Setting a Georeferenced Template Back to 0/0

[lrucker]

I have inherited a template that I need to use with the company I am working with. It appears to already be georeferenced. In the pic below, the rulers are showing 1266050'-0"/316250'-0". It looks like they might have taken a working file, deleted the drawings, and turned it into a template. I think it may be throwing off any new import data that needs to be geolocated. Is there a way I can set the template back to 0/0? I really don't want to recreate the template . . .

 

[Tom W.]

Try Tools > Origin > User Origin... + 'Set User Origin to Internal Origin'.

[lrucker]

Tom W. I was so hoping your suggestion would resolve my issue. I set the User Origin to Internal Origin and am still having the same problem. When the VW aerial appears I see some random property and not the National Monument. I actually had a session with a VW trainer about this and he told me that the georeferencing data will always be there. He has a software that can strip the georeferencing out and help me fix the template.

[Peter Neufeld.]

Hello,

You shouldn't really keep working with files that have already been used before and then recycled. Best to start from a clean slate. If you want to keep the same layer structure you can always rebuild from a File>New>Blank file:

 

To Rebuild Design Layers

1. Create a new blank document.
2. Right click in the Design Layer tab of the Navigation Palette and select new.
3. Select the second radio button Import Design Layers.
4. Click Choose and locate the original file that needs to be re-built from your computer or server.
5. Select the Design Layers you wish to recreate in your new file from the list. 
6. If you have any geometry that needs to be transferred, click the option to Import Layer Objects and select OK.

If you have design layer viewports, these will not be recreated during this process and for each one an alert dialogue will appear saying the Layer Links are not supported.

 

To Rebuild Sheet Layers

1. Right click in the Sheet Layer tab of the Navigation Palette and select new.
2. Select the second radio button Import Sheet Layer.
3. Click Choose and again locate the original file that needs to be re-built from your computer or server.
4. Select the Sheet Layers you wish to recreate in your new file from the list.
5. Click OK.

To Rebuild Viewport/s

If you need to rebuild any viewports, open your original file, navigate to one of the Sheet Layers you would like to rebuild. Simply copy and then paste into the new file.

 

 

Cheers,

Peter

[Tom W.]

7 hours ago, lrucker said:

Tom W. I was so hoping your suggestion would resolve my issue. I set the User Origin to Internal Origin and am still having the same problem. When the VW aerial appears I see some random property and not the National Monument. I actually had a session with a VW trainer about this and he told me that the georeferencing data will always be there. He has a software that can strip the georeferencing out and help me fix the template.

 

Rereading your original post I realise am not entirely clear what the desired outcome is. Running 'Set User Origin to Internal Origin' will return the User Origin to 0,0 the way it would be in a blank file but yes you're right, if you open Geoimage you won't see the image centred on the National Monument as you would in a new blank file but does this matter if you just want a 'normal' non-georeferenced file? Which makes me think you don't want a normal non-georeferenced file. E.g:

 

10 hours ago, lrucker said:

I think it may be throwing off any new import data that needs to be geolocated.

 

You can use the Geolocate Tool to reset the Geoimage to the National Monument if necessary (place a 2D locus in the drawing + give it the desired coordinates in the OIP then click on it with the Geolocate Tool). And then re-Georeference the file if the problem is that you do need it georeferenced just not the way that the template file was georeferenced...?

 

Alternatively Peter's suggestion to start again from scratch is probably quite a good idea! I do find the whole georeference/geoimage/user origin thing quite confusing so be interested to know how you get on. I don't think I've seen it properly explained anywhere the relationship between the User Origin + the Geoimage underlay: when I set up a georeferenced file initially the two are automatically (I think) coincident yet if I then decide I need to 'move' the Internal Origin to a new location, if I do this using the Geolocate Tool the Geoimage moves with it but if I do it using the Center Drawing on Internal Origin method it doesn't. From my perspective the critical thing as far as Georefencing is concerned is the location of the User Origin as this dictates where imported data will be located i.e. it will have the correct geographical coordinates. And the Geoimage is secondary because most of the time I don't need to see it at all + if it is showing the wrong geographical location this is only an aesthetic problem as it has no bearing on the Georeferencing as far as importing geometry is concerned. But I could be completely wrong on this! @Tamsin Slatter?

