Kaare Baekgaard

I have run VW 11 on a 450 MHz G4 with OS 10.3, while my regular PC was down, and I had with very few speed issues. With VW 11 you can batch renderings and do them at night. Also I found that with very complex geometry, it helps to turn the objects into symbols. For some reason symbols update faster on the screen, when they are moved around. After a period of transition, I believe you will bless the decission to switch to VW as one of the best, you have made.

Are you trying to map a symbol? It has to be done on the extrude-level, not on the symbol-level. If not, try to choose the extrude, and then apply the texture directly from the render-tap on the object info palette. If this fails as well, try changing the extrudes into solid objects - for instance by adding them together or making a duplicate and add it to the original - and then apply the texture to the solid.

I have. If you can accept very long rendering times, the way to do this is to make a very large sphere, that encompasses the entire scene, and place it in the center of the working space. Then make an imagemap about 3,14 times wider than it is high. Turn off shadowcasting and -recieving, and make reflection constant. Map it ono the sphere using the cylinder mapping option, and scale it so the map is the same height as the sphere. Make and crop the perspective view, that you want. Then draw a 2D rectangle around the croplines and turn it into a 3D polygon. Go to side and top views and place and scale this rectangle, so it is well behind the scene, you want to render ? but inside the sphere, and so that the edges of this 3d polygon do not show up in the perspective view. Give this 3D polygon a white texture with constant reflection and no shadowcasting/-recieving. This 3D polygon only has the function of providing a neutral, white background in the final output. Then render the view. The result can be extremely satisfying, but it takes eons to render. I have requested the ability to use reflection maps as a supplement to render background in the wish list. Hopefully it will be included in the next version.

PS: You may want to use a simplified model some of the time, so that you do not have to wait for the model to update.

Oh by the way - keep the 2D perspective lines as guides when you are fiddling with the view.

First I import the photo as a backdrop. Scale it to the page and place it in the exact center. Then I trace lines of objects in the photo, that are parallel to the front and sides of the 3D building, and join these lines into vanishing points. Then I try to establish the true height of a corner of the building by comparing with an object in the photo of known height ? again using the lines from the vanishing points. Then - alas - I fiddle a lot with the 'Set perspective', the 'Flyover tool', the 'Translate view tool' and (very carefully) with the 'Rotate view tool' using the photo as a backdrop. Be sure to place the corner handles of the perspective window exactly over the corners of the imported photo, that you are using as a backdrop. Sooner or later, I always get it just right. (Save view regularly!) I then render and export to the excact same pixel size as the photo used as backdrop. Copy and paste the resulting rendering onto the photo in photoshop and delete the white background. And Bingo! ? the rest is easy. I tried other ways, but none are as reliable, so good luck.

I'm not sure, but it has happened to me. If there is an open arc within the sweep, then close it by the compose comand or by closing the shape in the object info palette. If the trim plane coincides with a surface or a point in the sweep, then extend the 2D part of that sweep, so that it does not - if possible. And finally try rotating the sweep within the solid 90?, 180? or 270? from the top view.

It disaappoints me, that renderworks backgrounds do not show up in the reflections of rendered objects. In an ancient version of Studiopro, I could load a background image as well as an image for reflections. A single image for both purposes would suffice. The workaround is to map an image onto a big sphere, that surrounds all the objects meant for rendering, but it would be nice if I did not have to.

As soon as the nurbs curves become complex, lofting them can be extremely frustrating. I have had the same problems and found no ideal solution. I think you should consider doing the flanges and the smooth parts in separate operations. Or - if it is possible to mirror the object along some axis - cut the shapes in half. That way you will get more reliable alignment points.

Lofting eith rail has shortcommings. I think that lofting with no rail should do the job. If it doesn't look quite right, you can try redoing the loft by using the 'create contours tool' ? and edit/change the contours, that are off. Or you can try doing most of the shape as one big nurbs surface: Create the basic nurbs surface in a very simplified form with as few vertices as possible, then move, edit and add vertices until it looks right. I have done the hull of a sailing boat with just 12 vertices in all.

Hugo, I work on files up to 80 mb ? usually without much trouble. But I have experienced similar slowdowns. Usually I can fix it by converting a number of objects or object groups into symbols. For rasons unknown to me, updating symbols seems to run much faster than the very same geometry placed as groups or basic objects in the work-space.

In older versions of Vectorworks 'Set 3D view* used to to just that ? when in 3D views. Why it was changed, I do not know. I think it is due to a programing error. You can still use the tool, but you have to specify the heights of the first and second click of the mouse.

What type of path object are you using?

I wish the 'Scale objects' dialogue would have an option for scaling textures along with the object.

You may want to check the path for double points - two points in the exact same location. Also converting the path into a nurbs curve can sometimes help.

Well - since you are looking for a simple answer... You can also paste the 2D content into a new layer and make that layer visible/invisible as you wish :-)

If you are not using 2D/3D parametric objects, this requires a little trick: Make a copy of the content of your extruded objects (go into 'edit object' and copy everything). Paste the content of the clipboard 'in place' (alt-contr-V). Select the 'Floor'- menu item and covert all the pasted objects into a (fake) floor. Make the floor Z-height, so that it is slightly under the 'real' floor. Adjust the stacking order of the objects, so that it will go in front of the 3D extruded polygons in the top/plan view (you may want to ensure that the polygons of the fake floor have a neutral fill behind the hatch. You can add elements to the fake floor as you go along, but be sure not to ungroup it accidentally: It will then convert into 2D objects.

I like the new artistic renderworks option for price calculation drawings. Somehow it is better for comunicating ideas, that have not yet been given a detailed form. I use the same setting every time, and have two wishes for improvements in the next version: I do not want to wait for the program to finish a rendering of the default setting, when I invoke the artistic renderworks dialogue. (Feel free to use a part of my harddisk to store that:-) I want the program to remember my preferred settings - for instance by letting me make a list of favourites.

I wish Nemetchek would buy TouchCAD 3D and include the features into a VectorWorks Designer-package.

The output format depends on the type of output, you are trying to create. If it is a bitmap rendering, try tiff or jpeg. If it is line- or vector graphics, eps or pdf is better. Try to adjust the scale of the drawing so that the output size is close to the end use size (6 cm). This way you will not have to scale the output afterwards, thus scaling the line weigths. If you are creating the output from a sheet with viewports, the dpi-setting in the layer setup of that sheet will effect bitmap outputs.

I am thinking about the solid block arrows with handles to adjust length, thickness, rotation and arrow head size + the ability to enter text.

Parametric 2D arrows for presentation purposes - like the arrows in Powerpoint - would be greatly appreciated.

Sofia don't listen to long discussions about different alternatives. It is really quite simple: For a value-for-money solution only Vectorworks with Renderworks will do. It is not the most fanciful solution, but it is FAST, reliable, easy to use and more than good enough for your needs. (I am not a salesman for Nemetchek :-)

Resizing imported images - using the corner handles - works different than resizing other 2D VW shapes: I cannot enter a new object width/heigth by tapping into the data display bar (unless I place the image with its bottom-left corner in the exact center of the drawing). This is a minor nuisance, but still you should fix it for the next version.

Option-drag works as well.