Richard

, I hate to keep posting these replys, but why can't you Autocad wannabes just go straight to hell! This is Vectorworks, in spite of politically correct, unisex or not, can you others not understand that most of us don't want that crap?? GO AWAY!

I suppose the originator of this subject would also like a daily call from V'works advising of his current whims! Give ma a break!

Any response from tech on this subject?

Bruce, are you running VW10.5.1 under OS 9.2? How well does it work? Haven't taken the plunge yet and wonder cause I have a Wallstreet 466 copper upgrade and haven't felt the need, bad readings on this tech board, to go to VW 10.. Opinions helpful!

WHAT!!! I for one do not believe the majority of the "trade" users, architects/engineers should have to listen to the whining chronic users, who for some reason, foreign or domestic to produce mass output or a'cad seemless integration, copy/paste/work-alike-commands, to accomadate all possible meanings of what the word "IS" -is. IF this software has any backbone at all, IT will stand for what it is, a very fine path for creativivity and ignore petty input

Please refer to number of posts on A'cad vs V'works... Did we all get so technical that we lost sight of the question? I mean, from the point of the question? Shouldn't we have a forum on this board that discusses how we, as loyal V'works users can post questions on how to live in the A'cad world??? Let's stop trying to cow-tow to new converts that want to maintain there skills coming from the A'cad world, viewports, lisp, @ x,y, move mouse left number entry, on and on... words,words, words, this is no place to talk religion !!!

Sorry to hear flu, my 2 cents, "have been traveling some hard roads, too" 1. Have owned 8.0 from start! 2. Came from early Intergraph take-off, SNAP! on a MAC 3. Concept problem on change-over, V-works classes-layers thing! 4. TRIED Virtual PC & A'CAD LT on my MAC 5. Basically decided that I could not survive using V'works too slow, xrefs are a problem 6. SPENT 50 HOURS of Saturday time at a local community college learning "command-line" approach to A'cad 2000 and bought a >#! WINDOWS BOX#!#* to learn!!!! 7. Worth every minute-great and probably the greatest CAD concept ever dreamed up, that is if you believe in "WINDOWS/cisc" or "MAC/risc". IF YOU WANT "WYSISWYG" as you do it, then this, V'works is the way to be truly talented and free of limits-if they would simply opt you out of the class/layer morass! Do you really want to customize your workspace to suit your individuality.. create the workspace you want your designers to use, let them improve it- chicken or the egg? You came to the right place and asked the right question-the mind is the limit, the program is the tool, but apple must make the platform stable or all is naught!!!!

BARA, Stick it,

WOW! This sucks, blame Apple, blame NNR, but however you cut it if the code is not downward compatable, you've lost me. Autocad is not that bad after all. Goodbye to all and good luck, cause you're gonna need it!!!

WOW! This sucks, blame Apple, blame NNR, but however you cut it if the code is not downward compatable, you've lost me. Autocad is not that bad after all. Goodbye to all and good luck, cause you're gonna need it!!!

What in hell is wrong with you people, Mac OSX is fraught with problems, printing, permissions, etc!! If you must feel that you're on the cutting edge of technology, G5 & Panther, then how can you possibly expect all to function flawlessly out of the box? Life is not perfection, but in the field of engineering & cad, it seems that you stay with what works until the dust settles! The problem here is that the platform, at least on the mac side, won't be stable enough for the developers to keep up. I for one appreciate the effort put forth by NNA. The rest of you in search of the magic wand should go fish and shut the hell up with whining

Sorry, but that is not so.... You're doing something wrong! Where are you trying to go? Why are you trying "DXF" as your export, if you are trying to get to A'cad it is doable, not sure about that word, "DWG" is the route! Check you're method, don't throw rocks at NNA based on your failures, I can testify that the program does everything that it is advertised to do and does it very well. Polish up your skills!!

Just to kick in abit of sand, sent off a pdf to a print bureau (OCE platform) that had just bought ACROBAT 6, from OS 9.2.5/VW 9.5, and got the most magnificent output not via A'cad but ADOBE.. go figure. My plotter days have ended. And not only that, but learned while there that there is a way around the.shx problem by the A'cad operator setting the font to windows variety. A'cad now does line weight, so alas the answers are revealed. Bind the xref's, stay with system fonts, and don't map lineweights to colors, I think ...

