VW 2009 Questions

[Jim Smith]

I've noticed some things that may be bugs, or maybe they are meant to be improvements:

1) The cursors are 3 or 4 times larger; is this on purpose? Can I change this or is it a "SUCK-IT-UP-PRINCESS" ironically named improvement.

2) I can't TAB around the OBJECT INFO PALLET - is this a setting that I need to fix or see above?

3) The INFO PALLET now has H & W added to the point alignment thingie - if one rotates an object, the H & W also rotate - WTF! can I turn this off, fix it or see #1?

4) Object are now 10X's more difficult to select one must hover EXACTLY overtop of an object, wait for the screen hint, & hope that my feeble human hands have not moved, otherwise another object - or nothing - will be selected. Can I make selection, Idunno, less sensitive or do I need the BORG 2009 implants? Oh, & 2-D LOCI - even with NOTHING else on a design layer, next to impossible to select without using a marquee.

5) QUICK COMMANDS often take 3 or more strikes at the keyboard - just me? Or have we just not the same sense of irony?

6) Layer & Class Options sometimes just change, & other options, mostly SHOW,SNAP,MODIFY will be grey, an improvement?

Now, having said all this I have a Template that was created in VW 12 saved as a file, batch converted, then saved as a Template. Could this be at the root of some of my troubles? I have reinstalled the programme 3 times & have upgraded just two or three weeks ago any help would be welcome.

PS the Stair tool is still a piece of junk - slightly better- but a piece of junk.

[GWS]

Hi Jim

No. 4 - I have the same trouble with the nuts and bolts (in fact most PIO's) and I have tried to get to the bottom of it but unfortunately no-one seems to be able to help. Sometimes zooming out a fair way and then using the snap loupe tool to zoom in again can help with the selection but it's not reliable and a real pain in the neck.

You can also try altering the size of the selection box which is found in preferences under the interactive tab but again it's a real pain as I have to keep restetting it depending on how far I'm zoomed in otherwise you end up selecting anything that is nearby.

No. 3 has always baffled me

Not much help I'm afraid but you're not alone

Guy

[Jim Smith]

Thanks Guy, misery loves company

[Ray Libby]

1) If you are referring to the actual cursor, I believe it's the same size. If you are referring to the Selection Box and Snap Box, you can adjust the size. A little time in the preferences will help.

2) Tab still works the same in the OIP. What has changed is hitting the return key after entering a value in the OIP returns the focus to the drawing. If you wish the focus to remain in the OIP, just hit tab or shift+return.

3) This is only for rectangles. If you don't want this behavior, covert them to polygons.

4) This is all controlled through preferences.

5) Not sure. I haven't seen this and haven't seen anyone else report it.

6) See #5. Could you explain this better.

[Gytis]

For (2) and (4), I must second Ray: invest some time with ALL the possible settings in selection preferences. It takes a while, and some trial-and-error, but eventually you may get to a happier place (meaning happier even than 2008).

I did for me, after initial exasperation.

[Jim Smith]

Thanks Ray,

One of the great things about this BB is that folks like you Gytis, & Guy take time to share with other users.

1) The curser is the same size (Now with a shadow to make it extra big & cool) my prob. is when in resizing mode - this curser is now resized by about 4x's, necessitating zooming in more on a complex drawing.

2) Thanks, I could not find that in the book, oh wait that's right there ain't no book for VW 13-and-a-half

3) Again thank-you, glad to see there is an extra step fix to a problem that did not exist before.

4) I guess I need to play with this more. I don't find much difference - but hey that's all part of working 10x's faster.

5) This could be a file corruption thing as it seems to intermittent - I don't seem to have this prob. with the file I've been working on today, & I have fewer Apps open.

6) Open a VIEWPORT & go to the DESIGN layer, from VIEW select LAYER OPTIONS, choose SHOW SNAP MODIFY OTHERS. Return to the SHEET VIEW select the same VIEWPORT & follow the same process & SHOW SNAP MODIFY OTHERS has been changed to SHOW SNAP OTHERS. Another time it may be GREY OTHERS etc. it seems to be arbitrary. - Is there a way to set the LAYER VIEW OPTIONS so it don't change- unless I use one of my sticky hot keys to change it?

Gytis, thanks, I think VW 13-and-a-half is an improvement over VW 13 but I'm a Geezer, & I need a book; even if it's written by technocrats. That's why I've bought Mr Pickup's books, (the past ones were great- frankly the latest one was ... not worth the price).

[Ray Libby]

2) Help menu>Vectorworks Help. The entire manual is there. Plus it's searchable. Here are the manuals in PDF- Vectorworks2009\VWHelp\Additional Documentation. There are even websites that will print it and bind it for you.

3) This was a much requested wish to have the focus return to the drawing when hitting enter in the OIP. And you can save that extra step of yours by hitting tab instead of enter.

6) Are you right clicking on the viewport and choosing Edit Design Layer? This is an edit mode that is independent of your view setting that was set while in the design layer itself. If you want to change the view settings, navigate to the layer in the layers menu.

[Jim Smith]

Ray thanks,

2) Prob is I'm a geezer, & I just like the idea that when I pay a chunk of change, for software that is frankly little improved since VW10 (& still can't make a PIO worth using) a book would be nice - the work is done, print the freaking thing. Why the blue blazes should I have to pay for dead trees & toner? Not printing one is just so low rent! One can leaf through a book & find out stuff, one can read a book on a plane or a train- with ease, not so with my laptop. Help on a computer is a frustrating exercise in irony. One does not know, what one does not know - I turn to this wellspring BB because the help search, 59 times out of 60 will not actually help me. Frankly I need to complain formally about the lack of a book. I know these are geeks who make these programmes but here's the brain wave, most users I work with are creative types like me; we problems solve by noodling around, by experimentation - reading & doing. Pages (paper or PDF) of columns of: HERE IS WHAT WE CHANGED OK? -no it ain't! How 'bout at least a slim - easy to read ILLUSTRATED guide to what's changed. Funny they have these folks, I even know some, who do crap like this for a living!

3)Thanks for the Tab Tip - this would not have been on my wish list, but heck we all work differently. Here is a GREAT example of how a searchable PDf don't work for me. What question to ask? Where to start? As an aside, why change the existing command to something different? Want to add a new function? Add a new function, don't eff-up an existing one.

6)Nope, & not my first rodeo; when I navigate to the design layer - the layer view option settings just change from how they were established in the original layer; sometimes. I did not notice this in VW 13 & it was not the case for me in VW 12.

Sorry for the BMW, but the longer I use VW the more I get frustrated with it. These folks really really need to do some major fixes to the software - why, for example should my drawing files be so large? Frankly I am also sick of their hype, the 10X's faster thing should be up there with NEW COKE, as a marketing disaster.

[Ray Libby]

There was never a claim that Vectorworks 2009 is 10X's faster. The marketing said the new Parasolids 3D engine is 10X's faster, or something to that affect.