Stefan B.

what data do you want to include in the worksheet? Depending on your wishes, is not a view-port on a sheet layer more beneficial?

This looks like a project sharing checkout indication. Are you working on a project file? Then, if you create some new sheets, classes or layers, or check them out, they will be colored blue until released.

I have been collecting some notes for a while. I take notes of stuff i find strange, odd, out of place or just plain and simple stupid. I don't really know where to push them so they reach the correct person so i put them all in this post and hope it will reach the correct people in the end. Sheet Layer viewport scale: If you set the scale to custom, and work your way trough different scales to get your viewport to fit your needs and hit a predefined scale, this disables the custom scale and you have to go back in and again set that you still want to work in custom scale. I have set it to custom, and i expect it to be custom until I tell VW otherwise. The class lists are not the same throughout VW. OIP class list has hierarchical view, but other places has not. Should not these views be the same, so the trained eye is more efficient? Also, it could be linked so that all class lists look the same in regards of expanded/not expanded hierarchical view, this as a suggestion. Braceworks naming: "Add point load" and "Insert distributed load", why is there a difference in the first word here? Cant they both be Add OR Insert? Just to be constant and make it a bit easier to find in the menus. Specially in Braceworks but in general, why can i not pan and work in a drawing while a dialog window is open? Like having a worksheet open, it is possible to still work in the drawing. Very very often the dialog or choices you need to make in a dialog requires data from the drawing. And planning every open window and view before opening a dialog window is very hard. Spotlight Numbering; There should be a button AND shortcut to "reset" the increment value to 1 and increase the prefix by 1. Move by points tool: If you use this tool to copy or move objects, why does vectorworks need to make all calculations of the move before i click the end position? I would think that moving the blue outline in general should be a very simple maneuver, but doing this for "big moves" takes a HUGE chunk of computer resources. And if you wait long enough for all the calculations is done when you click the final position, everything snaps in really quick. I would assume this process to do things the other way around, make it as easy as possible to move the blur mock-up then when i actually chose my final position then all the calculations is done. As it is now, finding the right position is very difficult due to the workload and lag. I really wish for several changes in the Move by point tool, one is to separate it into two different tools, "Move by point" and "Copy by point". These are two functions used every other time, and changing the tool settings for the move by point tool each and every time is quite tedious. And before i start, i really do know weather I want to move or copy, and can easily select "M" for move or "C" for copy. I would really like to see a new array integration in the Move and copy by point tool. The possibility to do arrays, both line, rectangle and circular with the possibility to interact with the drawing at the same time and even see a blue mock-up during the different settings is set would be pure amazing! Throughout vectorworks I would like to see a bit more consistency. As an example, the "point on arc" symbol for Arcs or Poly line are not the same, and they don't behave the same.

Super! The naming was not too intuitive. Then i make a go and try scripting this up. :)

Hey Scott, Yes, I thought so too, but i could not find any results for "MapType" under VS:Function Reference. There might be a "hidden" reference but, yes, hard to dive in to.

Hey, So i have a vast library of symbols. I never did care about the rendering when creating these symbols, but I have spent some time lately trying to get nicer looks. When starting to add textures to the symbols i do so from a class perspective, but noting really happens. I figured out that is because the Map type is for most part set to "Surface UV", this does not work for my symbols. So i need to change them all. Is there a way to change the Map type of several symbols at once? And why is not the mapping something one can also master from a class perspective? Since I'm new to this I most likely get this wrong, but if it was possible to set mapping to "Class Style", most is accurate right of the bat, and one can alter the odd ones later on.

So, i gave this a try, and could not replicate the fault. In my original attempt I made 4 custom truss symbols, and got the crash 3 out of 4 times. So was pretty sure i cold replicate it. I'm waiting to draw two or three more circle truss, when i get the data, i send a file over if VW decides to crash then.

Sure, I'll make a new file and make sure it crashes. 🙂 Give me some time and I'll reply with a file. 🙂

O, i absolutely agree, but there is with DallE a constant 100% creativity unless you are more specific in your description. So, based on the input, I would say that DallE gives way better results. VW AI is unusable in this case.

