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You are not alone. It depends on the symbol. I notice this issue especially with some custom symbols I have made. I think it has to do with the label legend associated to the symbol but I am not sure yet. I'm still trying to figure it out.

Bruce, I had indicated v8, not 2008. Sorry for the confusion. There is a PC version that Nemetchek might help you with. If you have a mac and Parallels or Fusion you can run that to open the files and save them as a version that will open in the latest version.

You might be able to send them to Nemetschek. Otherwise, a Vectorworks v.8 will do it.

I would suggest having VW save a clean xml of your plot file and open a new LW file to start synching. VW needs to assign codes to all the units that LW will read. If you have an existing rep LW file, none of that will be in it so you could have a mess if you attempt to sync the two directly. Maybe others have had luck with this, but I suggest to start a new LW file from scratch form a clean VW export. Since LW5 allows you to keep two LW files open at the same time, you can use your old one as a reference to clean up the new synched file.

dhruv, What do you mean the Fn key functionality is missing? I am looking at the apple site and I see the key right there. Maybe in your system setup the Function Keys are shut off? Are you aware that you can turn it on in System Preferences > Keyboard? I am quite reliant on the function keys myself. I'd be curious to know if this is just a software issue or if physically there is some difference with the keyboard of the MBA, other than smaller Fn keys as I have read. I am thinking about buying one but want to know how it performs. In my experience new mac installs come with the function keys turned off so that more novice users can take advantage of the Expose features, etc. Maybe it's just that. I look forward to hearing your reply.

You can also selectively print specific viewports in B/W. Select a viewport and click Advanced Properties in the OIP. There find the option to use (and therefore subsequently print) in B/W.

I have found that if I have rotated the plan and I place an instrument on a Position with the Instrument Insertion Tool, the instrument will not collect the Position name in the Object Info palate. If I set the plan rotation to 0??I the behavior works as expected. It's a drag since it's a much more involved process to work in a rotated plan as Positions need to be entered manually in the OIP. Has anyone else seen this? I have already submitted what seems to be a bug to Nemetschek.

True that the new Help is far too colorful, but it is much more functional than the old version. The old one would hog resources (at least on the mac). The favorites on the new one are very clever and the indexing and searching are much more intuitive. I do wish I did not have to install Adobe AIR to use a help system, however, as it's just one more interface to have onboard.

I see their web site is down. yikes...

Good call. I overlooked restarting the app. Since the Resource browser parses folders when dealing with favorites and the like, I assumed that the app would actively parse the home folder storage location when looking for new resources in the Defaults structure. The title blocks do appear correctly in the dialogue box after a restart of Vectorworks. Thanks for your help.

I misspoke. If I place a drawing border on the page and then go to add a title block, in the 'Defaults' pop-up window I am only presented with the standard vw default title block, including the one they call custom. I don't see the one created in my user directory.

Hi Ray, You would think so, but in fact, that doesn't seem to work. You explanation is exactly the logic used when I tried to store the file in my home thread. In fact, the Resource browser doesn't seem to notice title block in that file. To me it seems like the incorrect behavior. Or does this work for others and I am doing it wrong?

from v2010 help: "To be available to the Sheet Border tool, either the file must be saved in the Libraries\Defaults\Sheet Border - Title Blocks folder, or the custom symbol and its associated record format must be imported into the Custom Title Blocks.vwx file, located in the same default resources folder." Can someone explain the point of the folder: "~/Library/VectorWorks/2010/Libraries/Defaults/Sheet Border - Title Blocks/" if VW does not access what you put in there. Am I missing something? I'd like to be able to create custom titleblocks and not have them lost if I upgrade the application.

"At this time even VW2009 SP4 is not stable using Snow Leopard. Expect a free service pack for VW2009 users in early November. Users of any earlier version of VW are out of luck since Nemetschek will not be supporting those versions in Snow Leopard." I've got to say that this is unappreciated. How long has 10.6 been in development? To have to wait an extra 2.5 months to avoid "frequent and random crashes" seems fairly unprofessional. I would have thought Nemetschek would have been preparing the update during the beta phase. Or perhaps they were just building v2010 expecting everyone to pay an upgrade instead? I would love to know their motivation.

