objects in viewports - selecting, editing - not

[Brooke]

It is a big limitation of the program that one cannot select objects in viewports or do anything much in them: they are what they say they are: viewports, looky only (as if the whole gig is not a viewport, except as herein defined). But window walls, for instance, don't display in 3D mode so you can't edit them there realtime, either.

I'm looking at doors and windows and walls and such in VP elevations trying to get things to look right, if not be right, and I have to shut down the view to get back to the objects to edit them and then update the view?

Of course there is very slim chance that my greeness is missing something (I know I'm missing quite alot, to be sure).

[Pat Stanford]

If you click on the viewport, one of the options is to Edit Design Layer, similar to edit the Annotations. And you can have it show using the viewport attributes.

This will take you to the design layer to make changes. Another option it to return to the viewport.

Try and see if this helps.

Pat

[Brooke]

Thanks, Pat. For me, though, that was of no help... Maybe when I have my design layers set up better.

(Matter of fact, somehow trying it seems to have screwed up my saved views, bigtime: shows elevation view elements inserted into plan view with other major class and data problems.Undo ineffective; hope I managed to copy an interim backup.)

Edited February 22, 2008 by Brooke

[panthony]

Brooke,

Are you attempting to view your model from a viewport on a sheet layer while you are in the middle of model design? If so...I believe you may be missing the workflow direction of VW. Building the model on its respective design layers then selecting a front, side, rear view or iso view using the Number Pad keyboard with stack layers on will bring up the model in real time so you can see your desing and layout progress.

Viewports are the documentation devices used to present the model for publishing to a sheet. The fact that you can go into a viewport and and text, dimensions and graphic objects as an overlay on top of the view makes the presentational part a little easier but it should not be used to preview the model during design.

Just my thoughts...

Pete A

[Brooke]

That is a good and helpful point, Pete. Thing is, in this project I'm needing to get some docs ready for a preliminary historical review and so am as much interested in 'appearances' as 'reality.' Looks like I'm using the wrong vehicle for getting design and presentation work done at once. And I must confess while I'm a former acad user from DOS days most recently my intensive work has all been SketchUp. That's implies a rough migration path, me thinks.

Also I found that some items, e.g., window walls don't display in 3d though they do in viewports (or am I wrong about that?).

At any rate, I'll keep your tip in mind. Thank you.

Edited February 22, 2008 by Brooke

[Brooke]

Matter of fact, somehow trying it seems to have screwed up my saved views, bigtime: shows elevation view elements inserted into plan view with other major class and data problems. Undo ineffective...)

I'm leaving what follows intact because it shows how jumbled my thinking became with the strange displays occurring; I have an idea of design layers as physical levels and so the superimposition of the elevations on the plan was/is not comprehensible... some mode I don't know about... and so I questioned my understanding of design layers.

--------------------

the stuff left intact:

I think maybe this was the result of the clicking to edit the design layer from the viewport and having that change some design layer settings without me understanding it. As I recall, when I checked my design layer settings in the organization menu, 'design layer-1' was checked, active, while normally it is not. Could this be the reason I was getting unexpected display of elevations across plans as unselectable data? Clearly my grasp of design layers is flimsy at best.

I got more or less the same result with Pete's suggestion as with Pat's: while in plan, clicking num lock arrow results in elevation superimposed over plan, but with many objects not displayed, implying a change of display settings of the design layer-1 or design layer floor-1, though since I haven't been using these they were configured unknowingly (maybe still at their defaults?). Seems like the prog should make an effort to keep current settings if not instructed to do otherwise. So from a plan, num lock arrow brings up design layer 'floor-1", while editing the design layer from the viewport brought up design layer 'design layer-1.' In both cases the respective design layers are turned on where they had not been (no surprise, I guess) and I could not get it off in an attempt to get back from where I came, neither was undo effective, as it doesn't work with views (?) or somesuch.

So I need to configure the display settings of the design layers which are made active by these actions and learn how to de-activate the design layers, and/or learn how to work with them active.

Edited February 22, 2008 by Brooke

[panthony]

Brooke,

When you hit the number keys and the 3D model was seen to display over the plan that was due to the stacked layers tool not being turned on. That tool can be found under view stacked layers. It is a toggle on/off. When on 2D objects will not show in 3D views.

Pete A

[Brooke]

Yo, my goodness.

Thank you.

[Brooke]

Why does changing ortho views change view settings in a way which is persistent .... they do not return using previous views?

Can this be avoided?

Edited February 24, 2008 by Brooke