Objects in Groups and Symbols becoming invisible

[Horst M.]

Hallo

I'm quite often running in a pretty anoying display issue with VW 2017

when I group 3D objects or create a Symbol, the geometry sometimes becomes inviesible.

Snaping and markers still appear.

This  happens in wireframe and within groups or Symbols.

 

The effect is worse, because it happens more often, within Symbols.

SInce updating to SP1 I have the impression that this happens more often.

It is almost impossible to edit 3D parts of Symbols. :-(

 

I cant find any reason,  workflow or action that causes this, nor does it seem to be related to fIlesize or complexity of geometry.

 

The only way I found to get the objects back on screen is to restart VW.

 

Anybody else seeing this?

I couldn't find another thread with this kind of problem

 

best  Horst

 

 

 

 

 

[zoomer]

First you should try a lower OpenGL setting for more compatibility

in VW Preferences > Display > at the bottom.

 

The middle mode works reasonably well for me.

 

I would prefer the snapping markers over geometry visibility

I see the objects but often no snap marker or snaps at all when in a Sub Object Edit Mode.

 

And yes, I didn't look into Symbols so far, that worked for me in the past.

It seems it got worse with 2017 when in Extrude Edit Mode, but things like Slab Edit Mode never showed

surrounding geometry for me ever in any VW release.

Edited November 2, 2016 by zoomer

[Bas Vellekoop]

yes i'm seeing this as well.

It happens in a file from vw16, editing it in vw17

Tommorow morning i will post some images.

Rrtendering opengl or wireframe resolves the problem for a few minutes.

[Pat Stanford]

This is often a class visibility issue. 

 

In order for an object to be visible, the class of the object and the class or any "container" object (groups, symbols, Plug-ins) need to be visible.

 

So if you have an object in Class-A that is inside a group that is assigned Class-B, you will only see the object if BOTH Class-A and Class-B are set to be visible.

 

I normally recommend that "container" objects be left in the None class and that the None class always be left visible.

 

I have seen numerous cases where a user tried to set the Class Visibility to Active Only and then scrolled through the classes and could not find the object they were looking for.

 

Another time this often comes into play is when you have Viewports or Saved views and then create new classes afterward. The default is that these "new" classes will be invisible in the existing Viewports and Views. If you have a Saved View that changes visibilities, it will make the objects disappear each time you activate the view until you edit the Saved view.

[Horst M.]

thx pat,

but that's not the point.

is happening in groups and symbols, when i try to edit the geometry within.

 

In one moment its visible and i can work on it, and a click later (and its not a click on Class visibilty ;-) the Objects are invisible.

I can select the objects and I see the markers and the orange selection frame but not the geometry.

I fought with this last night in a new file with just 4 classes, one design layer and all was set to visible .

 

changing the the render from wireframe to opengl and back brings it sometimes back for a while like bas writes.

 

 

 

Edited November 2, 2016 by Horst M.

[Andy Broomell]

You're not the only one, Horst. There have been a few other posts recently with people (such as myself) experiencing the same thing in 2017. It's a major issue and hopefully adding your post to the list helps make it clear that it's definitely a bug and not just a fluke or ignorance.

Edited November 2, 2016 by Andy Broomell

[Steve Barrett]

+1

[PVA - Jim]

It's happening all over the place. This week is a bit nuts here but next week I plan to round up all the various threads and separate bug submits and create a cohesive mega bug report about it. It is easily the most widespread issue in 2017 from what I have seen and I have it pegged as my next mini-crusade-thing.

SOME users have had luck by going to Tools > Options > Vectorworks Preferences > Display and changing the Navigation Graphics option to Best Compatibility, but this is not by any means a surefire fix.

[Horst M.]

Hallo

 

I've changed the DIsplay-Prefs as suggested,

and for a first test it's working.

It didn't happen during the last hour with the File that was almost impossible to edit.

 

Thanks.

 

 

 

[Bas Vellekoop]

@JimWthanks for looking into it.

Can I help by sending the file that doesn't work properly?

[PVA - Jim]

3 hours ago, Bas Vellekoop said:

@JimWthanks for looking into it.

Can I help by sending the file that doesn't work properly?

 

That and this from your machine please, it isn't looking to be a file specific issue but it will still make the report clearer:

 

http://kbase.vectorworks.net/questions/627/DirectX+Diagnostics+and+System+Profiler

[Bas Vellekoop]

@JimW Send a pm with the info

[markdd]

I had this yesterday with a Light object in a symbol. (Display Light objects was turned on). I Couldn't see the Light object but could snap to it and all the grips were available etc... By toggling the "Show Other Objects in Edit" modes on and off again the Light object became visible. 

