mr. iagea

no custom anything: templates, workspaces, etc. i've tried everything (i'm an ex-system admin and a software instructor, so i know the drill). i spent several days communicating with tech support about this, going over every possible option to test this. i even bought a new computer with more memory and a better video card with more memory (lots more; twice NNA the recommended amount). with a fresh installation and no other software installed it's the same every time. now, with the new system (listed below, in my sig.), the problem still exists. it's actually not that critical, but it's annoying to have to close out of the dialog box and go back to the drawing just to see what my change did. i mean, what's the point of having a preview window if it doesn't work? the same with my other "slab layer" post. what's the point of having a function if there's no education anywhere about how it should be used and its parameter editing interface nowhere to be found, and i've looked everywhere. with the sketch preview, it feels like the tip of a screen redraw iceberg that i see is somewhat common with quite a few users here, and i have come across other strange behaviors that leave me with a feeling that the software has an underlying instability. that's not so comfortable, considering the cost of the software, and the cost of the projects that we use it for. i'd just like to know if anyone else is having this problem so perhaps we can find the solution and pass it along to NNA. pardon my rant., please. :-) charlie

i've been having some strange screen behavior as well, but no psychedelic colors. my problem seems to be with the sketch options preview window. this little house drawing is supposed to update, and it doesn't. i originally was told by tech support that it was my graphics card, but i have the same problem on a completely new imac, with plenty of vram and ram. i have also noticed some ghosting in some dialog boxes. perhaps these problems are related somehow... charlie

any mac users having trouble with the sketch options preview window (the house eave elevation drawing) simply not working (updating) at all? i'm using VW 2008 SP2, OS 10.5.2, iMac (2007), 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GHz RAM, 256MB VRAM. any solutions? thanks, charlie ps: i've already been through tech support with this. argh!

thanks, everyone! this is good info?all good points, although i can see that there is a real nebulosity with the definition of "slab layer"! i don't feel so daft now. i agree with boxjoint's comment. i have found the manuals helpful in indentifying the tools and commands of the software, but not a lot of information about WHY i would use one tool over another (and yes, i understand the concept of maintaining dynamic workflows in software). i have searched high and low for a definition of "slab layer" and i cannot find it anywhere (websites, books, even the training manual and CD's). ah well...i will investigate the BIM in Practice example files and see if clarity surfaces. thanks for that info, Jeffrey. thanks, all. i will post to this thread when i find a definitive answer. charlie

excellent, thanks. i was looking for a universal way to do this, and i just completely neglected the text menu. is there a way to set a font globally so i don't have to select each text object and change manually? there HAS to be a way! also, i still need to know how to change the size of the marker arrows...cannot find that. thanks!

thanks, brooke and billtheia. what i'm trying to find out is what VW considers a "slab layer" in the "Model Setup" command (File > Document Settings > Model Setup). This is important to creating the proper elevations for the model building. And, while i'm certainly flexible enough as a designer to make my floor slab consist of all sorts of parts, i would like to know where that is actually defined. is there a standard that determines what parts to include in a floor slab, i.e.: is it framing only, or finish materials also? does it include the ceiling material of the floor below or exclusive of that? all this can affect the true elevations, and if i'm to assume that VW is helping me draw a virtual building, then those details are important (they are to me and my perfectionist streak, anyway). eh? cheers, charlie

continuing what pat mentioned, using the data bar, you can edit ALL the dimensions of the newly created object and then simply hit return once all your desired numbers are in, and the object will be created without any further mouse clicking.

how does one change the font, size and marker arrow sizes for angular dimensioning? i've looked in the class editing dialogs and even tried to do a custom modification with no effect. for that matter, i also seem to be having trouble changing the normal dimensioning text data. ideas? thanks, charlie

hi. i'm new to VW and i have what may seem a rudimentary question: i need a good definition of "slab" as it pertains to the floors in multi-floor buildings. is "slab" simply the complete floor thickness, including finished flooring material? is the measurement taken from the bottom of the joist (assuming a wood frame) up to the top of the finish floor in the next floor up, or is the measurement taken from the "bottom" of the ceiling material up through the next finished floor material? perhaps a corollary question would be what are the boundaries of a mod-level (ceiling to ceiling or floor to floor?), and at what exact point are those boundaries limits? and then, what is the "slab layer" in the model setup command. thanks in advance! charlie