Adding and Clipping 2D with odd (or no) results

[Inventor]

I use VW 11.5. Very frequently I have a problem adding and clipping some of the simplest of shapes. When I add a rectangle to a circle, sometimes nothing happens, sometimes one or the other disappears. Sometimes when I clip a moderately complicated shape (such as one that has been clipped before), it results in a bizzare twisted shape.

The shapes are neither locked or grouped. This happens even before I use any 3-D commands in the program itself; in other words, when I am just sketching the design.

What is going on? Is there something else that I need to check?

[Guest]

What version of VW and OS are you using?

Can you send a sample file demonstrating this with a description to me?

[Inventor]

I just sent you a file. Op system is XP and VW 11.5.1 with Renderworks. The problem seems to occur only in certain layers - especially ones with a lot of other work already occupying space. If I copy the problematic objects from one lay to a new layer, sometimes I can solve the issue.

[Benson Shaw]

Just some comments of similar experience in support of the question:

I have not done this in VW12 yet, but I found in VW 11.x and earlier versions, that if I clip an object several times (imagine "punching" lots of intricatedly shaped ploygon or closed polyline holes, one or two at a time, in a base object to make the base object seem lace like) I reach a limit where VW will not clip any more new shapes into the already clipped base object. One result is that the final clip causes a regression to an earlier clipped state. Sometimes the final clip results in the object loosing all area except the final clip. Sometimes only a small portion of the original object, a corner with one or two edges showing previous clip boundaries for instance, remains after that fatal final clip. Thank goodness for Undo! In 2-D the solution is usually simple: Just draw the clip objects, move them forward and back as necessary, and change line and fill colors to make all objects appear correctly. 3D conversion is a big problem. Sometimes this can be solved by making several objects/gorups out of the intended single object and displaying them with merged edges.

Good luck!

-B