 

Mark

[Horst M.]

a brief update.

 

since I changed the Pref. Setting as suggested by Zoomer and Jim W.

The "ivisible  objets within groups"  problem  didn't happen again.

 

The only negative point of the setting that I realised, is, that the spacenavigator is no longer moving the model in the Camera view live.

VW shows just the moving ofthe  axis and when I stop operating the Spaceanavigator the Model snaps to the axis.

When I first saw that I tought it's a problem with the Spacenavigator driver/setup.

but its not.

And I have the impression, that open GL render time is a bit longer.

 

[zoomer]

I think there are indeed some strange things happening.

Yesterday my geometry often disappeared when I changed Objects in groups to Symbols

and left the group editing mode. It already disappeared while being in the Group.

There wasn't any Class/Layer visibility setting problem.

But geometry only re-appeared after going in and out of Symbol 3D editing Mode.

 

Maybe because I allowed myself to go from lowest Best Compatibility Mode in OpenGL up

to the middle setting (?)

[NakulShah]

On 11/2/2016 at 9:30 PM, Horst M. said:

Hallo

I'm quite often running in a pretty anoying display issue with VW 2017

when I group 3D objects or create a Symbol, the geometry sometimes becomes inviesible.

Snaping and markers still appear.

This  happens in wireframe and within groups or Symbols.

 

The effect is worse, because it happens more often, within Symbols.

SInce updating to SP1 I have the impression that this happens more often.

It is almost impossible to edit 3D parts of Symbols. :-(

 

I cant find any reason,  workflow or action that causes this, nor does it seem to be related to fIlesize or complexity of geometry.

 

The only way I found to get the objects back on screen is to restart VW.

 

Anybody else seeing this?

I couldn't find another thread with this kind of problem

 

best  Horst

 

 

 

 

 

Hi,

I have had the exact same issue as you. Grouping symbols, turns them invisible, even though the object can be snapped onto and the cube appears around it. Classes and layers are visible, but this still happens. I believe this to be an issue with the software v2017 itself, and has not been resolved as of yet. What I have found that works to make them all visible again, is to ungroup the grouped symbols, and then undo your action, using the undo command. This hasnt failed me yet! Another thing i have realised (has been mentioned before) is to enter the group, and enter the symbol edit window, and then exit. This makes the symbol visible again, but only that symbol. other symbols will still be invisible. 

 

PS. lowering the resolution doesn't work. My workplace doesn't have the most powerful computers, so I have to always work in the lowest res, and i've had this issue since upgrading to v2017.

Edited January 11, 2017 by NakulShah
Extra Information Added

[JimDenaultASC]

I had a similar problem with a file I was re-opening from VW2014–no Open GL or Wireframe 3D images, only control points on objects that were selected in Top/Plan. After a lot of restarting and preference changing, I finally was able to get 3D images to render by switching to View>Rendering>Fast Renderworks. After that, images would stay rendered in Open GL.

Edited January 24, 2017 by JimDenaultASC

[Bernard E]

On 1/11/2017 at 10:20 AM, NakulShah said:

Hi,

I have had the exact same issue as you. Grouping symbols, turns them invisible, even though the object can be snapped onto and the cube appears around it. Classes and layers are visible, but this still happens. I believe this to be an issue with the software v2017 itself, and has not been resolved as of yet. What I have found that works to make them all visible again, is to ungroup the grouped symbols, and then undo your action, using the undo command. This hasnt failed me yet! Another thing i have realised (has been mentioned before) is to enter the group, and enter the symbol edit window, and then exit. This makes the symbol visible again, but only that symbol. other symbols will still be invisible. 

 

PS. lowering the resolution doesn't work. My workplace doesn't have the most powerful computers, so I have to always work in the lowest res, and i've had this issue since upgrading to v2017.

Same issue for me. My file was initially created in VW2016 but the symbols were made in 2017. Changing display preferences doesn't work for me. Just submitted support request with the file.. for now I can't group symbols, which is pretty major problem..

[NICKY WAYLO]

Make sure a clip cube is not in effect as this may cause geometry inside an object to become invisible. 

[shamika881]

Is there another solution for this apart from display performance? I'm having the same issue in my vectorworks 2019 for mac OS catalina

[DFlores]

Easy solution that works for me...

 

Go to the pull down menu: Tools > Options > Vectorworks Preferences

Then select  Display and check the box -Show other objects while in editing modes

 

Best regards,