Curved truss

[Phil hunt]

i am working on a project at the moment and trying to create this curved truss, the main curved tubes are no problem i have use the extrude along a path but i'm at a loss how to create the cross sections that join all the 3 tubes together.....any ideas?

[Phil hunt]

this is the model so far...

[PVA - Admin]

There is a Curved Truss tool specifically designed for this, however I believe it is only in Spotlight and Designer.

You MIGHT be able to create the path, then use Duplicate Along Path, enabling Tangent to Path as well as Keep Original Orientation to get close, but I think you are still going to have some manual cleanup to do.

[Phil hunt]

i think this i has worked jim i created the 3 curved sections and then extruded a circle along a triangular path and then duplicated it on a circular array.....i use truss a lot but i don't really want to splash out on spotlight just for this tool....can we have it architect jim ?

[Phil hunt]

sorry forgot to attach the file

[Kevin McAllister]

Phil,

Looks good. Duplicate a circular array is the key as you discovered.

You might consider VW Designer which contains all of the toolsets. I've found it to be a good investment.

Kevin

[Phil hunt]

your idea works to jim probably better than my solution as it will allow me to change some angles on the cross sections

cheers

[PVA - Admin]

Yeah Designer would be your best bet for getting that tool, as that package gives you access to everything. I doubt they will add it to Architect directly, mostly because of its specific purpose in lighting/stage/theater design.

[Phil hunt]

i know kevin i should have bought the whole package as i started of with fundamentals and then bought architect and renderworks.....silly me

what tools do you use for your work in designer that you find useful...is it much different to architect ?

[Phil hunt]

just watched the designer you tube video looks good wonder how much it will cost me to add this module

any ideas?

[PVA - Admin]

I know it would be cheaper for them to just upgrade you to Designer w/ Renderworks (which isn't really a module by itself, just what ALL of the modules together is called) rather than add Spotlight to Architect w/ Renderworks, but you should check with your sales rep (or just email sales@vectorworks.net with your serial number included) to see what the cost would be.

It varies significantly depending upon when you bought it and if you are on Service Select or not.

I'd give you more details but I leave the exact pricing talk to sales. They know what deals are going on at the moment, special offers etc.

[Phil hunt]

thanks jim

i will give the co in london tomorrow to see what they can do

i wonder if selling my present software , and then buying the suite may be better

anyhow...that for tomorrow.....have a great day

[Phil hunt]

kevin

following up on your comment how designer have benefited yourself

what tools have you found useful

i am on the verge of ordering the kit but just want some advice before i shell out some hard earned cash

cheers

[Kevin McAllister]

Hi Phil,

I'm not sure if there's a comparison chart that shows what Designer includes over Architect. Jim might be able to chime in if there is.

For years I had Spotlight. Then I worked on a big project where they had a Designer license (Olympic Ceremonies). I found I had been using various tools that weren't included in Spotlight. I would imagine the jump from Architect to Designer might be smaller than from Spotlight.

Once you do the cross grade the upgrades year to year were comparable to what I was paying in the past.

Kevin

[PVA - Admin]

its very raw, but this gives a complete list of what features are included in what modules. (attached is the one for Vectorworks 2014)

For anyone that already has Vectorworks installed, you should be able to find the version of this PDF for your version of Vectorworks under the main Vectorworks folder > VWHelp > Additional Documentation > Commands_Tools20XX.PDF

[Phil hunt]

thanks both