What happened to web view 24 vs. 25 ?

[halfcoupler]

Is it right that the old 'export to web view' command is replaced by 'export to vgx' ? No more export to temporary cloud storage ?

What do I use instead for clients that don't want to sign up with cloud services ? Are my clients forced to use Nomad ?

[inikolova]

@halfcoupler,

While it is correct that the Export VGX replaced the old Export Web View (although this happened long time ago, not with 2025), it is not correct that your clients are forced to sign up for Cloud Services or to use Nomad. You can share a link to the .vgx file and you can even set an expiration date for the link, so it available temporary to your clients, but the file remains in your cloud storage after this. Right click on the file in the web portal to see the Share link command.

Also, I want to point out that using Nomad does not require a sign in. Your clients can view the model in Nomad if they want to view on a mobile device, because mobile browsers are not supported. Nomad actually offers a feature that the web browser does not, which is the ability to see and control visibility of light objects exported from the Vectorworks file. 

I hope this helps.

Please let me know if you have any other questions.

[halfcoupler]

Thank you @inikolova for this answer (on a sunday.. ) 😀,

 

yes, I already thought it would work that way, but it doesn't. Thats why I'm posting this.

 

Maybe I'm doing something completely wrong, but the created share in the way you described leads to the login page of the Vectorworks Cloud Services. Only in case I am logged into Vectorworks Cloud Services aready on this machine it directly opens the file.

Are there different ways of producing this share ?

Or does the file has to be in a special folder ?

 

( Happens with Mozilla Firefox,- maybe my restricted cookies setting ? )

 

[inikolova]

It sounds like you may be using the private Share method. When you right click, make sure you are selecting "Share link", as opposed to just "Share". You should be able to copy and share a link like this: https://cloud.vectorworks.net/links/11ececd75744a404be8d0e8843f6c72d/

Are you able to view this one in your browser?

[halfcoupler]

14 minutes ago, inikolova said:

It sounds like you may be using the private Share method

Yes that was the problem. It's working now. Thank you :-)

 

 

But really,- althogh there is a big improvement of quality now, it was nice they way it was. I could add my logo and my clients could simply view the file without all this fuss and options and download possibilities around. Indeed, many of my clients will feel being overrun with all this...

[inikolova]

@halfcoupler, We are going to release a saved views in the 3D viewer in the next few months, making it very easy for your clients to view and navigate the model. The technology for the old web view had a lot of limitations that was making it hard to develop the same features for multiple platforms, making it hard for us to maintain and evolve. The new technology allows for opening and viewing of much larger models than before. You can also add your logo in the cloud portal preferences (under the account menu). The old web view is a thing from the past. I would love to hear your wishes about what we can do to make the new one much better than than the old one 😀.

[halfcoupler]

Thanks @inikolova for this answer,

meanwhile I have listened to your very interesting coffebreak and think for me it will become a great tool for communication. But I have two problems:

 

1) - I definitely can not produce a shared document, It keeps stuck in this process:

Switching to the history tab it keeps announcing: 'Pending Upload'

Maybe this is a problem with the storage region server (Frankfurt) ?

 

2) - Clients have to sign in for comments. My clients will definitely not do this (for example imagine that you can not force any public authorities to sign in anywhere) .

Hope there will be a solution for this in future.

 

 

 

[inikolova]

@halfcoupler,

 

Thank you for your positive notes about the webinar and the feature. The webinar was very useful for me as well, to learn what users expect from it and how we can evolve it. 

 

1) It seems like the .vcdoc file is not yet uploaded. Things to check:

 - Did you click Share on the Vectorworks dialog, which actually triggers the file export?

 - Do you have Selective sync enabled in the Cloud Services desktop app? If yes, make sure the Shared Documents folder is selected for syncing. (We have a fix for this in the upcoming version of the desktop app)

 

2) Thanks for the feedback! I will pass it on to the team for consideration. This was actually part of my initial design proposal, but it wasn't completed as part of the inital release. I hope we would be able to come up with a solution for the subsequent releases.

[halfcoupler]

@inikolova ,

 

thank you for the quick reply 🙂

 

it is a bit confusing, can't find 'selective sync' setting in the cloud service destop app since there is  a german version installed here and I can't locate the appropiate translation...

