Which symbol components scale and which do not?

[Mattheng]

I have made a fairly complicated 3D model of a building with quite a few solid sections, subtractions and intersections.

I have also extracted two NURBS surfaces and shelled them to create 3D shapes that flow around the outside of a solid subtraction.

All of these 3D components are placed together in a symbol.

I need to scale the symbol but when I adjust the x and y factors the shelled NURBS surfaces do not change size at all.

Every other object whether it is a solid section, subtraction or intersection scales just fine.

I have tried converting the shelled NURBS surfaces to generic solids but they still refuse to scale.

It is really causing me a big headache...

What are the rules about what will and what will not scale in a symbol?

Matt

[PVA - Admin]

EVERYTHING is supposed to scale, but I have seen some objects in groups in symbols not scale, as well as some extrudes within symbols only have their extrusion values not scale. I have also seen Asymmetrically scaled symbols in symbols not then scale again after.

I consider all of these behaviors to be bugs and will file them as such, any example files would be appreciated.

[Mattheng]

Ok, I am getting really desperate, how exactly do I send it in and to whom?

[PVA - Admin]

Post the symbol by itself in a file here with the scaling already applied to it, I'll get it submitted and try to find workarounds if possible.

[Mattheng]

Is there any way I can not post it here because it is a fairly sensitive design and just send it to tech support direct?

I don't know the email address..

Matt

[PVA - Admin]

Oh no problem: tech@vectorworks.net ATTN: Jim

[AlanW]

Hi I presume you have tried to use the scale symbol option??

HTH

[PVA - Admin]

I'm pretty sure thats what he's using and then getting the erroneous result. However, even using Modify > Scale Objects on a symbol is supposed to just directly alter the X and Y scaling values on the symbol anyway.

[Mattheng]

Ok, I have simplified things quite a bit so I am going to post the file here.

I have been scaling using the symbol options in the OIP. Or at least trying to.

Interestingly, OpenGL models the scaled symbol correctly, the Renderworks modes and wireframe do not.

There is another question :

I am using a decking texture to represent wood cladding but I cannot find the right texture map to get the planks to all be a certain size.

As it is they all change width depending on how steep the curve is on the wall.

I have tried all the other mapping options (plane, auto align plane, cylinder, sphere etc) and none of them give a regular width plank.

Is there any way to do this?

Hmm just tried to attach the file and there is a 2MB limit. The file is 3.5MB. Is there any way round this...?

Matt

[AlanW]

Zip it.

[Mattheng]

2.1 MB ....@sigh@

[Mattheng]

anything else I can try?

[Mattheng]

Got it. there is always a bit you can chop off somewhere...

As above please note that it renders ok in OpenGL but not Renderworks or Wireframe.

Matt

Edited November 30, 2015 by Mattheng

[Kevin McAllister]

The NURBS surface part of this a bug which Jim files for me a couple of years ago. It was present in VW 2014 and has not yet been fixed.

KM

[AlanW]

Seem to render now on the curves.

I reset the texture and rotated it at 90 degrees.

One thing I did find is that when you render in a higher quality the camera pick up more quality than open GL which means that your overlap on the white base was not enough and the timber floor showed through, so I scaled it up a little.

Also you have scaled the symbol not equally and it was a little squat and the timber rendered off the curve.

I would tend not to convert these things to generic solids as yo lose so much control over the object, just group it if you need.

Open Symbol 2 Zip I have redrawn the object.

Edited December 1, 2015 by Alan Woodwell

[rDesign]

There is another question :

I am using a decking texture to represent wood cladding but I cannot find the right texture map to get the planks to all be a certain size.

As it is they all change width depending on how steep the curve is on the wall.

I have tried all the other mapping options (plane, auto align plane, cylinder, sphere etc) and none of them give a regular width plank.

@Mattheng: Unfortunately, as Vw's mapping options are limited to those you already listed and tried, the wooden board texture on the elliptical shape is never going to have equal plank widths.

Vw's best texture mapping option for your design is Cylinder, and as you're trying to map a cylinder on to an ellipse, the texture is going to get squished. [Vectorworks needs UV texture mapping to achieve what you're asking, and as discussed ad infinitim for over a decade in multiple forum threads, that's not going to happen any time soon. If ever].

The only way I can think of getting the board width textures closer to equal plank width would be to break the elliptical shape into four separate pieces; the longer, flatter sides along the major axis and the shorter, more curved ends along the minor axis. Then you could texture each of these pairs with a different mapping width of the same board texture, eyeballing them to get close to equal plank width between the two sets.

[PVA - Admin]

Confirmed, apparently the issue was able to be fixed relatively easily in OpenGL, but Hidden Line and Renderworks run on a different scaling system we refer to as Core which is scheduled to be replaced with the Vectorworks Graphics Module (The thing that made 3D views start getting so much faster a few versions ago) as soon as possible. I do not have a firm date unfortunately.