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dvdvarch

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Posts posted by dvdvarch

  1. Hi to everybody,

     

    I have a question about user/internal origin. I read in the manual: 

     

    Quote

    In a new drawing, the internal origin, the user origin, and the page center are all coincident at (0,0). While the internal origin cannot move, the user origin and page center can be moved.

     

    Why when a create an empty drawing, using no template, my user and internal drawing are not coincident? (screenshot below is taken on an empty new drawing)

     

    They are also on different Z. 

     

    Also, it seems to me that is possible to move the origin on x,y and not in the z.

     

    Am I missing something? Would anybody explain me this concept?

     

    Thank you very much,

    Davide

     

     

     

    image.png.13428d9d926a5f0abf56b38c50a73766.png

  2. Hello! I see now that exactly a year has passed since my last post on this topic, so I tought to post again, hoping that somebody with a good hearth overthere in Maryland will take care of this request: would be possible to group design layers? I have to invent such odd graphical tricks to organize them 😁

    thank you!

     

    image.png.a609b6babb4e8855803f3c4de4b6b63b.png

  3. Thank you Dave,

    for now I have solved going back to Update 3, thanks to the Italian distributor that has helped me. Since the main reason for me to update was to try the AI visualizer I will wait for the fix. 

    • Like 1
  4. Hi to everybody,

    I have a large symbol library to be created starting from obj or 3ds models. I have to do a plan and two sides views 

     

    Do you think that would be possible to automatize the process?

    I know that it is possible to batch create symbols from a folder but then I would need to enter in each one and create the 2d components. 

     

    I gave a look to scripting manuals but I am just starting to understand and I don't even know if this would be possible to do.

     

    I would like to make a script that would: 

     

    Option A: batch create symbols from a folder and then create 2d components from 3d (but I would need probably to optimize meshes first outside Vectorworks to have clean results)

     

    Or Option B:  batch create symbols from a folder with 3d models and then add 2d components taking them from another folder of dwg views that I have yet for each symbol.

     

    I made some research and I haven't found anything, this task sounds to me a (quite) common problem. Do you have any suggestion?

     

    Thank you!

     

     

     

     

  5. On 2/25/2021 at 11:40 PM, Ben Beaumont said:

    We have constructed localised libraries of 100's, (pushing 1000's) of Materials. @Julian Carr has written a script to create Materials from Textures which helped enormously. There is also a Worksheet that can push other material values into Material Styles. This is a boon for building libraries with repetitive information. We have updated our Wall and Slab styles such that the external and internal components (only) use Materials. Typically the external face is textured with an associated surface hatch (eg; painted weatherboard) so the component has a discernable thickness. The weatherboard Material library has any given profile in multiple popular colours. There are around 5 common weatherboard profiles and 100+ popular exterior colours. I don't think we can reasonably use Classes to manage the attributes of 500+ weatherboard options alone.
    We have constructed an 'Applied Finishes' Materials library with about 150 popular and fashionable paint colours from a leading paint supplier. The Wall styles have a 0.1mm internal Component for the 'Applied finish'. The slab styles (for ceilings) have the same. The Wall Styles in our libraries have 'Natural White' associated with them, the ceilings have 'Ceiling White' associated with them.

    The Attributes of the other Wall and Slab components are still 'by Class'. We have a short list of (legacy?) Component Classes to control these attributes.  
    It is a pleasure to use the Wall and Slab Styles straight from the library and to be able to simply swap out the Material with a preferred option (also straight from the library).
    I hear the comments about the absence of Class override type control for Materials, but for me the flatter workflow of simply applying a Material to an object is a far lesser evil than trying to do it with Classes. Considering the ease with which a model can be 'painted' in some other platforms, Materials are a welcome development.

    Hi Ben, I know that this is an old post, would you mind explaining how you set up the script to batch create materials and the add properties from worksheets? I was looking exactly for this, I would build a material list according to the products list I use in quantiy estimate takeoff. I intended to use materials the same way you do, putting in wall components, slabs etc

     

    Thank you!!

  6. It works! 

    image.png.9b516fa5d2462bf8f0ea6ba3c40af090.png

     

     

    Questions:

     

     

    How can I find in which object is a material used? Right-Click/select the object on drawing seems not working (probably because the data is referred to multiple objects).

     

     

    1 hour ago, Pat Stanford said:

    GetSpaceNameForObject

     

    Yes, I use spaces

    image.png.75e2148fe7013403e3e5d5266e3c7d71.png image.png.87db2527596520c5c81dd36493167cd0.png

    a the moment the formula returns "0", actually the walls are *around* spaces, not inside, does the command work anyway? 

    (bytheway I have tried to make a big object space to comprehend the objects and it seems not to work)

     

    Maybe this happens because rows are summarized. How to see one material instance per row?

    (but now I have tryied to make a material used in one space only and it still doesn't get the location)

     

    Thank you!!

     

    Thank you!!

     

     

  7. 4 hours ago, Tom W. said:

    plus even worse, any unused Materials

    Yes, I have found it, and it looks that they are insensible to criteria such as layer+class or whatever. I'm understanding that Material is a kind of an abstract entity, with no location, only objects has locations, but actually a construction work is a combination of material+manpower. 

     

    4 hours ago, Tom W. said:

    And I personally don't think it would be appropriate

    Probably you are right.

     

    4 hours ago, Tom W. said:

    with Walls it gets tricky because there is no way to differentiate between the inside finish component

    Yes, I found this too! I was breaking all my nice styled walls to insert compound materials with the feeling that I am fragmenting and breaking everything, having then to check wall orientation for each little piece (you have seen it, here in in Italy we deal with old historical walls).

     

    And, the final discover, I am struggling to understand how to link materials to a location (it doesn't look like I can use the "inside" function, correct?). Plus, a wall, usually, is inbetween two rooms... 

