VectorGeek

Quite honestly, we take advantage of a less and less of the new features each time a new release ships. The interruption to our workflow, training considerations, and potential for problems typically outweighs the advantages of upgrading. More often than not, we upgrade simply to keep in line with our OS changes (generally we buy brand new computers every 3-4 years. That usually brings a new OS, and with it the necessity of upgrading many software packages). There is NO way I would entertain a subscription or other pre-payment model of any kind. Our firm is successful, profitable, and our users know and use the software with excellent proficiency. When we see a need for a tool to streamline processes, we have the staff to build it in-house. We can't be beta testers of new releases, nor do we necessarily need to adopt new workflows or methodologies simply because a software developer thinks they are a good idea. So this begs the question: Is there a point where the continual development of features in a software program outpaces what the industry needs? And, have we reached that point? The complexity of the buildings we design changes at a very slow pace (mostly with the introduction of new building products), but the general goal remains the same: produce thorough construction documentation, in an acceptable time frame, with reasonable profitability. Since transitioning from manual drafting to CAD with MiniCAD+ 4, our ability to achieve this goal has improved considerably. However, with each new release, we gain a smaller and smaller advantage. V-G.

Not sure Bill (as I said...a hunch more than anything). I do wonder about the CAD market being pretty mature now, and the possible result being an increase to get VW catching up with its direct competitors' pricing. As VW users, we've been pretty fortunate to have paid very reasonable dollars for our main productivity tool. When I compare notes with my Archicad and Revit colleagues, they are always amazed at how little we pay to use software that allows us to document projects equal in size and scope to the ones they do. The interesting question is what would happen if say, upgrades doubled, or new licenses went up significantly. What effect would that have? Our firm would likely decide to hold tight where we are and face a penalty when upgrading to the next version. With the 12-month release cycle, a year goes by pretty quickly. V-G

Scot, For starters, you should update to VW 12.5.3 and see if that fixes the problem. As far as your upgrade goes, I can report that we have a number of clients running 12.5.3 on Snow Leopard, and we have found no issues of note. Kirk out. --- VectorGeek

Just a hunch, but I would expect some significant price increases next release. V-G Architect, Tarot Card Reader

TA is Technical Analysis. You can just Google "TA and stocks" to get more info. Of course you would mock the innovative use without knowing a thing about it. Again you show your character! :grin: Well, when I look up "Technical Analysis", its says that it is exclusively concerned with "Trend Analysis". But again, if you would be less secretive about your idea, you could get some really good feedback. If you prefer, send me some info off-line and I would be glad to have a detailed look. V-G.

What IS TA? And I mean what do the initials stand for not a primer in investment banking. TA = Trend Analysis Now attempting to draw a site plan in Microsoft Powerpoint. ------------------------------------------- V-G.

Well you haven't convinced me (and trust me, I am one of the people who could make this happen) that the idea has merit. If you could just elaborate by saying "this is a good idea because __________________", then that would stimulate intelligent discussion and debate on the merits of such an idea. You seem to be purposely withholding information about HOW you would use such a system. If it's a secret, say so, or ask for NDAs. You'll get farther by being less vague. There are lots of really smart people on this message board. Take advantage of that by laying out your idea in more detail. No, you have described a fairly interesting approach to a real time financial reporting concept, within the framework of a graphic UI. You have not (other than through your obvious like for the program) suggested why VectorWorks would be the ideal development platform. What you are looking for could be done WAY easier using a number of other development environments, at less cost, in less time, and would have far greater marketability because it could be sold for far less (one would not have to own a $2000 CAD program to download and chart stock information). I have my stockhouse feeding me real time information while I work in VectorWorks. In a browser window on my second monitor. If I need to chart any of it, a quick download and import to Excel and it's done. Haven't checked to see if there are programs to do this in an automated fashion, but I would guess there are lots, especially on Windows. No offense taken. Give me a bigger box. Sincerely, -- V-G

I am reading this going "Huh?" Why would you want to use a CAD program for something it is not intended to do? It's like pounding a nail with a screwdriver. You haven't explained that to us. Sure you could (maybe) do it, but at a development time and cost far exceeding other solutions. Not to mention it would be half-baked... Reminds me of a guy I knew who developed an entire site paperwork system in MiniCAD. I didn't get it then and I don't get it now. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VectorGeek VW2011, Mac (today) Supporter of the right tool for the right job.

This should work as Dropbox simply places a folder on your hard drive. You can put any folders you want inside it. A background app handles the synchronization. You don't need to be connected to the Internet to have access to your Dropbox folder (that's the beauty of the system). You'll have the most recently updated files regardless. Of course if you (or anyone else accessing the same Dropbox) makes changes to the files within, an Internet connection is required to sync all the boxes. VectorGeek ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VW 12.5.3 ~ 2011, depending on the moon phase Macs, PCs, and several Amigas

We do this in our office using class overrides in viewports: 1. Objects on design layers are assigned to classes that are set to "Use at Creation". 2. We have a set of viewports that are used to print working drawings (predominantly black lines and some grey fills). 3. We have an identical set of viewports that are used to print presentation drawings (colours, image fills, etc.). In cases [2] and [3], we override the class styles for the viewports and set them to what we want. We can then cut and paste viewports from one file to another and use the eyedropper tool (which transfers the overrides) to set the VP to what we want. Works like a dream. V-G -- VW 12.5.3, 2010, 2011 1972 Ford Fairlane Levi 501's

And Waldo worked perfectly. Thanks Pat and Josh! V-G.

