Stefan B.

How about just putting them on a seperate layer?

Man ,this is awesome! Thank you for your time! While this solves the modeling of the steps, this is not usable for the further process as you state. What i left out, and now se the importance of, is that I need to count the number of extrudes to get a material count. And I would like for each "stick" to be a structural member that automates this process for me. While There is not a problem to spend a lot of time solving this once, but I'm not really sure about the path. But i can work with using it as a solid as you first showed in your tutorial, adn work in that format until I(and/or the client) i happy, then do the final modeling. The top surface needs to be one surface in the end anyways. So this works very fine for now. But I would like to know this is done in a better way. This is a typical situation for outdoor benches i would assume.

This looks very promising!

Well, I highly appreciate your assistance! But I would love to do this myself, so I can enhance my own knowledge too. 😊 I used every 60mm in distance, might be 80, I just did not get that far 😂

Yes, seems very correct 😍

I'm sorry for my bad explanation! I'll give it another try. File of the extrude and path attached. I have a 3D nurbs curve and one extrude. In the image below the two on the left have the same Duplicate along path setting. The left is on a poly line made from Convert copy to polygons the middle on a nurbs curve. The left one is the result I'm after on the Nurbs but without the staggering due to the low segments on the poly line. I thought that I could solve this via the polyline method and manually adjusting the Z axis to fit my path, but the nurbs convert to a poly in very low quality or number of segments. DAP-N3D.vwx

I have a nurbs curve, is it any way to duplicate a extruded rectangle perpendicular to the nurbs curve and keep the extrusion "flat"? I would like the extrude to "fan" out in the curves, but stay horizontal along the whole path. If i select nothing on center, or tangent, my extrude keeps flat as i want, but it does not "fan". If i select tangent, then the extrude tangents along what seams to be up or down on the nurbs curve. If i select options Tangent and keep orientation, i get what i want but all the extrudes rotate one end in the Z axis. There is not really any change if I convert the nurbs to a 3D polyline. 20250312-1434-46.4610767.mp4 I would like it to keep flat as it does on a flat line... 😄

I do indeed struggle with vectorworks from time to time and say to myself, really, is this the best they could do? On bad days, I too do rant here on the forum to blow some steam. Your issues is beyond what I have experienced. Yes, it takes some time to start the software, but most softwares today do this. As far as I recall AutoCAD was barely quicker, but again with a huge lack of functionality but also lacks instability. On the other hand, what are the options? I work often work on files that is a huge load on my computer that has similar specs as yours. I have no trouble undoing, I have even ramped up max undo steps to 50 or something. I am under the impression that spotlight and braceworks has more trouble and errors than the rest of the modules. This might be due to it is relatively new for vectorworks compared to architect. And building robust systems like this takes a bit of time. Also, entertainment work on way shorter deadlines than other industries. We are dusted and done with our whole project and final invoice sent before the architects pick up their pen. This makes us needing stuff quicker and faster. We dont have time to sip coffe in between every click. We need the computer to work faster then we are able to click. This is not the case in vectorworks. If you want more stable and a quicker software, I highly recommend AutoCAD. I worked in AutoCAD in 5-6 years every day and had a handful of crashes. A handful of crashes on vectorworks could be one days work. But if you do end up on AutoCAD. You miss a load of stuff you get from vectorworks. A HUGE symbol library. Even with load of data attached to them, so you can USE them not just look at them and move them around. You have tools and functionality far from what AutoCAD can deliver. Indeed, your rendering or top plan print could look the same. But you would spend more time ending there in AutoCAD and all your blocks would be only lines, shapes and extrudes symbolizing some object with no more functionality. So, for now I think vectorworks is our best shot and alternative. And I do believe as Pat states, the issues you are having seems to be located mostly with your setup. If someone replies that wysiwyg is also one alternative I quote their technical support, "if you do not intend to shine light on in, you should not draw it in wysiwyg".

@jcogdell This is very good to hear. I do really hope you are seeking expert opinions from people who actually do bridles every day and know what is needed from a tool like this. Far too often tools get updated, major and minor, but with new functions that is no better than the previous ones, just different. This could smell like the cable tool, that has had major updates to it, still not usable at all... And even tough it has major issues to it, it is still published. Apart from beta testing, I cant imagine users like to be test bunnies.

Hey, Every time I try to use the bridle tool it does not do the job I would assume and want. Every time I thought it is just that I do not use this tool enough to use it properly. But I have given it a go now, and I cannot see how to make it work properly in either way. I have cleaned the symbol bridle parts to only use the parts I do have on stock. In real life these parts have served me well in all bridles I've come across so far. First the constraints. Do these constraints fit anyone? Does anybody need a definite constraints like these ones? If I set the apex to 12,5m, I would like it to be around this height, I do not need EXACTLY 12500mm, but around this height best suited with a few as possible parts bridle. And if if the apex is set to 12,5m, and i would like to change this to better hit bridle parts, the bridle just ads a down leg and does not re-calculate the bridle and raise the hoist hook. Secondly, I figured I'd just skip the automation and manually set the bridle parts I would like to use. This do work, but the apex is not moved, neither is the simplified view. Also, braceworks do only calculate from Length Leg 1 and 2 and not Parts Length Leg 1 and 2. I would assume that when changing the bridle parts the simplification would follow, and the apex AND host to follow too. Like when you do a truss cross. You get asked a question if you would like to move the truss etc. If I change the bridle, the hoist needs to move. If the hoist moves parallel to the truss, then the connection is just changed, but if this move is not parallel the truss AND hoist must change position. So to conclude, The automatic parts assignment does not chose the parts I would chose in real life and the settings to try to accommodate this only makes it worse. The manual adjustments do work for parts count but visual representation and calculation is not correct. Does anybody have another experience and can enlighten me on this path?

I'm not the best in fixtures, but cant you array them? Either move by point or duplicate array. If you have a hard time getting the correct angle, draw a helper line or use the chord snapping line inside the tube you want the fixtures along. If you have a helper line, you can also use duplicate along path. Fixtures should "fix" themself to the truss in either way.

Hey, Thank you for all your answers! The problem is not their position, rather their size. Every palette is keeping their position as saved in my workplace folder. But every day i have to resize them all. The "Save palette position" did not change anything here.

I wish for the palettes to keep their set size after you close Vectorworks and open it the next day. Everyday routine: 20250219-0734-06.0191548.mp4

I stand corrected. They are quite impossible to actually use. They are and Vectorworks is behaving very strange. And video uploads fails...

Ahaaaaaa.... Well, ooo this is a bit funny. If you draw your first member, and turn the Auto join off, and draw some members. Then you reactivate the auto join, and only copy the old members back and fourth it refers to the active setting of a tool not active. And there is no other way to turn this function on or off on the member it self. It seams like this resolved a lot of the issues I was having! Thank you very much!