There is a fundemental problem with the way Vectorworks (11.5.1 on OS X 10.4.2) determines line thickness for all lines that are not orthogonal. I have read the re-occuring discussions about line thickness, 45 degrees lines, pen shape (round or square tip), Apple QD, Quartz, HP printer drivers, etc., etc.) but the error seems to me to be with Nemetschek. I'd be delighted if this were not the case, as I would be able to produce plots with consistent line thickness; a minimum requirement of a CAD program. Forget new pseudo-hand rendering filters, just fix the basic, enduring bugs in your software to keep your customers, well, customers.
If you look at any plot created by Vectorworks, it can easily be seen that the the stroke thickness is greater on the diagonal lines. This is not in dispute and can be reproduced easily.
Within Vectorworks draw a few lines at different angles and an oval, and at different line weights, print to a PDF, then open the PDF with Illustrator. Zoom in and the errors can be seen, which become even more obvious if using Illustrator's "Outline" feature, which removes line weights and fill colors and reveals just the pen strokes (in Illustrator, select "View>Outline" from the main menu bar). This will show that Nemetschek converts diagonal lines into outlines with a filled area, but with a reduced thickness to try and compensate for incorrect line weight error.
While in Illustrator it is possible to draw exactly the same series of lines without the angle-dependent width error. Lock the imported layer, set up a new layer in Illustrator and trace over the lines. When complete, move the new layers so that the two layers do not overlap. Make sure to set some of the lines to a thick stroke. Print the page (or zoom-in) to witness the Illustrator lines having a consistent thickness at all angles & shapes, unlike the ones created with Vectorworks.
There are many graphics programs on the Mac that do not demonstrate Vectorworks' faulty behavior. As an architect I am most interested in producing accurate plots. I feel cheated having paid money for a drafting program that does not draft the thickness of line I draw. From the discussion boards, this is an old and ongoing problem that should have been fixed long ago.
As Printing from Illustrator does not display this same line-weight error, it is very unlikely that the problem is anyones but Vectorworks. Why does Illustrator not display the problem? In a nutshell, it avoids this problem by rotating the pen tip at the same angle as the line being drawn, just as you would do by hand when drawing with a chisel-tipped pen. This creates lines that are always the same thickness, no matter what angle.
If Nemetschek would rotate their pen when drawing angled lines, the problem would dissapear. Or they could drag Vectorworks kicking and screaming into the 21st century be giving up on QuickDraw (Apple's '80s & '90s era drawings libraries) and instead relying on Apple's newer Core Graphics technology and its component Quartz 2D.
If anyone would like copies of the demonstration Vectorwork and Illustrator files, I'd be happy to oblige.
Katie, if I am missing something, I humbly appologize. But if I am correct, could you let us all know when this will be fixed?
You can post now and register later.
If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.
Question
altoids
There is a fundemental problem with the way Vectorworks (11.5.1 on OS X 10.4.2) determines line thickness for all lines that are not orthogonal. I have read the re-occuring discussions about line thickness, 45 degrees lines, pen shape (round or square tip), Apple QD, Quartz, HP printer drivers, etc., etc.) but the error seems to me to be with Nemetschek. I'd be delighted if this were not the case, as I would be able to produce plots with consistent line thickness; a minimum requirement of a CAD program. Forget new pseudo-hand rendering filters, just fix the basic, enduring bugs in your software to keep your customers, well, customers.
If you look at any plot created by Vectorworks, it can easily be seen that the the stroke thickness is greater on the diagonal lines. This is not in dispute and can be reproduced easily.
Within Vectorworks draw a few lines at different angles and an oval, and at different line weights, print to a PDF, then open the PDF with Illustrator. Zoom in and the errors can be seen, which become even more obvious if using Illustrator's "Outline" feature, which removes line weights and fill colors and reveals just the pen strokes (in Illustrator, select "View>Outline" from the main menu bar). This will show that Nemetschek converts diagonal lines into outlines with a filled area, but with a reduced thickness to try and compensate for incorrect line weight error.
While in Illustrator it is possible to draw exactly the same series of lines without the angle-dependent width error. Lock the imported layer, set up a new layer in Illustrator and trace over the lines. When complete, move the new layers so that the two layers do not overlap. Make sure to set some of the lines to a thick stroke. Print the page (or zoom-in) to witness the Illustrator lines having a consistent thickness at all angles & shapes, unlike the ones created with Vectorworks.
There are many graphics programs on the Mac that do not demonstrate Vectorworks' faulty behavior. As an architect I am most interested in producing accurate plots. I feel cheated having paid money for a drafting program that does not draft the thickness of line I draw. From the discussion boards, this is an old and ongoing problem that should have been fixed long ago.
As Printing from Illustrator does not display this same line-weight error, it is very unlikely that the problem is anyones but Vectorworks. Why does Illustrator not display the problem? In a nutshell, it avoids this problem by rotating the pen tip at the same angle as the line being drawn, just as you would do by hand when drawing with a chisel-tipped pen. This creates lines that are always the same thickness, no matter what angle.
If Nemetschek would rotate their pen when drawing angled lines, the problem would dissapear. Or they could drag Vectorworks kicking and screaming into the 21st century be giving up on QuickDraw (Apple's '80s & '90s era drawings libraries) and instead relying on Apple's newer Core Graphics technology and its component Quartz 2D.
If anyone would like copies of the demonstration Vectorwork and Illustrator files, I'd be happy to oblige.
Katie, if I am missing something, I humbly appologize. But if I am correct, could you let us all know when this will be fixed?
ref:
45 degrees discussion
wrong thickness
Link to comment
16 answers to this question
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.