export, GIS information, DTM, etc., etc., etc. Do they work? Yes... 100% of the time with 100% accuracy? Well you all can be the judge. (That is without work-arounds ;o) Now don't get me wrong... I love VW based on years of experience using most of the competing programs (Arcicad, Allplan, Revit Architecture, Revit Structures, and of course Anticad (LOL), blah, blah, blah) Each one has a nice piece of the Architecture/Design puzzle of total design. In my opinion,VW has an enormous amount of potential yet it makes only baby steps in a meaningful direction while making a few in the opposite. I just have to get this out.... PLEASE FIX THE CORE MODULES "BEFORE" moving on. It is really pathetic when we expect to get different results while doing the same things. This is what I have learned since I started using Minicad to this point. 1) 10% of the tools work properly 2) 25% of the tools are workable 3) 10% of the tools are basically the same tool but broken into separate ones (kind of like original Architectural Practice and what we have now) 4) 25% of the tools are useless but are there as Legacy tools 5) 25% of the tools move back and forth between the #2,3 and 4 with each release and hope to reach #1 classification 6) 5% of the tools are new and move between the rounds unless (VERY RARE) are an automatic #1 While I would love to have the "bells and whistles", I actually prefer the key modules of most importance to work on point without the work around steps. What about that as a wish? Yes currently VW does just about everything need it to do. Shoot I have never been one to complain as I do what it takes to get the job done. The problem is the incredible number of work around steps. I would prefer to spend those extra hours on the beach rather than in front of the computer writing scripts for a program that says it is the way to go. Am I that better a programer than the ones in charge? I highly doubt that. Hmmm.....??? Should I? Finally, we "ALL" have our wishes and as before, a structural module would be nice. Interoperability would be even better. Unfortunately, the wishes mean nothing without having Architect, Landmark,Spotlight, Machine Design(what's that... LOL), and Core modules that are on point and efficient and move on from there. "I would like a bowl of chicken soup please. Just hold the bowl."

Try this. It worked for me before. 1) Open a new file. 2) Go through your typical setup and save the file. 3) Reference the file that you are having the problem with into the new file. 4) Select all of your Design Layers. (Remember you want the reference to be DESIGN Layers and NOT Design Layer Viewports) Save the file. 5) Now you can go through the new file to make sure your stuff is there. 6) At this point you can cut your reference to the damaged file. Go to the Navigation palette and select the reference button. Now select the referenced file and delete it. You will be asked if you want to keep the referenced layers and resources in your new file. The answer to these should be yes. Now you should have a file that has the information that existed in the corrupted file. I am not sure if this is necessary or not but at this point i usually purge the file at this point. Well hope this works for you.

I have been using VW for a number of years and I am surprised that the stair tool is so far behind the competitors. I can say this because I use Revit and Archicad and find VW lacking. I love the program but it needs to step into the 21 century. PLEASE!!!!! Currently I create my own Hybrid symbols for 2d and 3d. I then create a VertCirc Layer to host it and turn on and off classes to produce the required views. A few of the issues.... 1) What ever happened to concrete stairs? I know that these still exist in the real world. What was the logical reason for taking the option out? 2) The Handrail/Guardrail options suck! As far as I see it it is made only for the US market. Metal rails actually have bottom and top rails that are not installed in the manner portrayed in the tool. 3) CODE issues. We know they exist why aren't they included as a part of the tool's setting dialog box? I assume that we are all not just designing to get our creations kicked back because of noncompliance. I think it is possible to make a fully functional tool that just requires the user to input a set of known variables and then make slight adjustments to get what is "required" to meet code. Just my 2 cents.

I've been working with VW for quite some time now and i'm just geting into writing scripts. I have quite a bit of plugins that i'm working on. Right now i'm working on a script to show the walls on the 1st floor plan to show up as dashed lines on the foundation plan. I have an idea of the logic but don't know how to set up the scrip so that tha walls dont stay that way. Anyone ever tackle this QB.