[lrucker]

Thanks Tom W. and Peter Neufeld for the additional explanation. I agree that using an old working file isn't a great way to make a template. I had no idea you could pull layers from another file into a new document. That would definitely solve my problem. Of course, I'll need to go through and check all the settings too, but I'm thinking maybe I should do that anyway given that I am using someone else's setup. Extremely helpful!

[Peter Neufeld.]

FYI, this is very good webinar from 2020 from @Tamsin Slatter about GIS. She also shows Data Viz and GIS imaging. 

 

https://university.vectorworks.net/mod/page/view.php?id=617

 

If the link doesn't work it's at the Vectorworks University called GIS - COMBINING GEOGRAPHIC COORDINATE AND CAD DATA

 

Cheers,

Peter

[Tamsin Slatter]

Thanks for the plug @Peter Neufeld.

Just to add, if you really, really want to turn OFF the georeferencing, you can do so in the File > Document Settings > Georeferencing command. The dialog offers two things that are set.
The first is the local coordinate system that is to be used - that will stay on no matter what. In the screenshot below, I used a blank UK template. By default that is set to EPSG 27700, which is the most commonly used coordinate system in the UK. 0,0 is off the South West coast. The second is on the right side of the dialog and relates to the coordinates that you want the internal origin to represent within that coordinate system. 
So, by default, in a UK file, the internal origin starts life in Greenwich in London (for no good reason other than we had to put it somewhere and thought this was recognisable). But as you can see in the screenshot, I have used the checkbox to disable changing the location and orientation of the internal origin. Now, it's at 0,0 of the EPSG coordinate system. Not the Long and Lat that you can see greyed out in the image. 

I can still use the Geoimage tool but it's clearly showing the internal origin out in the sea, at 0,0 (OK, not THAT clearly, so I drew over it - please forgive a little artistic license!)

 

[lrucker]

I really appreciate everyone ringing in on this. I'm sorry I've been a little MIA because work is intense right now.

 

I do need my template to have the georeference to be at 0/0 because we pull in DWGs and georeferenced elevation points from a Trimble. It would be so handy to be able to have it all pull to the same location. The new development is that our VW trainer gave us a script to open within the template which is supposed to clear the imbedded georeference. Unfortunately, even after moving the script into the template file and running it, nothing seems to have changed. There's no busy indication to even show that the script is running so I don't know what is wrong. Our trainer is very good and popular, so I haven't been able to get time with him to figure out why the script won't work. Meanwhile, I am working on new files with this template and having to chase down the Trimble points out in space and manually line things up.

 

Maybe this should be another thread, but does anyone know of a good private VW trainer who I might be able to pay to help me streamline my workflow? While I have been working with VW since 2011 (I think.), I never had to work with georeferenced data or make 3D site models professionally. I also had to take a hiatus when working for folks who didn't use it. Now that I am using it again, I have gotten the Core Certification, Landmark Certification, and I am working through any training videos I can find within and outside VW. I can tell that I have some gaps and my workflow could be more efficient. I need some serious help.

[Tamsin Slatter]

Liberty, if your Vectorworks file is correctly georeferenced with the same local coordinate system that the DWG is generated from, then all you need to do is:
1. File > Import > Import Single DXF/DWG.

2. On the Import dialog, check the box for This file contains georeferenced geometry. 

Your data will land in the correct place. 

If you watch the webinar that Peter linked above, I think that will help you.

 

If you would like to post a sample file, I can make sure…

[lrucker]

Thanks Tamsin!

 

I'll try that and I still need to watch your webinar. I'm trying to do so many things at once here. Thank you so much for your help.