rjtiedeman

Bruce, I have had the same issue with MiniCad, Vector works and other Cad software. The work around I have found to get the rounding to work to the max is as follows: 1. make the 4" x 1" rectangle. 2. convert it to a polygon (tools pull down menu) 3. use the 2d reshape tool to change the vertex to a circular fillet. This always works for me. If you need further help. Look at page 305-Reshaping Objects (Vectorworks PDF.) Robert John Tiedemann

I have been using 10.5.1b on my new 2 GH /G5 all week. I have printed to both the networked office printers and made PDFs for distribution to vendors and marketing. At this time I have not had problems printing. Printers used: XEROX Phaser 8 1/2 X 11 multi-page documents XEROX DocuColor 11 X 17 layouts I have not as yet tried my Epson 3000 but I just installed new Epson 3000 drivers for system 10. My office has full time support for the network printers so the drivers are kept up to date. Bob Tiedemann

I have been running Panther (10.3) on a G5 with Vectorworks 10.5.1b since last week. I havenot had any problems with Vectorworks. The only software problems I have encountered are older software running in Classic Mode. Bob Tiedemann

That's great! The term "BETA" is misleading. Beta usually means it's not complete or a test version, with a potential for problems. But if you say it's ready than I can assure the tech service guy that I'm ready for my G5. Bob Tiedemann

This is not good news since I am expecting my new G5 work station this Friday. Will the beta version (10.5.1b) be a functioning version or will I be forced to trade down to a G4? Bob Tiedemann

Katerina I have been using an upgraded 9500 with a Maxpower 400 upgrade processor. I also tried the system 9 helper. The system 9 helper worked but my 9500 was very flaky and VW 10.5 ran very slow and locked up frequently. Don't waste you time. We have to buy new Macs to take advantage of the VW 10.5 update. Bob Tiedemann

Ariel, I have been using an upgraded PowerMac 9500 with a Maxpower 400 upgrade. I tried the system 9 helper that was mentioned in a previous post. It allows you to 9.21 on an old world MAC. The system 9 helper worked but my 9500 was very flaky and 10.5 ran very slow and locked up frequently. Don't waste you time. We have to buy new Macs to take advantage of the 10.5 update. Bob Tiedemann

Katie, Very soon I will be upgrading to a new work station (G5) that only runs System 10+. Which versions of Vectorworks will run on 10 so I can open old files. Bob Tiedemann

Dear Bruce, I have had the same issue with old files. As a working professional I value my time and my client's time. 1. I also don't like do do things over. 2. I don't have room for paper backup. 3. I don't want to keep a work station running System 8 just for MInicad. I can understand not being able to open NEW files with OLD software. That's OK. Illustrator, PhotoShop, Word, will all open OLD files. I thought CAD meant computer aided design. On the cover of the Vector Works 10 box wrap is a pump cutaway that I did in the late 80's with Minicad 4 or 5. If that client called me today I would have to start from scratch. I may as well have rendered the project with an air brush. P.S. The new Pumps are not that different. Robert J. Tiedemann Tiedemann Design Stamford, CT

I am sorry. The last post for the same question was (Opening Old Files in VW10 03-17-2003) Bob Tiedemann

I posted a similar request to this board dated 03-07-2003 "Opening Old Files in VW10" If you refer to that discussion you will see the official Nemetchek answer. However, as a long time Minicad user I am personally distressed that you need to keep an old versions of their software on a machine that is past it's useful life just to open old files. One of the selling points to adopting computer aided design was not having to redraw projects from scratch. This has been lost on today's CAD developers. I suspect is a costly feature.

Thats just great. I guess they will stay on disk. I am not even sure but

Sorry for the delay but I have been away on business. Now back to the old file issue. I have successfully opened files with File Translator (VectorWorks 9). 1.Is their a newer version planed for vector works 10? 2. What about file previous to minicad 6? I had another translator for earlier files 4 & 5. What about those. I was trying to gather samples of old work to show a potential client. As a industrial designer old work is sometimes as important as new. I also hate redoing work from scratch. We can't discard the past with out affecting the future. Regards, -- Robert John Tiedemann Tiedemann Design 417 Courtland Avenue. Stamford, CT 06906

Katie, I have been using Graphsoft products for some time now. In fact one of my old projects is featured on the wrapper of Vectorworks 10. I would like access to old files like the one you have featured so that in the remote chance I get new work that relates I don't have to go back to square one. Presently I have a very old Mac Quatra 950 set up running an old version of MiniCad. There must be a better way. The version I was trying to open was version 6 dated from 1998.

