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MaleXLR

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Everything posted by MaleXLR

  1. @JuanP As @DonnaS suggested, this does appear deliberate on the part of Vectorworks to force users to upgrade! Do you think that as a show of good faith, Vectorworks might address this issue and fix it? I haven't logged incoming and outgoing port activity when Vectorworks 2018 closes down, but assume that the problem is part and parcel of the monitoring that Vectorworks and their distributors are able to do, rather than the activation process. I know that as part of this monitoring, distributors have a log and are able to see where a license is being used, what the device name is and for how long the user has been active... I have always thought that this was a little over the top and wondered how many countries would have privacy laws that would disallow this behaviour!?!
  2. Okay... after dwelling on it overnight and while working (on a different computer) today... Playing around with opening and closing ports achieved nothing but hours wasted. Ditto adding a Program rule to allow Vectorworks 2018. HOWEVER, I created a Windows Firewall outbound rule that blocks Vectorworks! Sort of the opposite of what JuanP suggested. The problem may be that occasionally Vectorworks goes off to check its Activation and with this rule in place, it won't be able to. Perhaps Disable Rule > Activate Vectorworks > Enable Rule. But - Vectorworks 2018 lives on Windows 11!!!
  3. Old post, I know, but did anyone try JuanP's Firewall suggestion and did it help? 6 copies of VW 2018 working fine on Windows 11. 2 copies on new i9 computers and closing down immediately while on-line. It appears as though both copies activated correctly, but cannot be used...
  4. Slightly above my pay grade sorry, but I think if you create a symbol from your door there should be an option to "Insert in Walls" and I think that will do what you want. As far as hardware, I would probably create symbols from those and make sure that the insert point makes sense ie: maybe hinge insert located at the bottom corner of the door on the hinged side and handles insert located at the bottom corner of the non-hinged side, but I am sure someone will have a better way!
  5. Possibly/probably very obvious, but how do you export from Vectorworks to 3MF please?
  6. Sorry, you probably have solution already. Any chance that on the Object Info Palette it was showing up as Fillet or Chamfer? I had much frustration with models that I had painstakingly filleted and then wanted to change the solid modelling. The only way to do it was go through and ungroup multiple times to get back to before the last fillet command...
  7. I don't know whether mine has been the same issue, but often the object is not visible, although identified in the Object Info palette. Once dragged in, I have just been cutting, clicking a point on screen and then pasting, then wherever it had wandered off to it was back where I could see it! Other than that, just the obvious, ie: are classes set to Active Only and are there perhaps strange classes or layers embedded in the imported [or not imported] object?
  8. I am a novice with 3D printing but have already wasted much time and printed many useful (and even more useless) things! Question: Can anyone tell me whether there is a resolution difference between exporting Vectorworks to STL as solids rather than converting to a mesh first? I am currently printing a Sennheiser microphone housing (c1960) which has many curves and am less than happy with the results so far. When sending to the slicer I tried converting the model to a mesh, but on screen the curves seemed to have lost the smoothness that they had as a VW model so I created the STL directly from the model, ie: skipping the "Convert to Mesh" stage... There is a "Quality" option when exporting to STL, but presumably "Convert to Mesh" defaults to the best resolution it can get!?!
  9. Nearly there, having tried various methods. Most of it uses the loft tool. I do have a problem with the area around where the mic clip goes, as it protrudes beyond the housing. I did prepare the perfect Sweep to tidy it up, but that was the point at which it wouldn't do any more solid subtractions! Bugger!
  10. I did try just the site model on its own, but still couldn't get it looking smooth. I didn't want just the contour lines as per your print, but the smoothing just seems to be cosmetic for rendering and traditional rather than 3D printing. Thanks, I'm happy to send the file. Will just have to remember to dig it out while I'm in the office.
  11. Hi Mark, Sorry this is an old thread, but... I have a job where it would be handy to be able to show their renovation in-situ. I am almost there with Cura, but would appreciate your input please. Incidentally, I was able to scale within Cura rather than having to import the STL back into VW. 1. Is it possible to get the smoothed version from VW, rather than the faceted version that is created with he STL? 2. Those dreaded roof overhangs! I have tried converting the site to a mesh, but still end up with an angular site. Not the end of the world, but it would be better smoothed out without having to redo the site model: I haven't done a building print yet, but have spent much time worrying about soffits, eaves, overhangs, etc. For a larger scale model I imagine that printing the roof separate from the walls would be the best idea!?! I did wonder about printing upside down, but that's a lot of support structure to remove! In this instance, I'd rather just be down and dirty and printing upside down would add extra time and material, not just for the roof and site, but also the finials! Any help would be greatly appreciated...
