Tamsin Slatter

The user library is there to protect any libraries that you change from being overwritten should you need to reinstall your software. You should add any new resources to your user library. But you could also save the files anywhere on your hard drive. By adding this file as a "Favorite" on the Resource Browser, you do not need remember its location. Just browse it in the Browser. Hope that helps

Brilliant! No problem!

HI Lucy What I mean is that the objects you have copied onto the site may have site modifiers built into them. For example, the Massing Model tool by default includes Site Modifiers and will therefore change the model when they are placed on it. Site Modifiers are objects that change the site to accommodate new buildings or other design changes to the contours.

Hi Lucy What are the objects you are creating? Are they, by any chance, Massing Models, that have Site Modifiers enabled? If so, they will change the site.

Hi Phillipa I have sent you an email too, but thought I would follow up to say I have had a look at your model, and I can see the problem. I can't see anything wrong with your plant setup, so I assumed it had to be the model. First point: Your site model settings allow site modifiers on "Visble Layers Only" to change the model, but you have many design layers invisible. I noticed that these design layers do host many modifiers, so this could be part of the issue. Second, and more important: I can't update your model at all. Vectorworks just hangs. So, I had a look at the source data for the model and there is nothing inside the model. I wonder what has happened to the source data? Clearly something not good. I suggest the best course of action is to delete the model, reinstate the original source data, and create a new site model. I hope your plants will behave themselves then. If not, well, I guess it might have to be a job for technical support... But if you need any help re-building the model, just let me know.

Thanks Benson - that's excellent advice. Phillipa, you can try using Dropbox to get the file to me... it's a free service and really easy to install and use. If things a disappearing during rendering, I suspect memory... how much RAM does your computer have? I will be away until tomorrow night but I will take a look when I get back.

Has the model changed (with site modifiers) since you added the plants? Try this: Use Select Similar to select all your plants, and change something on the Object Info palette - something like turn all the tags off or add polygon display. It will take a while to update them all. You can then change it back to how it was. This will cause the plants to update and place themselves back on the model hopefully. If not, I am happy to have a quick look at the file for you if you can get it to me: tamsin@vectorworks-training.co.uk All the best Tamsin

You could try editing the 3D component of the plant and make sure that the base of the 3D plant is on z0 within the plant symbol?

Hi Will You can't Export symbols from one file to another if you are using Fundamentals I'm afraid. So, the only way to get them into your chosen "Favorite" files, is to have those files open and Import the symbols from their source into the Favorite files. Once saved, as these files are listed as favorites, you will simply need to double-click them to activate them and use them in any project. Hope that helps Tamsin

Hi Philippa Have you by any chance changed the Z value of your plants? If so, change it back to 0. The 3D plants automatically send themselves to the surface of the model, so it's not necessary to move them up onto the model manually - that's usually the cause of floating plants. Hope that helps

Have sent email with alternative method involving NURBS curves converted to site modifiers. Hope that helps!

Have just sent you the Loft Surface method. Now creating an alternative method for you using site modifiers... watch your email!

Hi Rosi As we've now discussed offline, the Extrude Along Path cannot do this - the scale factor is applied in all directions. The way to do this would be to create NURBS curves for each end profile and a NURBS curve for the rail - then use Loft Surface to loft a surface with a single rail. I'm putting more details together for you. But, as these are landforms, you might be better with site modifiers instead of modelling the solids. Either way, the problem you will have is creating the shapes for the modifiers a)because of your beginner status with site modelling, b)the time constraint of the assignment and c) the complexity of the geometry you are using! But I'll do my best to find a solution for you. T

Hmm - that's odd. I just checked and it works fine for me, but I am using 2012. As you have Designer, you could try changing your workspace to Landmark and repeating the double-click to see if that makes any difference? At least the eyedropper works for you though.

Hi No Save Landscape Area button like in Hardscapes (wouldn't THAT be nice!), but you can still do it: Select your defined Landscape Area, and choose Modify > Create Symbol. Name the Landscape Area and check the Convert to Plugin box, assign a class and click OK. You will then see a red symbol in the Resource Browser, and a small thumbnail of your landscape area. To reuse the settings, double-click the resource on the Resource Browser and start to draw. Works a treat. You can also use the eyedropper to transfer settings from one landscape area to another. Hope that helps! Have fun...

Once you have the 3D data, select it all and use Landmark > Create Site Model or AEC > Terrain > Create Site Model depending on which workspace you have. Vectorworks will generate an object that is both 2D and 3D, but can also display the original site or the Proposed Site. You'll need to work with Site Modifiers to make changes to the site. Good luck!

Hi Monadnoc Firstly, I am so glad you are enjoying the book and finding it useful. To solve the issue of multiple summing in columns in any worksheet, do the following: Double-click the worksheet to open it. On the worksheet menu, (top left, small down arrow knows as "disclosure arrow"!) if Database Headers does not have a check mark beside it, click it to open the database header. This row contains the instructions to the worksheet, to tell it what to display. Highlight this row by clicking on the row header. Notice the small icons that now appear above the column headings. The small SUM button will be above hardscape name. See the other Sum icon at the top? Click and drag this onto the column heading for Unit Price. This will then "anit-sum" that column and display only the original value. Return to the menu, close the Database Headers and then close the worksheet. Done! Hope that helps Tamsin

I agree Ian - dense stipples can cause a headache for your computer. My advice is, once you've placed your stipple, use Modify > Convert to Group to turn it into simple 2D Geometry. Then it behaves nicely. You can even use this geometry to create a tile fill (but only with 2011 onwards).

What about the symbols in the Landscape Rocks library that comes with Vectorworks Landmark?

Hi Don Which service pack are you on for 2011? Service Pack 5 is available and I am pretty sure that this will fix your saving issues. But as you are saving to an external server, do make sure you check the sharing permissions set up for your user on the server. Hope that helps.

No need to draw it twice... draw it once on a design layer (make sure all your layers are at the same scale). Then, make a viewport of the entire column at 1/4" and another cropped viewport at the scale of 1/1". Hope that helps

Hi Yes - you just need to check the Auto-increment ID field... I'm away from Vectorworks at the moment, but I think when you create the first ID with the ID Label tool, the dialog opens and you enter your choice of prefix and first number. Then click Options and make sure Auto-increment is checked. Hope that helps

Hi Luke You can edit the roof parameters by selecting the roof and then clicking on one of the blue "handles." Then, you can change the thickness, overhang etc either of the individual roof face or the entire roof. To create the roof face by face, I recommend you look at the Roof Face command. Draw a Polygon first to represent the roof face in Top/Plan and then run the Roof Face command on it to create a hybrid object. You can connect roof faces using the Connect/Combine tool on the Basic palette. Hope that gets you started.

You've got your green and red axes the wrong way round.

Hmm - recalculate should do the job...