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ThreeDot

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Everything posted by ThreeDot

  1. Does anyone know how I can slice a site model into layers and export each layer to be cut on a laser printer?
  2. I get this error if I try to open a VWX file that has not been downloaded (synced) to the local drive. Right click the file in Dropbox and select “Make available offline”. I can post a screenshot when I’m back at my desk.
  3. In Affinity I can select an object, directly adjust color sliders or paste a hex code, and see the results updated live. In VW I have to (1) click on the color swatch, (2) click to open the macOS color picker, (3) adjust sliders or paste hex code, (4) click OK to exit the picker and see the result. If I need to tweak the color, I have to repeat the process again. It can take four clicks—or forty clicks—to get the right color. That is way too cumbersome. I hope VW 2023 is better! VW Hex Color.mov
  4. In VW 2022 (and previous versions), the HEX color field is buried at least five clicks away. The interface between VW and macOS is slow, so those are five...very...slow...clicks. One click direct access is standard on all other graphic software I use (Adobe, Affinity, Sketch, Figma). I'm hoping that changes in VW 2023 allow for better access to colors.
  5. I have the same problem with SP5. Constant pauses with simple actions, like selecting and moving 2D objects.
  6. Webflow has a similar feature where you can option click any CSS override and it will reset to the parent style. It’s fast and easy.
  7. I don't have a solution, but I can confirm I've seen plenty of weird stuff while scrolling, panning, and orbiting the past few years. Even subtle things like hatches mirroring during pan are oddly unsettlingly. It makes no sense, but appears to be acceptable behavior in the Vectorworks universe.
  8. I get this all the time with 2021. Not just with loci, but with lots of things. I’m so beaten by the clumsiness and messiness of Vectorworks, that I did not bother to report it. 2022 has introduced a whole new realm of new visual artifacts. No other software I’ve ever used has these problems. It takes far too long to report bugs and these sorts of issues are rarely solved (or they are solved so many months or years later that I’ve accepted work-arounds as normal).
  9. I can confirm. I'm seeing similar issues. Solids seem to float in shaded view with shadows turned on. I'm using simple solid extrusions with heliodon lighting in a new file.
  10. Webflow is an excellent graphical CSS editor. In the typography panel, you can create paragraph styles and quickly assign them to any new or existing text. You can rename, duplicate, remove, or create new styles on the fly. You can override any aspect of text style without breaking other inherited attributes. Need an H1 exception that is right-aligned? Override the alignment attribute and inherit all other attributes. Need a P style with a slightly larger font? Override font size and inherit all other attributes. Change your mind? Option click on the override to reset. In the screenshot below, I have an H1 named "Grid Project Title". It inherits attributes from two "higher" styles, which I can easily see and edit at the top of the panel. Below that, you see all details of the font style (font, size, color, leading, etc.). Orange attributes are inherited from the master style. Blue styles are overridden. Click on a blue style to reset to the global attribute. InDesign, Quark, and Affinity Publisher all have clever ways to manage text styles. I have experience with all of them, but Webflow is by far the best. It's simple, flexible, and intuitive. Webflow has incredible UI/UX designers. They clearly thought about this long and hard, and it works beautifully. Vectorworks should just copy this and be done with it. They cannot improve upon this model.
  11. Why reinvent the wheel? Text styles should be modeled on CSS! Attributes should cascade down, allowing for overrides at the block, paragraph, word, or character level.
  12. You should consider switching to 22x34 (ANSI D) large sheets and 11x17 (ANSI B) small sheets. You can create one 22x34 title block for both sizes. If you set up sheet layers that use 11x17 sheets at 50% scale, you can easily print 22x34 or 11x17 sheets without changing the title block. I print “mini” sets for day-to-day use. I never keep large sets anymore—too cumbersome—but I do need to issue large sets for tender, permits, and construction. This system allows me to generate full-size PDFs, but print at 50% on 11x17 with a quick tweak in the Acrobat or Preview print dialog.
  13. Thank you, Christiaan! I placed your script my custom "Plugins" menu and assigned a keyboard shortcut. I use the same shortcut (command + ; ) that I use in Illustrator. This is super helpful.
  14. Most photo and illustration software have a single keyboard shortcut to toggle guides on and off. Vectorworks has two separate menu items with two separate shortcuts. Is there a way to map guides on and off to a single keyboard shortcut? Thanks, Matthew
  15. Thanks for the suggestion. I undocked my OIP and saw no difference over the last hour. My fans ramp up as soon as I scroll, pan, and begin work on a basic 2D drawing.
  16. My 2017 Quad i7 iMAC with 48GB of RAM gets all huffy and sweaty when I do simple things, like pan, zoom, and draw a 2D polygon in VW 2021. My computer gets laggy, but not enough for me to troubleshoot. I did not migrate my 2020 user profile, but I am working on a file that originated in 2020. I'll add more info if I figure out what's going on.
