Laurence_R
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Posts posted by Laurence_R
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Great idea! Local coordinates for rectangles? Yes please!
If we wanted a rectangle to be a polygon we'd go to modify>convert to polygon, not modify>rotate. I don't expect a rotate command to alter the fundamental nature of an object.
Sketchup & 3dstudio let you do this, to mention a couple of apps. I suspect the extremely long awaited rotatable coordinate system will have to be implemented before this will be possible though.
Just how is the work going on the rotating coordinate system by the way NNA? Will it be in VW13, and when is the release date?
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For the original problem - hours to plot or not at all, we had a similar problem, with a series of drawings, that had been printing fine up until recently. Then none worked at all.
We made a copy of the files and started deleting classes and objects to identify the offending article. Turned out it was a viewport in the sheet layer, which in our case was a key of the buiding plan at 1:2000 scale. Once deleted, with everything else in place, printing was fine. Strange, but the drawings printed fine with this viewport previously. Maybe a drawing gets to an information overload point? Anyhow with these drawings converting to a pdf didn't help - still couldn't print.
Mac OS X
VW 12.5
HP Desjet 800PS
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So Nemetschek have admitted there was a problem with the 12.5.1 update for Macs. They have advised in the meantime to re-install 12.5. The problem is how...
I install 12 from my disk, re-enter serial numbers then run the 12 -> 12.5 updater.
When I run the updater it can't find the 12.5 update files on the net "come back on Monday" (I guess it's looking for a repaired 12.5.1 file). Unplugging from the net gives the installer a socket error. Whatever I do by this point the updater has helpfully deleted the main app file, so I have to re-install VW 12 from disk again, type in that long serial number etc, etc.
What did I do wrong?
I know the update will be ready for Monday, but I don't want it anymore, I've lost enough work and time thanks to the crashes of 12.5.1.
I want 12.5, pretty please, until at least 3 months of bug reports have gone by.
Thanks.
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All,
just thought you might like to know that I also got a ?failure on attempt to open file? error with the backup options off, and just trying to manually save an existing file (not save as) using version 12.5.1 on a Mac. VW did give me the chance of saving to a separate location after informing me the original file was now corrupt. I was unable to save the file to the server (a mac) - giving "failure on attempt to open file" and "disk I/O" errors before finally allowing me to save to my desktop and then bombing.
Double clicking on the desktop file resulted in another error, making me very nervous, until I managed to open the file through VW's open command.
I'm reporting this as I suspect the is not limited to the autosave feature - it's just more obvious with autosave as it executes every 15 minutes - manual saves are generally less frequent.
I'm getting version 12.5.1 off my machine right now, its dangerous. Good to see it's been taken off the download site.
It's a shame this bug wasn't picked up in beta testing.
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Katie,
Yes I've run disk utility, nothing wrong there. This time I suspect the new patch is at fault...read on:-
The errors I get are:?failure on attempt to open file? errors. UK tech support have since informed me that it's a good idea to turn off the autosave feature (especially the separate backup folder option) and an even better idea to get rid of 12.5.1 and re-install 12.5. The email they sent me explains why:
Email received 17/01/07 from unlimited.com (UK VW tech)
"Dear Lawrence,
"We have just received this message from the engineers at Nemetschek. As a result of this bug, you may decide it best to reinstall your 12.5 version until a new build is released. We expect this to take about a week.
"Nemetschek write:
"We have identified a critical bug with Autosave using the backup folder feature in 12.5.1 that is going to force us to issue a new build.
"The bug is this:
"Any time a 12.5.1 Mac user autosaves using the backup folder option and the ?VW Backup? folder does not exist in that folder yet, the save will fail with a warning, and the next time that file is saved or closed VW will crash. According to our tests, this happens almost all of the time across a network, and sometimes on local drives as well.
"After the crash, the VW Backup folder will have been created for that folder and there will be a zero K backup file in the backup folder, and the problem won?t happen anymore for files in that folder (since the VW Backup folder now exists).
