modeleste

I can't seem to import any of our shape files (all generated by TNTmips) Just get a "file contains an error" message with no further info

Just an addendum that points out what is possible-- not meant to dis Vectorworks but to encourage its improvement, since I like it. I finally gave up using Landmark for my terrain modeling, broke down and dropped $5000 on a high-end terrain modeling/remot sensing/ gis app (TNTmips from Microimages) On the same dual G5 on which it took vectorworks around a week to import the data it completed import and verification in 47 seconds. Surface modeling flies at similar rates.

The issue isn;t so much the degree minutes secods format is it is the easting and westing from north and south AS in N 43? 17' 53' W being the fool-proof reversal of the bearing S 43? 17' 53' E and both being in the only format accepted professionally

not 180, 270 (this time it was just a paste over riding what I typed first, but still.... just too fussy if you are having to do it hundreds or thousands of times in a day

and I proved my point in an embarrassing manner. The second equation should have been 180? + 20? 13' 32' = Momentarily forgot that Vectorworks sets 0? at East. Thgis sort of deadly boring repetetive stuff is the first stuff computers should be doing foir us

I thought I'd explaination of why this is important, as programming types rarely get it. First the reason for the format: reversability in the field and when tracing a course in the office. You frequently follow bearings in the opposite direction from that in which they were established. So N 20? 13' 32" E reverses to S 20? 13' 32" W with no funky base 60 math and no chance of error. The same in vectorworks format woud be 90?- 20? 13' 32"= 79? 46' 28' to reverse you must do 180? + 20? 13' 32' = 200? 13' 32" Try doing that all day without making an error. Or try entering a property plat with several hundred segments translating each one into vectorworks format. It will take a day and leave you with a migrain. Then when you want to share the result with a professional, you have to translate everything back into standard format and lable each seqment by hand, because he or she isn't going to waste timne w vectorworks format, they'll just tell you to get professionmal software. It is a rare building project that doesn't involve property boundaries.

Digital Elevation Model. Vectorworks uses DT(errain)M. Sorry. I've used DEM for too long to retrain the brain

there seems to be a bug in the DEM creation which sets the max or min elevation to something less than the range of the file, usually when it isn't the first dem created, resulting in long time spent waiting for a DEM that isn't useful. The default range should be unlimited, only very rarely is there any utility in setting a max or min.

yes!

That is an idea. I have it broken into sections (took forever because the data comes in in patches, so I have to import chunks and then paste the nearby patches togeter in another file) It hadn't occurred to me that using different layers might provide a work around. Thanks. Wonder how the edges will mesh & if rendering and solar studies will work...

Thanks, that was interesting. In reference to a question raised in the discussion: Mine is not artifically dense data. It is a pure LIDAR generated 10' grid of xyz points covering maybe 4 square miles. The Landmard description seemed to indicate that it was intended for such work.

please

please

plus automatic generation of a standard line table if segments are too short to display dimentions on the line

After importing a lot of survey data or pasting a lot of points Vectorworks will lock up on a dual G5 for several hours