Roman

I'm having trouble moving a door in a wall with precision. If I use the move command (apple-m), the whole wall moves, even though I selected the door. I tried the position option, but that's clunky/confusing because it's based on the begining of the wall. Is there any quick and precise way to move wall-inserted symbols?

I downloaded a hatch file full of great hatches from AutoCad (www.vectordepot.com). Unfortunately, they're all set .15mm. That's fine for somethings like brick, but others I need finner line weight. I tried modifying the line weight setting via the color pallette to .03 mm, but this only modifies the external polygon. So then I got inside each hatch and started changing them individually. Unfortunately some of them have 20 layers inside of them and I have to selevt each one and change it to .03 mm. Is there anyway around this manual way? Since hatches *usually* feature uniform line weights, could the color/line pallette control internal hatch line weights with one click?

Robert, Yes, the locus is very useful. Thanks, I'll start using that. I haven't used symbols on the scale of full building plans - I will have to try that. But WGRs should not be fixed in place...relative position, scale, etc. can be saved in the host document w/o affecting the orignal, no? I just think layer linking is a hassle because you have to create another layer and then link. If WGR have to happen, why not do the layer linking behind the scenes, so the user can automatically start working with the reference? As for 1:1 drawing, it's very usefull when creating detail sheets which have a number of large scales, such as 3" or 1 1/2". Unfortunately, the program does not allow you to change layers with ease...you have to select from a menu. I know you can cycle through them, but sometimes we have 5 different scales on one sheet. It would be nice to have some command-click function to switch layers, like Photoshop. That's why I'd like to draw some things in 1:1. Thanks for the help.

Mr. Master, I've read the manual - it's more like an index of features rather than a user's guide. And I've been using V10.5 for a year. My first question is simple: if you do your drawings at 1:1, how do you make the text show up in regular point notation?

Mikatoa- I tried editing the Detail Wood Cut tool via the organize feature, but the script is locked. Anyway to unlock? The parameters that are editable do not have any line weight information... Robert- Sure it's a detail, but it can also be used as an effective hatch for drawings in 1/4". Besides, it's generally wrong when tools like this are locked into some line weight. Line weight control is essential in any drawing program...

We just upgraded to 11.5 and it seems that vectorworks is trying to get users to model in 1:1 scale and then print at 1:X scale. That's great, but there's problems with text at 1:1, no? 1) Standard text sizes (in points) do not work in 1:1. It's simply impossible to see the text when doing a building section. How are you supposed to do notes, dimensions, etc. at 10 PT when modeling in 1:1? If the answer is annotations in viewport, then that's slow because as drawings change a lot, going back and forth between sheet/design layer would be infuriating. Or are you supposed to stay at 1/4" or whatever scale you used in v10.5? That's my solution for now. 2) How do you get the 0,0 axis to show up so that you snap / reference it? We need to reference a lot of buildings from a master plan... 3) I've been trying to get the elevation markers to work. When I place them somewhere and check the "Auto-Set relative to Ref. Elev," I get some number based on the global 0,0 (for example -67'2.411"). How do you get it to a relative 0? I tried re-setting the grid 0,0 to the base of my drawing, but the marker kept at -67'2.411" So then I typed in -67'2.411" into Reference Elevation field...and that set the marker to 0. What if I moved my entire drawing around - wouldn't that screw up all the markers? Any way to make the markers work from a specified 0,0? 4) This is a general complaint on workgroup references: why do you have to do a layer link to move it around? Why can't the reference come in anywhere you like it to? 5) Another complaint: when you have multiple layers on your drawing, you should be able to switch to them via a keystroke+mouse click, like in photoshop. It's pretty time consuming trying to find out what layer something is on.

I compared a dual 867 G4 and single 1.25 G4, home and work and my conclusion was the CPU was the bottle neck. The 1.25 was definitely faster, even though they had similar cards. We ugraded a 400 mhz G4 to 1 Ghz and scroll/panning became smooth. Mind you, V11.5 has OpenGL acceleration for zooming/panning so maybe a software and hardware upgrade would help. Of course, lovely Nemetschek offers no demo of their new program, so you're out of luck unless you want to go with their 30 day money back guarantee for testing purposes. What a hassle.