Can you tell me where to find it ?

And yes, I clicked 'share' 🙂

 

 

[inikolova]

Selective sync is the third section from the top, where you see the check mark next to the Vectorworks Cloud Services folder. If you click on it, it will expand to show you the folder structure inside the Vectorworks Cloud Services folder and which folders are set for syncing. But since you have a check mark on the root folder, that tells me all folders inside are selected as well, so selective sync is not your problem. 

 

Have you paused the syncing of the app entirely? The pause button is shown inside a teal circle, as on my screenshot below.

 

When you open the Cloud Services Desktop app, do you see the .vcdoc file in the Sync activity section?

 

It would also help us troubleshoot if you enable sending app logs from the settings - the second option on the General section on the Settings dialog. Or you can zip up and email me the following folder: /Library/Logs/Nemetschek/Vectorworks Cloud Services to inikolova@vectorworks.net. 

 

 

[halfcoupler]

6 minutes ago, inikolova said:

Have you paused the syncing of the app entirely?

No

7 minutes ago, inikolova said:

When you open the Cloud Services Desktop app, do you see the .vcdoc file in the Sync activity section?

No

 

9 minutes ago, inikolova said:

It would also help us troubleshoot if you enable sending app logs from the settings

enabled now.

 

I'm really tapping in the dark...😕

 

[halfcoupler]

14 minutes ago, inikolova said:

Have you paused the syncing of the app entirely?

 

uups,- yes. I think that was the problem,- I switched it on and off and now it is working, maybe it was indeed switched of before, so obviously the software workes as designed and the problem can be located between keyboard and  office chair 😁

 

Thanks a lot for the help 😉😉😉

 

[inikolova]

😅 I am glad I was able to help you figure it out. I am working with the engineers and hope to get a fix for the paused sync as well - paused sync should not break the Vectorworks workflow, like what you saw. 

[E|FA]

1 hour ago, inikolova said:

Thanks for the feedback! I will pass it on to the team for consideration. This was actually part of my initial design proposal, but it wasn't completed as part of the inital release. I hope we would be able to come up with a solution for the subsequent releases.

I would also prefer my clients being able to access shared documents without having to sign in.  I would be OK if they had to enter a confirmation code (similar to unlocking a password protected PDF) that was sent to them without having to login.  

[halfcoupler]

A (radical-)thought about all this

 

Paperless comunication with clients today works a s follows:

- I can send them a pdf-file vial e-mail or some kind or file sharing

- I can send them a link to a vgx model

- I can send them a link to a vcdoc file

- I can create a cloud presentation

 

Why on earth do I need all these channels for this ? Why can't I simply publish a (readable-only-)vectorworks file that can be viewed by my clients with a web-based Vectorworks-Viewer ?

 

Just an idea....

[inikolova]

Hi @halfcoupler,

If only it was so simple to make Vectorworks run in a browser and read the .vwx files...

We are actively trying to find a solution to make it possible to share both 2D and 3D aspects of the model in a web-based form, and in Nomad. 

The Cloud presentation is mostly beneficial for its virtual tour capabilities, which make it possible to create a walkthrough experience, using high-quality renderings. Interactive 3D models can only be viewed in OpenGL-like quality on the web and in Nomad, so if more photo-realistic experience is needed, then the Cloud presentations are the way to go.

Thanks for all your feedback. We really appreciate it. 

[halfcoupler]

Hi @inikolova,

 

7 hours ago, inikolova said:

If only it was so simple to make Vectorworks run in a browser and read the .vwx files...

yes, you are right, of course I know that it definitely can not be that simple, and my thoughts were somewhat provocative to show the idea behind it.

 

I think everyone here knows about the problem that one third of the work is to make a drawing, and two thirds is to create the publishing, comments and documentation.

 

For daily work in the end the roadmap should be that the clients want a one step check to find out what's the intention of the draftsperson and that the draftsperson wants a one step publishing to reduce the explanation work to a minimum.

Everything else is a nice to have and an option when convincing presentations need to be created.

Edited November 21, 2024 by halfcoupler