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willofmaine

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Everything posted by willofmaine

  1. In VW 2011, it seems the Area of a Space Object created from a Polyline that has curved components is not accurate. If the curved Polyline is first converted to a Polygon before a Space Object is created from it, then the two do match. (The Polyline and Polygon themselves are understandably very slightly different due to the faceted sides of a Polygon's curve). See attached. I discovered this with VW 12.5 and submitted it as a bug while it persisted in 2008... Or maybe I'm missing something... Will
  2. Did you try the formula: ='Record Name'.'Field Name' ? This would be for each column, in the database row header. If the criteria for the database row itself won't find the records, then I'm not sure... (The quotes ( ' ) aren't necessary if there isn't a space in the record or field names). Not sure it this even begins to help... Will
  3. Check this out, it might be what you're looking for: http://download2.nemetschek.net/www_movies/2011/new_features/Extract-planar-objects.mov Better still would be if textures could have an additional hatch component, one that shows up exclusively in Hidden LIne (both 3D and Orthogonal) drawings, while the texture itself shows up exclusively in Renderings and Open GL. Right within the Texture edit dialogue box, a brick hatch could be coordinated with its brick hatch pattern... Will
  4. I've used both a regular Viewport and a Section Viewport to create building elevations. The Section Viewport is preferable, especially if there's a DTM, and because then all your Sections, Elevations and Interiors are the same type of Viewport and also all non-section-plane classes can easily be displayed as a single line type. The only reason I use regular Viewports for elevations is based on my assumption that they are simpler and easier/faster for VW to calculate. Any thoughts as to whether or not this is really the case?... Thanks! Will
  5. For what it's worth, I've been playing with the 2011 demo, and Sheet Layers seem to work as expected. An extrude created on the sheet layer can't be viewed three-dimensionally. Only the Top/Plan representation of a hybrid symbol will show when it's placed on a sheet layer. And viewports themselves can display the model in Top view, Top/Plan view, or any other three-dimensional view...
  6. Wow, that is pretty bad. I like the way it works in 2008, tangent to the shoulder as noted above. I'll file a bug too!
  7. In VectorWorks Preferences there is an option to display, or not, default content. Maybe that's the problem? Top Menu Bar: VectorWorks > Preferences > Session > Display default content (Based on VW 2008...) HTH
  8. Theoretically yes but, at least in VW 2008, there appears to be a bug such that the line style can't be changed simultaneously for multiple windows. You can select all of your windows using Tools > Custom Selection. Then, in the Object Info Palette, click on "Settings" and see if you can change them all at once. In VW 2008, it seems to only change the first window selected...
  9. If I understand your question correctly, it sounds like you may want to use a RenderWorks Background. This would include your photo in the Viewport when VW renders the model. This can make for better edges between the model itself and the background (photo) than might be achieved cropping and pasting the model into the photo with Photoshop. Note that (at least in VW 2008) sizing RW Image Backgrounds can be kinda tricky. The online Help talks about their dimensions as being set in Page Units. This is a bit misleading... Think of a RW Image Background as having a 'Real World' size (this is good because it means that when you change the scale of a Viewport, the background, sharing the same 'Real World' size as your model, will retain its correct size relative to your model). So, if you have a 1/4" scale Viewport that is 10 inches wide, it represents a 'Real World' size of 40 feet (at the picture plane where, for all intents and purposes, the RW Background is located). Expressed as 'Page Units' (inches instead of feet-and-inches) its size is 40 feet x 12 inches = 480. Unfortunately, if you're working on a Sheet Layer and you go to create a RW Image Background, the default size of imported photos seems to be about 11 inches wide; pretty close to what must be a common Viewport size of 10 inches wide. All in 'Page Unit.' But unless you significantly increase the Background's width, such as to 480 in this case, your Background will be a tiny image most likely hidden behind your model. Put another way: If you're on a DESIGN LAYER and you edit your RW Image Background, it will be expressed in inches as a function of the scale of that design layer. For example, if your design layer is at 1/4" scale, the background's width will be shown as 10 (1/48 of 40 feet = 10 inches...). If the scale of your design layer is 1/2", the background's width will be shown as 20. If you're on a SHEET LAYER and you edit your RW Image Background, it will be expressed in inches as a function of its 'Real World' size, such as 480 inches (regardless of the scale of your Viewport). Phew... the intuitive UI of VW...
  10. In the Windows Settings dialogue box: Click on the "View" tab. Check "Use Part Line Styles" In the drop-down select "Jamb" and set it to .50; close the Windows Settings. Don't make the mistake of thinking you're done... Select the window(s), and in the Attributes Palette set the Pen Style to "None." Hopefully this will prompt the window to acknowledge its line weight settings (at least in VW 2008). HTH
  11. At least in VW 2008, stairs are notorious for losing track of which floors they're associated with. Whenever I make a stair, I have to re-associate it to its assigned floors at least two times, often more, as I work my way through the stair's settings. I don't know if that could explain your situation, but some food for thought, at least... (Double-Click on Stair > General Tab > Overall Height > By Layer Elevations) (at least in VW 2008...)
