Site Model

[jack_earl]

Hi there, I'm wondering if anyone has experienced troubles with damaged VW files? My problem is that i have created a complex site model and i have had to go back through and 'edit site model', while i only changed the 'z' dimension of one contour to update a slope, i would save and then close VW completely before restarting the next day to find a VW error tab open saying that this file is damaged - once open half my model is lost? I am working with VW 12 education version being a student. And am running an imac at 27 inch 2.7 GHz core i5. 4gb memory. software mac os x lion.

Is there a common fault that i may be performing unaware or is there no real answer and i have to keep soldiering on?!

Any help or comments would be much appreciated.

Thanks for your time.

[Benson Shaw]

Hi, Jack - welcome to the forum. Here is some comment:

Maybe there is a corrupt object in your drawing. I hope you have a backup copy in good shape. Look in the VW Backup folder for this file - It's a folder created automatically by Vectorworks unless you turned off in prefs. Backup folder is likely created in same location as the file - depending on settings in Vectorworks Preferences>Autosave tab.

Were your contours imported dxf or dwg? I have found some bad ones, I think from some AutoDesk engineering or survey package - they are somehow not vector info. Tracing to create new Vectorworks objects was my way out.

Other thoughts:

I just tried your scenario with a v2012 Designer site model. I found something similar in one instance, but only once. Cannot repeat. ?

Here is what I did:

Select the site model w/right click >Edit Source Data>Change z of one contour>Exit edit mode>Save>Close>Quit This produced a failure to quit error dialog and a short, but Vectorworks closed and quit anyway.

Reopened with file in good shape, no lost data or contours. Note that I did not update the site model prior to Save,Close,Quit.

Tried many more times with & without updates, adjusting contour up, down, not exiting z field - everything I could think of to make it fail - but no more errors.

-B

[jack_earl]

Hi Benson,

Thanks for your reply. Yeah my contours were imported as part of a DWG, spent along time carefully putting the contours back together. Since the problem of the site model opening up damaged a couple of attempts, I have not had any problems since. Im sure that i did everything the same and it managed to hold its feet.

It just feels to me like one of those mysteries that me as an amateur, will stumble upon!

Thanks for your time