Jump to content

Copying Viewports Between Files


Recommended Posts

Can't be done, right? If you try to copy a viewport in one file and paste it into another, you get a warning confirming that this is the case. But...

I just copied a Group containing a Viewport from one file to another, and, it actually worked! So I experimented with both a regular VP and a section VP, and both could be copied if part of a group. The section VP needed to have a design layer re-assigned to it, but then it had no trouble generating a section of the model in the second file.

Am I completely missing something?... It would be great if this works like it seems to... (VW 2008)

  • Like 1
Link to comment

Just had to do this as i had decomposed a section view port but forgot to duplicate before doing, and i wanted to keep the live section in case i required it again.

Open a back up file from 15minutes ago, grouped the section view port, copied & paste in place to current file, re selected the correct layer for it to look to and the section line instance. Clicked update and bam, view port copied from another file and works....

Link to comment
  • 1 month later...
  • 4 years later...
  • 6 years later...

Is the ability to copy and paste viewports from one file to another now officially supported?  When I try it, it's not necessary to first group the viewport, and there's no error message.  It seems the pasted viewport will automatically add all of the classes from its original file to the target file, and will even preserve visibilities, overrides, and even advanced properties, all along with the viewport's annotations.  Design layers are (as is reasonable and expected) entirely ignored.

 

I ask because it looks like Legacy 2D Features can't be eliminated from my 2021 Template when it's opened in Vectorworks 2022 (see https://forum.vectorworks.net/index.php?/topic/90721-turn-off-screen-plane-really/#comment-414920 ) and so I guess I will need to re-create my template from scratch in VW 2022.  I have a large collection of master viewports that it would be nice to just copy over...   VWIS222

 

 

Related thread in which this question is discussed: https://forum.vectorworks.net/index.php?/topic/35046-copypaste-viewports/#comment-173802

 

Link to comment
31 minutes ago, willofmaine said:

so I guess I will need to re-create my template from scratch in VW 2022.

 

AFAIK I recreated my Templates for VW 2021 and migrated to VW 2022.

My Templates are 2D Legacy free - not so my Project Files

(Referenced Underlays ?)

 

I often did import SLVPs in the past by grouping but am not sure if it is really

worth to have them in the Template. Yes, you will save VP Naming.

 

But in VW 2022 (?) it was a nightmare to try to adapt the Crops to the new

Project sizes.

And in the past I had problems like :

- Lost Layer Assignments/Visibilities

- Section Line Linking got lost

- all VPs with mirrored direction went corrupt and started to rotate when trying to move

 

 

Not sure if I would call it (more) safe to copy VPs today.

I think I would prefer an easier way to create them from scratch for a new Project.

But by having an option to make them follow an Office Standard for SLs and VPs

Naming.

Link to comment

In VW2020 and prior, you could group a Viewport and then copy and paste it into a different file. I don't think this was ever an official technique but it worked nonetheless.

 

In VW2021 they removed this ability, but this caused much unhappiness for folks who relied on this technique. So thankfully the engineers put in some extra time and effort, and for 2021 SP3 they officially added the ability to copy and paste viewports from one file to another (and without needing to group them first).

 

Note that you probably can't copy from 2021 and paste into 2022. You'd have to open the 2021 file in 2022 then copy and paste between files open in the same version.

Link to comment
2 hours ago, zoomer said:

I often did import SLVPs in the past by grouping but am not sure if it is really

worth to have them in the Template. Yes, you will save VP Naming.

I have a sheet of "master viewports," both for different drawing types (plan, RCP, section, detail, etc.) and each of those at different scales (to adjust line weights and, especially, line types).  It saves time having these "ready-to-use" viewports without having to worry about setting class visibilities, overrides, and so on.

 

1 hour ago, Jonathan Pickup said:

I thought that this had been prevented in VW 2022.

Seems to work quite well, even without grouping....

 

1 hour ago, Andy Broomell said:

for 2021 SP3 they officially added the ability to copy and paste viewports from one file to another (and without needing to group them first).

Excellent, that's what I was hoping to hear!

 

1 hour ago, Andy Broomell said:

Note that you probably can't copy from 2021 and paste into 2022. You'd have to open the 2021 file in 2022 then copy and paste between files open in the same version.

Yes, I don't think you can copy and paste anything from one version to another.  I just tried a rectangle and (accidentally...) a viewport, from 2021 to 2022, and, in both cases, they just pasted as PDF pages. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
12 hours ago, willofmaine said:

I just tried migrating my 2021 template, and doing that didn't resolve the issue; I still can't make 2D Legacy Features go away...

 

I checked my (migrated) VW 2022 Templates and 2D Legacy is OFF.

But my project File is not.

I tried all Forum advices to custom search and reset screen plane to layer plane

on my clients 2D underlay file too. But without success.

a) some objects will switch back to screen plane after I tried to change anyway.

b) most screen plane setups happen in Groups, no chance to open and edit all

of these.

 

Looks like VW 2022 automatically cares about SL Viewport Crop#s plane assignments.

But my DLVP Reference's crop always switch back after I set them to layer plane.

 

I also checked all Saved Views for Unified View OFF Settings (did not have these though)

 

I think we have to wait for VW 2025 release that we will get a new Purge Option

to get rid of any UV OFF or screen plane settings deleted/converted.

 

But at least to know that Screen Plane in VW  is officially deprecated,

make me feel already better 🙂

Edited by zoomer
Link to comment
5 minutes ago, zoomer said:

But at least to know that Screen Plane in VW  is officially deprecated,

make me feel already better 🙂

If only that were true for a VW 2021 file brought into 2022.  I deleted everything (all layers (replaced with the default), all classes (except None and Dimension), all sheets, all resources, all Saved Views (which are a resource...)) and yet, STILL can't turn off 2D Legacy Features.

Link to comment

Do you also have a Reference loaded ?

 

Do you have Unified View OFF ?

I am still not sure if it may be related to old Unified View "Sub" Settings,

which are no more available in VW 2022,

which may have still an influence for 2D Legacy - although Unified View is ON !?

 

BTW,

I do not really believe that we mere users can solve this without VW developers ....

 

 

Link to comment
14 hours ago, zoomer said:

But do you think it is now safe and worth to do so ?

I use this all the time now without any problems. I've used it primarily to reorganise files, but I'm also regularly using it copy section viewports from a reference file (where Edit Section In-Place doesn't work) into my model file temporarily so that I can use Edit Section In-Place. Once I've made the edits to the model that I wanted to make I delete the viewport from the model file and refresh the reference file and update the viewport.

 

One thing I had a problem with in the past was pasting viewports with grid lines. This was causing VW to crash in v2022. That bug has now been fixed but what I find instead is that the grid line layer is turned off when pasted.

Edited by Christiaan
  • Like 1
Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...