buildmesomething Posted December 15, 2009 Share Posted December 15, 2009 I've just upgraded to Vectorworks 2010 Architect and am learning how to use viewports. (I used Autocad for years and understand Xrefs and paper/model space). I've got two viewports drawn on a sheet layer. They are referencing an external file - a floor plan. I'd like one viewport to show the 1st floor and the other to show the 2nd floor. But I can't figure out how to change the layers specific for each viewport... Please help. Quote Link to comment
brudgers Posted December 15, 2009 Share Posted December 15, 2009 "xrefs" are typically brought in as a design layer viewport (dlvp). You cannot control the appearance of objects within a dlvp from a sheet layer view port (slvp). The ablity to directly reference external files into slvp's has been wishlisted for several years. Quote Link to comment
buildmesomething Posted December 15, 2009 Author Share Posted December 15, 2009 Thanks! That's helpful b/c I've been trying to figure it out for an hour now. However, how should I set up my drawings? I really prefer to have individual sheet files for each sheet that prints (ie, A01, A02, etc). These sheet files reference my plans, elevations, etc. But if I can't change the layers within the viewports, I can't control which floor plan I'm looking at. Any advice on how to set up the sheet files versus the drawing files? I'm floundering... Lisa Quote Link to comment
michaelk Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 You can put your reference on a design layer viewport. (set up the same way, but put into a design layer rather than a sheet layer.) The OIP of the design layer viewport will have controls for layer and class visibility of the reference. Then make a sheet layer viewport of the layer with the DLVP hth michaelk Quote Link to comment
buildmesomething Posted December 16, 2009 Author Share Posted December 16, 2009 Thanks so much for the help! But this seems a little redundant... What is the best way to set up all my files? I feel like I'm trying to incorporate all the old ways of doing things but that's in conflict with the new system... Paper space vs model space. Sheet files vs drawing files. Do I keep all my drawings in one file? Plans, elevations, etc? Or do I break them up? I'm just a one woman office so I could keep them all in the same file... But I might be a two person office some day... I need a primer in file management... Quote Link to comment
buildmesomething Posted December 16, 2009 Author Share Posted December 16, 2009 Also, when I make a viewport, there is no visible box around it, which is good. But when I crop the viewport by making a rectangle, I end up with a box which doesn't disappear... Not good. Quote Link to comment
michaelk Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 To solve the crop issue: Double click the viewport, choose crop, if the crop object is not selected then select all. Set the pen to none. hth michaelk Quote Link to comment
brudgers Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 Thanks so much for the help! But this seems a little redundant... What is the best way to set up all my files? I feel like I'm trying to incorporate all the old ways of doing things but that's in conflict with the new system... Paper space vs model space. Sheet files vs drawing files. Do I keep all my drawings in one file? Plans, elevations, etc? Or do I break them up? I'm just a one woman office so I could keep them all in the same file... But I might be a two person office some day... I need a primer in file management... Unlearning years of autocad practice is difficult. And there isn't anything comparable to references Paul Aubin's books for Autocad. As for becoming a two person office, I'd recommend crossing that bridge when you get to it. I typically will have separate reference files for Autocad imported stuff like buildng backgrounds and survey's from third parties. It keeps all those classes and layers out of the way of my working drawings. I will reference them on their own design layers as needed. Unless the project becomes overly complex, I will keep everything else in a single file with automatic backups every 15 minutes and the last 24 backups saved. Quote Link to comment
Kool Aid Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 Sound advice, brudgers: for once, we agree! When importing AutoCAD-stuff, it is a good idea to include a class name prefix. Any reference files, when replaced, should be in the same location and have the same file name as the old versions; the same applies to current versions of work files. ?Save as?? should be used only when one knows what one is doing and even then only after a cup of non-instant coffee and a smoko (inhaling not compulsory.) Quote Link to comment
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