Hi Pat, Thanks for taking a quick look. I did notice that the handle was not being passed to the ungrouped object, but adding another LNewObj doesn't work. I am guessing that is because Ungrouping doesn't really create a new object in VS's mind. Now reverting to Waldo. V-G.

Hey gurus, I am creating a fairly simple plug-in that grabs a symbol from an external file, converts said symbol to a group and then scales it according to a parameter. Sounds simple, but this code does not scale the symbol: Symbol(TheSymbolName,0,0,0); hNew := LNewObj; SymbolToGroup(hNew,2); hScale2D(hNew,0,0,iscale,iscale,FALSE); The following code does work, but I lose the ability to set the scaling origin point: Symbol(TheSymbolName,0,0,0); hNew := LNewObj; DoMenuTextByName('Convert to Group Chunk',1); Scale(iscale,iscale); I have tested to ensure that the handle is being passed to the symbol and that the scaling variable is working. Any thoughts? V-G VW 2010, SP4 Mac OS 10.6.6 1975 AMC Gremlin (with 8-Track)

Hi Francois, I think it is pretty public when presented by the CEO at a public council meeting and then published on Tech Crunch et al. To me, the renderings look cheesy. If they are not going to be polished, I'd prefer to see really loose sketches. V-G.

I use a cheap wired Logitech optical mouse, but I have been considering a tablet for a while. A question for those tablet users: When you use the keyboard (say to type a note), do you put the pen down momentarily, and then pick it up again to continue drawing? Like most, I seamlessly go back and forth from keys to mouse, and the idea of picking up and putting down a pen each time seems weird. Perhaps like anything, one would just get accustomed to the action. V-G.

That is awesome. Now using it. Thanks! V-G - CAD User since MiniCAD+4 - Taunter of Petri since 2007 - Athletic supporter

My guess is Norman Foster. Nope. Apple hired I.M. Pei for this one. That was a pretty unsophisticated group of councilors. Had to laugh at the woman trying to wangle free WiFi out of Steve. Are you kidding me? The renderings and presentation (for a project of that size and stature) were IMO, absolutely brutally bad. V-G

You are. The total number of people like you who don't any maths at all it approximately 400 hillions. In short scale. Please edit your post and use proper English, not Finnglish. [Moderator - Please lock this thread as I am running out of witty retorts, and Petri ran out of them in 1998.] VectorGeek International Man of Mystery

Regardless of Petri's confusion over grade 4 mathematics, the USA being approximately 4.4% of the world's population is undeniable. Ask any of the quadrillion VectorWorks users. VectorGeek (v^12)

My good young man, I hereby quote Oxford: How many is a billion? In British English, a billion used to be equivalent to a million million (i.e. 1,000,000,000,000), while in American English it has always equated to a thousand million (i.e. 1,000,000,000). British English has now adopted the American figure, though, so that a billion equals a thousand million in both varieties of English. The same sort of change has taken place with the meaning of trillion. In British English, a trillion used to mean a million million million (i.e. 1,000,000,000,000,000,000). Nowadays, it's generally held to be equivalent to a million million (1,000,000,000,000), as it is in American English. I know this is a difficult concept Petri, but apply that keen Baltic mind and you'll get it. Of course, you may want to verify my source with one of the trillions of Finnish people. P.S.: Who's the hillbilly now? PWNED! VectorGeek.

January 20, 2011 Helsinki (AP) - A Finnish architect has been brought before the High Council of Reindeer on charges that he has designed a building that is too small to be inhabited. Petri Sakinnen, who goes by several aliases in order to avoid detection by the dreaded Ignorami, apparently used a faulty calculator to design the building. As a result, the main living areas were 1/100th the size they should be. Sakinnen has maintained his innocence however, and laid blame solely at the feet of the rest of humanity. The new miniature buildings have been dubbed "Petridomes" and will be auctioned off next month to the thousands of homeless muskrats in Finland. Should the auction raise enough money, Sakinnen has vowed to retire his Fisher-Price calculator in favour of one that can perform basic mathematical functions. V-G

Petri has been pressing [Option]+[8] on his calculator again. World Population: 7 billion USA Population: 310 million arroganti/ignorami percentage: 4.4% (not 0.5%) - VectorGeek Resident of the real world, not a resident of the Petrisphere Harbinger of fact Texas Instruments 4-function calculator, circa 1976 Favorite TV Show: Finland Idol

That explains a recent text message conversation I had with Petri: VectorGeek: What's the temperature in Helsinki? Petri: About -10{ VectorGeek: You mean -10? Petri: Yes VectorGeek: Brrrrrr VectorGeek MC+ 4 Apple LC II (pizza box)

REPORT CARD - PETRI SAKINNEN, "INTERNET FORUM COMEBACK #248" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ General Slander = A+ Research = C- Spelling = C+ Overall score = B Petri exhibits strengths in many areas of his writing, but he needs to learn to work quietly by himself and not bother the other students. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I am Canadian actually, so I am without any significant faults. And, [shift+Option+8] makes a degree symbol on my computer, along with about 14 trillion other people. Back under your rock now Petri. V-G.

So wrong you are. No, actually he is right. To type a ? symbol on the Mac, it's Shift+Option+8. Always has been. Perhaps the Finnish version of Mac OS X uses reverse backwards logic. :-) VectorGeek ----------------------------------------- Mac OS X "Tabby Cat" Landmark 2018, Alpha 1 Double-sided iPad -----------------------------------------