quigley

In all honesty if you are doing any kind of complex modelling Rhino will be a far better bet - especially for marine design. VW has a powerful suite of NURBS tools but they just don't compare to Rhino for production level modelling. Rhino also has a far better range of 3D import and export options, as well as direct interfaces to many leading MCAD systems, rendering engines and 3rd party hardware devices. Put it this way. Spending money on Rhion will not be a wasted purchase.

Best check out this site: www.bunkspeed.com/hypershot Then try it out. Thats what I mean by realtime. Lightworks has a realtime preview system as well but it is not quite as good as this. Basically realtime previews mean you get a pretty good idea of what the final render will look like. They usually require a good graphics card though. I don't think you can get a Maxwell plugin for VectorWorks yet (?). But you can import the VW model in other ways. VW does have plug ins for Cinema 4D and Artlantis.

Renderworks is like any rendering system. Used correctly you get good results. Used shoddily you get mediocre results. Consider this. A few years back Ashlar-Vellum Cobalt user won an international rendering competition against users of Maya, 3D Studio, Cinema etc etc. Ashlar used LightWorks, so does FormZ and VectorWorks. The implementation of LightWorks in VectorWorks is better than Ashlars and nearly as good as FormZ. Now if you want realtime previews then there are better options - Cinema4d works well with VW for example. Or something like Hypershot gives genuine realtime HDRI scenes for external building views. So in answer yes, RenderWorks can produce the goods. I think it is as easy to use as most rendering systems and has the benefit of being part of VectorWorks - and if you are making frequent changes this cannot be underestimated. If you want the ultimate realistic rendering engine then Maxwell will be better - set up is quick but render times are very very high.

Petri, I assume you use Archicad now most of the time? Funny that. But layers are nothing more that an additonal method of organising your data. It does not have to be vertical, horizontal or even at 45 degrees. Plenty of VW users use just layers or just classes or a bit of both. Plenty use just 2D so there are no 3D spatial issues. There is no right or wrong way. Robert's answer is perfectly clear and to the point. Classes=AC layers, VW layers=another way to organise. The use of layers also depends how intergated you need to be with other applications. If you need to work with Autocad then the preferred method (for ultimate compatibility) is a single design layer and multiple classes. It also depends how much you use or intend to use 3D vs 2D. In which case the biggest issue you will face is that each layer has its own view parameters - one layer can display top view whilst the other an isometric. That is the single biggest issue most Autocad users I have trained face when trying to understand layers and 3D in VW.....hence why many build models in one layer and mutiple classes. Get hold of the excellent VW training DVDs as these explain in detail how layers and classes work.

Got SketchUp Pro? The SketchUp Pro OBJ exporter is very good. Export from VW as a .3ds file import to SketchUp and export as a OBJ.

VW doesn't have 3D hatches but there are ways to mimic it and give more flexibility. Example. For a shaded perspective with lines, create a viewport of the perspective or section you need, copy it, change the render mode to OpenGL (eg instant), paste in place to place the copy over the original, change the render style to Hidden lines. If you have a designer level product you can also add sketch lines to this as well. For a 3D hatch effect go to the section you have created (assuming it is a 3D section), et the view orthgonal and in the section plane and trace over the section with the 2D ploygon tool. Fill it with a Hatch via the Hatch tool (not the fill attribute), convert the lot to 3D lines, change the view towhat you want - job done. 3D hatch. A bit clunky? Perhaps. But ultimately flexible and the lines will be vector sharp not bitmaps as sometimes happens with shaded views in other apps.

Best bet Travis is to download the free Google SketchUp and have a play. Honestly if you can model in VW you will have no problems picking up SketchUp in 10 mins. I don't really recommend using the SketchUp plug in though. It is OK for really simple stuff but beyond that it is better to use another format. As Katie suggests for 3D the .3ds format exported from VW Designer series products works well. For 2D, export as a dwg and build in SketchUp. I'd just try it though.

eh? Please define professional rendering package DWorks. 12.5 has area lights, HDRI lighting, Radiosity, ray tracing, camera path animation etc etc. What is missing from it to not make it professional level? On this basis you are saying that something like FormZ is not professional level rendering. Sure Renderworks is by no means the fastest renderer, or the most interactive, or indeed giving the best results but it is built in and a reasonable price. I'm just curious. What is missing from the RW package?

Bruce, I export eps to Illustrator all the time. But what I do is use the Open command in Illustrator rather than place then I can copy and paste what I need to a new file. I also find that if you export from Sheet Layers you get a good result. I have seen the File error issue but then I use CS2 so perhaps the VW eps format in v12 is writing out a CS2 specific format? Additional options are export pdf and dwg, but I have to say I find EPS the best and most reliable format.

Use the Connect/Combine tool not the trim tool - strange but true. Select the lines to the trimmed, choose the connect combine tool, first option, hold the ALT ket down and click from the endpoint of one line to the object you wish to trim to. Exactly same method as Jonathan's Podcast shows but you are trimming to the line/curve rather than extending to it.

The main reason for this operation to fail is when you get self intersection - eg - the resultant sweep has areas where the shape crosses itself.The best thing to do is ensure that this never happens (as would be the case in real life anyway). Also the location of the path relative to the profile is critical - best practise is to ensure the profile is normal to the path at the start point. It works fine on 2D and 3D paths if you follow these rules.

You can run them on the same machine but not at the same time. I run a Fundamentals and Designer on the same machine. What you must do is create a text file with the serial numbers and copy and paste the serial you wish to use in the serial numbers dialogue in preferences then restart VW. It will then automatically load the correct environment.