So i have tested a bit, and everything i do ends up with some or most of the image in neon colors. And i did a simple test. I gave VW AI the same image as i gave ChatGPT DallE with the instruction: "fill this image with a rock and roll show". See images bellow for results. I understand that good instructions is the key here and those might bee somewhat secret or personal, but i do not understand why Vectorworks cannot share the instructions for each and every successful AI image they get and post as PR. Clearly I'm doing something wrong. 🙂 Original image: VW AI(25% creativity): DallE:

As far as i know, no there is not a simple and easy way for doing this. But, there is no problem deleting the truss without deleting the fixtures, but they do get disconnected from the truss. So you would need to re-attach them. you can do so simply by selecting the fixtures and moving them slightly. Like a nudge(SHIFT+ARROW KEY), then they will re-attach.

No, not the record, the Truss properties that gets enabled after you attach the truss record.

I'm constantly making new trusses to our library and is making them as trusses in VW. This for the most goes like a charm, but VW has some hick-ups here and there, that makes VW crash. I cannot at this point pinpoint what is causing the crash and this is not the core of the question. If the truss is only placed in the Resource manager, and it has a error with some of the properties in the Truss properties, how do you access this dialog box? Since drawing the truss in a drawing makes VW crash, and this menu is not accessible from the resource manager.

This is an excellent idea, but! I am amazed that Vectorworks constantly refuses look at other functions simsimilar to the new ones you are making. The prevoius method to work with soundvision is to export to DWG, and use a plugin for skectup to export to a .txt file that is imported into soundvision. Now with the new plugin you can export directly from VW to SV. But with an standard DWG export, all things in the drawing is exported, also the referenced files. The soundvision plugin do only export stuff that in the current drawing and not the stuff from the referenced files. Why is the a new export function different than the other export functions in regard of what is beeing exported? Please, make the soundvision export as the DWG export in regard of WHAT is being exported. The dialog window should be similar, where the options aplicable to soundvision is the same as when exporting to a DWG, like "Layers to include" etc. But with the same possibilities to "simplify" geometry. And I must say, cant the export to soundvision button be under File>Export, like all other export alternatives?

Thank you Marissa!

Hello Marissa, Thank you for your reply. Sorry for not attaching a file. I thought I would explain myself well enough. While I see your script working, I cannot make the same script work on my symbol. Does it have anything to do with my red text symbol and yours being white/black? I'm able to attach the record so it is visible in the OIP when I select the placed symbol, but it is not visible in the RM window when the symbol is selected. I also register that you used marionette to attach the record, but it actually is possible to attach the record the normal way but this is not possible for my symbol. marionette-record.vwx

Hey, I'm very new to marionette and have made my first Marionette Object / Symbol/Plug-In object. The marionette inserts two symbols and has a handle for adjusting one of the symbol positions in the Z axis. This symbol was and is to replace a scaffolding part, and in the future, I want marionettes for several objects and replace the "original" symbol with the marionette object. Scaffolding parts have a record name "Scaffold Record" attached, while I'm able to attach this record to the symbols I insert, I cannot see the record at any point. Is it possible to have a record or more attached to a Marionette object and have it show in the resource manager, and when I select the object in a drawing?

well, just use them as trusses. As you experience below, working with trusses, like as a rigger or responsible for planning trusses, hanging positions make life really hard. You have to do one truss at a time if you need to make changes to them all or several of them. Changes to trusses are very common, at least in our company. All the benefits that are mentioned are not really benefits in my opinion. You can move a truss system as one too, you just have to click select system objects. Then every object connected to the truss will follow a move. But yes, I would use a group or maybe even a hanging position if there are a lot of trusses, clamps, and pipes that make up one structure but VW cannot really handle it as one connected system. Weight calculations, well, it is great to see the weight in the truss, but how do they really help you? You do not know where the loads are or the sum in each hanging point. So how are you planning on using the data? In our company, we just draw trusses as truss, and keep them as trusses. This seems to work great for everybody.