  12. Hi Kevin, Here is the original Twisted Extrude file, not to be confused with any garage band of the same name... Right, it's faceted to create the illusion of a curve, successful because the curve is so slight. If you did it as two components, wouldn't the bottom just be a simple extrude? Roughly speaking, doesn't the file's having to track two components offset any gain in reducing the number of polygons in a single multiple extrude? And from a user's point of view, it seems fewer components are easier to manage... I did compare a file with the twisted extrude to a file with a loft surface, and the file with the loft surface was a 1/2 MB bigger. Hardly a conclusive experiment, I know... But also NURBS seem much more difficult to edit than the polygons of a multiple extrude... Will
  13. Or, failing that, draw your walls starting with shapes (primarily rectangles) and add them together to form polygons (Modify > Add Surface) and then set their Line and Fill (poche) attributes as desired. If necessary, edges (lines) can be turned off by double-clicking on the polygons and using the "Hide or Show Edges Mode" of the 2D Reshape tool. All of which is applicable for lots of things, but maybe least of all walls... Use the wall tool...
  14. Hi Kevin, The shape is a pilaster with the gradual convex curve ("taper" or entasis) of a classical column. I'll try and attach a file... Will
  15. Hi Benson, Interestingly enough, I had ended up doing what you've described. While originally my flutes were tapered, they did not get closer to each other as they approached the top; so, the polygons were not simply scaled-down versions of their predecessors. They were developed from a round column which involved some amount of additions, subtractions and flipping. (Clearly a good recipe for twisted extrudes... ) Then I realized that duplicating and scaling the same polygon might make VectorWorks happier and also that a pilaster with its flutes getting closer to each other towards the top might actually be a good thing. So, except for using different percentages, I did pretty much exactly what you did. And, like you, there were no twists. Are your flutes arcs? If so, that may be why it 'whacked' your system. I found I had to use the Regular Polygon tool and subtract "circles" with something like 22 flat faces to make the flutes. Otherwise, I think VW tries to make zillions of tapered slivers to describe the tapered, curved flutes... Thanks, Will
  16. Thanks for the responses. Using multiple extrude seems like an odd way to create a sphere. Anyway... I'd read the bit about using locus points as a point of reference, but I'm not sure what that means. If the locus point is included in the extrude, it simply adds another segment and everything converges at the point of the locus. I tried open polygons, and even aligned the open segments from one polygon to the next, all to no avail. I've de-composed and re-composed each polygon in an effort to 'wipe their memories;' still the same twist. I've tried alternately sending the lower polygons to the back, behind each other, but the twist persists. The Loft Tool (no rail) seems to do the trick. At the cost of more memory and management and reduced flexibility, but at least it works! Thanks again, Will
  17. If I do that, I get a double "X"...
  18. Is there any way to get rid of the "X" twist in this pilaster? It's a multiple extrude, 6 segments/7 polygons. The bottom three polygons are all the same. It is between the uppermost of these bottom three and the first slightly smaller polygon that the "X" is occurring. Any thoughts greatly appreciated!
  19. Isn't Rosetta for running software intended for a PowerPC on an Intel machine? In any case, I've already got Rosetta installed (it's running MS Office...)
  20. "Glass Clear" is opaque in viewports with RenderWorks backgrounds, whether rendered with FQRW or CRW. Adding the "Plain Transparency" Transparency shader to "Glass Clear" seems to resolve the issue (with "Mirror" increased to about 10 1/2 and "Transparency" at about 9). In order for light to pass through the glass in Custom RenderWorks, it seems that the "Ray Traced Shadows" need to be used, and not the "Shadow Mapped Shadows." So, based on my experiments thus far, the above described glass seems to be transparent, reflective, and let light through, and work in CRW if the settings are correct. Maybe I'm missing something, but it doesn't seem like it should be so difficult to figure out basic glass in an architectural software. It seems the "Glass Clear" texture (which even has it's own specific selection option for windows and doors) shouldn't block the visibility of RW Backgrounds!
  21. Nope. Just running the now entirely unsupported VW 2008... ...but on the OS that it should be happy with...
  22. VW 2008 on OS 10.4.11 It's my understanding that VW 2008 won't, or might not, run on it...
  23. Pretty much every other time that I open the Visualization Palette, all columns except the Layer column are blank. I have to quit and re-start VectorWorks and/or my computer, and sometime starts with a small & simple file to get it to work again. For a little while. Has anyone else had similar problems? It would be a great thing if it worked... Thanks.
  24. I only have VW 2008 and so can't open your file, but it sounds like the kind of thing that is the reason why, after schematic design, I tend to model my doors & windows from scratch. Tedious, but it makes for complete control over the results... AND, if you want to do something completely crazy like have a 6 over 9 window, you can do it (though maybe 2009/2010 have more capabilities in that regard...).
  25. I wish... That elevation benchmark's used a file's Z=0 (the one that all the design layers are set with respect to), rather than the combination of a section viewport's Y=0 and a user's adjustment. The possibility of someday having to explain to a client that their building is higher or lower than expected because the viewport was moved on the sheet is not appealing... There could be a master file-wide adjustment should one's model not be at it's actual real-world elevation (such as because of a desire to always put the model with its first floor at Z=0 or Z=100', or because during design the building's vertical placement is changed). Further, if elevation benchmarks could also in plan view recognize and indicate the tops of 3D components, such as varying TOC elevations on a foundation plan, that might be especially helpful.
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