Brian R

After deliberating, I had a DesignJet T610 delivered by HP and have set it up, but not used it yet. It must be a new model or of a selection specifically targeting linework, vs photo type printing, since it is not a model number addressed in this forum. It shipped with a DVD with installer and directions, which unfortuneately can't be read on an older G4, so I downloaded an installer and am waiting to receive appropriate instructions. Perhaps you'll hear more later. Thanks. Brian R

I have been experiencing the same problem as well. When I reshape the seating polygon or move the focus point even a tiny amount, the entire seating array changes the direction of focus, jumps the seats forward or back in relation to the risers, and as a result looses or gains seats, that may or may not be within the polygon. There is not much direction about how to chose the focus point in the layout; it does not, for example, seem to be at the mid-point of the overall width of the polygon. It would be an improvement if it were possible to at least lock the direction of focus. My "fix" is to get it close, then to rotate the entire array until it aligns with the seating risers. Clumsy, but it works. Maybe there is a secret in object info.? Brian

Thanks for the reply. The HP rep's recommended list of models seems different than typ. plotters listed in this forum, either because they are a new model numbering, or maybe because they are all focused on line drawings. The 130 you cited costs +$300 more and appears to be twice the resolution dpi as the 110 and as a result prints more slowly, so maybe you can do photos. The advantage of the 110 and 130 table top plotters is they seem to have input trays in addition to optional roll sheet input. How good is the 130 for black lines? The 110 has only 4 colors plus "black pigment dye". Brian

I am planning to finally get an in-house 24" plotter instead of outsourcing. Until now I have used an Apple 11x17 laserwriter for 10 years. HP at Macworld SF suggested HPDesignJet 110plus series, T610, or T1100 to work with my Apple Power PC G4 733 MHz; OS10.39; VW12.5. I will be plotting mostly architectural B&W line drawings with temptation to do some color work for renderings. Has anyone had experience with one of these printers? Is there a need for a separate driver, and does this require massive memory in computer?

For producing a construction drawing that indicates existing or work by others in half-tone or ghost lines, what method is best? I find with my in-house black and white laser printer, I can use color to translate to half tone, but it seems to change some when I make the drawing into a pdf. Or one can do all the existing on a separate layer and print that gray, with new work and title block as visible, but that takes a different organization, and I might have to redo some of the layer links to add in the grey layer.

When I draw rectangles and do a duplicate array, then rotate the bunch to represent a canted line of seats, they convert to polygons, and they print irregularly (not square). I tried higher resolution (300 instead of 72 dpi default), doesn't help. On the display they look lumpy at small scale but straighten out when I zoom in. I am running 11.5 on a 733 mhz G4 with Apple OSX3.5 , using a Apple Laserwriter 8500 11x17 for in-house. Thanks if anyone has a solution, Brian

Thanks to all. I used the PDF and printed myself a copy--the linework is cleaner, the curves are smoother, and the scale is pretty close. In the long direction of 8 1/2 x 11, comparing to a printed graphic scale, there is about 2" shrinkage in 30' (at 1/4" scale) which is 1/2 %. Here's hoping that sending to the windows machine works as well. Brian

Opinions on best export format for email, so that a client can open and print an 8 1/2 x 11 drawing that can then be scaled. I have tried .tif and .jpg, but the images received on their PC were slightly shrunk. Maybe I am overlooking some settings during export process? (I am sending from Mac system to Windows). Also any advice on improving resolution of the received image?

I agree that different size casings are useful, and in practice not that unusual; for example the public hallway side of a door has room for wide casings to match others, but the interior face may abut a wall and not have room for a wider casing, OR two rooms may be trimmed differently, as mentioned by Diana, for appearance. In the first case, it seems you can just bury the casing in the adjacent wall, although it shows up if you cut a detail.

One can set views from specific viewer locations/eye-heights to specific objects with accuracy in Design Layers; we use it to quickly illustrate sightlines to theater stage from specific seats, and it is very effective.[This was why we bought the Vectorworks to begin with!]. I wish the Viewports views had specified viewer heights, but they don't and are not as accurate as I need, so I still have to go back to the Design Layer and set up a layer link to get the whole picture. As for "normal" etc., I crop out the distorted picture on the periphery (stretched people etc.). I guess it is a subjective call to say what looks "distorted".

Have been trying to use the library of preset textures that comes with Vectorworks 11 to show siding on walls. They are hard to find, but eventually I discovered that Resource Browser "Files and Folders" to "Browse a Document" to Vectorworks to Textures gets me the list (this process isn't described in the manual). The long list is not very well differentiated: wood siding 6 white vs. wood siding 12 white does not mean much. Is there a display or description of the different effects in a manual or online somewhere? Finally, close up the texture looks like horizontal lines 6" apart, but when displayed on a rendered perspective or printed, the lines randomly drop out and the rendering looks bad. Any ways to make this easier? Brian Rawlinson

I have experienced the same problem when I have changed the crop outline to a "0" invisible line weight, so that it is hard to click in the correct spot to pick the crop...but I just marquee the whole so that its selection points show up. Brian Rawlinson

I tried to "offset in wall", also without helping my problem of offset sash. It appears to shift the entire window and frame, which would be necessary with a masonry veneer wall, where the ends of brick are exposed and don't abut the frame.

The Ozcad stuff looks like it covers a lot. Aside from the added cost, I wonder if it works with the standard n.america object libraries of Anderson and Marvin windows, or if it replaces them and you lose the product specific advantages? Re: Robt. Anderson's remark, I use floor structure for threshold so that it is opaque in top plan view and blocks things under. I draw the regular floor slab to a point within exterior walls, usually the first cavitly line at outside, so that floor does not show in exterior elevations/perspectives.

Is there a door object parameter that provides for door sills (projecting wood trim similar to window sills, or aluminum extrusions) and thresholds? I have been inserting a 1" x 6" ? "floor" object, in order to cover the gap in the wall that shows in plan view between edge of floor slab/face of stud and the outer face of siding, at locations where the door has an exterior step. (If the slab runs through there is no problem) There does not appear to be any such thing in the enumerated Class settings for trim under Object Info., or anywhere else. It would be nice to easily show a traditional exterior sill with extended "horns" 1 inch beyond wide door casings.