dsofio

yeah, I got tired of hoping for an answer and reloaded all, so now that feature is back. I don't quite get what VW WAS doing while connecting to the net, but it apparently wasn't downloading any available updates. Seems OK now. Whatever...

...just noticed the "issue manager" menu item also won't open, if it matters for diagnostics...though I don't think I've ever used it.

I had to reload XP, and so also had to reload VWKS. On first use, I am finding that 'drawing setup' doesn't DO anything. Other menu functions seem to be normal, though I sure can't say I've given it a full workout, since I can't set my scale anymore - not encouraging me to do a lot of drawing just yet. What could be up with this? Designer/Renderworks 12.0.1 Mahalo, Dave

My callout tool only will create a single-line leader, regardless of whether I set it to three-point mode. Very frustrating...and even at that, it consistently baffles me as to where it will decide to place the text, and fights me when I try to correct this seemingly-random text-placement. Also, having to repeatedly adjust font characteristics after creating the callout text is clumsy and inefficient at best. If there is a way to preset my preferences for font and size via the callout setup control, I haven't found it...yet there is an option to "Get Text from Database?!". This worked much better in previous releases if I recall.

Mike, Thanks, that's gotta be easier, and if I need to manipulate text in 3-space I guess I can use Mat's method in conjunction w/dimensioning. --ds

islandmon, Sorry, I don't follow; as long as /what/ is a mesh, the terrain? The wall? Are you saying a) convert (wall) to mesh, then b) edit somehow? Haven't had any luck with that approach, so I guess you might mean something else. I don't have a terrain, per se, just estimated changes in elevation at various points for this rough wall design for now. Mahalo, Dave

Thanks, Matt; your approach uses some stuff I've not done before so it sounds interesting even if not one-click...I'll give it a try. --ds

I often want to add some dimensions to 3D views in order to communicate efficiently with people who may not be accustomed to mentally rendering 3D views from an orthogonal view. Seems there should be a way to 'float' dimensions for this purpose, but so far, I find they remain, flounder-like, in the ground plane, with the text usually not discernible and the orientation having nothing to do with my carefully-rotated 3D perspective. Surely I can't be the first to go down this road?

I've yet to try DTM data importing in V12, but I essentially gave up from related problems with V9 I'm inferring from these posts that there (still?) isn't some less clumsy way to import survey data than via text files, created by first exporting from a spreadsheet (repeating this joyless process ad nauseum, as errors in format or data are discovered)? After this many new releases? Hopefully I am speaking too soon, and there IS some accommodation...

I'd like to be able to tweak wall sections to follow approximated variations in terrain (no usable DTM, yet) and render the approximate changes in section and placement on a steep hillside. Is this possible with any landscape wall, particularly with Bezier walls? I had a VERY hard time representing this with the conventional wall tool for a straight section of wall, so I wouldn't even try to use that workaround for a curvy section. My stone wall representation requires taper to the top, as well as variations along the slope. Ideally, the base thickness would adjust to keep a code-required wall batter, based on the height at any given section over varying terrain. From what little help-file material I can find on landscape or landscape Bezier walls in particular, this appears perhaps only useful for work where there are no variations in terrain...but who landscapes only flat planes? "selected object has no edit behavior" is not a happy thing. I'm wondering about chucking the wall tools altogether and instead extruding along a 3D line, then modifying the resulting solid...?

This error comes up every time I try to import test or real survey data, even in absurdly stripped-down test form (eight points, no ID or description). The points will render, but any alteration generates the same error message, and it takes one "OK" click to "clear" each data point. This was not always the case; I did at one time successfully import real data, but had to hit the "OK" button about 100 times to clear the error message (once per data line), and at that time I did NOT have to repeat this any time I made a change in the properties of any point. I can only guess as to what might have changed between then and now, but suffice it to say that the importing process has never worked right. My data are tab-delimited, from a "notepad" file (though I'd dearly loved to have worked right from Excel, this was what NNA tech people advised). In other than stripped-down test data and real data, "ID" is an integer, "description" is text. I've played with guessing at end-of-data characters and all other permutations I can think of, and nothing takes care of this error message. Searching the board for info on the error, I found three-- unresolved-- posts that are quite old by now: DTM Error (NNA_DTM_Hidden_Record.) 07-25-2001; 3D Survey Data Import Error 04-15-2002; DTM Survey Data Import not working 11-27-2002. Users varied in responses (one indicating same problem with v11). Not comforting that there was no followup from the Nemetschek tech who had taken the topic up: "Interesting... Can you send us the data file you are using via email? I'll go through the whole process and see what happens. If its a bug, I'll see what I can do about a wrokaround/fix...[edit] Matthew Giampapa NNA Technical Support"...then...resounding silence on the topic. This was my experience with telephone tech help as well, also followed up by my sending data with no response. One of my later tech calls ended only with the not-so-generous offer to sell me the current version, but frankly, I'd be more inclined to cut my losses and spend that money on graph paper. Since my primary purpose in buying VWKS was to be able to use it for DTM to create and alter topos for a personal mini-site-development project I whittle away at when I am not busy working overseas, I must say Vectorworks has been more than a huge dissapointment to me in this regard. If DTM actually can be made to import properly and work dependably, a sample "project" would be most useful so I can attempt to duplicate at my computer. Mr. Anderson, can you shed some light? Sincerely, Dave Sofio v. 9.5.2, Dell Dimension 8200 [Pent 4, 2GHz], WINXPpro, 512MB RAM

Lauren, I've got an older version that I bought to use for topo, primarily on the advertised capabilities (errr...hype?) to do such work. Though an engineer by occupation, I generally don't need such capabilities for my work, but for this personal owner-builder project requiring reasonably-accurate contours for some steep hillside construction and grading, it looked like VWKS was the ticket. Suffice it to say that VWKS Arch 9.5.2 was not ready for release in terms of this advertised topo capability. My numerous calls to tech support ultimately led nowhere, though at least one tech was very diligent. Essentially, importing topo data had proved virtually impossible, with numerous baffling errors reported during the import process, despite every conceivable permutation of data format. If you're doing straightforward projects that come together at round-number angles and sit on flat lots, then you've probably got none of this to worry about. But when I tried to 3D model rambling poured-in-place retaining walls that ran up slopes, the 'breaks' in wall direction could not be made to stay together when I changed viewpoint (if I altered the viewpoint, the corners would 'unsnap' from each other as if a gap existed at the corners, a disquieting behavior that one doesn't want in either a model or the real thing...and that tech support was unable to fix). Presumably, by version 11, they have improved this, but...caveat emptor. At the time I was trying to solve this problem and tech support had failed, the most Nemetschek would do for me was offer to sell me an upgrade when the new version came out. After my countless hours of frustration this didn't seem like adequate support, and didn't offer a guarantee that the problems would be solved by a new version.