GWS

I see that SP2 hasn't fixed this problem. Surely this is crucial and should have been dealt with in the update

I have a similar problem but can't change the indent at all, it keeps resetting to some large number such as 70.43289. I have to delete the hole keynote and start again. I think it is linked to text size, if it is too large i.e 72 pts the indent gets confused.

There is a command that was in Machine Design and is now in Designer called, 'Create Multiple Views'. This throws up a dialogue box that gives you the options to set the projection, 1st or 3rd, and the different viewports in one go. Apart from that it is, as Benson has said, pretty tedious. From a machine design point of view, every object needs it's own class so that you can seperate them out when adding dimensions through the viewport annotations. (if you have many parts all needing 3 elevations of dimensions it is not practical to dimension on the design layer, it is just too cluttered). The only problem with the dimensioning a 3D object in a viewport is that VW doesn't have a dimension system that will recognise a 3D arc, curve etc and the linear dimensions are not 3D associative so they don't update as the design changes. Which means that you will have to manually update the dimensions when the design changes. I always save the 2D outlines in a separate file and then export as Dxfs so only the outline info is exported. Also make sure the outlines are 'composed' into single polylines or polygons, it helps with the CNC/CAM end.

You must have better hearing than me!!!!

While the ability to place text on a 3D plane is handy, even though it doesn't render properly in a viewport, it is still not 3D dimensioning. It would be extremely useful to be able to dimension a radius of a 3D arc/circle/fillet. What would be even better would be the ability to have associative 3D dimensions in a viewport. So when the viewport is updated the dimensions update too. I spend a lot of time re-visiting viewports and manually adjusting the dimensions after editing the design on the design layer. This is especially true for 3D fillets and arcs/circles but really whenever the design alters all the dimensions need to be re-visited. It is not practical, as has been suggested, to dimension in the design layer. I have too many classes as it is without having to add 3 more classes (top dims, right dims & front dims) for each object on a design that contains many, many parts. I speak from an engineers point of view and this problem may not be such an issue in other disciplines. This ability to have 3D Associative dimensions through a viewport would be, at least from my point of view, the greatest addition to VW, more important than an enhanced push/pull tool, nice as it is.

I am having problems export files with 3D text as a pdf. Please see attached I have another sheet with 3D text that exports fine and I can't for the life of me see what the difference is. Both texts are in viewports and they render properly in VW. I can also export properly by going through the print dialogue box and 'save as pdf' (this is a mac thing) which works well. Any thoughts?

I have had this problem too. It becomes extremely important when exporting as stl files for 3D printing. Unfortunately the only solution I found was to import it into 'Inventor' which read it as a solid and then re-export it. Not a good solution but ....'needs must when the devil drives' It seems that VW has not improved in this area.

I have sent many files exported as Dxfs to laser cutters in the past using (2010 and before) but the laser cutting files I have just sent off cause the company's software to crash when dimensions are applied. This is the first time I have used 2011 to export dxfs for laser cutting. Has anyone else had problems and is there a new setting in the dialogue box that I'm missing. The dxf does include a title block and sheet border, although this has never been a problem in the past. Any help would be much appreciated, in fact life saving!!

I use the doubling up of viewports and put the text in wireframe method. Really tiresome but the rendered text is useless, just too pixelated. Let's hope it gets fixed in SP2

Actually the main issue is this: I set the screen plane as active, I then select the mirror tool and mirror my object and discover that VW has decieded to switch back too layer plane, meaning that my object has been mirrored in a different plane. I then undo and start again. I was trying to find a way of maintaining my selection and a keyboard shortcut is often done with one hand while the other is on the mouse!!

Many Thanks, Raymond.

I am also struggling with the bugs (they seem to be many) and I tend to use 2010 as 2011 slows me down.

Is there a way to set a keyboard shortcut (or another quick method) to toggle between screen plane and layer plane?

Pat had a good .mov at 'Vectortasks' but I can't get it to load.

Ahh, I made the viewport by setting the working plane first. When I changed one of the viewports to Top/Plan the section line showed up. Unfortunately when I selected an isometric view in the viewport the section line still shows as if it is in Top/Plan and yet on the design layer it is lying on the working plane.

I am trying to display a section line in another viewport. I have clicked on the section viewport and selected 'Section Line Instances' from the OIP but there are no viewports listed, I have 3 others on the same sheet layer but none show in the list. (The design layers do, by the way) Am I missing something?

Worked brilliantly, thank you.

Bruce I've always composed the lines into polygons and then export as DXF which seems to work on the CNC routers I've used. Just make sure, as Pat says, that they are coincident. If there is a gap it wont work.

Will do, Jeffrey, although it will have to be a stripped down file as it is quite large.

It is good to know I'm not alone! I'm also finding that when a composed 2D polyline with 2D fillets in it that is on a 3D plane is then decomposed it actually displaces the 2D fillets onto the ground plane and then wont recompose because of the displacement. It is really time consuming to have to realign everything. It is similar to a problem in 2010 with extrusions on a working plane. ....and I'm still getting the 'auto-rotate' of symbols and PIO's, although it was supposed to be fixed in 2011. This has been mentioned in another thread a couple of months ago. I do hope someone at NV is having similar issues, and that it is recognised and hence will be fixed.

Downloads up to date but still having big trouble with the OpenGL screen refresh. Sometimes even wireframe seems to have trouble displaying some planar objects. Viewports seem to fail sometimes, they wont render in any form so I make a new one and then it's fine. If I change the scale they render in wireframe but then fail again. Is it me!!!!!

Thank you Kaare, I'm glad it's not just me. I'll try your suggestion, I wish I understood why it is not as simple as I thought it might be. Is it just VW that has this trouble or is it a more generic modelling issue, I wonder?

How can I give this lofted surface a thickness? Shelling doesn't seem to work.

It now seems to be working and I have now clue as to why.

Many thanks Dave, will do