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Problems/workflow


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Morning people or afternoon/evening, wherever you are!

So hopefully there is an image attached of a simple plan drawing. Currently I produce working drawings in sketchup which is less than ideal.

Now I seem to be able to do plan/elevations in vectorworks but my workflow is less than ideal in comparison to AutoCAD.

The attached drawing has been produced mainly using the line tool. Should I be using the wall tool? I don't want/need 3D walls at the moment.

The hatched areas are windows, but the hatch does not fill the box, why is this? As in autoCAD the hatch/fill always filled the box. Also why can I only fill rectangles and not rectangles created from lines?

If I continue to draw using the line tool, should I be grouping each area, example walls are grouped, windows grouped etc.

Are there any hard rules that I should be following to speed up my workflow, as time is a bit precious but the vectorworks drawings look so much better than sketchup.

Thanks for your advice. Andy

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Stop drawing like you do in AutoCAD. VW has another way of working it.

You should use the objects that go with VW like the walls etc. These can be changed with simple clicks or changing parameters. You can't do that with lines.

Also, VW can have an object that has a line style and a fill. So don't use the hatch seperate. Apply the hatch to the object.

Also don't use lines, Use polylines or polygons.

I recommend you to take a look at the manual for the basics of drawing, you'll learn a lot to work faster and better in VW.

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Andy, start off by using walls, columns, windows, doors, stairs etc in 2D only. Forget about the 3D to start with. Doors and windows create their own openings in walls, walls join automatically and all objects can be easily edited and the changes show in all other objects as well.......anything you find too hard you can draft using lines, polylines etc afterwards...

Put each story in it's own Design Layer, put objects ,dimensions etc in their own Class, ie dimensions in dimension class, exterior walls in Ext. wall class etc, this will give you the best/most flexible control over everything.

Hatches can only be created in closed objects ie lines are not closed objects....you can however use the 2D polygone tool, using the 'polygone from inner boundary' mode to create a hatch object inside an area enclosed by lines, walls etc.

Edited by Vincent C
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Thanks d works i'll have a look. One quick question, to change the arrow size you go to attributes click the small arrow and change, edit marker etc so why when I do change the arrow size they are still HUGE ahhhhh!!!

In VWs drawing scale is only a way to view your models on screen, check that you have a scale set according to the scale you want your drawing to be when you print it. The units in Document settings set the 'size' of your file. Ie set units to inches all drawing will be done in inches regardless of drawing scale. etc etc. many objects are developed to show different at different scales ie dimensions,

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Why classes instead of layers?

Three main reasons (the 1st one of which you're mainly concerned with):

  • To control the visibility of objects within a layer.
  • To predefine attributes (hatches, colours, etc.) so you don't have to manually edit each object. And to edit those attributes later, again without needing to manually edit each object.
  • To identify types of objects

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To predefine attributes (hatches, colours, etc.) so you don't have to manually edit each object. And to edit those attributes later, again without needing to manually edit each object.

Classes can be assigned their own attribute settings eg AC bylayer, all objects in that class then assume these settings (if 'use at creation' is checked in the class attributes)

Edited by Vincent C
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I'm getting it a bit more now, the tool sets palette is more important than the basic palette. Well at least for what i'll be using it for.

I'll try to get the hang of the layers/classes. I used classes today to "turn off" my title block which I did not want to be effected by the scale of the drawing.

In the attached image is my current classes palette. Am I correct in thinking

0 is the small piece of wall I have drawn.

dimension is dimensions

G8..... are all the lines and text of the title box I made prior to know what classes is.

Thanks again guys great help.

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Please see attached, I did this with the wall tool, windows, doors.

I def see the advantage of this, although this particular effort took a long time.

If I click bottom or right I see different elevations can I get these all on one sheet like a standard Plan and Elevations drawing?

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No I intend to plough on and get to grips with classes, layers etc, just when I learnt AC it was at college with a tutor and other students. I then used it in the workplace with other designers.

I'm now working at a company as the only designer, the company are windows based but bought me a mac as they "heard it was good for design"

I have no one to ask question to, the other staff have no idea about 3d/2d modelling, hell I have been doing working drawings in a 3D modelling program for near to 12 months. Plus I still have to finish all my work whilst trying to learn VW.

No I am going to learn it and you lot are very very helpful, I just feel very stupid when it takes me 45mins to change a dimension size for it only not to work, when I know in autoCAD how to do this. :o)

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