Eric Gilbey, PLA

Here are some screen shots...one of the tile being created (go to resource browser>right click>create a new resource>Tile Then it takes you to the tile edit mode. (I brought a screen shot of the sample in and traced it then gave the clouds a green line and the hatches a brown line. The other screen shot shows the tile as a resource that can then be dragged into the shape. The third screen shot shows the shape with the tile fill. Not to bad, once you see it in a large bed. Of course, you can give the tile a fill color as well.

Actually this can be done with the new tiling feature in 2011. You can create this layout by creating a tile and see it arrayed in the shape you are specifying.

What Mr. Cipes brings up is a crucial point..especially if you have several rafters and they all have a ornamental cut in the end...say you decide to change one...well instead of starting over or editing them all individually the symbol method makes this much faster. You should consider this as well for the posts...if they have similar bases or attachment methods...the symbol is the way to go. One other thing....if you plan to quantify the lumber needed for this pergola, you can get linear feet calculations by creating the rafters, joists, beams and posts as an extrude along a path (i.e. 2x6 (1.5"x5.5") rectangle extruded along the line drawn at the length of the rafter. This gets linear feet calculations where a simple extrude or push/pull would not.

Used to be that would just send the image on the screen to print...now once you do this, you may need to go into raster enhancement program (usually Paint is loaded on your PC for free) and then choose edit paste (from clipboard?) and voila...your screen capture should show up and you can save as an image file.

Mark, I did this not long after starting with Vectorworks 2008, so it isn't new...but easier with the enhanced 2D/3D editing. In a Side view, choose the rotate tool in the basic tool set and pick the bottom corner of the rafter that will be higher (as your pivot point). Then the next click would be the current horizontal orientation. The third click becomes the new angle in positioning the rafter that will become lower. You may want to offset a surface to represent the desired lower height, so when you rotate the rafter, you can identify where it needs to be placed. If the higher end of the rafter needs to be moved, I would do that by a 3D move first then do the rotate. You can do this function with all of the rafters or move one and then duplicate array to provide the set of rafters.

There is an interesting dynamic on this community forum. It is intended to be a site where users, and prospects, seek help/support from each other. This is not intended to be another branch of tech support managed by Nemetschek Vectorworks, but could actually be a source of support for users who want to hear from others how they went about accomplishing "such and such" functionality. Bryan and I have traded few comments back and forth here and via email, and I'd like all to know that I do watch these forum...a lot more frequently then when I started at Nemetschek Vectorworks. When you get ideas for tools and features, you should certainly make them known formally in the wish list forum, or even better in the bug submit. If you only knew how many features have been requested of the developers...or let me say it this way, if you only know how many features I alone have put forth towards the developers . I don't say this lightly, because I do have a voice in what development does occur and as a landscape architect, I know how the tools are supposed to work...but I am one of many that the developers listen to...our distributors worldwide contribute to the wishlist and this is why I say, "if you only knew". But, do not let that stop you...keep the wishes coming! One other thing...the free resources in training are there for Vectorworks, whether in the tutorials, the webinars, the knowledgebase, the online video library, etc. are there for your use...and like the features, let us know the tutorials you wish we had, as we are always developing them as well. I would be happy to work on more informative webinars showcasing the functionality of the software. Get involved with your local user groups, if you have not already, as that is another free resource to tap into, of local professionals using the software, who can also bend our ear for just such webinars...happens quite frequently, actually. We are doing a webinar tomorrow on how a Landmark Beta Tester is using 2011 in her workflows at 2pm Eastern. https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/756579883

Bryan, These are the tools I emailed you about earlier...some very nice offerings.

Gilly, Bryan is right...you need the Existing Tree Tool from 2011. It will do exactly what you want, including the tree protection zone (also changeable). The Plant Objects you are using from Vw 2008 can only be changed within their 2D edit mode and you would have to make sure you had a separate symbol for each. The existing tree tool is intended for trees with irregular canopies and provides a 3D representation of them too. http://download2.nemetschek.net/www_movies/2011/new_features/Existing-tree-tool.mov

Until we have the ability to separate cut/fill calcs by boundaries, you can now (with 2011) get a volume report that actually puts the volume change right on each facet...so you would need to see the facets involved with the separate areas and gather the volume changes for those facets. If they are small facets and many, it would be a chore...but the alternative would be to have separate site models with site modifiers in the specific areas per site model.

I'll suggest a possible workflow and if someone else has a better alternative, let us know. When you create your existing surface Site Model (DTM), create the proposed bottom of the basin as a pad with a flat (non sloped surface). Then create what you would expect to be the top of basin as a pad at that elevation. But, when making that top of basin elevation, have it be a modifier for the existing dtm. You can then do your cut and fill calculations from the updated proposed dtm, and see what it gives.

The preview actually happens on the preference box. I've found that preview to be very helpful, especially when deciding if the steps are too long/short or overkill.