  12. Unfortunately, this often happens when I try to subtract one mesh from another. If there is a secret I would love to know it! This is the easy part of the subtraction... I have more complex subtractions to do. Any ideas please?
  13. Thanks Pat, that's just the ticket... Outer shell created with Loft Surface and when I have time, multiple solid subtractions to finish it off. It's a Sennheiser MD421-N microphone - works particularly beautifully on snare drum even though it is a dynamic mic! [Drummers tend to hit expensive condenser mics anyway]
  14. I have an (almost vintage) 1960s microphone, but its housing broke with a previous owner and it currently has a modern (gunmetal coloured) housing rather than its original white. Over the years I have tried, but failed to get a replacement. Could someone lend a hand as to the best method to model it please? I am hoping to create an STL file and chuck it through a 3D printer. It may not be perfect, but it will have more than a hint of originality. So far I have started a sequence of cross sections at 20mm intervals (mainly) and the images are a trial with Terrain and AEC. That might work, but so far gives me distinct "skins" that should be solid inbetween! I thought that Loft Surface may be the tool - but possibly not!?! Is there an easy method or do I have to do it long handed with extrudes and meshes? Many thanks.
  15. Is it only me that can see the injustice (verging on corruption) of this and is it only with the advent of "IT" that businesses feel they can get away with this? We all know that the Title Block Tool is just one of the many components that doesn't do entirely what it should do! VECTORWORKS 2018 (as well as previous versions) IS DEFECTIVE... If you or I bought a microwave oven and found that it didn't perform or meet its written specifications, it would be within our rights to return it for a full and unequivocal refund.
  16. You must surely appreciate that, with the resources available and being stuck with VW 2018, I am doing my utmost to prove that Vectorworks is still a viable option, despite goading by the happy Archicad users in the office. With every step, the ongoing problem with unfixed bugs just confirms with the Directors that Vectorworks is not viable... Rhetorical question, but as Vectorworks 2018 was bought with the assumption of being "fit for purpose", will any effort be made to rectify this, as it is recognised as a bug?
  17. Thanks Nikolay and just reiterating Andy, it's nice to know that there is a listening ear at Vectorworks. It is never by choice that we whinge, just a desire to work as productively as we can with the tools available... Title Block and Document settings match, but results are still unreliable and inconsistent, coupled with the fact that what is shown on the Title Block may not be the same unless you open and close the dialogue box and the information on the Worksheet may not be correct unless you remember to recalculate! Granted, we are using the File Name in an unusual way, but it did have the potential to ensure that the Job Number/Project ID ALWAYS matches the current file name. I have used the File Name with VAA so that when a sheet is Published/Printed, there is a firm reference to the file that is was printed from, to avoid potential confusion. There is little point in naming a file "12345A", for instance, when each sheet may have a revision version that isn't "A". The File Name embedded ensures coordination and also give some legal ground for confirming that the drawing presented originated from a particular file. I honestly can't think of a reason to not have the field automatically change! I had read this on the forum and although I can't claim that it isn't a problem with our setup, template, workspace, etc., each time I have tried this, it has not worked! ...and as mentioned at the beginning of this post, please don't get disillusioned or take these comments personally. I/we truly appreciate your input. My "nail in the coffin" comment may seem harsh, but I personally have a copy of Designer and my Employer has at least seven VW Architect licenses, of which only three are being used - and only because it is more convenient to work on existing jobs with Vectorworks rather than import them into Archicad. As the weeks pass, there is less need for Vectorworks in the office. Before committing to Archicad, we feel we gave our supplier sufficient notice that we were dissatisfied with Vectorworks, Service Select and the "support". We had quite a number of outstanding queries (beyond training issues) that were never successfully resolved, but is was still met with surprise and disbelief that we would actually do more than just threaten to not renew our licenses. At that stage there were accusations and blame levelled at our computers, our operating system, our graphics cards, our network and some quite nasty aspersions levelled at me personally. I have avoided any development/customisation of Vectorworks for a while until this Title Block exercise and this has just reminded me of the frustration of working with Vectorworks tools that may or may not work. I have claimed previously that Vectorworks is not "fit for purpose" and here in New Zealand I am sure that our Disputes Tribunal process would uphold that to the point of granting us a refund. This would reimburse me for some of the many unchargeable hours spent on trying in vain to use Vectorworks in a professional environment, but the limit of about $5000 per claim would not even cover a small percentage of the downtime for crashes, rebuilding from the VW Backup folder, corrupt files, delays with on-line activation, bugs affecting the completion of contracts, (not to mention the time each individual staff member has committed to learning and adapting to Vectorworks "ways"), etc., that my employer has faced, but has had to pay wages to the affected staff, regardless.
