Wish for situation specific palettes and referencing

[Davide]

I sometimes use Microstation 95 (yes, from 1995), just to build complex 3D shapes thanks to its powerful Nurbs surfacing tools and integrate them with VectorWorks models. Yesterday out of curiosity I tried to use the reference feature. You choose the file to attach, then an horizontal palette opens with tools such as update, mask, clip, rotate, flip, scale, detach etc. Now, all this simplicity and efficiency to reference (one palette contains all you need instead of having to go through different menus), is what we really need in VW Architect to make it powerful enough for any project size.How can you really reference between files/layers if you cannot mask/clip without drawing polygons etc on top? A situation specific palette is the ideal environment, one that opens close to the action and specific to that action

Instead we have first to file reference, if by mistake you draw on that layer ( no warning) you?ll lose everything, then create a layer link, then unlock it, finally rotate it and then eventually draw a polygon to mask it, or go through complex things like making the portion to reference/link a symbol or assign it to specific classes only ( so that the rest can be shut off), or working the other way around (draw the portion, reference it back to the whole). I don?t know anything about programming and so how difficult is all this to design; yet it needs to be done quickly to have VW jump to a level it deserves. This is really the only thing that separates it from the big guys (beside Nurbs surfacing and in some cases real 2d-3d integration).

I wished so much such a feature had been included in VW 9.x.x at least as a temporary solution in the most crude way, where a script allows the user to draw a solid fill double line polygon from the inside perimeter with big/ infinite thickness, no outline and lock it. This way the user in one step draws the perimeter of the area he wants to keep, and the script takes care of double line polygon thickness, white fill, no outline, locking. Please do it!!!Thanks.

[Matthew Giampapa]

This type of a change requires a bit of technical work on our part. It is my understanding that we are currently investigating this kind of approach, but it will require functionality somewhat similar to an AutoCAD viewport.

This is certainly on the drawing board for a future release of VectorWorks.

Matthew GiampapaTechnical Support