Peter, It certainly does step on top and bottom...with a checkbox, you choose either or both...as well, you can ask it to adhere to the terrain, so it can help design more efficient walls in the site.

In 2011, you can utilize the building wall object, that has components, as you know. Once you have placed these walls, you can select the new Create Retaining Wall Site Modifier Feature from the Landmark pull-down and set the elevation parameters from there on. You will see the modifiers place a pad at the bottom of the wall and line modifiers on the left and right side of the wall.

You and me both...working on it for the hardscape and landscape area! Thanks for the note.

DukeLuke, Though I would agree having all the data from the database being fully transferred to the list we populate our plant objects with would be an ultimate goal, I would raise up a concern I would have about a price field being a requirement for the information in the database, because I would suspect your suppliers, like many others, would have multiple prices per plant species because of the various sizes they would provide. This would mean that your database would have to have 2-5 entries for many of the plants you would then consider. So, if you have a plant palette of 200-300 plants you usually would refer to, you would end up having 400-1500 records with mostly duplicate records and the only changing field being the price. My I recommendation would be that you place the price for each plant in their definitions and verify the price associates to the installed size differences. Keep those properly priced and sized plant objects as available plant symbols in a template file and pull from them each time you do a planting plan. Then the template file symbols get updated each time that supplier changes their prices, and you pull off the plants they no longer carry. The plant database can still be used as an informational source, as intended. If you are doing this as part of a design build workflow, then we should talk more directly on how to use the plant data in association with other estimation software available that takes Vw worksheet data exports and uses the supplier data to help build material takeoffs and proposals, etc.

Some of the examples seen in the video of how we turned 2D contour polygons into 3D polygons, placed at their proper z elevation, and converting 2D footprint polygons into massing models at the precise height the data indicated, were done by scripts, but only because the manual process is very time consuming, but definitely possible without scripts. We explained this to the client who asked us to create this for their own planning needs. The video does explain the use of scripts and if a user wants to learn the scripting process, to do these powerful functions, it is certainly something they can learn. As we would all expect, GIS files are subject to data variations, so having programmed features designed to modify such polygons would have to change based on the specific data assigned to these polygons, thus the need for scripting to do these processes efficiently is necessary. Many new users who expect to pick up the program and use it without being trained on its unique landscape specific tools, end up using it like a general CAD program. When they do learn how to use the unique tools, they begin to find the amazing possibilities and begin to make their workflows more efficient.

Check out the following link which is the page dedicated to how Vectorworks Landmark handles importing and exporting GIS files. There is a video I have made on the opportunities for shp files brought into VwL and there is a whitepaper available for downloading to see the GIS work done within VwL. http://www.nemetschek.net/landmark/gis.php Please let me know if I can answer any questions further on GIS in VwL.

Hi Marc, When the version 2008 was rolled out, it changed the plant object significantly to make it a parametrically controlled object...so it is the data that is provided in its definition that tells it how wide and tall it needed to be be. So once this was done, you essentially would have to have multiple plant objects to have multiple sized plants of the same species. I would recommend placing a wish list request, here on the community board to request seeing this functionality (or scalable symbols/objects) to fulfill the workflow you are seeking. http://techboard.nemetschek.net/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=12&page=1 Eric

Marc, These fields can be edited in its definition. Right click on the plant object, choose edit and then choose definition. You can edit the height/spread there. Also, this would need to be done with each of the instances you used this object. From this point out, you would want to edit the definition as a resource so that every time you place afterward, it will take on the new height/spread. Eric

Not sure who's the angry moderator, but I have some ideas, but need to clarify...you resizing the plant symbols, image props on plant objects, or actual 3D plant objects?

Dennisw, First, check to see if you are working in Top/Plan or Top View...you need to be in Top/Plan to see the 2D symbol should be. Next, if you are in Top/Plan and they still are not showing, then in the resource browser, right click on the symbol you have placed and choose edit, the choose 2D Graphics, this should show the plan symbol you would expect and when you return to the plan, it should be represented as you expect.

With the plants selected, at the bottom of the attributes palette, click the arrow pointing down, giving you the attributes pull-down (utility menu)...then select "Use Default Attributes". This should restore the tag features you seem to be missing.

Doug, If you edit the viewport's crop (right click on the viewport or double click) you will see the shape that is creating the border of your viewport "crop". Click on that shape and have the line set to none.

The topic of GIS integration is very exciting within Vectorworks. I have just created a video that will be used soon on our website to further demonstrate this, but essentially if you can find a local/regional source for GIS files, you can import the shapefiles and they will maintain the data associated with them when created by the original GIS program. You can modify the lines as if you had drawn them, much like importing DXF/DWG files and give them fills and opacity changes and linetype changes, etc. You can even convert them to 3D objects and take the process to the 3rd dimension, if that is what you would like to do. Once the video is up, I will post again and let you know where to find it.

John, Thanks for bringing this up. I will check into these issues and let all know on Monday what I find.