  18. But wait... There's more... Another nail in the already hermetically sealed coffin... When will I learn that halfway through customising something for the office, I find Vectorworks lacking or failing. Latest is: Regardless of whether "Use Automatic Drawing Coordination" is ticked or not, if I make a change on my worksheet [='Title Block Sheet Data'.'Sheet Number'], on the surface it seems to work. If I look at the Title Block it hasn't changed, but when I check the Sheet Data, it matches my worksheet. HOWEVER, when I close the Sheet Data and open it again, it has magically reverted back to the number, pre-worksheet change... GIVE ME STRENGTH... What a waste of bloody time!
  19. Frustrating. Nice to know that you're not alone, but I do imagine Aliens coming down and questioning our intelligence when they find that we purchase software that hasn't been proven in the field and then we end up being unpaid Beta Testers! Forget enlightenment - we haven't even got to the "common sense" state...
  20. ...and this isn't at all helpful for a worksheet needing to show the revision date. I cannot get it to show the year as 2020!
  21. Hi Nikolay, Thanks for keeping this alive - especially for us (fallen by the wayside) VW 2018 users who won't benefit from future bug fixes, although my ongoing argument has been that failures in tools such as the title block, WinDoor, etc., mean that the whole product is not "Fit for Purpose" and as such, users should be offered remedies, regardless of their Service Select status. We paid enough with Service Select and consensus was that "updating" involved introducing new bugs and glossing over old ones. Do I sound frustrated? Yes, because I have spent much unchargeable time training myself and finding VW workarounds, but ultimately, when the rest of the staff threw up their arms and said enough is enough, I had no choice but to put Archicad above VW... But I digress (again). Yes, I am using a standard field - "Project Data.File Name" and am half way through finishing a worksheet to view all fields of all active Title Blocks. The frustration is the same as the VAA Title Block, ie: the field does not automatically update when the File Name changes, even after closing and reopening VW. A couple of workarounds (there's that word again). By opening and closing each Title Block dialogue box the File Name changes (whether you want it to or not), but only for that sheet. A better workaround is to open the dialogue box, go to the project data and make a random change, ie: delete a digit and replace it with the same digit, then the Project Data.File Name change for all Title Blocks. Clunky, not create for good officewide procedure, but works! Another grizzle and probably not worth a new Topic, but VAA did automatically populate the Scale(s) field with those scales on any viewports on the sheet layer. Amazing, Good procedure, but like many other good and useful functions, gone under the guise of "progress".
  22. Thanks Nikolay, I tried both the VAA and the Title Block Border and sadly, both gave the same result in that if the CAD file name changes the file name shown on the title block remains as the original file name until the title block is updated. In the case of multiple sheets of title blocks I tried utilities and scripts to "update all", but none of them worked. Having the file name update automatically would be of huge benefit officewide, but at this stage it doesn't seem possible and relying on staff to remember to update every sheet has obvious, inherent problems!
  23. I tried this on a VAA Title Block, but sadly it had no effect. I was stupidly hopeful that we could use the first part of the file name as the Job Number on our Title Block, but as usual, Vectorworks fails to deliver! As the suffix to our Job Number changes with each version, this would have ensured that an issued version tallies with a file name [ie: 12345 (WD07)], without all the intricacies of a transmittal sheet! It does work, but in order to see the latest/current file name we have to open and close each Title Block... Not practical! As we have willingly jumped to Archicad, and after years of loyalty to Vectorworks, we have no intention of "downgrading/cross grading" from VW2018, so unfortunately we will not benefit from a "fix". Fixes that have been promised if we do renew our licenses fall a long way short of being a big enough carrot to change our minds...
  24. Following the suggested process yielded the same flawed results!
  25. Thanks for the input. Sadly I had already checked for "far out objects" previously, however I did stumble upon something. It was recommended that we use Section Viewports instead of Viewports for elevations - for reasons that now elude me! Taking the same elevation and Renderworks settings, the diagonal lines have gone. I can't see a down side at the moment, but assume that there was a reason for using Section Viewports...
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