Nice tool, but why does the internal hatch on the wood default to .15 mm line weight? Can't it be modified to be .03 mm ?

Like the Hitchhiker's Guide says, Don't Panic. I work at a 10 person firm and when I got here it was the same localized mess. We were even using USB keychains for file exchange. So I got the firm to upgrade to an Xserve. You don't need any specialized training or technical knowledge to set it up. You can have file sharing out of the box within 30 minutes and things will be twice as fast If you plan on just file sharing, you don't need anything powerful. If you plan on having user accounts, email, web serving, etc. then consider something more powerful. You'll probably want to get the Xserve because it comes with OS X Server and it's fast. Get big hard drives for it - you'll fill them up faster than you think. Make sure your network router and cabling is minumum 100 mbit. Consider 1000mbit and or wireless routers if you guys have laptops. Get your ISP to do DHCP, if you don't have it already. You shouldn't have to spend more than $3,000. We got it under $2K, but that's because the G4 Xserves were on sale. I assume you have a backup solution? When you get the server, you'll want to have either a remote location for backup, or another old computer with big drives/tapes/etc in a safe location. email me at roman_pohorecki@yahoo.com - I can help you out on the details. Roman

Why can't workgroup references come in anywhere you wish, and be rotated or scaled? The layer link is just an unneccessary step.

Why doesn't VectorWorks tech support reply with a decent answer? Is this question not important enough? I'm talking about layer scaling. When changing an object from a 1:192 layer to a 1:8 layer (, it virtually disappears because I can't see the change. Try it yourself. I think what's happening is that the objects are adjusted according to the wierd 0,0 - wherever the hell that is. The point is, the object should move between layers WITHOUT changing their position on the workspace (non-absolute positioning). Either assume a center point within the object or a corner, so that you always see at least a part of it. I always have zoom out and find it or zoom in and find it. Ridiculous. I understand the Lock/Unlock ability with a Ref, but it is pointless because the moment the Ref is updated it assumes its original position. Anyone here used InDesign? When you use a Place&Link, it asks where you want the object inserted. It even lets you modify it somewhat while retaining its link to the original file. When the linked file gets updated, so does the placed link. So, my question remains unanswered (Nemetschek Tech Support? ). Can you tell the Ref where to be inserted? And can layer changing not be so painful? Or maybe Nemetschek requires $800 dropped for the upgrade?

Yeah, but viewports come in v11, not 10.5. How do you change the reference? Is there any way for VW to ask you where you want the reference placed? The change of scale issue happens regardless of the drawing. I can start a new document with a 1:96 scale and then change some objects to 1:24 and they just fly off where ever they wish. Why can't they stay in one place?

How do I control where a workgroup ref. gets inserted in a drawing? I inserted a title block and it appears 1000 feet from where I was drawing. Since I can't move it because it insists on being locked, I have to move everything else to fit it. Am I running around the block to get to the front door? Also, I'm having a problem when I change scale, from 1:240 to 1:96. The objects on the layer all of sudden jump 400' off my page and then I have fetch them, and drag them back to the page. Annoying, to say the least. Can't the objects stay centered on the page space? 10.5.1 on OS 10.3.8

I had a file open and I renamed it via Finder on OS 10.3.8. Vectorworks 10.5 didn't like that and now my file is empty. 2 hours lost. I've done this in Photoshop and Illustrator, and those programs have no problem with it. Can this be fixed?

I'm attempting to create an IBC formula inside a worksheet and I don't know where to start (506.1). The formula manipulates 4 variables with multiplication, summing, and division. The VM manual is not too helpful and assumes that the user knows spreadsheet functions. I don't, but I do understand variables and returns. Are there any step by step tutorials on learning worksheets? If anyone can help, here are some things I'd like to know to get jump started on the function: 1) How do you declare a variable and asign it a value? 2) How do you tell the function to get that variable? 3) How do you pass the result of a function to another function? 4) How do you sum a row of numbers? Thanks, Roman