Why not export a PDF with layers? That way they can set up the pdf as needed and (assuming they have full Acrobat) save it to a range of formats. You will need Architect to do this though. I have to say it would be very useful if NNA could provide a free VectorWorks viewer that exported to dwg....this would get around this issue neatly. Ashlar-Vellum have free Graphite Share and Cobalt Share applications which only open the native Ashlar formats but allow exporting to a wide range of formats including dwg.

Bryan, Whilst Cobalt/Graphite may not be suited to this need I can assure you they are perfectly suited to the tasks they were designed for - product design. I might be ignorant here but aren't there specialist clothing design softwares out there for this purpose? I know the sports shoe market and you can buy add ons for Rhino to do the sizing, as you can with apps like Powershape from Delcam, but these are pretty specialist. Also I am fairly sure there is an Illustrator add on for clothing pattern sizing.... The guys are correct, VW could handle it by some kind of specialist VectorScript but it sounds like you are after an off the shelf solution? http://www.fashioncad.net/ There are many others....

I think it also depends very much on what you are pronting to Kurt. Some RP systems are aimed at the architectural market and their "printer" drivers handle scale OK. Another solution is to export your 3D model into a neutral format like ACIS or even .3ds then import into another software for scaling (though you could do this in VW). Then export to STL. Rule of thumb. Send the bureau the STL data at the size you want it to print at and attach the bounding box sizes to the file for the size you want it delivered. Finally you can try to boolean your 3D VW model into one lump then export to STL - that works well.

Another way if you use viewports but apply dimensions and text in design layers is to use the viewports advanced properties "text scale" feature - very handy. Remember as well you can create a script to select dimensions and text only (even down to certain classes and layers) and inside symbols and groups, then just apply the menu options. I have to say though I tend to just select everythign in a zone and apply the menu - works fine.

OK thanks for that Katie. In that case it does beg the question would it not be more straightforward for NNA and the VARs to make ALL versions cross platform dongled or not (I assume the non dongled versions are node locked in some way?). Are there plans to introduce Adobe like activation? This would allow users to chop and change as required.

I thought the existing license was cross platform anyway for 12? The serials work on both platforms (if dongled). Is this incorrect?

looks like a bug to me....anyone bug listed this one yet?

I think that is the confusion perhaps? Many of us use walls to knock up a quick 3D, but I have come across many users who create a component for the wall rather than just applying thickness. This suggests that the interface could do witha minor tweak to make this clear? Maybe not allow one just component to be the same as the wall thickness? Have a warning pop up that says "for simple solid walls you do not need components" Or perhaps better, make the interface such that you have to have a component to define the wall thickness? And make the software deal with the wall/component issues unseen by the user?

My vote is for the 2 circles, 2 fillets, trim and compose approach :-) But......if you want to be able to edit the fillets (ie the tangent arcs) or indeed the circles the only way to do this is to use geometrical constraints...which VW can do....sort of.

Good idea.

Getting back to the original question regarding price.... Usually a software company sets a local RRP in each sector. That it sells for a certain price is set by NNA. Soaftware is always cheaper in the USA. Other territories vary but generally EEC and UK are regarded as most as being the highest prices. For example. If I want to buy a seat of SolidWorks in the USA it starts at $3995. In the UK it is ?3995 - effectively double the price. I am amazed that in the EEC and UK there has not been investigations into price fixing by the European Union. All the main MCAD vendors do this - Autodesk, Dassault, UGS, PTC etc. Personally I am sick of gettign emails from news sites in the USA offering me XYZ software for a dollar price ....only to find I am unable to purchase it in the UK for anything near that price. Some vendors do offer a worldwide price - good on them. Think 3, Ashlar, IronCAD to name a few.

Would setting the reference updating to manual not do this anyway (not update a reference that is)? I'm a worrier about keyboard shortcuts at time of opening files as it is too easy for users to mistakenly do this. I would prefer a dialogue to pop up saying "The referenced files will automatically be updated. If you do not wish to update them click NO here"....or something like that. That way there is no excuse for the user to not update the referenced file by mistake.

Shaun, the primary market for Cinema4D is not architecture and not VectorWorks based architecture. I use Cinema 4D and yes it is a fantastic tool but I totally disagree that it is easy to use (compared to RenderWorks intergration) or that most companies can justify the extra cost. I train VectorWorks and you have to realise that 99% of trainees, even very experienced ones, don;t use 50% of what VectorWorks can do. Most of the time this is down to sheer workload and financial constraints within businesses. Most architects of any size would rather employ a specialised visualising team or outsource high end visuals and animations - they just don't have the time to do this kind of work. This is where RenderWorks comes in. Because you can set it all up fairly easily within VectorWorks the only overhead then becomes the rendering time. Quality was once a major issue but it is not AS MUCH of an issue as it once was. Of course Cinema will give better ultimate results but only if you know what you are doing. As for Maxwell, well yes it is superb if you can wait for 6 days for the render to finish :-) Finally I get your point about software not breaking but the reality is that it does. From 12 to 12.5 was a major upgrade on the Macintosh side. Most UBs I know of have made the jump in a version (eg 12 to 13) because the file formats will change. I beta test a lot of different CAD software (mainly on the MCAD side) and all the Macintosh UBs have broken the upwards compatibility path. I would consider (for the Mac user) 12.5 to be a major upgrade....and a free one at that.