Don't want to be misunderstood, I for one am not unhappy with NNA nor V'works, but twice in the last three months have found myself sitting at a long conference table, with a project management architect/co-ordinator for a fast track design project, when the question of drawing compatibility was addressed. The electrical guy was all A'cad, as was the mechanical, the civil, and the structural guy. The manager type then made the decision that we should all co-ordinate jointly via x-refs, and I was getting my hat, when the architect of record pointed out that it might not be too good an idea since he was microstation... I have found my ways around most things, but still it is a hassle. For the rest of the world, I work 1:1, and plot my drawings the regular way. I just had to buy A'cad LT to know what I'm receiving and sending out, a unnecessary waste of money, I could have banked that and with a little job or two bought a G5

Feel like I'm beating a dead horse, but have been on macs from day one as a true believer in the interface. Started from the basic drawing, can't really remember the name but before minicad. Then picked up a software program, hybrid of Intergraph, called "SNAP". Was familiar with fences, grouping, fonts, and layers. I still own AUTOCAD 12 for MAC, fancy that! Can honestly say that Vectorworks is the best way to produce engineering drawings. But I also have consultants and architects that I work with who have reservations about my drawings. I have tried what is posted on this board, modelspace, aligning text, freezing layers/classes, bought A'cad LT, and it still is a hassle. This whole concept of classes/layers is a problem in this co-existence with the "OTHER WORLD". I don't think autodesk is planning anything new to live with us in the MAC world. I know I'm only focused on my platform, but my world is threatened because the situation of compatibility is forcing me to consider going over there... Again, could we have some help out here, there are those of us who will fight for our interface to the end!!

Well, you can't beat straight forward honesty! However, it is like a warning, "mine field ahead" for those of us who are consultants, mechanical/strctural/electrical/civil/fire protection/landscape engineers who are out there on "macs" and have to deal with reality. They never promised us a rose garden. I love V'works, it's so much better than A'cad, but all the interface in the world, won't satisfy the need to live with the standard. And to add insult to injury, the hardware is a hell of a lot cheaper. Is it better to pay 50% less for hardware and 400% more for software, that is the question-to be or not to be... Guys, you got to figure it out

Man, that's a really good question? Come on you civil engineers/surveyors, answer this one!

As a struggler with this problem, many posts have suggested that it is in the text alignment. which I have tried to work with using ARIAL font, and alas, I still have to spend an inordinate amount of un-billable time to exist in the A'cad world. I've spent the $$$ to buy 2002 LT & Virtual PC, so that I could see what I'm sending out, and I'm still bleeding for my use of this program, I love it / hate it. THIS NEEDS FIXING!!!

As a struggler with this problem, many posts have suggested that it is in the text alignment. which I have tried to work with using ARIAL font, and alas, I still have to spend an inordinate amount of un-billable time to exist in the A'cad world. I've spent the $$$ to buy 2002 LT & Virtual PC, so that I could see what I'm sending out, and I'm still bleeding for my use of this program, I love it / hate it. THIS NEEDS FIXING!!!

, bclydeb, wasn't responding to anything you suggested, VITANAUT, chose the Photoshop path ,$$$, unless he knew someone who had it free over the ACROBAT path after being posted, not you're well wriiten suggestion, hell you're right and he's in the world of tunnel vision. I applaud you're well thought out use of computer application. There still exists out there the reality of putting less and less on output drawings from civil engineers to the point that you cannot take a printout and reproduce a site plan, that sucks! Which leaves those of us who have to make that part of our submittal package available for our drawings to the approval authorities, whomever they are. Did not not mean to offend you!

Not to pour salt on a sorehead or nothing, but it's hard to buy that he doesn't own "ACROBAT" but finds "PHOTOSHOP $$$$" to be a solution. GO FIGURE

PDF to DWG: PDF -> Adobe Illustrator -> DWG/DXF -> AutoCAD PDF -> GhostScript + GSView + PStoEdit -> DXF -> AutoCAD PDF -> Adobe Acrobat (free or full version) -> Copy/Paste -> AutoCAD Open Adobe Illustrator version 10 (if you have it, if not, might want to consider buying it), open the PDF, then Export to DXF format. In AutoCAD, open the DXF file and save to DWG. Get the freebie tools GhostScript + GSView + PStoEdit from the Internet (any search engine will help you find them all), install them all in the order noted above, download the quirky help files that go with them, then open the PDF file in GSVIEW, then you use the Edit>Convert to vector format... and pick the DXF option. In AutoCAD, open the DXF file and save to DWG. The result is not 'pretty' or convenient though. "FROM AUTOCAD LT forum! Are you really sure the previous responder was that negative?" Then, one must assume you import that to V'works!!

Hey guys, has anyone got a pio for drawing ceiling grids, 2'x2' and/or 2'x4' based on center area and/or space from center line?

Seriously folks, does anybody understand this line of inquiry? IONW has a good point, I can understand that suggestion, and yep it's good. Reminds of the old A'cad text editor though. Could be a "one better" if could be set up as parameter, under some options method. Really though, is what we've got really broken/unwieldy? 6'73/4", get real, that follows no convention whatsoever. Is 73/4", does the writer not understand basic mathematics? Only a thought, sounds like poor communication, can't really mean what is written, can it?

You're not coming across, do you mean a one over a horozontal line with a two lined up underneath as a'cad does it and reduced proportionally, for 1/2 as a font character? Sounds good as a thought, as a text style option?