Lynda

I see that my request for creating hedges has already been addressed in version 12 - afarid I'm out of date! Interesting to see otehr users requests. Please carry on. Lynda

Islandmon, They look brilliant! I'n not familiar with Imageprop - I obviously have a long way to go. may I ask how your visual was rendered, is it Final quality Renderworks or have you done anything special? Lighting is another thing I;m getting unpredicatble results with. My viewports show a different intensity of colour to the linked image!!! Lynda Lynda

I've been producing 'park railings' by using the handrail tool. Does anyone have any other flexible method please? I am investigating objects from polyline is this the best method? Lynda Landscape Architect student V11.5.1 on Win 2000

On a landscape basis, I;d like to see a simple way of creating hedges in 3d. This often applies in visualisation. Another useful tool would be railings. There are lots of tools of this type in architect - handrails, furniture etc - but there is an absence of 3d tools of this type in landmark. The emphasis in Landmark seems to be on 2d whereas I beliec that 3d should be a big advantage of the program. How about UK based training - nice as it would be to travel to the US cost would be prohibitive! More 3d tree / plant symbols would also be helpful. (Ihaven't seen 12 so don't know if they have improved there?). Thanks to everyone who has helped me meantime! Lynda

Re the above, some of my viewports won't render either in OpenGL or Renderworks. Some of the layers render the other remain as wireframe!

I have a file with layers 2D and 3d including a DTM. I'm finding that some individual layers won't render in OpenGL only in Renderworks. Also, in layerlink the files won't render in OpenGL even though some of them render in the individual layers. This particularly applies to the DTM layer which only shows in Renderworks or wireframe when in a 3D view. Any ideas please? VW 11.5.1 on Win 2000

I have created a DTM from 3D loci. These match the original contours exactly. When I create an existing and proposed DTm some of the contours created no longer match the existing positions. e.g. my 54m contour has been consistently moved east by 19m. Other contours have some curves squared off (quite drastically). This is without any modification. When I update my proposed model with site modifiers this is exagerated in some areas. Outside the fenced areas contours are altered when there is nothing happening there. The more I do the stranger some of the contours get. I have tried using elements in a new file from scratch but have just achieved the same result of crossing contours. One area looks like a childs scribble! There are also some very strange V shapes appearing. Am I doing something wrong with the fences? How are you supposed to set the elevation of these - by sending them to the surface, choosing a height (which is difficult on a slope), or leave it at 0 regardless of the pad or road height as it is a 2d object? I was doing well until the site became more complicated yet I can't even seem to backtrack the proposed model by eliminating items. Ironic as I'd almost finished the remodelling! Help gratefully accepted. 11.5 on Windows 2000. Lynda

Yes, I'm getting the same problem with ditches and swales too. Both on the existing DTM and any new ones ce=reated for the proposed model. Makes a bit of a mockery of cut and fill calcs. Infuriating and looks like it could be back to the drawing board!

Thanks for your reply. Not sure whether to be glad it's not just something I'm doing wrong or infuriated 'cos it's created more work! I don't totally undestand your refernce to grid separations - I wasn't using a grid knowingly but my z elevations are definately within the declared ranges. Can't ugrade an educational version to 12 unfortunately and can't afford to buy fresh as I'm having to do ACAD too. be intersting to find out how the opposition software works out when I finally get around to learning it! Thanks anyway. lynda

Thanks for all of your help. All my pads have redlines but they don't overlap each other. I've just tried in a new file and am getting the same results with a single pad. Does it make any difference to a pad or fence if the elevation is set in the z co-ordinate or the config elevation window? I can't find any difference in the result. I have also combined the fences and put them around the whole area so that they don't overlap they show in a blue dotted line.

I have created a pad for a permeable paved car park which has created a cut. However, I also need to include the construction depth in my cut and fill calcs. Is there a way to give the pad a 'depth' or would I have to use 3d polys to achieve the correct cut volume? A very 'student' quetsion agaim I'm afraid! v11.5 on PC

I've just found the stake object tool so I am making advances. I have the full industry series but the educational version has no manuals! Thanks in advance for some help. Lynda

Some of my site modifiers are adjoining. When I create fences these then cross the other site modifiers - pads, roads etc. I am getting some very strange results! Can I put all of my fences onto a separate layer and create them all at the same time so that they do not cross any pads or roads? Not ideal as this will not allow me to use a slope within the fence but if it gives more predictable results will be an improvement. Alternatively, is it possible to adjust / tweak the contour lines of a proposed model - created froma a DTM - manually? I am using v. 11.5 and don't think I can create stake objects other than for a road. (As a student I'm still learning!)