"We plan to have a build in which this problem is fixed, hopefully within the next week, and we will be using that build as our new 12.5.1"
Any thoughts on this, Katie?
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After trying to call the UK VW tech support (no one answered) I managed to solve my invalid serial number issue by myself, by removing the dongle for 5 minutes and then reseating it, restarting VW. An error came up and it bombed on the first attempt, (resources error?) but then worked ok the second time.
Odd as the dongle was firmly plugged in before... Build up of static maybe?
Now to solve the frequent 12.5.1 crashes on macs problem....
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Also experiencing this problem but only with the macs that have 'upgraded' to VW12.5.1 in our office.
VW12.5 macs don't have this problem
Avoid the update!
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I'm also experiencing this problem. Great.
Started with a crash 4 hours after installing the 12.5.1 update. Mac OS 10.4.8 G5
Tried reinstalling VW12.0.1 - doesn't let me as the serial number is still invalid. Sigh. There goes another day's work.
As an aside the other two macs that installed the update yesterday also experienced multiple crashes since upgrading, although their S/N still work. Coincidence?
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Christiaan is right! a backup copy on the same volume is really only a copy, not a backup. The HD dies, the backup dies with it. Work will be lost, unless a backup can be made somewhere else.
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The point is the client will just say "not my problem, try getting a decent CAD package". Which is very difficult to argue with when all the consultants we work with use either AutoCAD or MicroStation, and they waste considerable time (as we do) importing each others files and then tidying up each other's drawings so they are legible, before we can start coordinating the design.
I guess I'm really grouchy at the moment as it's taken me 3 weeks to set out a very large, very complicated building with 7 different areas, each with it's own alignment with fraction of a degrees off the true north, so VW has a great time snapping to parallel, horizontal and perpendicular points, which are all slightly different, and not obvious if it's the right one without spending all day zooming in and out. I'm not completely new to VW, I've been using it for a couple of years, but for this particular task the ability to define a ucs for each area and then put on ortho lock on ACAD would have seen the job done in much less time.
That and the useless dimensioning tools, but that's another topic...
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The problem is persisting for me! Aaargh!
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Take a rectangle with a fill &, rotate it by a small amount (fraction of a degree) so it's now a polygon. Now zoom in using your wheel mouse, and use the stretch tool to shorten or lengthen the polygon along the line of it's axis zooming a little and using the scroll buttons to navigate your view whilst doing so. That done, zoom out. For me about 1 in 5 times upon zooming out the rectangle displays as it was before being stretched although the grips are where the corners should be. refreshing the display doesn't help, or going into a sheet layer and looking at the viewport. Undoing the action and re-doing manually does remedy the situation.
Anyone else experiencing this?
V12.5 imac G5 OSx 10.4.8
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Very sorry, I'll correct my previous moan:
Next time my clients ask me why their drawings are late, I'll explain to him it's "Not, however, because of any programming difficulties but because of how to deal with legacy files." I'm sure they'll understand.
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It would be nice for the NNA guys to let us know that they are working on it rather than being pressed at a conference. Better still would be a date by which they are aiming to achieve these goals. If this item has been a topic on the wishlist for years, I'm not going to hold my breath, until we see this implemented. I know nothing about programming but it didn't seem to take them too long to migrate the whole package to use the new intel cores, legacy files and all. Putting in a rotate coordinate / view command has got to be a simpler job in comparison and even if it isn't, it's no excuse! It's still a one of the most fundamental drawing features you'd expect in any CAD package. It should have been there ages ago.
Next time my clients ask me why their drawings are late, I'll explain to him it's because the software engineer's at NNA are finding it difficult to figure out how to display a rotated drawing. I'm sure they'll understand.
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I've started up a new thread in the wishlist area. Add your support there folks! Strangely the usually vocal and helpful people who administer the board are very quiet about this topic. Funny, that...
