Transparency in dwg

[Minna]

Hi!  Is there any way to be able to edit the transparency of vw hardscapes in autocad?  If I make a normal polygon with hatches it will work.  I have previously only drawn 2d plans and now that I have switched to 3d drawing this problem came up when I send my work to other designers.  So normally I have looked at the image in autocad and added transparency to the surfaces so that the position drawing shows "through" This no longer works when the plan has a hardscape. Ideas, tips?

 

Minna

 

[Jeff Prince]

16 hours ago, Minna said:

I have switched to 3d drawing this problem came up when I send my work to other designers.  So normally I have looked at the image in autocad and added transparency to the surfaces so that the position drawing shows "through" This no longer works when the plan has a hardscape. Ideas, tips?

 

I assume when you say "hardscape" you are referring to the actual Hardscape object in Vectorworks.

 

If your hardscape is configured as a 3D slab, it can't be transparent from the attributes or class properties due to the nature of Solids in Vectorworks.

You could apply a transparent material to the hardscape components to make it appear transparent in 3D in Vectorworks, but that's not going to make it over to AutoCAD.  Further, when you export a hardscape to AutoCAD, you will end up with some Wipeout object in AutoCAD, which are essentially solid invisible hatches that block out anything below them.  You will also end up with a few different shapes for each component in your Hardscape, depending on your export settings in Vectorworks.

 

AFAIK, AutoCAD does not allow an object to have a fill attribute like Vectorworks or graphic design programs, unless something has changed in recent years.

You have to make a separate Solid Hatch in AutoCAD for each item you want filled solid.  Once you do that, you can provide a transparency value by-object or by-layer.

 

So, if you were exporting objects from Vectorworks before in 2D, I am very curious what kind they were such that you were able to get a solid transparent fill in AutoCAD.  It doesn't seem possible without editing objects inside AutoCAD after importing from Vectorworks.

[zoomer]

16 hours ago, Jeff Prince said:

AFAIK, AutoCAD does not allow an object to have a fill attribute like Vectorworks or graphic design programs,

 

Isn't VW Fill basically the same as Color by Object/Layer/Block in ACAD ?

Ah, ok, it's not a bout a VW Fill Color but Fill Type Hatch, Image, Mosaic, ....

 

Beside it looks ACAD has also Layer or Object transparency.

 

And if VW "Hardscapes" are 3D and use a Render Material (RW Textures),

yes, a pity, VW does import DWG Materials fine. But unfortunately does

not export VW Materials.

(Often asked for that in the past)

[Jeff Prince]

30 minutes ago, zoomer said:

Ah, ok, it's not a bout a VW Fill Color but Fill Type Hatch, Image, Mosaic, ....

Right.  In most graphics programs an object can have both an outline(pen in vectorworks) and a fill (fill in Vectorworks).  In AutoCAD, if you want a fill, you use a separate object (hatch, super hatch, wipeout, really fat polyline, etc…), so you end up with two objects where most programs would only have one.  I prefer the Vectorworks approach personally.

[zoomer]

6 minutes ago, Jeff Prince said:

 I prefer the Vectorworks approach personally.

 

Me too.

On the other side I hate that in VW open 2D Elements like a curve

can have a Fill !? The rest of Fill Attributes is all fine in VW.

 

Microstation also had a Fill or "Is closed" object Setting.

But Hatches were also separate extra elements like in ACAD,

which was a PITA in 2D CAD times.

 

Thankfully most of architects  are now at a state where Hatches in Plans

are generated from 3D BIM Models and appearance controlled by

Viewport Styles, Class overwrite, and such things.