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exocubic

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Everything posted by exocubic

  1. The tough economy is forcing me to part with my Vectorworks license. I've contacted The Authorities and have the forms ready to complete the legal transfer of ownership. Completely legit and above board. Here's the EBay auction: http://r.ebay.com/9GCsYU
  2. Here's the body of the email I received from NNA when inquiring about switching my VW 2008 Mac license to VW 2008 Windows: Hello Mark, You can switch platforms, but you will have to upgrade to do that. Platform switch can only be done in a current version. Thanks, Jenna Harper Sales Representative Sales/Marketing Nemetschek N.A. Inc. 7150 Riverwood Drive Columbia, MD 21046 jharper@vectorworks.net (Toll Free) 888-646-4223 ext. 688 (Fax) 410-290-7266 To learn more about the exciting new features in all of our Vectorworks 2009 CAD products and see them in action, visit www.vectorworks.net/upgrade
  3. @Nedly I have a license of VW 2008 Designer with RenderWorks (Mac platform). I've been informed that I need to upgrade to the latest version ($500) in order to switch platforms from Mac to PC - I am not interested in doing so, therefore my VW license is useless to me. If you do decide to go with VW, I'd make you a hell of a deal. Totally legit - I'd work with you and Nemetschek to cleanly and legally transfer the license and switch it over to PC. Let me know if you are interested: mark (at) exocubicstudio (dot) com
  4. Legitimate sale - I will contact Nemetschek and transfer the license to the buyer. Asking $1500.00 USD - If you're looking to get 2009, buy my license and pay the $500 upgrade fee to save $495. Email me at mark (at) exocubicstudio (dot) com if you're interested. (I'm not sure of NNA's policy as regards these kinds of posts, but I'm sure they can take it down if it's not cool.) PS I also have a MacBook Pro Core2Duo available (runs VW beautifully).
  5. Not at all... actually, you've pushed the conversation to a whole new level. One I don't have a hell of lot of expertise in. I think you're correct in placing the blame here on "capitalism" as a whole, but I'm not entirely sure that strict adherence to a textbook definition of that economic system is being put into practice in any real-world scenario. Compromise is pandemic. The compromise I'd like to see is one where the same insights into corporate plans that are granted board members be granted also to users of the corporation's products (in this case, software). I have no idea how this could be implemented, though. It just seems to me that the software industry is producing a unique, dynamic product whose future functioning may be radically different from what it is today, and the return on our investment is inextricably tied to having at least some insight into that future functionality. When I buy a new welder, it's functionality is implicit and will remain so throughout the life cycle of the welder - but software's current functionality and future functionality are in flux, subject to decisions made behind closed doors.
  6. You're probably right, Pat. But there is the small matter of branding one subset of the VW product line "Machine Design." It's definitely the forgotten bastard child of Nemetschek products - so much so, it borders on false advertising. They should continue to develop for it or abandon it altogether.
  7. My motivation for posting this is twofold: to let other VW users know what is being whispered about, and to start in on a rant. Here goes: I just bought SolidWorks. And a new Vista-based workstation to run it on. Needless to say, a gargantuan investment that is a tenfold increase in capital outlay for software/hardware. Plus the added complication of switching BACK to windows, after two years of relative happiness on the mac. Why? Because the suite of packages (formZ and VectorWorks) I was using was inefficient and cumbersome for the work I was needing to do. Both packages fall just short of doing what I want - that is, 3d designs developed into 2d sheet metal patterns PLUS shop drawings for fabricators to actually build the objects. FormZ is a wonderfully flexible modeler with half-assed 2d capabilities and VW is the best 2d CAD program I've ever laid hands on - but it's 3d capabilities (specifically SNAPS and "Hybrid Objects") end up creating more problems and workarounds than useful data. Thus I was attempting to exploit the strengths of each to arrive at a workable solution. But moving data between programs is inherently risky, and that risk manifested itself on a major project in the form of lost path lines in the final cutting pattern - which cost me the price of FormZ in change orders on the project. Not cool. Enter SolidWorks: it does everything I need without any data translation - with a simplicity that helps minimize user error, too. So imagine my chagrin to learn that VW MAY be incorporating a new modeling kernel on par with that in SW. You mean I could have stayed on my MacBook Pro, supported a dedicated mac CAD software developer, AND saved myself $7,000? Needless to say, if this rumor proves true I'm going to be a bit miffed. The point here is that the software industry as a whole is operating under a veil of secrecy that makes it virtually impossible for us as users to make any kind of intelligent future plans for our businesses - businesses that utilize software as the foundation of our entire revenue stream. I, for one, am sick of software companies treating their loyal users as pawns and expecting us to operate in the dark and maintain solvency while they make development decisions with blatant disregard for our SHARED goals. I was going to post here offering up my VW Designer+Renderworks license for sale. But this rumor is delaying that decision as well. Hmph.
