Problem of 2D symbol defaulting to 3D

[mchev]

Question: Is there a Vectorworks setting to control that a symbol made from 2D linework will stay as a 2D element?

The problem: My vw2014 SP4 is acting up: when I create a symbol from any 2D shape, vectoworks creates it as a 3D symbol out of the 2D linework — and if I enter the symbol to edit the 2D component there is nothing there. I am in Top/Plan view and working on the layer plane. Have logged out, restarted etc… tried in a new file with same results.

Any ideas for a fix? Thanks!

[Guest Wes Gardner]

Hi Mark,

Here try mine...in the file is a rectangle drawn on the SCREEN plane. Save it as a symbol and you should get something that looks like what's in the Resource Browser - it's a 2D symbol with a small "2" as a designator.

Make sure that you are in SCREEN plane when creating these...mine defaults to Layer Plane, so just before I turn it into a symbol,I have to look in the Object Info Palette and make sure the PLANE setting is set to SCREEN.

Wes

[Pat Stanford]

Check this thread for a set of scripts to switch objects (including those inside symbol definitions) to/from Layer/Screen plane.

https://techboard.vectorworks.net/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Main=32814&Number=204804#Post204804

Simple description of what Wes says above:

Screen Plane objects are considered to be 2D in symbols. Layer Plane objects are 3D. It does not matter what type of object (line, poly, text, circle, etc.).