New User

[Monique Freese]

Hello all

I purchased the Vecterworks program years ago and kept updating until 2016 but have never really used the it until now as I was so busy it was still faster (in my mind) to draw by hand.

I am finally forced to start using Vecterworks after beginning editing my hand drawings in PAINT and then PAINT.NET both not designed for our specific line of work.

 

I am finally forcing myself to start using my Vecterworks program and am getting very frustrated as need to learn in a hurry to get my current projects underway in a timely manner.

 

Is it ok to ask questions that would be very simple to an experienced user but totally frustrating to me as I cant find the answer???

 

I do attempt to search on Jonothan Pickup's channel with YOUTUBE (they are amazing) but sometimes there are little things that I just cant figure out.

 

Question One

I have started new file drawing a minor dwelling (a nice simple project to use to start) and have drawn the roof walls with some windows and plumbing fixtures etc. I have used some layers but did not know about story's when I started. I have also drawn a site plan, in another file, with existing house, proposed house, driveways decks etc all on the same design layer (I assume I can edit this). Can I combine the 2 files into one file so I can use the info of both to continue drawing?

I have added design layers and story's onto the site plan file (spent a bit of time) so don't really want to repeat everything again in the proposed house drawing, there must be a way of combining the two.

 

Please help ... this is taking up so much time,which I dont have allot of.

 

Thanks for any help Mon

 

[Jonathan Pickup]

I use one layer for the existing, proposed, and demolished walls for the project, and I use classes to separate them. Classes also allow you to control the graphic style of the walls in your viewports, making it easy to see the walls the way you want. 

 

This from one of my manuals: 

"Unstyled walls can work well for demolished walls, providing you use classes as I noted earlier. Because the class controls the graphic style of the walls, changing the class of the unstyled wall will change the fill and line weight.

Because we have used classes to control the appearance of the existing and demolished walls, we can override these changes in viewports. One topic that often comes up is the question of creating existing, demolished and proposed drawings. Several clients use a layer for existing, a layer for demolished, and a layer for proposed. I just find this hard work. If the client makes a change (how likely is that?) you have double work to do. You have to edit the walls on the demolition later and the proposed layer. “ 

 

"Creating the drawings is the easy part, if you have used the layers and classes we have discussed. Use viewports to make the drawings, and use the class overrides in viewports to change the graphic style of the demolished and proposed parts of the building. 

Floor Plans

Use the viewport command to create the viewport for the existing building. Make sure you turn off all the proposed information. 

After creating the viewport, go to the Object Info palette and click on the Classes… button.

Locate the class for the demolished walls and edit the class. 

Change the line weight so the demolished walls are easier to see. 

Use the viewport command to create the viewport for the proposed building.  Make sure you turn on all the proposed information, and turn off all the demolition work. “ 

 

I hope that helps. 

 

if you want a free QuickStart to Vectorworks architect, follow the link on my bio. 

 

[Tom W.]

1 hour ago, Monique Freese said:

Can I combine the 2 files into one file so I can use the info of both to continue drawing?

 

Right-click in the Design Layer tab of the Navigation palette + select 'New...' (or open the Organization palette + click on the 'New...' button) to open the 'New Design Layer' dialog. Select 'Import Design Layers', click on the 'Choose...' button + navigate to the file you want to import the Design Layers from, select the layers in question + make sure you check 'Import Layer Objects'. This will import the layers + the geometry on them from one file into another file, in effect combing the two.

 

You probably want to make sure both files have the same Story set-up before doing this but I don't use Storeys myself so someone else will be able to confirm that.