taliho

wouldn't it be better to create all the structures on one design layer and just crop the pertinent viewports to the different sheets? that would allow an elevation view (in some of the orientations) where the relationship between the buildings will show - Also, for 'key-ing' purposes - I sometimes have a viewport in a very small scale of the whole site, outlining what is on this particular sheet. (for the field folk....)

I'm with you. my workaround - In some cases it's worked for me to use the window symbol (with wider sashes) and put the ID in the Door-spec class. OK for small projects... also works well in a 'custom sash configuration ' tali

i'd like some suggestions on creating bay windows. what I've done up to now is build the angled walls, from a 'floor' at the right height above finish floor, and insert windows on the three wall segments. this does not look like a bay window unit. i create a cased opening in the main wall through which the bay projects. I've tried to splay this opening - it will show the angles in plan, but reverts back to square edges in Open GL. any suggestions? thanks tali

If I want to be really perfectionist- my slab layer will have 3 'floors' - ceiling, structural and flooring - each on a different class. That way I can actually dimension to structure when I need it , or to finishes, turning classes on and off. (and texture those classes differently) It makes the model set up a little more tricky - is the floor height 8' or 8'1" or 9'1"? But you can get a system going. tali

hang in there brooke! I have not yet mastered the "Create Standard Viewports". But feel more in control setting up my own Sheet Layers. On very simple projects (2 story residential), I create a VP from the floor plan. Lazily, I duplicate this VP, and in the OIP change the visible LAYER. (That keeps all the classes I've set up for 1st floor to show up on the 2nd) I then duplicate it again, and in the OIP, VIEW from 'front', edit LAYERS to include all floors, slabs and roof, edit CLASSES to hide all interior non-visible data (eg plumbing, cabinetry,stairs) edit RENDER to 'hidden line'. Duplicate 3 more times, setting the VIEW to sides and rear. Create a section VP. Edit all you need from Classes and Layers. Duplicate that, then crop it for Interior elevations. Duplicate and 'REVERSE SECTION SIDE' for the opposite wall. (You may need to edit the crop boundary) Since all these section cuts do not need to show on the plan views, you can control them with SECTION LINE INSTANCES. Now... Title Blocks... I use the design layer title block and create a viewport for each sheet, like imon describes good luck, tali

Thanks all. I'm in heaven. Much tighter results than anything I've done before. t

I'm following a very long and complicated thread on editing roofs, but it doesn't relate to creating varying slopes - similar to a mansard roof. So far I have been creating two roof faces for each orientation, but the alignment is tricky. Framing with the same rafter size does not make for a clean joint (view gable face). Any modifications to the plan require editing multiple roof faces. ( I was hoping I could add vertices to a roof created with the 'create roof' tool) Also - can the fascia be adjusted so the top is flush with top of eave? can the attic be adjusted so it does not start at the bearing height? (part way up the roof slope) After using modify>edit group to cut the second floor out of the first floor roofs - is there a way to edit it when the second floor plan changes (becomes smaller) So far I have been doing this with separate objects, roof faces, slabs etc, but it would be nice to have it all built in. Any tips? thanks tali

Mike- thanks! I converted each 3D polygon to nurbs and lofted them 3 or 4 at a time. laborious, but i couldn't afford to give up any of the data. (I've only gone through about 30 so far, but it's getting there!) tali

Pat- thanks. I am not able to get the 'red line' in the loft tool. I also tried just drawing 3 rectangles, converting them to 3D polys, spreading them out along the z axis - similar to the vase example in the VW help. Couldn't get the loft tool to work there either. What steps should I take?

I've been struggling for a while - I'm trying to model a grip for joystick, (to be able to render it in Open GL, among other things) I imported a dxf file that has laser scanned data. The data has 'slices' every .6mm from the bottom of the grip to the top. This data imports as 3D polygons as displayed in the OIP, even though I see lines/contours, similar to a topographical map. Every polygon is in a separate class, totaling 190 classes. Any ideas? thanks

Thanks Robert - i did that, and I think I understand that these are 2 viewports one showing in HLR and one OGL. (Though if I have a BW texture why do I need both? can't I just work with the BW for the 2D elevations?) or - if sometimes I need 2D BW and other times a full shaded color rendering - How can I apply 2 different textures to the same wall, or am I duplicating the walls in each design layer? Or should I just wait until 2008 is installed to continue this conversation? I can copy your BW_siding_6" and use it in my files - (I can apply it to walls and roof) But I still don't know how to create one - say BW brick, or BW shingle... or BW clay tile roof. (Are they in a library somewhere? Do I use the help manual steps to create a shader?) thanks for your patience Tali

In the window settings (when you dbl click the window) under the View option you can activate the clerestory to be dashed at whichever height you want. You can also try 'use part line styles' and change all the line styles in the settings to anything you need - clear, dashed etc. You can select the window and give it the same color,pattern attributes as the wall when I try it in 12.5, it still shows solid on the rendering, with whatever textures you've given it It is laborious, true, but you can transfer these attributes to other windows with the eyedropper tool. tali

thanks - but I couldn't open Robert's link. I'm on 12.5.2 on a Mac but the file.mcd opens a VW file with a a sheet layer with 2 viewports that can't be updated.No text, instructions, diagrams. (Will be upgrading to 2008 next month, will that help?). When I have a roof face, and draw lines across the polygon (eg to simulate standing seam metal roof) The lines show up in elevation and in 3D. I was hoping a hatch or pattern will work the same way but they don't. In the meantime, I've been annotating the elevation viewports with a polygon filled hatch, but this needs to be edited when the roof changes. dbl viewports will at least update with any design changes. any help on how to read your file will be appreciated... thanks

Is there a way to apply a 2D hatch to a roof face (or roof object) and have it show on the elevations? I typically render my elevations in 'hidden line' for construction sets. I think I saw this on an old thread. Or is there a better way to illustrate the roof material on an elevation? thanks Tali

Absolutely Use viewports. I add a lot of detail to the design layer,(exposed beams, soffits, railings etc) but its worth the effort. (That way I don't add lines in the viewports which change as the project develops) I find it a great timesaver overall. Tali

Found it on 2008 - I can hide wall components, and dimensions are still associated to structure class. Tali

In the OIP of a viewport, in the 'advanced properties' select the text scale to be .5 tali

Hello- what's happened to 'spaces' in 2008? I used to be able to 'create spaces from polys' then 'create walls from spaces'. now I get walls cutting through the spaces, not on the perimeter. (I haven't explored yet wether schedules and worksheets have also been affected) any suggestions? thanks Tali

In 12.5 : Also (in new design layer, with show/snap others)easy to trace over interior shapes of room, with either polygon or rectangle tool, then select all polys, AEC>Space Planning>Create Spaces from polys. (spaces are useful for future worksheets too) Then select all spaces, AEC>Space Planning>Create walls from spaces, (makes sure 'combine colinear walls' is checked) not yet familiar with 2008, hope this feature still exists.

Is there a way to associate dimensions to the cavity (stud line) yet display without the cavity lines? At 1/4" scale I like to see the simple graphic of a 4.5" wall (typ) yet provide the builder with framing dimensions. thanks

THANKS! works like a charm... t

I'm using an Adobe Tekton Font on VW12.5.2 on a MAC. Since 12.5, this font does not kern when I use " marks - the spacing between numbers when writing dimensions in a text block spreads out and the space between the dimension and the next word becomes non-existent. Anyone else using a Tekton Font with this problem? (I solve it by adding extra spaces with the space bar.) This didn't happen in VW 11 and earlier.