     

    what I would need is a simple ( 🙂 )  table with a few columns: id, work/material, quantity, Room, Floor, Building; for everything, all formatted in the same way, project items, doors, windows, restoration of existing walls (that's the tricky part), paints, ceilings (?), floors... 

     

    Tom, I'm spending a week to build a system in Vectorworks and I really don't want to make it traditionally with a calculator on my desk, an external quantity take off software nor Excel. I would like now to build a system that I can use in the future for this project changes and for other projects!

     

    Thank you!

  8. Thank you very much Tom, from your attachement I understood how to properly format formulas for materials, now I am trying to make a worksheet to have all columns I need

     

    image.png.3cbc3abcf7aaffd6ce9b817c85a6c5e1.png

     

    The only limit to this system looks like the necessity to manually make a lot of materials, I would like to be able to batch a long list of them (I have them on excel and filemaker database) 

     

    p.s where are those formula list stored? are them available online?

  9. Now I am trying to use data stored into materials, but I cannot find the material id formula.

    I see that it is used in the "materials by category" report, but how can I use that formula to populate a column?

     

    image.png.4714989beb75327922566649521a11f1.png

     

    I cannot find "material id" in the fields that can be added to a report, see below:

     

    image.png.a93749f70e86b027723d2a8526752fce.png

     

     

     

    Again, I hope I have been able to explain what I mean, 

    Thank you!

  10. 1 hour ago, Pat Stanford said:

    data that is attached to a given wall is what is stored in the record format when it is attached to the wal

    I got it, this could be a problem, it may happen often to improve work descriptions. Also, my work list is has actually 600 items, but I could divide them per type, i.e. constructions, demolitions, etc. 

     

    but then, how to link area properties to each "true" line of the record format? should I make a criteria for each item? 

     

    I would like to have a kind of a simple "tag" to attach to any item 

     

     

     

     

  11. 1 hour ago, Pat Stanford said:

    A different option would be a Record format that you could attached to the walls that would include a value for each of the different categories.

     

    That way you would not end up with a large number of different materials that you have to keep organized and apply to the walls.

     

    You are right Pat, they could actually be hundreds. (in an ideal world they shoul also be linked to a databese with standard codes and descriptions).

    In your hipotesis how could I apply multiple works on the same wall?

    maybe I could do a record format like with, let's say, five or six items:

     

    work code1,

    work description1,

    work code2,

    work description2,

    work code3,

    ...

     

    would you mean something like that? what do you think?

     

    thank you!

     

     

    53 minutes ago, Tom W. said:

    You didn't have any objects that were using it.

    Yes! I forgot to flag  "use material", measurment now works. thank you for checking it

  12. Thank you Tom,

    I have attached a portion of the project. I have created two base materials and one compound material and I have applied it to m51 wall style.

     

    27 minutes ago, Tom W. said:

    As far as your report not returning values, in your Material settings do you have 'report as volume' + 'report as component area' enabled in the 'Construction' tab...?

     

    They were both selected, I have now turned on only "by area" since I need only areas. But still I don't see quantities in the reports

     

    I think that I have found the report you are talking about (they are two, actually, spreadsheet and database, not sure what is the difference). They are able to find the materials but still don't count quantities.

    Plus, it looks like a long process to manually exactly write material names in cells. I would need a report that massively reports all used materials and their quantities since the project is quite complex.

     

    thank you!

    QT setup.vwx

  13. Good idea, Tom! I was thinking to add fake wall components, but they must have a thickness so it doesn't work.

    I am not used to material tool so it didn't come to my mind.

     

    What do you think would be the best way to apply these "non-material works" compuond materials to walls? to transform walls in non-styled wall and apply materials? To create a wall style+material for each work combination may multiply wall styles number.

     

    bytheway

    I have done a quick test and for now I couldn't get quantities, I am probably missing something

    image.thumb.png.1d8551471e6be2ed5843eb648e6b5de3.png

     

     

    thank you for your suggestions

     

     

     

  14. Hi to all, 

    In Vectorworks it is easy to count quantities of elements, such as, plaster, concrete, tiles... 

     

    But sometimes (very often in my case), to estimate the cost of a project we need to count multiple works done on each component.

     

    I.e. in a renovation project I could have (I hope my english is clear enough, I couldn'f find the exact translation for such specific processes):

    - partial removal of old plaster and refilling of holes

    - consolidation of existing plaster

    - fixative anti dust primer

    - three coats o paint

     

    all done on the same wall

     

    I would like to have your advice and experiences in the best way to count non-material processes.

     

    I hope I have been able to explain clearly.

     

    Thank you!

  15. I just let you know that I have tryied to open your file, then double clicked on the object to see how it was built and it blocked Vectorworks with a series of infinite error windows. I had to force quit, now Vectorworks doesn't start anymore, it stops on splash screen. I think I will have to reinstall it! (and I hope to solve the problem)😶‍🌫️.

     

    What was in the file? (!)

    • Confused 1
  16. Hi to everybody,

     

    we are using project sharing for a medium sized project:

     

    - three users (two of them administrators of the file)

    - wvxp file stored on a Dropbox shared folder

     

    It happens that trying to apply a data visualization to a viewport in a sheet layer, Vectorworks says: (approximate translation from italian) "it is not possible to perform this operation because the object is owned by another user": and it lists my own computer as it was another user's PC. And than Vectorworks crashes without notice. 

     

    I think this "owned by another user" referred to myself has happened in other situations yet. But I have isolated this behavior with data visualization on vewports (maybe because viewports involve many layers altoghether, just guessing).

     

    Any of you have idea on how to avoid this?

    Is the Dropbox sharing correct with project sharing?

     

    Thank you very much!

    Davide

     

     

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