nickm

Am trying to create some 2D symbols to represent boats on a trade stand, each with a text tag identifying the model and LOA/Beam dimensions. In planning the layout for the best efficiency I will need to rotate some of the boats to odd angles and experiment with different arrangeements. I would like to be able to rotate the symbol but have the text automatically maintain it's orientation relative to the drawing border - is there any way to achieve this? Thanks

When I am drafting exhibition stands I like to do the general drawing first, giving overall dimensions and some more detail dimensions in a plan view. Once this drawing is finished and I need to create a seperate Sheet Layer to show services (socket locations etc...) I usually copy-paste the plan Viewport, complete with dimensions, into the new Sheet Layer. I then go in and delete the more detailed dimensions, leaving some of the key dimensions for reference. On several occasions I have noticed, that upon flicking back to the main Sheet Layer, the changes made to the Plan Viewport in the other Sheet Layer have affected this too (i.e. deleted most of my dimensions, aarrgh!!). Usually some rapid hammering of Cmd+Z fixes this, but sometimes my Undo History isn't quite big enough and, well, than can be quite annoying Any idea why this happens?

Thanks Kaare/Alan - starting to understand the 2D / 3D relationship in VW a bit more now! Prior to using SketchUp, I used Rhino on my PC, which was very precise and fluid, but less useful for "architectural" modelling work due to the lack of intuitive parametrics, buggy implementation of blocks, no inferencing in the snap system and no paper space/sheet layer functionality. Er, and then I got a Mac SketchUp filled the gap for a conceptual tool, and I am currently using DXF exports of plans and elevations, then redrawing curves and some other details more accurately in VectorWorks. This makes fairly good sense for my own designs, but for taking other people's concepts for which I don't have models and developing them into drawings, without the need for visuals or lots of changes, I had hoped that I could do everything "properly" in 3D in VW. I will certainly have to get into VectorWorks more, but coming from my workflow, which I have always considered quite amateurish, I guess it's not quite the tool I imagined it to be

Hi, I purchased VW11 over a year ago for exhibition and display design, and have hardly used it since, having found that SketchUp meets most of my 3D requirements. Recently however, I am having to re-draw other people's conceptual designs for precise annotation, and modelling from scratch in SketchUp just to import DXF view captures to VW (like I usually do with my own designs) seems pointless, not to mention the lack of true curves and other workarounds that this necessitates. Time to learn VectorWorks. Right now I am drawing a plan in 2D, and will be converting the composed 2D lines into a floor slab to represent a raised deck. Whilst I am working in 2D these lines are rendered as proper curves, and I can add radius dimensions etc... This is great. Once I either extrude up or convert to a floor slab, when viewed up close in Top/Plan VW renders the curve as a series of facets, I can no longer add radius dimensions, and there are several mysterious "corner" snaps created between the faceted sections. This looks to me as though VW doesn't create real curves in 3D. Please tell me that I am just being thick, or have missed something (convert to NURBS somehow maybe?) and haven't just (well, a year ago) spent more money on a product whose 3D capabilities at this basic level are no better than SketchUp... please? I have checked several FAQ's/Tutorials, but I suppose this is the kind of blindingly obviously/painfully stupid question that isn't spelled out? Any help and advice much appreciated!