A pad created with the site modifier tool always shows with a red outline in top plan view. This does not show in the attributes palette. Can I change this? I am working in v 11.5 on PC.

I am re modelling land using existing and proposed DTMs. I have contours originally created from 3d polys. I also have other site modifiers, pads, massing models and fences etc. To create a lake I created new contour levels using 3d polys in 'layer cake' fashion on Site DTM Modifier class. I have also created a berm or mound in the same way. Is this the most efficient method or would I have been better to have created a nurbs surface, reshaped it and then converted to 3D polys? My file is now getting quite big so I'm keen to reduce the size if possible. The cut and fiull claculations also need to be accurate.

Thanks for this very prompt reply. I have just managed to solve the problem by converting my polylines to 3d polygons and moving them to the Site -DTM-Modifier class. I'd omitted to move my converted contours to this class previously and think that this is why they were overlooked. I had already made them into 3D polygons by using the 2d polys to 3d contour tool. Does this not work with polylines? Always helps when I write the problem down!

I have an esxisting site with contours and have created both existing and proposed DTMs. I now need to add a small lake and balancing ponds for a SUDS drainages system.I have tried creating new contours (from polyline) with a fence around all on a separate pond layer but my proposed DTM will not update. It sees the layer as having a fence but ignores the contours. I have tried putting the new contours on to the MOD site DTM data layer but this updates the existing DTM only - which I don't want to do at all. I've tryed using a pad with gradient but this is only planar. Can pads be set one inside the other to create a pond that gets deeper into the centre? How can I get the update DTM to see my new contours or is there another way of creating a lake. I want to be able to calculate cut and fill. Thanks in anticipation.

Whoops, Just read a previous posting that the RPC models don't work with VectorWorks. Sorry. Howver, Chief symbols definitely do! Lynda

Hi Wayne, I note that you're from the Uk. Many of the VW symbols are US biased style wise. However, the Autocad /Studio Viz ones from RPC are very good for people and vehicles. Their sponsors are www.cgarchitect.com but they can also be found at archvision.com. Also, some good trees are available to buy from Chief symbols (I found them through Google) Very good maples etc. but they slow the re-draw down drastically. Some work needed on re-colouring bur worth it. Also, try looking at Piranesi software, it's being promoted in the UK at present. I was very impressed. Lynda who is also learning!

Thanks Delmer. I found these options but they didn't seem to make a lot of difference. I ended up flooding the image with lights, but turned off shadows, and this seems to have achieved a more accurate coloured print. Lynda

I found that by flooding the image with extra lights but turning off cast shadows gave me the colours and degree of accuracy I wanted. This was in renderworks but seems to work quite well in Open GL too. I keep lights visible in wireframe so that I can find them - didn't know you could do an optimize select. I also adjusted the position manually after placing. It mentions something about achieving realistic lighting in the 10.5 version manual. Don't know if this helps. I've found the Tech support board invaluable as abeginner in all aspects of VW including Renderworks. Thanks all! Lynda

Just curious. Why, when I export as a DWG file then import into Illustrator, is the resulting image always upside down? Baffled of the UK!

RPC have a good range of high qaulity figures. You can access their site through www.visualizationmasters.com Set up for Autocad and Stusio viz but probably work with VW too.

I am printing to an HP DesignJet 750C+ plotter and can not get my colours to match anywhere near on screen. In my Windows version of VW there does not seem to be an option to use CMYK at all. Do I have to use another program to give me all of my colour values and convert all of the palette colours manually? My Epson printer is also CMYK so again the same issue when printing directly from VW. I don't have the same problem if I export a bitmap image and print from Illustrator. Then the issue becomes one of scale and file size! There are no answers in the tech support archive. Are there any new filters I can use?

At present layers remember the rendering used on them when last viewed. This often slows down work when moving from layer to layer when renderworks has been left on. You can align all layers to the same view. A useful tool would be to allow all layers to be transferred to wireframe too.