willofmaine

Originally (maybe pre 12.5) I could put a window in a wall, save it as a symbol, and place it as many times as I wanted. I could then convert it back to a window (PIO), make changes, and re-save it with the original symbol name, thus globally updating all of its instances. Now, when I go to modify and re-save a window as its original symbol, all of its instances end up outside of the wall. I have finally realized that their distance and orientation outside of the wall equals the distance and orientation between their insertion points (in the wall) and absolute 0,0. In creating the symbols I have always used "Plan Projection Center" as the insertion point. I can still update existing window symbols in older files without a problem... unless I place another instance of a particular symbol, in which case the above described problems start. Has anyone else experienced any of this, or have any thoughts? Thanks! -Will

Robert, thank you! I think that (creating a file with Model Setup and Create Standard Viewports) was the missing link; I had all the pieces, just wasn't quite putting them together. I'll create a file and then a template as you suggest and see how it goes; thanks. -Will

Thanks Katie, I got the mirror texture to work (see above) and will try the light blue and/or gray colors as you suggested. -Will

And why, in the "Standard Naming Details" dialogue box, is it possible for one class to have more than one set of attributes? For example, the VWArch classes Area-Main, Area-Pattern and Area-Spec are all mapped to the VWArch Simplified class Areas. But Area-Main and Area-Patterns are blue, whereas Area-Spec is black. Which attributes are applicable for the Active Standard?... Thanks! -Will

Thanks Katie, I couldn't find a mirror texture in any of the libraries. But I was able to create one using "Plain Color" for Color and "Mirror" for Reflectivity and, most importantly, by using Final Quality RenderWorks. I keep forgetting that Open GL is not capable of shadows and, evidently, reflectivity.

How does one make a mirror (mirror texture) in VW? I've tried various combinations of 'Plain Color,' 'Object Attribute' and 'Image Color' for color along with 'Mirror' and 'Plain Glass' for reflectivity, all to no avail. Thanks!

How do I use Standard naming to create a document that has all my preferred class names? In Standard naming there seems no means to actually add, or import, the classes to the file (actually, I remember reading in Help that Standard naming can't be used to create classes...).

Once you have your renderworks camera view set as you want it, you should be able to simply go to View > Create Viewport and make a viewport out of it. I have found that I have to create the sheet layer first, though, otherwise it doesn't work (you just get a red box with an "X" through it; possibly a bug, I suspect).

As I've been able to figure it out, when it comes to standardizing classes (and layers and viewports), the following seems to be the case: Standards: When creating a new class, one has the option to "Create New Classes from Standard." The available standards are simply imported from files in the Standards folder that contain applicable sets of classes; custom standards files can be easily made. Standard Naming: This is found under File > Document Settings, and, when it's "Enable Auto-classing" feature is selected, will re-direct auto-classed objects into classes with alternate names if and as desired, such as those listed there in "VWArch Simplified" or "AIA/NCS," or as may be custom defined with the "User" standards. So, presumably one could create a whole new set of classes, put a file with them in the Standards folder, and use Standard Naming to have all auto-classed objects appropriately placed with respect to that new set of classes. My question is this: is Standard Naming ONLY for auto-classed objects (as it appears to be)? And if this is indeed the case, if one wants to use "VWArch Simplified," how does one create new classes consistent with that standard, since it's not in the Standards folder and thus not available when creating new classes? I have just realized that Standard Naming also works with creating Standard Viewports, and maybe that is its primary purpose. But my question still stands - why isn't there a file in the Standards folder for the "VWArch Simplified" classes, or even for the "AIA/NCS" classes? Any thoughts on this subject would be most appreciated; thanks!

I'll look into the Plug-In Editor more. You lost me on window settings here and door setttings there and why being in Inchland might make that less of an issue. When you talk about 500 lines of program code, I assume you're talking about VectorScript? I'm not really a programmer, as it turns out, so 500 lines sounds a bit intimidating to me. I see VS as "wow, look what I can do with this software...if I want to" And I might want to for something unique. But having to learn and do programming for basic windows in an architectural CAD program seems a bit questionable to me... or maybe I'm completely missing something here. Anyway, thanks for your feedback!