I have a lot of files dating back to Minicad. I would like to open them in VectorWorks 10. I do not want to update the creation dates. Is their a plug in to open old files?

Why not a simple sweep with a rounded edge. When you round the edge of a swept cylinder it becomes a nurbs shape. and you can dimension and control the shape to exact size.

I attempted to use Artlantis with Vectorworks but as I remember Artlantis requirest that you name all your parts in vectorworks before converting the file. Many times I build quick files for rendering jobs (POP and exhibit) and it was more time wasted that I couldn't get paid for. Bob T

I am an industrial designer (32 years). I have been working with Vectorworks since it was called Minicad. I have also worked as a exhibit designer for 12 years with a design group and 2 years in house for a exhibit shop in NY. I like Vectorworks for exhibit design. The shop I worked with in NY used Archicad with Art*lantis, both are fine. I can build a 20 foot display in a day and render it, do basic plan, elevations and set-up drawings in the same software. Its vary fast and its a good for both 2d for plans fast isometrics for set-ups. If you need to get a little better rendering you can use other render packages. Since RenderWorks, I have not found a need or a client who wanted to spring for the dollars to cover the extra time required to convert file to other render engines. If you build you designs using classes you can change colors and textures for the sales department in a flash. I am presently using both Formz and Vectorworks for Product, Package Design and In-store POP display designs. I would not recommend FormZ unless you have 2 or three years to kill or require the ability to build complex NURBS shapes. Robert Tiedemann Tiedemann Design

It would be nice if we were able to see small pictures to help describe problems and solutions on the nemetchek bulletin board. Bob Tiedemann

I have been bouncing back and forth between FormZ and Vectorworks for 6 months now. I can see why you would set you geometry up in VW first, I will try that tomorrow. The FZ experts which I have been using for support have told me it is very common for new users to get lost in 3d space. In addition many of the controls that are hidden in menus within menus. After months of working I found that you can turn off object color in wire frame mode. The local sales rep. Who sold me FZ is also a VW user and was able to help me set up my preferences to replicate VW drawing environment.

Thanks, FormZ will not accept an VW EPS files only Illustrator 8 (ai) format. Illustrator native files retain their bezier control points which saves a lot of time. I have also used this Vectorworks feature to build graphic files for my non-cad associaties. I have used this for package die lines and diagrams to be edited in illustrator. The only problem I have found is VW exports a low of extra stuff, lines and polygons both. I usually edit these out before sharing the files.

Has any one been able to export Vectorworks drawings to Form Z? The best I have been able to achieve is exporting root shapes in eps format then saving as a Illustrator 8 files. Then reforming the 3D shapes in Z as solids. When I export as DXF or DWG 2d or 3d shapes become faceted and loose all the smooth surfaces and controls. I have been required to move on to software that can export 3d solid SLA files for creating stereolithography models. To date I have created 14 models in FormZ but the steep learning curve has forced me to do my draftings in Vectorworks first than recreate in FormZ. Bob Tiedemann

I am using VW 9.5 at home on a 9500/Powermax 400 G3 with 512 megs of ram plus a ATTO Ultra SCSI board with a high speed HD. At work I have a powermac G4 733 w/768 megs of ram. Both machines are running system 9.1. My machine at home has a ATI rage 128 with 32 megs of vram. The machine at work has a standard issue NVIDIA display card. I have worked on the same files on both machines and I am sorry to report that the difference is slight. I have even made simple sample files and timed them. It may be VW or System 9.1 or both but I have yet to be blown away by the new hardware. I am also using FormZ on both machine an I can say the same for it too. Where's the beef. As a long time 3D VW user, you can speed up redraw by deleting extra points when creating polygons. Efficient building will help but until we can get multiprocessing working for us we are stuck waiting. Bob Tiedemann

Please see my message on the General Discussion message board. It was simple trap set by ATI and Apple.

No and no! I fixed it my self yesterday. Yes I reinstalled quicktime first and I even went back to an eailer version that came with Vectorworks 9. Didn't fix the problem. I did a clean install of the system then put the extension back in groups. This didn't fix the problem, but I noticed Apple ATI drivers that were not part of the new ATI set. It was the new ATI drivers that I just downloaded conflicting with the older apple ATI drivers that were not removed by the Installer/Un-Installer software. The answer is if you install the new ATI software, go into the system and extract all the ATI software first then install the new drivers. Live and Learn. Bob Tiedemann (I want the 6 hours back.)