Tamsin Slatter

OK - further details. In the Plant Database, click on Search. In the category field, choose Trees. Click Find. This will select all records with Trees as the category. Then run Create Existing Tree List. Confirm that you want to overwrite the existing list.

Sophie Open up the Vectorworks Plant Database and choose File>Create Existing Tree List. This will refresh the tree list with the UK data that we added on the course. Tamsin

Hi Sophie Not easily I'm afraid. If you had all the data in a spreadsheet we might be able to copy the information across to the Existing Tree records, but there is no magic button I'm afraid!

Hi Luke What are these numbers? Are they from your surveyor? If you select them, what does it say in the Object Info palette? If they are 3D Loci, with Z values, you can select them all and convert them to Stakes (Modify>Convert>Stake Objects from 3D Loci). Then you can select them all and run Landmark>Create Site Model. This will give you a contour plan and a 3D representation, which you can modify to calculate cut and fill etc.

You can also get to this information using Tools>Custom Selection - you can select by any field and its contents. You could also create a worksheet which lists these values and then use the worksheet to update the values.

Yes that certainly works, but if you had modifications around the building and then had a new terrace several acres away from the building, you may want to put these into separate boundaries - so that you don't have to re-grade all the acres in between to accommodate both sets of changes. Could be costly!

The Section Viewport works much better on a site model and building now. I have had some success by duplicating the resulting Viewport - one looks at the model and has one rendering mode - the other looks at the building with the relevant rendering mode for that view. Overlay the building duplicate on top of the other.

You can have multiple boundaries - as long as they don't overlap. If they DO overlap, just turn them into one boundary (by using Modify>Add Surface). For roads, I would not recommend creating separate boundaries for each road segment. Instead, draw your own boundary to enclose the modifiers you need.

I agree with you Peter - comverting existing objects to create modifiers is a very efficient way of working and allows you to design first and then work out what modifiers you need for the site afterwards. I also agree that Site Modeling is worth the effort! Once you've mastered it, it should be the first thing you do with any survey - create a model of the site so you can really understand it before starting your design.

Hi When placing dimensions on a Viewport, you have to go into viewport annotations. First, check the scale of the viewport by selecting it and looking on the Object Info palette in the scale field (you can change the scale of viewport here if you need to). Then, right-click on the viewport and choose Edit Annotations. You will now be within the viewport and working at the same scale as your viewport, so your dimensions will match the objects you are dimensioning. When you're done, click Exit Viewport - the big orange button at the top right of the screen. Hope that helps!

In that case, Kaare's alternative option of creating a texture which does not cast shadows will do the trick.

Hi Fergy Yes, you probably do need to add a directional light to create shadows on the floor, but it depends on which HDRI background you use. Try turning down ambient light a little - that may have some effect. The orientation depends very much on the HDRI you are using. There is no hard and fast rule, so just experiment. Create a floor and place a sphere on it in a new file. Render in Top view with different backgrounds applied and you can guage the orientation of the HDRI relative to the screen. To get a directional light to light a scene in what is effectively a closed box, turn off Cast Shadows for the directional light. It will then pass through the walls/floors/ceilings. Hope that helps!

With a glow shader, you need to have another light source in the drawing (even if it is switched off) to turn off the default light. You also need to have the Indirect Lighting settings turned on to see the light bouncing on the surface of other objects.

Is this with an Area Light? If so, select it and uncheck Render Geometry on the Object Info palette. Try the glow shader though. You need Indirect Lighting switched on to get the effect of a glow, but they are cool.

You might also want to look at creating a Renderworks Texture with Glow set as the reflectivity shader. These can be a great alternative to an area light and render faster too.

Hi Bruce Yes - this setting replaces the Radiosity options in previous versions and does require Renderworks. You can find more information in this document, and I do recommend the Getting Started Guide for Renderworks which will give you a good workout through all the new options. http://www.vectorworks-training.co.uk/Buy_Vectorworks/Renderworks.aspx Have fun.

Do you have Display Planar Objects checked on the Sheet Layer Viewport?

Try changing the Attributes to Separate Cross Sections and check Use Attributes of Original Objects.

You could also look at something like Pixelmator on the Mac, which has many similar functions to Photoshop, for a fraction of the price. But let's sort the rendering first!

Get an image of a vertical planting scheme, use Photoshop to make it repeat sensibly, and use it as the basis for a texture. Make a vertical plane in front of the wall, and apply your texture. It can look OK. If you want help offlist with this, give me a shout. Regarding worksheets, how about using the Landscape Area tool to count your plants. You don't need to actually add visible plants this way - and can set the density you desire. Then you can pull of a report of the landscape areas only. Just use Plant graphics for aesthetic beauty then!

Are you changing the scale of your layer? If so, do you have Scale Text checked?

Matt It would be good to know what settings you are using that are causing you to be disappointed - perhaps a sample render too?

My pleasure Matt.

You could always make a texture of a mass of vertical planting and place that on a vertical plane just in front of the wall. But this would not count plants. You could still use the Landscape Area of Place Plant tool to create a plan of the wall face so that you can get correct calculations of plants. Hope that helps

Hi Matt I'm afraid this is currently a limitation of the Hardscape tool. To solve your 2D, 3D working with terrain, here's a suggestion for you: 1) Draw a Polygon, to represent your paving in Top/Plan view. 2) From the Landmark>AEC menu, choose Roof Face. This will allow you to create a hybrid object which can show 2D and 3D in the same object, AND show a fall. 3) Draw a 3D Polygon around the bottom of your Roof Face and put it in the Site-DTM-Modifier class - this will become your pad. And the Attribute mapping tool works a treat on the Roof Face! So, you get 2D, 3D, correct fall for your sections, site modifier AND mapped texture! Hope that helps