C. Andrew Dunning

Thanks. Those images helped to answer the questions I had. I've actually been spending time in that part of the code recently and adding the percentage calcs shouldn't be too difficult. If you'd like, let me know (through e-mail) if you'd (and, enyone else reading this) like to join the Landru Design mailing list. It is an invitation-only list we use to let our users know of new realeases, updates, fixes, etc. (like the addition of another way to communicate projection offset). This only pertains to the Landru Design version(s) of the tools, but at least you'll know when your wish has been granted. (For what it's worth, this is an announcement-only list and we don't average even a message a month...) You'll need to share the "Video Screen.vso"/"VS4-Projection.vso" file (found in your "Plug-ins" folder) with the other users. 2 things: 1) The stock Vectorworks tool requires Spotlight or Designer to work. The Landru Design version doesn't care. 2) Whenever you upgrade (either version) your changes (additions and deletions) will be lost. You'll need to edit the list again. I'm curious: what lenses were missing?

Are your projector spec limits given in terms of the percentage of the surface as-a-whole or in terms of center-to-edge? Also, if any of those specs are available in electronic format, would you mihd e-mailing me a copy of one of them? Thanks.

Steve - For now, it is only possible to to horizontal edge-blending with both the Spotlight and Landru Design versions of the tool.

Mickey - I can't think of any settings, right-off, that would affect the Opaque color. If you care to share a copy of the file showing the issue, I'd be happy to take a look. You can post it here or e-mail it through the link on the "Contact" page in the Web site below.

Mickey - Make sure that your Soft Goods object's fill color (as assigned in the Attributes palette) is not set to "Color By Class." If it is, the Class' fill color will override the Opaque or Scrim color.

And...more AudioToolSet 2 evolution...: While we usually don't like to release "single-feature" updates of our tools, enough users have been asking if/when AudioBox 2 and AudioArray 2 will automatically flip/spin loudspeakers that that hesitation has been set aside. The newest releases of both tools, 2.56, boast a "Flip Orientation" toggle, which turns loudspeaker models on their sides. As a little added bonus, this new version of Audio Array 2 also includes a new "Tripod" option. As in the past, this update is available free-of-charge to holders of current licenses for Audio ToolSet 2 and Producer's Pack 2. If you're not a current Audio ToolSet 2 user and would like more info, visit the Web site below.

Andre - At this time, no. Your best bet is to create the projection object "horizontally," to convert it to a group while in a view other than 2D/Plan, and then to rotate it in 3D to the angle you're needing. I know, not what you're wanting, but that is your best bet untile a feature along these lines gets implemented.

Hayden - I just tested your file and all seems to work as it should. Would you make sure you put it in the "\Libraries\Defaults\Video Screen\Projector Models" folder?" Unless it is there, the video tools won't see it.

Hayden - The fix is actually pretty simple (and subtle): The word "projector" in the attached record needs to be all lower-case. The word in yours is capitalized. I hope that helps...and have made a note to make this a non-isue down-the-road.

Bruce - Here are a couple of scripts I use to change the grid angle. "Grid Angle Change" is expecting you to click on 2 points to define a new angle, making it very easy to, for example, match the grid angle to that of a given drawing element. "Grid Angle Default" simply returns the angle back to 0. Both scrips are unencrypted so you can noodle with them as you wish.

No. You can apply the texture to any 3D object. You'll have to do all of the image scaling yourself, though (whereas SoftGoods 2 gets you started by scaling the image to fill the curtain segment at what the tool calls 100%). This is probably where you're getting stuck. Try increasing the scale to see if the "stars" in the image show up.

Vanessa - I'm not sure what to tell you, other than to make quite sure the StarDrop texture is, indeed, in your working file and that it shows up as a texture. The file on our site is quite old so I just ran a quick test in VW2013 to confirm that things still work. Here is the texture applied to a SoftGoods 2 object through the 3D Options dialog: [img:center]http://www.landrudesign.com/Downloads/StarDrop.jpg[/img]

Jack - The only tools we offer commercially are on the plug-ins page (http://www.landrudesign.com/VWPlugIns.htm). The few Symbols available elsewhere on our site are simply old examples that, quite frankly, haven't been touched in years. If you're wanting lighting Symbols beyond what you're finding in Spotlight, I'd suggest signing up for Service Select (http://serviceselect.vectorworks.net/), which will get you an expanded library, and/or or get SoftSymbols (http://www.fieldtemplate.com/soft/softcopy.html), which is the most complete lighting Symbol library available. If you're wanting other Spotlight tools (beyond Symbols), you'll want to check out AutoPlot Tools For Spotlight (http://www.autoplotvw.com/) and the tools from Benghiat Lighting (http://www.benghiatlighting.com/software). I hope this helps.

Jack - I created the 8-Lite myself years ago. It was probably the first Symbol I made after the basic PAR can.

Mario - By-chance, is your new Focus Point on or near an object that was drawn using a Complex Line Type? If so, try hiding that object or changing its line type to solid. Does the blinking issue go away?