The way I update my workspaces is to export the old workspace, or Sam's, to a text file first (from within the Worskpace Editor) and then pull up the text file along side to see what I tools/menus need to add back in for new features. It's a bit tedious but easier than pre-2008. Note that VW allows a limited quantity of menus and the hierarchy. (Who knows why - it's always getting in the way).

maybe also useful: http://www.landrudesign.com/DefaultFrameSet.htm?VSxLED.htm~LandruMnFrm

If you have an Apple US English keyboard layout COMMAND + ~ should work. This is a system wide feature for an application with multiple windows open. If you have a keyboard in another language I have found that you there are other combinations. E.g. on the Italian Pro keyboard it is COMMAND + < which is located in the bottom left corner of the keyboard. You can also set up a hot corner to make expose spread out your open windows for a given application. (COMMAND and the APPLE key are the same) Make sure you are testing with a software keyboard layout that matches your hardware keyboard. This is set in System Preferences > International Preference Pane > Input Menu.

I have a similar problem. In a file I am working on now I tried to keep the size down by reference some external PDF files. I also have Design Layer Viewports in the file. The file itself is only ca. 32MB but when I try to export a PDF of a complicated sheet layer in A3 with several viewports of referenced PDFs I end up with an exported PDF of 1.2GB!!! How can I slim this down? Also, VW grinds to a halt when working on these complex viewports. Any ideas?

I wonder if those frustrated with speed have customized their workspaces. I, myself, have all my spaces aside to the number keys 1-8. I have tool modes set with Q,W,E,R,T,Y. AC offers a lot of visual feedback on status which is harder to find in VW but I find that if I set up all my tools well and keep my head in it, VW is plenty fast. As for accuracy, I agree with some of the posters that most of the AC drawings I receive are very sloppy (and forget about organized). It got to the point where I was spending a substantial amount of time cleaning up dwgs I received. For my work, I try to avoid having to touch them completely and just draw around their layers. One consideration might be that a lot of AC studios share files over workgroups. I haven't seen too many studios working on VW drawings in a workgroup. The more people that touch a file, the more corrupt it can get. ...just my two cents. And, I want to make a pitch to those having to deal with a lot of AC dwgs. Half of the time I just need to review dwgs and importing into VW can be slow. For a quick review I am using Solidworks eDrawings application. It's free and gives me a pretty good idea of the dwg so I can decide if I need to spend the time getting it into VW (fonts and fills are sometimes off, however). HTH

check to see if he imported a DWG with 2D loci. Maybe those objects are sending out lines in the X-Y directions. Also make sure that you are in 2D plan mode and not a rotated 3D space as noted above.

try to trash you vectorworks prefs as well.

glad I could help.

I had this problem with my original install of v2008 and solved it this way: http://techboard.vectorworks.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=94197#Post94197 A bunch of people on the forum told me I was making a big mistake, but my Quicklook of VW files still works fine after upgrade through two Service Packs through to SP3. For what it's worth.

Maarten. The link to VectorWorksConvertor.hqx on that site links to a classic application which won't work on most mac user's systems. I don't know about the windows side.

I agree with CraigCTC - don't bother with the 17" - your back will thank you. Get a 15", max out the RAM at 4Gb and you'll be happy. To be honest, the Macbook is way more 'portable' than the 15" MBP in that it's lighter and more durable and if you're traveling to a lot of sites with your mac you may prefer the less delicate system. The MBP is nice with it's backlit keyboard in a dark theater but it's much more expensive than MB if that matters. Also you can expand the desktop on the MB with an external monitor just like the MBP so maybe arranging to get an external LCD on site will give you what you need. Also, I have a dual Mac Pro Tower and the 15" MacBookPro. To be honest the desktop is a far better machine and I much prefer to draw on it than the MBP. If only the MBP were made of plastic...I miss my Pismo.