Creating a viewport from design layers

[Monique Freese]

Hello all

I am trying to set up an elevations drawing sheet for my proposed house.

I activate the desired design layers of my proposed house and place in an orthogonal view showing the north west elevation.

 

I would like to crop the view so the viewport will only take the information I choose. 

I have watched instructional videos and read the help section.

 

The viewport dialogue box comes up immediately but not the alert box* asking if I wish to use the cropped area as the viewport.

If I continue and fill in the info in the viewport dialogue box and click ok it moves the hole view onto my elevation sheet, not the cropped view.

 

*VECTERWORKS HELP

An alert dialog box asks whether the object should be used as the viewport’s crop. Click Yes (also select Always do the selected action to always use a selected 2D object as a crop object when creating viewports).

 

This alert box does not come up on my screen.

 

What am I missing?

 

Thanks Mon

[Tom W.]

You don't actually say if you're drawing a Rectangle to define the crop area before running the 'Create Viewport...' command. Are you?

 

(You can always add the crop afterwards by right-clicking on the VP + selecting 'Edit Crop' then draw a Rectangle in the edit space)

[Monique Freese]

Hi

Yes I am using a 2D rectangle when attempting to crop the design layer view.

Ta Mon

[shorter]

Try using the Clip Tool instead.

 

Create the Viewport, then use the Clip Tool, in the 'Inclusion' mode.

 

I recommend you use a section viewport when creating an elevation of a building.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/t/4rnJvPlvRMrl4l16

[Monique Freese]

Thanks I will have a look at the section viewport as an option.

 

Mon

[Tom W.]

@Monique Freese I always use section VPs for elevations too, but then my buildings are never square to the screen... Nevertheless you should be able to draw a Rectangle + create a cropped VP from it without issue so I wonder what's going on there. For 3D views I regularly click 'Align Working Plane with Current View', draw a Rectangle + run 'Create Viewport...'. Never had any issues.

 

When you create your VP is the 2D Rectangle being drawn on the screen plane? Does it result in a crop object inside the Edit Crop space? Perhaps you should post a video showing the steps you're taking.

[line-weight]

I always crop viewports after the event. Once you've created the viewport on the design layer, you can double-click on it and then choose the option to edit the crop. Or you can right-click and choose "edit crop". Then you can draw whatever shape you like and this will become the crop object.

[Tamsin Slatter]

1 hour ago, line-weight said:

I always crop viewports after the event. Once you've created the viewport on the design layer, you can double-click on it and then choose the option to edit the crop. Or you can right-click and choose "edit crop". Then you can draw whatever shape you like and this will become the crop object.

I like this method too - because you can see the other things on your sheet as you create the crop.

[Tom W.]

1 hour ago, line-weight said:

I always crop viewports after the event. Once you've created the viewport on the design layer, you can double-click on it and then choose the option to edit the crop. Or you can right-click and choose "edit crop". Then you can draw whatever shape you like and this will become the crop object.

 

Cropping on the DL is useful if I have a massive site model with multiple buildings + I just want a view of one of them, or if I have a large 2D map several sq miles big + I just want a site plan of a single property, because otherwise I end up with a VP that is 50 times larger than my sheet + I have to re-find the area of interest... But often in these cases the DL crop is a slightly 'rough' crop then I'll go in + refine it on the sheet layer like you say.

[shorter]

22 hours ago, line-weight said:

I always crop viewports after the event. Once you've created the viewport on the design layer, you can double-click on it and then choose the option to edit the crop. Or you can right-click and choose "edit crop". Then you can draw whatever shape you like and this will become the crop object.

why don't you just use the clip tool?  one click, done, and very direct.  no messing around with entering the crop 'space' of the viewport.  saves time and you are looking at the sheet when you do it.

[line-weight]

1 hour ago, shorter said:

why don't you just use the clip tool?  one click, done, and very direct.  no messing around with entering the crop 'space' of the viewport.  saves time and you are looking at the sheet when you do it.

Didn't know that was possible - thanks for the tip.

 

Does that also work for changing the crop, if there's already one present?

[shorter]

7 hours ago, line-weight said:

Didn't know that was possible - thanks for the tip.

 

Does that also work for changing the crop, if there's already one present?

 

Only to reduce it further, but not to edit it.  Have to select 'Edit Crop' to change it's shape.

[Tom W.]

You can also use the Split Tool on VPs to add or reduce the size of a crop or divide into two separate VPs

[line-weight]

3 minutes ago, Tom W. said:

You can also use the Split Tool on VPs to add or reduce the size of a crop or divide into two separate VPs

Didn't know that either!

[Tom W.]

2 hours ago, line-weight said:

Didn't know that either!

 

Good for splitting a VP of a Worksheet in half if it is too long to fit on a sheet! (in the absence of pagination...)

[Benson Shaw]

@Monique Freese

 

The Alert notice might be missing because during a previous VP creation, you checked the "Always do the selected action" option.  In this case, it would mean that the Alert would not appear. Instead, the Create VP dialog would appear.  After closing the Create dialog, the VP will appear on the sheet as directed by the VP Create dialog.

 

If this is the cause, and, for some reason, you want the Alert to appear, you need to reset the Vectorworks pref>Sessions>Reset saved settings.

Note that this resets for ALL types of Always do warnings.  No current way see a list and pick relevant items.

 

-B