The Layer Link is working very well for quickly switching to views - both 3D and elevations - at the click of a button & without having to worry about stacking or unstacking the layers. And in elevation views, measurements can even be taken. But... I'm hoping someone can enlighten me as to the whole need for 'stacking layers' in the first place. The building is a single entity; why isn't the default, when going to a 3D (flat, axonometric, perspective) view, that ALL design layers share the same orientation? When ever do I want to simultaneously see my First Floor in plan view and my roof in axonometric view? Further, accepting that it is indeed necessary to stack the layers, why are so few tools available once things are stacked? It seems it would be nice to be able to measure and modify things across the design layers? Oh (little experiment) I guess, actually, things in the current layer can be modified with respect to (snapped to) items in other layers... But still, one can't dimension or create a polygon and extrude it, or use similar tools, as long as stack layers is on... Any thoughts? Thanks! -Will

Quote: "No, but you can enter your own values with the Plug-In editor" & "While you are at it, you may also want to change some default dimensions." Petri - I might stay away from the Plug-In Editor for a bit, and just keep a wriiten (yeah, I know, with a pen, on a piece of paper...) list of what my various Style classes are used for. Regarding the default dimensions, though, can't I just simply adjust those in the Settings dialogue and save them into a template file? I'm having lots of trouble with windows (jambs show as a step across the sill; there are holes in sections behind the trim; sills are in bigger white boxes when rendered) so I'm not againts creating my own windows and doors. But, how do you quickly change the size of a window so created? Is there a way to create parametrics that keep, say, the sash raisl 2" regardlesss of the overall height of the sash?... clb - I think I saw your post on doors. Can't you control the color/texture of your threshold by going to the View tab and setting the Sill, under "Special Classes," to be controlled by one of the Style classes (and of course set the color/texture in that Style class as desired)? -Will

I was wrong in my previous post: even though you can rename "Style-1," back in the windows setting box, it's still called "Style-1" and, if you use it for another part, the "Style-1" class is regenerated in the list of classes. I actually wasn't using the Column object, but had modeled a column from scratch, and I would not have created a class called "Style-1" if I had not been trying to take advantage of an already existing class, used to control the color of the window trim, to also control the color of the column. Is there a way to control a window's appearance other than with the "View" tab and the 15 pre-determined style classes?...

I figured if my column is the same color as my window trim, I may as well use "Style-1" which, as I understand it, is automatically generated by VW for window and door components and can not be changed or re-named........... (quick experiment)......... oh, nice, they can be re-named. New with VW 12.5?? Does the Layer & Class Mapping tool not apply to classes of components of a symbol? I mapped my column to fewer, simpler layers, and all it's components seemed to simply go to the "None" class...

Thanks everyone for your responses. I imported a column that I'd made in another project into my current project, and it took some time to even get it to show up. I clearly need to achieve some consistency in my symbol making! Aside from the several classes the column existed in being turned off, I also had to struggle with the columns history in trying to change its color (symbol > 2 solid intersections & sweep > the original extrudes > the extruded polygons). It seems I had to go to every step of it's history and make sure all the components were in the correct (Style-1) class and using "by class" before it turned red. Is there any way to take an object with a history and in one or two steps change them to the desired class and/or attributes? Thanks!

Thank you both very much for your responses; Peter for your suggestion to use layer links (something that so far I've only been vaguely aware of, I think having read some NNA literature suggesting that Viewports have superceeded Layer Links (I'm new to VW with 12)) and, oh, two Peters... Peter Cipes, thanks for confirming that I'm not the only one that went "Huh?" when my saved view did not recall its stack layer status. Thanks!

Saved views don't retain whether or not "Stack Layers" is on, such that when I use a saved view to go to a 3D image of the whole building that includes the other floors and the roof I need to also turn on "Stack Layers"? Or am I missing something? Thanks! -Will

Ah...yes, indeed, I was in the Knoll library. Don't think they'll be asking me to do furniture design after what I did to their couch! But thanks for your answer; that all makes sense now.