Just adding a few thoughts: 1) Once I understood the orientation in which Sweeps are created within the PIO environment, I've never had view issues with them. I create the given Sweep and then use Set3DRot and Move3DObj to orient it and move it to where I want it. 2) Currently, the only two places in any of my PIOs in which I'm having to change the view are when I'm dealing with 3D arcs for ExtrudeAlongPath operations or when I'm dealing with Texture mapping on Meshes. Then, like Josh, I use GetView, GetRenderMode, and GetProjection to make the process invisible to the user. 3) I've found ExtrudeAlongPath to be very useful but I found 2 things to be a little confusing: a) Creating EAP objects based on non-level NURBS paths can result in some odd "twisting" of the profile. b) The EAP object is actually 3 objects - the extrude face and the 2 endcaps. So, if you create an EAP object and apply a texture to the LNewObj you'll only be grabbing the last endcap. 4) I can't recall having any 3D adding/subtracting issues and I know I've got both going on. 5) Miguel is right about making sure you're using Move3DObj instead of HMove. I do have 1 PIO in which using 1 or the other is view-dependant, but that is easy enough to trap. I hope something in there is helpful to you...

[img:left]http://www.landrudesign.com/Downloads/ATS2-Ground-Stacked.jpg[/img] For those of you who've been asking when AudioArray 2 will build ground-stacked arrays, as of this week the answer is "NOW." In addition to ground stacking, this version (2.55) will also create "bumperless" arrays and non-rectangular bumpers. As has been our practice, this update is free-of-charge for Audio ToolSet 2 and Producer's Pack 2 users. Simply use your current link(s) and password(s). For some users, this might be a pretty minor update. For several, though, this is a direct response to a significant need you've expressed. Many thanks to the several of you whose feedback and input make updates like this possible! Keep the comments coming!

If what you're ultimately wanting is to import a speaker for AudioBox 2, is there a reason you're not using that PIO from the get-go? The importing option is there, as-well. My pleasure!

That is working as-designed. For importing to be enabled you have to have a "real"/already-placed object - either a Speaker/AudioBox 2 object or a Speaker Array/Audio Array 2 object.

Until we implement either > 6-sided speakers or actual Symbol geometry importing, I'd approximate the best I could with 6 faces - probably by using the front face, depth, and back face dimensions. I know, FAR from what you're ultimately wanting, at least a work-around of sorts for now.

Chad - For now, I'm sorry; there is no way to import the actual Symbol geometry. The import process simply grabs the data connected to the Symbols. The logic behind using Symbols for the import process is two-fold: 1) It is solid way to distribute and/or share the different dimensions and other data for stock bumpers and speakers. 2) It gets the infrastructure in-place and prevents us having to reinvent things totally if we ever do create a way to import the geometry. I know; not what you were wanting to hear, but I hope that at least sheds a little light on things.

Miguel - Do you have the Soft Goods object set to use Attributes By-Class (in the Attributes Palette) or is the object placed in a Class that is toggled to set attributes upon object creation (in the Classes definition dialog)? Together, those setttings will over-ride the 3D Options settings.

Staging ToolSet 2 now has "even newer" (2.2) versions of each of the tools. Though there are minor bug fixes here-and-there, the most visible changes are feature additions requested by users: 1) Different rail styles can now be defined for each of a StageDeck 2 object's faces. For example, you can have a toe rail on one face and a straight rail on another. This is true for both Rectangular and Round decks. 2) For all of the objects, when text items containing dimensions are displayed, there are now several units options available allowing you to display dimensions in units other than the current drawing units (Imperial OR Metric) AND you can display both Primary and Secondary units at the same time. For example, a StageDeck 2 footprint might be displayed in feet but height in inches - or, its height in both inches and millimeters. As in the past, these updates are available free-of-charge to licensed Staging ToolSet 2 and Producer's Pack 2 users. Users can simply use the links and passwords they were sent for initial download(s). If you've not tried these, or any of our other tools and would like more information, please visit our Vectorworks Plug-ins page . Happy Vectorworking!

Dave - There are multiple parts to the answer to your question...: 1) Speaker/AudioBox 2 and Speaker Array/AudioArray 2 will import data from files stored in the "/Libraries/Defaults/Audio Tools/Speakers (or, '/Bumpers')" folder. The tools look in those folders stored in either the main application folder or the User folder. 2) The tools are looking for Symbols stored in files in those folders. When the tools are used in VW2013 you can select a specific file in those folders, allowing you to see, for example, just the products from a specific manufacturer. (A subtle but nice 2013 feature. When used in older versions of VW, the tools see all of the Symbols at-once in a single list.) 3) To be usable by the tools, the Symbols have to have the "__ATS-SpkrModData" or "__ATS-BumpModData" record attached and appropriate data entered into the fields of that record. 4) When you import a speaker or bumper (by choosing the "Import..." option in the "Type" pop-up on either the OIP or the "Configure Array..." dialog), the speaker/bumper is added to your Audio Tools Library (the XML file found in "/Libraries/Defaults/Audio Tools") so you can use the speaker or bumper later w/o having to import again. 5) A few speaker/bumper Symbols are included in the initial VW installation. More are available via Service Select or other users who have made their libraries available. I've also heard from some of our users who have shared VW files containing multiple pre-configured Speaker/AudioBox 2 objects that other users can select and save to their Libraries. This is probably more info than you were wanting but you're not the first to ask and I hope that something, here, is somewhat helpful.

You are most welcome, Chris! Happy to help.