  8. FormZ have a mesh reduction tool that might work...
  9. My experience is exactly the same as Christiaan's.
  10. Is there a script or other method by which one can convert curves (splines, nurbs curves) into arcs?
  11. I am attempting to import 2d geometry consisting of only arcs and straight lines from formZ - in order to double-check the drawings before sending them to a laser cutter. The arcs and lines are being converted to NURBS by the import. Why?
  12. I have several sets of 3d fasteners that are spontaneously flipping orientation - I have to go back to my model sheet to correct it - WHICH FORCES ME TO HAVE TO UPDATE >>>ALL<<< MY VIEWPORTS. These fasteners are also not exporting at all in my DWGs - not the 3d model, nor the 2d sheets. Plus, the dashed hidden line viewports are taking upward of ten minutes EACH to update. I'm amazed people are actually able to get professional-quality work done with crap like this going on. If I were operating under a tighter deadline, I would be screaming mad.
  13. I'm seeing some strange behavior with the export dialog - the extension is being dropped, and when I attempt to type it in, I get the attached error message.
  14. I asked precisely this question a few weeks back and was met with resounding silence. Most of my questions relating to solids modeling, particularly those relating to mechanical or non-architectural subjects are similarly falling on deaf ears. I wish you luck. http://techboard.nemetschek.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=7&Number=94478&Searchpage=1&Main=20174&Words=&topic=0&Search=true#Post94478 http://techboard.nemetschek.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=2&Number=96349&Searchpage=1&Main=20649&Words=&topic=0&Search=true#Post96349 http://techboard.nemetschek.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=3&Number=95231&Searchpage=1&Main=20362&Words=&topic=0&Search=true#Post95231 http://techboard.nemetschek.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=12&Number=94048&Searchpage=1&Main=20092&Words=&topic=0&Search=true#Post94048
  15. Sorry if this has been addressed (the search functionality on this forum is, frankly, pathetic) - is there an import translator available for getting STEP files into VW?
  16. Ha! Nice one, islandmon. But - seriously - are my VPs supposed to vanish like that?
  17. When I make changes to my model on a Design layer (moved a part of my model up .02"), ALL the viewports on my sheet layers disappear completely -poof-. Right-clicking on a viewport title in the Navigation palette and selecting "Activate" brought them all back. Scared the cr@p out of me - is this expected behavior?
  18. Leopard is definitely worth it - even if just for the Quick Look plug-in. I did a standard upgrade install, made a Time Machine backup of all my stuff, then did an erase and install. There are some basic permissions changes from Tiger to Leopard (default user group id has changed to "staff", etc.) that can create problems with legacy Tiger files in Leopard.
  19. Doh! On a whim, I tried out the "Shell Solid" tool - and it accomplishes what I want perfectly. BUT... these are surfaces, not solids, so no wonder I didn't bother trying before. This again points to a need for simplification - could any addition of z-dimension be handled by the same tool, regardless of the source geometry? (NNA-have you people seen Spaceclaim yet?) http://www.spaceclaim.com/
  20. I have extracted nurbs surfaces from a solid object and am attempting to extrude each surface to give it the thickness of the sheet metal that it will be fabricated from. The "Tapered Extrude" command from the Model menu returns an error "None of the selected objects are valid for tapered extrude" - but I've discovered that the Protrusion/Cutout tool can be used to give these surfs thickness. The resulting object is, according to the OIP, a tapered extrude. I would like to see some changes to the interface that clue the user in on which tools/commands are viable with which types of geometry - perhaps sorting the commands under the "Model" menu by affect-able geometry. It would be even better if VW was smart enough to use whatever internal tools are necessary to "make it so, number one" without requiring the user to grok that "Extrude" only works on some kinds of geometry. Also, it would be great to have the Protrusion/Cutout tool remember the user input (distance) between uses, like the Extrude tool does. I'd put this in the Wishes section, but I want to see if I'm suffering from more training issues first. ps Pre-picking doesn't work with the Protrusion/Cutout tool.
  21. Genius, man! That fixed it. Thanks for your assistance!
  22. Here's the output from the lsregisterOuput.txt dump (had to change the extension to post, but it IS compressed):
  23. Thanks for digging into this Eric. Here is the output from running these commands (plain text file):
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