I have done that, yes, but if a building has 30 Type A windows, that seems like a potentially tedious way to change all of them from, say, 1 over 1 to 2 over 1. So far, it seems like maybe symbols are the way to go. Even if half of the windows are to be 1 over 1, and the other half 2 over 1, then two different symbols (Type A and Type B) could be created. Though if only one of them needs to be tempered, then a third symbol - maybe Type A-T - would need to be created? "Creating a Window or Door Symbol" and "Inserting Windows" in Help address these, and seem to further suggest that symbols are the way to go, but I guess I'm struggling with just how to do this effectively... Thanks! -Will

In trying to figure out a standard protocol for making symbols, I've been 'disecting' some of the VW default symbols. What a mess I've made of a couch and a chair! Anyway... I have found that they (the hybrid symbols) always seem to consist of meshes, rather than solids. Why is this? I realize meshes offer more flexibility, but don't they also require more memory, having so many vertices? For example, a sphere has 6 grips, but converted to a mesh an 18" sphere appears to have hundreds of vertices. Any thoughts would be helpful!! Thanks, Will

Windows (and Doors too) in walls are separate instances. If you create a VA schedule, they all show up on the schedule, as expected. But if I have several Type A windows, for example, I want to be able to modify them all simultaneously, so... I create a Type A window Symbol, and place that several times. And to modify it I guess I have to "dumb" it down by converting it back into a PIO, make the changes, and resave it as a Type A windows Symbol again. That works well, but... The Type A window no longer shows up on the VA schedule. At least, not until I recently found that I could edit the search criteria of the Database Row Header in the VA schedule worksheet to include windows that are IN symbols. That seems to work... So I think I have a system. But in the meantime, what is the purpose of "Use Symbol Geometry" when creating a door or window? It seems the Data tab is not linked to the size of the selected symbol geometry such that its appearance on the schedule is likely to give incorrect information. More generally, I guess, my question is how does VW intend for multiple doors and windows, of the same types, to be created and also reported in schedules? Any thoughts would be most appreciated!...

In my experience, the geometry of stairs, including their length and height, landings, and rise and run are defined at the tread nosing, specifically, the intersection of the top of the treads and their leading edges. Even codes define stairs accordingly. Whether the riser is vertical, sloped, or recessed with a nosing overhang is only incidental to the stair's overall geometry. Yet in VectorWorks stair dimensions are to the actual treads, and in 2D representations VW even shows the edges of landings as being at the back edge of the tread below, so that if there is a nosing overhang, say of 1", the tread just below the landing appears to be 12" on a stair with 11" treads. Wouldn't it make sense to have stairs measured to the tread nosings? Also, it would be nice to be able to have the top tread show up in 3D sections, but not in 2D representations, where it's back edge appears to be yet another riser. Just some food for thought. Oh, and one other... a dashed line in sections, the height of which could be set as desired, but particularly to 80," to assist in verifying that a stair has enough headroom. Okay, now I''m done...

I can't seem to cut sections without getting the spinning color wheel for several minutes. When I force quit, I find that VW is not responding. In a new test document with just a couple of walls, it will cut a section instantaneously, no problem. VW tech support suggested that corrupt symbols can cause trouble. How does one identify and fix such corrupted symbols?? Thanks!

Never mind... In "Printer Setup" in "Page Setup", in the "Paper Size" pull-down menu there is a place to "Manage Custom Sizes," where I was able to create a borderless 8 1/2 x 11 page. I didn't find anything about this in "Help" - if it indeed isn't there, I wish it were! I then discovered that if "Format for" is set to my printer rather than "Any Printer," there is already a borderless 8 1/2 x 11. Though in the file where I'd originally printed borderless this is not selected, so it's still a bit of a mystery, but one that's only a minor detail at this point...

Hi, I have an HP printer capable of borderless (to the edge of the page) printing. I have done this from VW, but in a new file, it won't let me use the settings that I'd successfully used before. It won't let me use 1 page wide & 1 page high with 11" wide and 8.5" tall - it always adjusts one or the other so that I can't eliminate the margin. What am I missing?? Any suggestions would be much appreciated! Thanks.