Connys

VW is not able to reference to dwg directly. However this would be very useful for us too. I don't know if the lines are fixed yet.

I have got this answer from TerryE at the Virtualbox forum: "A quick look at Vectorworks states that it is "2D/3D AEC CAD software for Windows and Macintosh." Sorry but 3D software just doesn't work well under VB and isn't supported. There are lots of discussion on the forum as to why." So I guess I will have to try VMware or some other VM program to make this work...

I have now posted this topic on the Virtualbox forum at http://forums.virtualbox.org/viewtopic.php?p=30800#30800. Letś hope they can give a hint of what's going on.

No, I haven't contacted them yet. I will probably do so, but it would be good to know if someone here has got VW to work in a Virtualbox virtual machine or only me doing something wrong...

I have now tried 3-4 times and everytime I try to start the VW in the virtual XP machine it crashes. There is no new lines in the /var/log/messages and /var/log/syslog files. However the VBox.log file ends like this: 00:01:05.416 /TM/GC/1nsSteps 34 times 00:01:05.416 /TM/R3/1nsSteps 326 times 00:01:05.417 /TM/VirtualSync/CurrentOffset 3270000 ns 00:01:05.417 ********************* End of statistics ********************** 00:01:05.442 Changing the VM state from 'DESTROYING' to 'TERMINATED'. I get the same results when trying to run VW on a Windows 2000 machine.

It dumps everything, the whole machine stops running immediately after the first VW 2008 welcome screen shows up. I still haven't notified the virtualbox people. I thought it would be good to check here first if someone has got VW running with XP in a virtualbox machine. I can try to get the dmesg if you tell me how to do. Do I use dmesg as a command in a terminal window or is there a file somewhere? And where do I find the syslog?

I tried to install Vectorworks 2008 on a Windows XP sp2 virtual machine in Virtualbox 1.6.2 on a Ubuntu 8.04 host.The installation worked fine, but when I try to start VW the whole virtual machine crasches. The virtual XP workes fine with other programs. Has anyone else here tried this? I would like to be able to run VW while I'm logged in to Ubuntu.

I have a problem with mirrored text in symbols that are mirrored when exported to dwg. In VW this is no problem because the program can automaticly have mirrored text to be turned right, but in Autocad the text is showed mirrored. Does anyone know a way around this problem?

The consultants i work with had some minor problems with my dwg:s from VW 2008. However I do these steps: 1. export only one layer from design layers with the classes I want to export turned on. 2. In the dwg export dialog I have: -Format dwg 2000 -Export as Classes -Invisible classes Are: Not exported -Sheets to include: Design layers only -2D Fills and Files: Export 2D fills unmarked!! Important because it seems as Autocad is handeling wipeouts (white fills) very slow, which makes the files heavy to use on Autocad. And a file full of wipeouts or fills are strange for an Autocad user... -3D: Decompose 3D Symbols and Groups is unmarked Line Wights: I do not map lines to colors anymore. I think Autocad user should get rid of this behavior. It has been possible in Autocad to use linewights since Autocad 2000! Thats it! I also use color by class if possible for all objects. Many consultants like to gray the architects drawings by changing the classes to a gray color.

I do agree with archoncad, call dem SP1, 2, 3, 4... I will now doanload SP2 r3, I did not realize it was a new servicepack, in fact SP 4?? Wow I really missed this, let?s see if my problem with not beeing able to stretch walls in rotated mode has been fixed.

Silo, a popular commercial 3d modeler is beeing ported to Linux. "Silo development marches onward... I can let you in on one area where we've made a lot of recent progress: Linux. The final frontier. :] Silo is running quite well and we're hoping to pass it on to the beta team ..." As I understand they have used the open framework Qt, which makes it easier to have the same codebase on different platforms. http://www.nevercenter.com/ http://www.silo3d.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13766 http://trolltech.com/products/qt

I have experienced the same problem with all stairs of a kind erased ewhen erasing one. It?s very irritating and I have no clue why a stair suddenly behaves like that. Where can I find the "fix stair association" script? Johncruet, did you try the scrip? I don?t know how many hours I spent on this, but the buggy stairtool shold be fixed. I have also noticed that the leader is only drawn as a line without thickness...

