The Cantor

http://kbase.vectorworks.net/questions/975/Drape+Surface I watched the video again. The drape covering the table in the video does not totally cover the table top either (you can tell in the wire-frame.) The video never renders the table top, so you do not see a 'final render'. Baffling!

Gytis- Attached is the VW 2014 file. Just wish it would cover the table as it covers the table in the learning video. Thanks...tom

Sorry, meant to add: VW 2014 SP3 Mac Platform OS X 10.7.5

I am trying to put a table cloth on a 72" diameter table 30" high. I specify U direction and Z direction both to 75, with Z value of 0". The 'drape' that is generated is shorter than 30", and does not completely cover the full 72" diameter.Help!

VW 2014 Spotlight on a Mac. The only folders I have in my Libraries folder are Defaults, Favorites, and Hatches. Nothing else...no Image Fills, Image Props, Objects-Entertrainment, nothing else. Do I need to re-install???

Thanks sir, but apparently I need to purchase SketchUp in order to export .3ds files from SketchUp. The free version does not allow it...

I have found wonderful objects at the warehouse, but for the life of me, I can not figure out how to import the colors and/or textures that are in the Sketchup files of those objects. I have spent a huge amount of time re-skinning the objects. If I actually buy Sketchup, can I import the files somehow and keep their attributes attached? Is their a way to import the attributes without buying the application? signed...tight as a frog's ---.

" Try: View>Perspective>Cropped" Thanks. That worked!

I finally started working in 2013. I wanted to do some renderings, and did a 'Set 3D View'. There is no marquis that I can enlarge or shrink that defines the rendering area as has been present in past versions of VW. Now I have to allow the entire window to render, vs. just a defined area. Have I turned something on or off by mistake, or is this new to VW2013? Spotlight/Renderworks/Mac/Processor 2 x 2.66 GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon/Mac OS X Lion 10.7.5 (11G63)

Yes...controlling the blend region would come in handy. thanks..

Thanks for sharing...

Yes, you could do a trace, but I would think that having an actual vector-based dwg to work with is a lot more accurate a template to work with than a traced bit map. Especially knowing that you will need to scale the results.

Posted initially in General Discussion... For all of you that end up doing corporate or other events in ballrooms and convention centers across the country, here is a source for a good number of drawings. Meeting Matrix http://www.meetingmatrix.com/ Three Issues: 1) The file generated can not be exported as a dxf or dwg. 2) Need a PC to run the MM application. 3) You have to get a free subscription to Meeting Matrix, and download the free silver version. Procedure I follow is... 1) Search the MM venue drawing library. 2) Download the venue drawing package. 3) Open the specific room, and draw a couple of dimension lines. 4) Print as a PDF file. The pdf is a vector-based file. 5) Open the PDF file in Illustrator. 6) Export from Illustrator as a DWG file. 7) Import into a new VW file. Measure the distances you have from the Meeting Matrix file dimension lines. 8) Do a simple proportion, and scale entire drawing. Make sure to confirm that your proportion was correct. 9)Open a new layer, with the MM drawing on a layer below and be in 'show snap others' mode. 10) Use the MM lines as your template. MM claims that the drawings are accurate. You could import the pdf direct to VW, but it will be like importing a picture, with no snapping capabilities. When you can't do a survey, it's a pretty good source. Good Luck...

Several months ago, our St. Louis Mo. user group did a webcast with the guy that wrote Spotlight. He mentioned that VW and Adobe would be working closer together in the near future, and that this was one of the bigger issues soon to be worked out. Just wonder how near we are. In the mean time, this path via Meeting Matrix and Illustrator offers a relatively descent room template for those of us that deal with the issue day in and day out...

For all of you that end up doing corporate or other events in ballrooms and convention centers across the country, here is a source for a good number of drawings. Meeting Matrix http://www.meetingmatrix.com/ Three Issues: 1) The file generated can not be exported as a dxf or dwg. 2) Need a PC to run the MM application. 3) You have to get a free subscription to Meeting Matrix, and download the free silver version. Procedure I follow is... 1) Search the MM venue drawing library. 2) Download the venue drawing package. 3) Open the specific room, and draw a couple of dimension lines. 4) Print as a PDF file. The pdf is a vector-based file. 5) Open the PDF file in Illustrator. 6) Export from Illustrator as a DWG file. 7) Import into a new VW file. Measure the distances you have from the Meeting Matrix file dimension lines. 8) Do a simple proportion, and scale entire drawing. Make sure to confirm that your proportion was correct. 9)Open a new layer, with the MM drawing on a layer below and be in 'show snap others' mode. 10) Use the MM lines as your template. MM claims that the drawings are accurate. You could import the pdf direct to VW, but it will be like importing a picture, with no snapping capabilities. When you can't do a survey, it's a pretty good source. Good Luck...

I did the upgrade to 12.5 I am not sure if it helped. I did find that if I make several curtains of shorter width, say 15' wide, vs. one curtain 90' wide, the curtain objects hold their object properties and look OK.

I am on a Mac G5 using VW 12.0.0 Is there a known challenge with the curtain object tool? I made a simple curtain and tried to render as shaded polygon, as well as final quality renderworks. The result looks like a curtain on the lower half with radiating lines coming from the top two corners(as shaded polygon), but just looks like flat wall as final quality renderworks. Is there a fix in 12.5?...thanks...the cantor

George, you win the prize! Changing the OIP to 180 is the cleanest solution to this. Much appreciated...the cantor

Thanks all. I will look at the vw 12 demo movies. I got it to work on a polyline curve, but will not work how I want it to on a circle or arc. The bottom of the text will still only attach to the inside of the circle. I will do the upgrade to 12.5 and see if I have any more luck...thanks again all...the cantor

Thanks for the reply. Does this also work for more than one letter? I need to wrap the phrase 'Come Grow With Us' around the outside of a 90 degree arc.....

Let me try that again...I can only get the bottom of the letters to touch the inside of the circle. I need the letters to curve in the opposite direction.

I am trying to put text on the outside of a circle, so that the bottom of the letters are 'sitting' on the outside of the circle. I can only get the text to wrap around the inside of the circle, with the top of the text touching the inside of the circle. Just a bit baffled. I can not find the parameters to change this....

I am a bit confused. I thought the only way I could import a pdf file was by converting to a jpg or other image file and then import. Please tell me I do not need to waste all that time.....

OK...Please give link?....thanks..the cantor

I am trying to update, but keep getting notice that too may users are downloading. Is this common? On Mac...thanks