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Okay, after an hour of trial and error I got the layer linking method working. It's not exactly what I'd call user friendly and respect must go to the person who figured this out who obviously works in the field of brain surgery / rocket propulsion. I'm not exactly a numpty myself and have been working with CAD since 1992 when the only way to print was with pen plotters. Still back then I could rotate the view no problem by typing UCS, Z, 90, PLAN (there were no icons in those days of course). This is still much less painful than creating a layer, linking it, unlocking it, grouping, rotating and then masking (which doesn't stop you snapping to the objects behind btw) to draw an elevation which isn't on the south side of a building.
Bottom line VW needs to be able to rotate the view 2D easily. Can anyone name another CAD package that does not have this facility? Seems daft to have a 3D facility but not see 2D from other angles. Even a drawingboard lets you do it - unstick, turn paper, restick and hey presto! You're done.
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Today- Both passed with no errors. A dodgy hub connection might explain the server - but the local HD?
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Just one problem with that. The project I'm working on: 79 apartments on 5 floors, a three storey office complex and a floor of shops and restaurants, in a 200 year old existing building with wonky walls with up to 5 architects and two assistants working any one time on the drawings.
It's going to take more than a lunchtime to set up a model, that everyone can work on. Anything 3d we need in the office we use sketchup. VW doesn't stand up against its speed and ease of use.
I'll give Mike's method a go. Not exactly staight forward as clicking one icon to rotate the view, though is it?
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At the moment there's the ability to send an object back / forwards one place or send all the way to the front or back, or by selecting other objects you can preserve their stacking order relative to each other. Fine until you have lots of lines crossing each other and you create a new object that you'd like to slip in behind a particular object.
Adobe illustrator users (and certain other CAD packages that we won't mention) will be familiar with the "send behind object" and "send in front of object" commands, and how it saves them from pressing alt+apple+B all afternoon.
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Cool! Thanks!! Excuse my ignorance. I'll spread the good news to all in my office, they'll be pleased to know too.
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Ok you can move the origin. How do you draw 2D sections and elevations of something without doing headstands or rotating the original plan? An ability to rotate the 2d plan view would be useful!
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I'd like to see a shortcut key to enable interactive scaling mode, please! I've looked at the list of keyboard shortcuts and can't find it. If there is one what is it, or let me know how to make one, please!
Thanks!
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Three other improvements that I'd like to see:
1: When you copy text from a callout, and then paste it can it please have the same text properties as defined in the call out, NOT always geneva at the screen font size. This is really annoying.
2: Can the call out tool options be saved automatically as part of the workspace customisation? I always like to draw my call outs from the subject to the position of the text. Everytime I start up VW, I have to reset this option from the default. Ugh! Same goes for the new offset tool options.
3. The horiz position of the callout is set to "auto" I have the tool set to 3 point to position arrow head, bend and text position. VW not very usefully "automatically" decides to flip horizontally the position of my callout to where I clicked. I don't understand how anyone can find this useful. Is it not to much to ask to put the callout where I click, please? I know there is a work around, but it shouldn't need one! Super frustrating when you've got notes on both sides of a whole load of details on a sheet.
Quite frequently it takes me longer to label a drawing than actually drawing it. This is obviously very wrong!
My vote goes toward editing inside the callout box, preferably with the option of having different fonts and sizes in the same box. Presently we have to tag on other text boxes if we want to do this.
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Is it just me or am I not alone in experiencing the odd Disk I/O error when I try to save files to my server? And then again a "Disk I/O error" when I then try to save to my work to my desktop. This happens a few times before VW eventually lets me save in some sub folder or other. Could it be that both my server and my G5 are both dying at the same time?
Also I've had a few unexpected program endings (AKA crashes), in the past week since I've upgraded to 12.5, seems to happen when I'm pasting occasionally from one doc to another.
I've got a bog standard iMac G5 2Ghz OS x 10.4.7 VW 12.5
Nice speed increase on 12 though, and at last an offset tool that can be used without using the select tool every move!
The abilty to rotate the coordinate system
in Wishlist - Feature and Content Requests
Posted
The one fundamental drafting ability that can be done on a drawingboard but is still missing from Vectorworks.
After 12 major releases.
Will it be lucky number 13?