I would like to see that Nemetschek give their support to the Wine project. I just read at winehq.org that Photoshop CS2 now works with wine, I guess PS CS3 will do it soon. With news like this I really think it is time now for VW to go for Linux! And take a good position in the expanding Linux market. The little effort would probably be payed off immidiatly and as a spinnoff give VW god advertise in magazines, forums etc as the real crossplatform cad alternative!

Wow, that?s something! I guess it would not be so hard to make VW2008 work either if the Nemetchek team wanted to give a little help to the wine project. Ofcourse a native version would be best, but I would be happy with a version working wine to start with...

I would like to be able to manipulate the pixels of bitmap images inside VW. I often import old drawings and maps that has been scanned as an underlay for my work. I?m only asking for simple manipulation like adding lines and pixels or removing pixels. I had this function in the application Rasterex for Autocad, and it was really useful to have the possibilty to do some simple photomanipulation directly in the cadview.

As mentioned, the main reason for me to use DLVP in the same way as SLVP, is to get sections and elevations in DL. This would make it possible to directly export them to the dwg?s modelspace. All plans, sections and elevations have to be delivered in modelspace for the other consults. Dwg?s paperspace (=SL) is only for the drawingborder an VP?s. In VW there is no actual need for this, but to make it possible to export sections/elevations easily to dwg?s modelspace it is a must have! I would also love a way to batch export designlayers. Perhaps the only way to achive this is the way Archicad has made it work. instead of 2 layer modes they have three. 1. 2d/3d model mode 2. A plan/section/elevation mode (exports to dwg?s modelspace) 3. A drawing mode (same as SL and dwg?s paperspace) Today mode 1 and 2 are comparable to what we in VW try to do in DL, but without the possibility to have VP?s of sections nad elevations. However it?s very easy to batch make dwg or pdf out of stage 2 and 3 in Archicad. This is why I cannot fully recommend VW to users that have to make dwg?s for other consults.

Mr. Gog. I have the same problem as you. I tough VW2008 had a solution when making it possible to make viewports in designlayers. But you can?t make section viewports in desiglayers! So the problem is still not solved. So I still have to make those sections and eleveations manually for export to dwg?s modelspace. Archicad has solved how the publish/export in a beatuful way to dwg, pdf or whatever...

I noticed this too. I had hoped that VW 2008 would have made it possible to drop viewports and section viewports on desiglayers. When sending dwg files to Autocad users all modelfiles 2d/3d like plans, sections and elevations should be made in dwg?s modelspace (designlayer) and in scale 1:1. The only way I now found to get sections to designlayers is by converting a section viewport in sheetlayers to a group and then copy that one to a designlayer for later export to dwg.I also have to add all the annotations in the viewport manually to the group or symbol. I hope there is a better way and that I missed how to manage this in an easy and automated way...

I had hoped that VW 2008 should have the possibilty to drop viewports and section viewports on desiglayers, so it would be easy to export sections and elevations to dwg?s modelspace. However it seems as only viewports, not section viewports, can be droped on designlayers. In dwg all modelfiles 2d/3d like plans, sections and elevations should be made in modelspace (designlayer) in scale 1:1, and the drawing layout like borders and the scaled viewports etc in paperspace. The only way I found to do this is by converting a section viewport in sheetlayers to a group or symbol, and then copy that one to a designlayer for later export to dwg. Ofcourse I also have to add all the annotations in the viewport manually to the group or symbol. I hope there is an automated way to achive this now, or is everything still as bad as it was in VW 12.5? I hope I missed something!

