Vectorworks 2011 ?Release note

[GWS]

I agree with you Bruce, dimensioning on a Design layer has not been practical and I was told to dimension the viewports through annotations.

I suppose now if you dimension on the design layer you can always turn that class off and then turn it on again in the viewport. Having said that starling75 seems to have disproved the "no 3D dimensions in a viewport" rumour.

[GWS]

Is this correct about the 3D radial dimensioning? If so, how can that have been overlooked?

[J Lucas]

3-D dimensions from design layers show in sheet viewports. To dimension in 3-D you would have to be able to set and control the working plane in a sheet layer viewport. I just tried to do that in 2011. The set working plane tool does not activate in annotation mode in a sheet layer viewport (set to a 3-D view), thus it seems that it is not possible to apply 3-D dimensions on a sheet layer.

[GWS]

Thanks for the info, that does make sense. Can you confirm the radial dimension question?

[Kevin McAllister]

Here is my observation about the new 2D/3D implementation so far -

- think of it as 2D objects in 3D space because that's how they're being treated. The objects remain 2D and edit as 2D only they are oriented on a 3D plane other than the layer plane.

- because of the above, the 2D objects behave as 2D objects in rendered views. This is even more so in viewports. Starling75's example shows that (ie. the text box not just the text renders in many render modes). Text is also heavily affected by your viewport resolution in modes other than wireframe.

- Dimensions don't necessarily behave as you would expect in rendered views. Some of this is a function of the dimension tool itself, which I think needs to be rebuilt by Nemetzchek from scratch so the dimension line actually breaks at the text instead of just being masked by the text fill.

Generally it feels a bit like Vectorworks has 3 modes - 2D, 2 1/2D and 3D.

Interesting 2D planar objects are exported as a texture on a plane to Cinema 4D.

Bear in mind I've only played for a few hours. Lots of other stuff to discover. Overall the upgrade feels pretty good....

Kevin

[starling75]

- because of the above, the 2D objects behave as 2D objects in rendered views. This is even more so in viewports. Starling75's example shows that (ie. the text box not just the text renders in many render modes). Text is also heavily affected by your viewport resolution in modes other than wireframe.

Generally it feels a bit like Vectorworks has 3 modes - 2D, 2 1/2D and 3D.

.

Kevin

You are right Kevin. I dimensioned example object in design layer. The sheetlayer viewports are not still live objects ..

Dimension text is affected by type of render mode and as you can see text was also lost in wireframe mode when viewport was exported into pdf ...

Viewport resolution and pdf export settings were set to 300dpi - should be good enough ...

From my point of view 2/3D dims are badly usable now.

[Assembly]

Have not had a go yet but from reading.

Personally I have had real trouble with VP annotation. We do very detailed work so always ended up using the 3D model as the reference for 2D drawings. Our VPs often get bogged down, the VP will lose lines when we zoomed in a night mare for dims.

Maybe the 2/3d needs new workflow.

1) MODEL Layers

2) Viewport on Design Layers for annotation & Dims.

3) Sheet layers to present.

[J Lucas]

I exported a sheet viewport, with a 3-D view of an object and 3-D dimensions, to a pdf (96 dpi). Looks great.

With hidden line rendering, you have to check "project screen objects" to see the dimension text. The dimensions also display nicely with final quality Renderworks.

[starling75]

I exported a sheet viewport, with a 3-D view of an object and 3-D dimensions, to a pdf (96 dpi). Looks great.

With hidden line rendering, you have to check "project screen objects" to see the dimension text. The dimensions also display nicely with final quality Renderworks.

Thanks I will try . Could you attach your example please?

.....................................................................

Nope ... I checked the "project screen objects" checkbox and viewports render better but not perfectly

But the pdf export is the same - no text ..

I tried it on my WinXP laptop and Vista 64bit desktop - same result.

Video drivers are up-to-date ..

Any idea?

Edited September 18, 2010 by starling75

[Assemblage]

Just curious, who told you to use viewport annotations for dimensioning?

Because otherwise multiple class-based dimensions are needed to cover different scale VPs, (and the dim may or may not arrive in the VP in a convenient place). By annotation, you can just put it right where it's wanted, and it's to the correct scale. Yes?

[Dieter @ DWorks]

The dimensions doesn't feel right. For true 3D dimensions, the text should always be readable, and that's not always the case from what I see. So give us true 3D dimensions. Otherwise, I find the working plane solution a beautifull workaround instead of true 3D. We now can show plans and keep the furniture for example 2D, but still able to show them in the same view.

[Benson Shaw]

DWorks - Are you suggesting that the 3d dimension text should have option similar to Auto Rotate to Viewer currently available for Image Props? Dimension linework, too? so that the witness lines are always visible?

-B

[Dieter @ DWorks]

Yes, the text should rotate so that is like written on a page, not on a 3D surface. It must look like the user wrote it. That's the only way for the text being 100% readable, besides of text size of course.

Edited September 19, 2010 by DWorks

[starling75]

Yes, the text should rotate so that is like written on a page, not on a 3D surface. It must look like the user wrote it. That's the only way for the text being 100% readable, besides of text size of course.

3d dims facing camera .. better watch in HD full screen

[Dieter @ DWorks]

Yes, the text should rotate so that is like written on a page, not on a 3D surface. It must look like the user wrote it. That's the only way for the text being 100% readable, besides of text size of course.

3d dims facing camera .. better watch in HD full screen

That's exactly how it should be!

[propstuff]

Yes, the text should rotate so that is like written on a page, not on a 3D surface. I

In conventional drafting of isometric dimensions the text is deliberately lettered so that it appears to lie in the plane formed by the dimension and witness lines, and not on an arbitrary (screen) plane

[CipesDesign]

It not a perfect system (yet). But if you take a little time to think it through and place the dimensions accordingly it can be quite workable. Certainly a HUGE step in the right direction! Thanks NV (Nemetschek Vectorworks). See very quick example (screenshot) attached. P

[bc]

While the suggestion shown by starling75 is fun and might have it's uses, I prefer the "parallel" version shown by Peter as being tidier when multiple dimensions are stacked or adjacent to each other...and I don't have any problem reading the angled text.

At best this should be an option but I believe we will find greater issues to work out as 2011 is fully revealed.

I am so looking forward to this feature. How many times have I wished for 3D Dims so I could show one drawing instead of three?

[Benson Shaw]

That's VW? So after all those years of 3d dim wishes, it's pretty well implemented in 2011.

-B

[Bryan G.]

I have had some issue with dimensioning 3D on circles (ie radial dimensions)

has anyone had the same?

[CipesDesign]

What sort of issue? Seems to work for me...

[Bryan G.]

exactly what your showing. I can't get it to snap to anything. I will work at it more but sota odd for me (although it just might be me, very possible)

[CipesDesign]

It is "snapped" to the diameter. Are you wanting it to snap some other way?

[Bryan G.]

I may be doing something wrong, but I can add dims to the circle before I use the push/pull tool but I can't after it is extruded. do you have any enlightenment on this?

[mike m oz]

Nature boy you need to set a working plane on the top of the extrusion and then dimension the extrusion.

What has been added to Vw is the ability to draw 2D elements, text and dimensions on any working plane. To do that though you first need to define the working plane.