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'Flattening" floorplan viewports


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Say I've got a viewport, with a top/plan view floorplan in it, generated partly or completely from a 3D model, but it's not quite how I want it. There are some lines that I want to remove or add, say.

Is there a way of just making that viewport into a bunch of 2D line geometry that looks exactly the same? So linetypes stay the same, etc?

If I do "convert to lines" I get a load of extra geometry I don't want - dotted lines marking out the triangular facets of the 3d objects. These aren't there in the viewport.

Is there a way of preventing this?

Edited by col37400
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Without seeing your file(s) it's difficult to be 100% certain, but in most cases I am able to make all that happen in Annotations. There are often times in which I use a mask, or add an line or two here and there.

Yes, that's an alternative approach and the one I'd prefer generally I think, because it is more non-destructive, ie. makes later edits less work.

But there are some situations where I'd like just to convert that viewport into a load of lines. I thought it would be a straightforward thing to do.

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Yes, that's an alternative approach and the one I'd prefer generally I think, because it is more non-destructive, ie. makes later edits less work.

I also think this should be the only way to go in BIM.

And not to have any dead unlinked 2D drawings.

But there shouldn't be ANY unwanted or missing lines at all in Viewports.

Looks like I saw solutions where that seems to work.

Each mask or annotation is again dead and unlinked, so error prone.

As it (VW) is, I understand the current wish for dismantled Viewports though.

Or that many people seem to draw these 2D from scratch or work 2D only

to keep control.

And I thought there is a way to convert Viewports ?

Does this work for Design Layer Viewports only ?

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Here's a bit of my top/plan view, first as it looks in the viewport, then after I've converted to lines/polygons.

[img:left]https://techboard.vectorworks.net/ubbthreads.php?ubb=download&Number=16356&filename=Screen%20Shot%202016-08-19%20at%2019.34.06.jpg[/img]

[img:left]https://techboard.vectorworks.net/ubbthreads.php?ubb=download&Number=16357&filename=Screen%20Shot%202016-08-19%20at%2019.34.24.jpg[/img]

Edited by col37400
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Yes, that's an alternative approach and the one I'd prefer generally I think, because it is more non-destructive, ie. makes later edits less work.

I also think this should be the only way to go in BIM.

And not to have any dead unlinked 2D drawings.

But there shouldn't be ANY unwanted or missing lines at all in Viewports.

Looks like I saw solutions where that seems to work.

Each mask or annotation is again dead and unlinked, so error prone.

I agree completely.

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This is something I've never understood - why does Convert to Polygons convert to "polygons" like you would find in a polygon modeller? What's with the triangulation? I have no idea how this is useful unless I'm creating a mesh from a 3d object and then I would use Convert to 3d Polygons.

What I think we all really want is a Convert to Polylines where we get 2d screen plane style objects like you would make for a hybrid symbol. Essentially it should be like someone used Extract Surface on on the visible shapes and then created lines for all the hidden lines.

But, as was said above, the non-destructive auto updating version should really be the goal.

Kevin

Edited by Kevin McAllister
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why does Convert to Polygons convert to "polygons" like you would find in a polygon modeller?

Since many years Polygon Modelers prefer Quad Meshes.

Those triangulated meshes there only appear if one imported geometry

by an outdated import format like 3DS or from "some" CAD Apps.

If you exchange between Polygon Modelers by current formats like FBX

the Quads remain. Triangulation is just a legacy option.

Oh, I feared that would be 3D Polys.

At least normal 2D Polys.

Just not looking as before.

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So... it appears that to do what I describe in the OP is not possible.

Therefore, the strategy for fixing up plans/sections/elevations generated from the 3d model has to involve applying patches/masks.

Does anyone have tips on the best way of doing this?

Applied as annotations to the viewport in the sheetlayer?

A special design layer for these elements, perhaps activated sitting on top of the main layer within a viewport?

Something involving design layer viewports?

Or these patch-up elements controlled by class rather than layer?

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  • 8 months later...

Returning to this, semi-accidentally...

 

Have discovered a way of sort of doing what I want - it is possible to dismantle a sectional design layer viewport. Has to have “display flattened” and “display hidden line in wireframe” in the viewport's OIP selected.

 

(Don't know if this is only possible since VW2017)

 

Then covert to group, and ungroup. Then you seem to get proper linework.

 

It works with a horizontal section (as opposed to a top/plan floorplan). So, this is a way of getting linework in quasi-floorplan fashion.

 

I think there's a problem to do with surface hatches but will start a new thread for that.

Edited by line-weight
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  • 3 years later...

Hi, reviving this thread as I came up with the same problem.

 

Its all well within Vectorworks working in BIM and getting the floorplans/sections/3Ds out of it. When the project needs to be shared though it becomes complicated. Especially if the collaborators are 2d and on another software package.

 

Is there a way of flattening the plan viewports while keeping all the formatting intact?

 

Thanks

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