Well, an intresting question here I think. In my opinion Linux (I use Kubuntu) today is very easy to install and use. Actually Kubuntu with the possibility to boot in to a full os with the live cd is fantastic. Hard to install. I don?t think so. when runned from the live cd, it?s just to choose the install icon from the desktop to get OS installed to the harddisk . After that answer to six simple questions like where do you live, if you wanna have an existing Windows OS left beside Kubuntu and your name. You also get a fully functional desktop with alla normal programs installed like OpenOffice, webrowser, e-mail etc. The internet is found automaticly and the hardwaresupport is much better than I ever experienced in Windows. For example on my laptop, an Acer Travelmate 6003LCI, was the built in wireless card found and configured automaticly - no drivers needed to be installed! Even my father (and my brother, my girlfriend and her family) runns Kubuntu today. My Father even made the update from v6 to 7 by himself (It?s a major update like updating from xp to vista even if that?s not possible without reinstalling...) guess if he was happy. Actually you only have to answer yes and it?s all done automaticly with APT (Automatic package tool). Not to mention that all programs that are installed, not only the os, are updated automaticly trough APT. I have never before experinced such a easy to system to install (got my first pc 1989), maintain and change programs in. If you remove a program it?s really removed! So I do not agree with those here talking about Linux to be a hard system to install and use, those days are gone! So why Vectorworks should be ported to Linux? Well because it?s a good platform, it?s free, it?s easy to use and maintain, it?s secure and stable, you have a lot of good programs (almost 20000 trough APT-for free!), no need to reinstall because there is a new (major) version, good support trough forums, community or the maintainer,freedom to choose distribution, it?s here now and I think it?s the OS for the future!! Why do I still use Windows? Because I can?t have Vectorworks running on Linux. Why not use Mac? Well it?s just another locked in system. If you think I?m not willing to pay for programs, you are wrong. I want to put my money on workingtools like Vectorworks, not on the OS when there are good free alternatives to build your system on. The Kubuntu live/install cd is found at http://kubuntu.org/, just download it and try, it?s free and it won?t touch your system if you don?t choose the install icon. Well I really hope Nemetschek will very soon port Vectorworks to Linux! I had hoped Vectorworks 2008 would have been that suprise, but it seems I will have to wait a little bit longer...

I have tried the same trick for the window script, and it works the same way, but the HingePref should be changed to "0" for european standards. I think this should be possible to easily choose in the preferences dialogue window. However I have still not managed to find a solution for the shim gap to be include in the total width/height overall. And to have the frame width/height = total w/h overall minus shim gap.

Yes, me too! From Autocad I?m used to place the building in the real world with real coordinates. I found it hard to work this way in VW. I have tried to place the building in this way, but it means you will be working far away from the drawing origin, and with a building not following the x and y. I have not either found a good way to use the isometric views, so that the model will be automatically zoomed in correctly this way. I think the working space should not be so bound to the drawing origin.

Gideon_scott Well I have tried it and got it working in the standard VW startupfile. However, when trying in any existing drawing it would not work for me. One way to get around this is by copying the door that was created in the new clen startup file to the desired drawing. After that I had to use the eyedropper tool to copy the settings to the door tool (cross the pick up sets defaults). After that, if HingePref is set to 1, it seems to work on new doors created with the doors tool. I think we got the same problem for windows and their hinge direction marker...

I have got this answer from the tech support via a VW reseller in Sweden: To change the 3D door swing from US standards (where the 3D arrow ?points? to the hinge) to the EU standards (where the 3D arrow ?points? to the strike), do this: Choose the command VectorScript Plugin Editor in the Tools:Scripts submenu Scroll to the Door entry in the list and click the ?Parameters? button Scroll down the parameters list until you get to ?HingePref?, number 200 Change HingePref from zero to 1. Now your 3D doors will have the EU standard swing in 3D. We?ll work on the opening choice metric for a future version. (By RAnderson 12 mar 2007 )

Below I try to explain how we work in Finland and Sweden and probably in several other european countries. This is an important issue for architecture firms when looking for cadprograms over here! The door width should be entered in the same way as for the window. That means width and height overall should be entered, not the opening width as it is now for the doors in VW. Both doors and windows should have the shim gap included in the overall measure. That means the overall width should be the same as the structural opening in the wall. I would also like see the actual width for the door and window frame (not the opening width) in the data report. For exampel a door D9x21 which is standard 900x2100 mm door with 10 mm shim gap gets the following values: Total width overall: 910x2110 mm (=the structural hole in the wall) Frame width: 890x2090 mm (=the door part to be inserted in the wall) The same goes for windows and windowdoors. I would also like to notice about that the 3d opening symbol and name is drawn in a mirrored way in Scandinavia compared to the one used by VW. According to the European standard EN 12519 "Windows and pedestrian doors - Terminology", the symbol for the direction of rotation is opened up on the side where the leaf hangs. Also the naming for right and left hanged door is different in europe standards. I would also like to see VW print the data for the direction of rotation in reports, right or left hanged, so this work would be automated. I try to illustrate this with the simple figures below: ||............|| ..x...........| ...x..........| .....x........| .......x......| ...........x..| right hanged door (top) |..........x| |........x..| |......x....| |....x......| |..x........| |x..........| |..x........| |....x......| |......x....| |........x..| |..........x| right hanged door (front) I?m new to VW, so please correct me if I missed something.