Multiple project tabs visible simultaneously?

[Nick Pecher]

Hey all,

 

I'm using VW 2024 on Windows 10, and am trying to have multiple projects visible on my screen open at the same time (so I can reference one while working on the other). Is there an option within VW that enables this?

In other programs, like Photoshop, I can undock the project tabs and look at multiple windows at the same time. Hoping for something like that.

 

[Jeff Prince]

Have you considered referencing the project into your active document?  That’s a lot better than having multiple screens open if you are trying to do side by side comparison.  You could then also use multiview to do side by side comparison as well if it’s a busy drawing.  In Mac VWX, you can undock tabs, not sure about windows… not that I’ve found it useful compared to the methods mentioned earlier.

[Nick Pecher]

Hey Jeff,

 

I'm essentially doing that already, but there's another file I'd like to have the ability to look at in a separate window. I'm working on a project that has a fair number of duplicate objects from a prior project, and I'd like to be able to reuse as many as possible. It's almost like one of those "spot the difference" puzzles.

[BartH]

I agree @Nick Pecher

I've found a few times that I have 2 files open and I want to undock the main window so I can see both projects but you can't.

 

Could be a wishlist item.

 

 

[Jeff Prince]

So it doesn't work in Windows?

Here's what it looks like in Mac....

 

[Pat Stanford]

@Jeff Prince But what happens when you click into the drawing on the left?

 

For me unless I have resized it to only take up 1/2 the screen it comes to the front and hides the right drawing.

 

I can see times where it would be nice to be able to have a floating non-active drawing window have an always on top option.

[Rolan Castaneda]

I do this all the time.  I have 2 monitors.  I just drag the other file to the other monitor and it works like a charm.  If you only have 1 monitor, I suppose that could be cumbersome.

[Jeff Prince]

48 minutes ago, Pat Stanford said:

@Jeff Prince But what happens when you click into the drawing on the left?

 

For me unless I have resized it to only take up 1/2 the screen it comes to the front and hides the right drawing.

 

I can see times where it would be nice to be able to have a floating non-active drawing window have an always on top option.

the window you clink on becomes active.  On a single monitor, you just arrange them like other windows, leave a bit visible so you have something to click on if you don’t do a 50/50 split. @Rolan Castaneda is right about it being useful on multiple monitors.

 

Moving a free floating window the an iPad Pro using sidecar might be a nice way to use the functionality if you don't have real dual monitors.

Edited June 5, 2024 by Jeff Prince

[BartH]

3 hours ago, Jeff Prince said:

So it doesn't work in Windows?

Here's what it looks like in Mac....

 

 

Doesn't work for me in Windows.
I can have multiple tabs but I can't peel them off and have 2 side-by-side.

Unless I am doing something dumb (which is very likely)

[Nick Pecher]

On 6/5/2024 at 2:44 PM, Jeff Prince said:

So it doesn't work in Windows?

Here's what it looks like in Mac....

 

Correct, Windows doesn't allow me to set up a view like that.

 

Would be great to have that functionality in the future, though.

[Payne Chang]

The detached document feature is not supported on Windows due to some major limitations. However, to achieve similar functionality, users can press and hold the 'M' key while double-clicking the Vectorworks application to launch a second instance. It is recommended to use the first instance to work on one document and the second to view another. 

[jmcewen]

1 hour ago, Payne Chang said:

The detached document feature is not supported on Windows due to some major limitations. However, to achieve similar functionality, users can press and hold the 'M' key while double-clicking the Vectorworks application to launch a second instance. It is recommended to use the first instance to work on one document and the second to view another. 

You can also open multiple instances by highlighting multiple vwx files in a folder, right clicking and then selecting "open."  I learned this by accident, thinking this action would open them in multiple tabs on the same instance.  Every file added this way will get its own instance with the windows all on top of one another.  I have started using multiple instances to be able to continue to work on a second file while heavier renderings are going on the first file or if i am publishing a long drawing set to pdf.