Peter Eichel

Is there something wrong with the -DRAWING LIST- tool under the REPORTS menu? I start my drawing as usual using VW's set up tools. The various sheets were automatically listed in the drawing list tool but now its blank. This behaviour has happened with my update to VW 2011. Any ideas?

I need ISO graphical symbols of safety signs for workplaces and public areas in a format compatible with VW's.

I found the problem. It has to do with the plane setting in the OIP. The space object's disappearing behaviour happens when the plane is set to "layer" and acts as it should when set to "screen".

I'm working on a number of building projects that have two floors. The SPACE TOOL works fine on the first floor design layer. When I use it on the second floor design layer it disappears entirely when the 2D boundary is turned off. Both floors are at the same scale and I've turned on all of the classes looking for it. It appears again when I edit the symbol as a precautionary measure but the next time I use it the same disappearing act happens. Anyone else experienced this?

I'm just finishing a 2 storey ICF home (3700 sq. ft. total not counting the basement) which is coming in at around 30MB. It's full 3D and includes electrical plans, schedules, deck framing, rendered perspectives along with lots of hatch patterns, textures & symbols. You must have one heck of a file to be 80MB and only half finished! I too learned VW's on my own after using DataCAD for awhile. It was not easy but like Jershaun, I stuck with it and discovered faster & better ways of using VW's many tools. My latest extensive learning curve involved using the worksheets that come with VW's to create material take-offs for a client. I had to customize the existing worksheets but the effort was worthwhile. I can import my custom worksheets into new residential projects and watch them automatically tally quantities as I'm drawing. It's very satisfying, believe me. There are quite a few good architectural software packages out there and I count VW's in this group. The deeper you go into any of them the more rewarding the experience.

Tobias, thanks for the tip. I had been trying to import/open the text files, which is the format VW's worksheets are exported as, into Excel which is problematic. Instead I tried import/opening them in Access which works great, however, it is still another step which got me thinking about your idea. Any changes to a set of plans would require doing the whole export/import thing again. The solution is coming up with a border which sets the boundries for, lets say, a legal size sheet (any printer that can print letter size can print legal size). Configured in landscape orientation gives me the width I need. A new worksheet would have to fit within the border negating the need to adjust columns, text size and so on when exporting to PDF for printing or emailing to a client. I'll let you know how it works out.

Islandmon, you mentioned that you use Filemaker. I can produce excellent material takeoffs with VW's worksheets but they aren't very "exportable" in and of themselves being physically large if you know what I mean. My client is understandably looking for takeoffs neatly organized on letter sized documents. How exactly do you use Filemaker? Does it import data from VW's worksheets without to much fuss or do you need a degree in computer science?

When placing celestory windows I use the Elevation Reference "Head of Window". When placing a window below it that a client wants to be as close to the finished floor as code allows I use the Elevation Reference "Sill of Window". How do I edit the window schedule to show these dimensions in separate columns, one for the head height, the other for the sill height?

I use the wall tools to join the common walls and then drag/scale the odd wall to meet the corner with the auto join walls feature turned off.

I get the same behaviour working on older VW's files in VW 2011. No problem with files started in VW's 2011. Someone on this forum offered the very good advise of finishing any file with the same VW's version it was started with.

Does VW's 2011 have a glass block wall?

Does any one use VW 2011 to do ISO or spool pipe drafting? I can read piping and instrumentation diagrams, what I need is for someone to teach me a good technique for creating the spool fabrication drawings from the P&ID drawing. I will gladly pay for your time or if anyone can direct me to courses or literature on the matter it would be much appreciated.

Does any one use VW 2011 to do ISO or spool pipe drafting? I can read piping and instrumentation diagrams, what I need is for someone to teach me a good technique for creating the spool fabrication drawings from the P&ID drawing. I will gladly pay for your time or if anyone can direct me to courses or literature on the matter it would be much appreciated.

I purchased a CD of TIF images years ago and used them up until the new rendering engine in VW's 2011. They import just fine but when I use them to apply a background to a viewport they do not appear in the rendering. Is the new rendering engine incompatible with TIF images or am I missing something here? VW's 2011 Designer Win XP, ATI Radeon Sapphire VGA card Intel Core 2 Quad Processor

Jonathan, I followed your instructions but no go. I discovered that there are two rendering modes, object mode and component mode. The INSERTION OPTION tab in the wall edit window must have the component option checked in order for each wall component to render it's assigned texture. The render mode option is also available in the OIP. The replace texture option you mentioned makes no difference as far as I can tell. The walls in VW's and their options have become complicated to say the least.