  17. This does not work for me. When I double click the heliodon or right click and "Select on Document", I get an error that says "Some lights could not be selected". I tried this with all heliodons and lights in my document and get the same error. I can force select, but that brings me to the light object on the design layer, which is not what I want. I'd like to adjust light settings while looking at a viewport on the sheet layer. My current workaround—which is admittedly absurd—is to use multiple view panes. I use one full size pane for my normal work window, and create a tiny icon-sized pane showing the heliodon on the design layer. I tuck that into the corner of my workspace and click on it when I need to adjust helidon settings. Like I said, this is absurd.
  18. That's it! I wish editing a heliodon was more obvious, but that could apply to so many things in Vectorworks. Thank you for taking the time to create this video.
  19. Most of the conversations on this forum about UI refresh have focused on graphics (i.e. icons, colors, fonts), but the written word is hugely important. Vectorworks could use an app-wide copy refresh. Previous discussions have suggested renaming Classes, Design Layers, Sheet Layers to Classes, Layers, Sheets. Similarly, Renderworks Styles, Renderworks Textures, Renderworks Backgrounds are legacy terms that should be updated. Simpler terminology would be better for existing and new users. Vectorworks' overuse of the slash (e.g. Symbols/Plug-In Objects) hints at larger organizational issues. What is the difference between Symbols and Plug-In Objects? If they are fundamentally the same, call them all symbols. If they are different, give them their own icons, menus, and folders. Certain dialogs are counterproductive. I nearly always have to subtract solids multiple times to get the correct result because the dialog is so pathetic. Seriously, what is this trying to say? Select which object? The tooltip is not much help either. In a 3D view with intersection objects, which object is the "backmost"? This tool can be re-designed to be easier to use, or this alert could simply be re-written to be more helpful. Other dialogs hint at a deeper problem. I was experimenting with site modifiers and received this dialog after editing an elevation. I had to read this several times and never understood what it was trying to say. It looks like an either-or question: Do you want an apple or an orange? Yes or No? Ultimately I had to trial-and-error my change several times to understand how it was impacting my model. This dialog could be better written, but the complexity of the alert probably indicates a more fundamental problem with the usability of the tool. I am new to site tools and they are full of undocumented quirks. @trashcan, as you note, tool tips and errors could be more verbose, clear, and helpful. Rendering status disappeared with Vectoworks 2020 and plenty of other tools (including publishing sheets) make me wonder if Vectorworks is working or has crashed. These changes won't provide a sexy marketing campaign, but they will make users lives easier every day!
  20. I'm glad you solved it. I edited my original post for others who may be looking for this answer.
  21. Margins are based on the printer you selected in page settings. Go to File > Page Setup > Printer Setup and change your specific printer to “Any Printer”.
  22. I typically use File > Export DWG to export design layers and sheets. Does Publish > DWG produce different results? My problem is that plans (generated from the model) and sections (created in 2D) export well and generate a representative drawing for coordination. The exterior elevations (generated from the model) become an unusable wireframe that looks nothing like the published drawings.
  23. I'm working on a small residential project that provided a nice opportunity for me to test a full BIM workflow within Vectorworks. In the past I have created two Vectorworks files: (a) a 2D drawing file for all design, coordination, and construction drawings and (b) a 3D model file to test design concepts and provide visualization for client review. This may not be the most efficient or modern way of working, but it provided two clear workstreams. Vectorworks is pretty great these workstreams, but the future is a combined BIM workflow. On this residential project, I built a 3D model using stories, parametric objects, views, and annotations using current best practices. I quickly ran into the unnecessary complexity of stories, the limitations of custom doors and windows, a clumsy stair tool, and an impossible roof tool. For the most part, I worked through the pain. The other shoe fell when I was unable to generate usable sections and interior elevations. Those tools refused to function and support was unable to provide a workaround. So now I have a partial BIM model that can generate plans and exterior elevations, and traditional 2D drawings that provide sections, interior elevations, and details. This is totally fine within the Vectorworks ecosystem. These things coexist happily and produce a nice set of PDFs. All good, right? Now I have to coordinate with structural and MEP engineers. In the past, I would export clean 2D base drawings and ignore my "dumb" 3D model. If I had a complete and detailed BIM model, I could share the model (e.g. Revit geometry, IFC data). Exporting cohesive information from my hybrid 2D/3D file is a complete nightmare. If I try to share clean 2D drawings, some sheets export correctly, while others produce a jumbled wireframe of the 3D model. If I try to export the 3D model, the information is woefully incomplete. Does anyone have any advice on how to manage this?
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