Allow 3D symbols to be able to be used within solid additions and subtractions.

[Will]

It would be great if I could draw a 3d solid that I want to cut out of another solid repeatedly and make it into a symbol so that if I then want to go back and edit the holes I have cut out of the solid I don't have to edit each one induvidually. Obviously the symbol would only be able to contain 3d solids and the edit solid mode would not exit successfully if I tried to place a symbol containing other objects.

 

 

[grant_PD]

And be used for extrude along path object profiles!

[Jeff Prince]

Sounds like a Solidworks feature 🙂

I don't think Vectorworks is capable of such a thing with it's underlying modeling kernel, unless you made a plug-in object.

[Jeff Prince]

Holey Moley, you can actually do this in Vectoworks!

See attached, redefine the hole symbol from the resource manager and the block and all of it's holes update.

You can even change the shape of the hole from round to a polygon, etc...

Learn something new everyday 🙂

 

 

 

Holey Moley.vwx

Edited April 13, 2023 by jeff prince

[Pat Stanford]

Great Find Jeff!!!

 

How did that change get added and not be noticed and result in rejoicing from the rooftops??? This has been asked for for decades!!

[Pat Stanford]

And it works with HYBRID symbols also!!!

 

Not sure yet, but this MAY be a game changer for how I am working.

[markdd]

It has been around for a little while, however it used to need a bit of a jolt. The "jolt" was to open and close the Solid object's history. Now it works automatically. Hurrah

[Jeff Prince]

This is one thing I love about the forum.

Some random question ends up challenging your assumptions...

Investigation leads to new knowledge.

 

18 minutes ago, Pat Stanford said:

How did that change get added and not be noticed and result in rejoicing from the rooftops??? This has been asked for for decades!!

 

I have 2021 installed and it works back then too, I wonder how long it has been possible.

Shame it can't be done with Extrude Along a Path.

[Peter Vandewalle]

I think I ever saw a 3D model of a LEGO technics digger in Vectorworks. The holes in the LEGO blocks were solid subtractions of symbols in volumes. I think it was more than 10 years ago... I could mail you the model if you like...

[Will]

Amazing!. I'm sure I've tried this before, maybe in the last few years, and got an 'illegal object must be deleted warning". Maybe I had some stray 2d elements in my symbol or something.