GWS

I followed what you described and got this. I also tried it with the 2D and 3D conversion resolution set to low in the preferences but got the same result. Are you rendering in OpenGL and are those setting set high enough?

I agree, HDRI's are great but the ability to position them would be even better.

Have a look here. http://www.3dcadbrowser.com/browse.aspx

It seems that the smallest size pillow block in 2010 SP3 is also 1 7/16!!

Crosetti, I had a quick look at your file and I see you have used extrude along path for the arms. I have remodelled them as simple extrudes and then 3D filleted the end. I find that mapping textures onto basic extrudes is often easier this way. I then extracted the inner face on the end of the arm using the extract tool and the last option (extract face mode). This gave me a nurbs surface which I could then map the texture onto. To make the face show up clearly and not meld into the extruded arm I nudged the extracted face (in Top/Plan View) away from the arm, otherwise you get a visual "merging" of the 2 objects. Also extracted the side/end face of the settee/sofa and again applied the texture. Although I did this in 2010 I think that it should be the same in 2009. I hope this makes sense

Here's 2 different versions and surprisingly the FQRW does look more faceted. Unfortunately I don't know why, perhaps one of the VW gurus will have an answer.

I rendered it in OpenGL (very high, + anti aliasing) and this is what I got. It looks pretty smooth.

What rendering are you using? There is a '2D conversion' in the preferences under EDIT, I think. If you're using Open GL anything under 'High' or 'Very High' can lead to faceted edges. Also 'Anti-Aliasing' can make a big difference Otherwise FQRW is usually good as long as the 3D resolution is set to high

VW Machine is not really comparable to Inventor or Solidworks or Alibre Design. It offers no 3D contraints nor 3D dimensions and so the ability to proof a mechanism on screen is not something that VW Machine Design can do. In fact all it does really offer for the engineer is a series of 'plug in objects' such as bearings, screws, springs, and a whole host of other hardware/fasteners in both 2D and 3D. These are very useful BUT I'm not sure that they are enough to put the 'Machine' in 'Machine Design' Alot of these are OK but there are basic elements missing, for example 'Flanged bearings'. I am based in the U.K. and PIO's like the washers are never the right size so I end up drawing my own. I don't have the Architect Module but I have a feeling that alot of what is in Machine Design is in fact in the Architects part.....I may be mistaken though. The 3D modelling part of VW is very good, you can model some really organic stuff and it is improving all the time. Overall I would say that VW offers many different things and does alot of them very well, but the Machine Design bit always feels a little left behind.

Yes it would!

This would be a great help when annotating drawings. Worksheets are not the easiest things to get looking good and it takes a while to get the right info in the right places. (If they were more like an excel doc that would be a start). Having the info available when clicking on the appropriate PIO, in a callout text block would be much easier and better than having a spreadsheet on the drawing. I am always having to type into the callout tool info like, Tapped to M3 x 0.7, tap depth 12mm, drill depth 16mm etc,etc

Zbrush seems really quite similar and is coming to Mac fairly soon I think.

I'm sure you're write but have you looked in the 'edit workspace'. Sometimes the default workspaces leave out the most surprising bits. Just a thought.

I have a feeling it should be included in Architect.....you might need to add it to your workspace from the workspace editor.

There is a complete nut and bolt (including top and bottom washers) in machine design that so just that.

IGES file type is good.

Unfortunately as 'Working Planes' is supposed to be one of VW's fort?s, and is extremely useful, it appears to be rather a faux pas! (as is the jumping dimension issue). Perhaps SP3 is not as helpful as it is meant to be. I do hope these fundemental issues are fixed sharpish!!

Yes I think sadly the writing is on the wall or staircase!!!!!!

Hi Jonathon, I have, there is definitely something afoot here.

I have submitted a bug, I hope it is fixed soon as it is one of VW's important features especially since 2010.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Mechanical side of VW is dropped in future releases

I must say I agree that the mechanical part of VW does seem to have a lot less attention paid to it and if it was brought up to a more modern standard there would probably be a great deal more interest in it and be more widely used, which can only be a good thing for increasing the size of the customer base.

I have been trying to extrude on a working plane set from another extuded surface. The only problem is that when I do the new extrusion is set at a Z height of zero (relative to the ground plane) but still aligned the working plane. Has anyone else experienced this, is it an SP3 bug or is it me!!

I would suggest selecting the front view before you start drawing the cabinets, that way you'll have less organising later on. I set some keyboard shortcuts for the main views I need. The default for top/plan is cmd>5, and I have front view as cmd>6 and right view as cmd>7. You can save views by going to the top of the drawing window and clicking on the save view menu (see attached image). You can also access the saved views from this menu as well.

Does the attached record import and show up in the resource browser as well as the symbol. In the past I have had to import the record as well possibly my due to my own error but it does seem to work.