Have you considered trying project sharing?

Could you please elaborate on these benefits? I don't think they are used where I work, and I do not know why. Sharing position changes; Is this when you have similar hanging position symbols and you make changes to one you make changes to them all? Automatic numbering; What number and what is this number used for? Total hung weight; This is from my point the only real benefit of a hanging position or the weakest point of a truss system. But I don't think it is a strong enough argument since it does not help you in the real world. There is no validation as to if the truss can handle the load, and there is no info on how the weight is distributed. And you cannot use the information to validate via load table from the manufacturer. You can use it to estimate, yes! automatic position acquisition; Please elaborate, on what is this function. Coordinates; To the center of the hanging position. I don't see how this is beneficial over a single truss that shows the same data. Moving the truss, yes, you can click and drag instead of using the select system then click and drag. But you cannot, since the hoist does not follow in either case so in both the hanging position and the truss system you must use the select system before moving if you want the hoists to follow. I see the benefit when making an advanced sub hang with pipes, clamps, etc. But I have not missed it, but I see the benefit here. How are the workflows different, other than it is possible to move a truss, and the data tags are different? But I have made two different data tags that look the same but one snaps to a truss and the other to a hanging position. I think I read somewhere that the intended use for hanging positions is when you have fixtures that need to hang from a non-rigging object. Then the hanging position can make this possible. But what is stupid from Vectorwork's side is to not make a truss system and a hanging position behave the same throughout the system. The "insert Connection" function does not work at all on a hanging position. My suggestion to Vectorworks is to remove both systems and make them one system. Every truss is a "hanging position" but does not behave like a symbol. So you can use all the truss functions right off the bat without opening or converting. It should be a check box for "Fixtures fixed to truss" and "Hoists fixed to truss" so it is possible to move a truss with and without the hoists and fixtures. It should be possible to show the weight of a truss with attached objects without it being converted to something new. There could even be a check box for "Behave as system" If this is checked everything connected is "grouped" and if you deselect every object's behavior as a single object and not a group. Then the true hanging position is only when you have a non-rigging object that needs to be connectable with hoists, fixtures, and other objects. But it should be named something like "Convert to rigging object"

Can you make it in a hanging position? would that give you the options you wish? Or can you make your symbol as a fixture, although I don't think a fixture can attach to a fixture? So your trussbar/outrigger should/must be a truss, pipe, or a hanging position.

Hey, I asked the same question a while back.

What benefits are there to a hanging position that does not work on a pure truss object? Very often the LD has drawn trusses in the initial design. Very often the trusses are of the wrong make, or size, or not available in our rental stock. This requires me to alter most of/ all trusses to the correct type and configuration. During the development of a project, this alteration takes place numerous times as the loads change and solutions change. Very often I can select several truss runs at the same time and do a replace truss type on them all at once. If they are hanging positions I have to take them one at a time. Internally I have no problem with all trusses being in a hanging position if this saves the light guys plenty of time. Then it is beneficial that I spend a bit more time adjusting my trusses. But, up until now, no one internally or on this forum has made it clear why light guys always prefer a hanging position, they just use it because some Vectorworks tutorial said that they say to go. So there is in my opinion only more workload on the rigger and the same workload for a light guy. Please enlighten me if I'm wrong, I'm more than happy using hanging positions. And don't get me wrong, I use hanging positions all the time, in their intended function. I have an object that fixtures and hoists cannot connect to(not a truss or a pipe), and then I make it into a hanging position to be able to use it for fixtures and rigging.

But it is very possible to hang a fixture in a truss that is not in a hanging position. And, as a rigger who does plan the trusses, and does care what parts go where and what type of truss it is, that is a horrible procedure to begin with, makes it twice as troublesome when you also have to do one truss at a time since you have to double click/open the hanging position to edit the truss itself.

A truss don't need to be a hanging position for a cable to snap. Maybe the truss was on a different layer and you created a hanging position in the "correct" layer. In my opinion, a truss should never be a hanging position!