railing/fence tool as a style?

[TArchit]

Is it possible to create a Railing/Fence style, in order to copy or reference across multiple floors and files?

[Christiaan]

[TArchit]

@ChristiaanAnd then save it as a template rather than a symbol (or style)?

[Christiaan]

Save it in your Library as a template, then you can access it across different files.

[jmhanby]

How do I apply the newly created template to a railing?

[line-weight]

The way this tool works is really confusing. See this thread (particularly about 7 posts down)

 

 

Edited March 12, 2023 by line-weight

[Tom W.]

I don't really understand the references in this thread to 'templates'. You save your Railing/Fence settings as a symbol in your Favorites then when you want to use those settings again, select that symbol in the 'Symbol Selection' drop-down:

 

 

I'm sure it will only be a matter of time before we have proper Railing/Fence styles. Hardscapes were the same (you saved a configuration as a symbol) until they became styled in 2022 + Landscape Areas too until they became styled in 2021. In fact, I think VW are talking about splitting the tool into two separate Fence + Railing tools so hopefully they'll transition to styles at the same time

[line-weight]

While we wait for styles to come, I wish they could just make some of this stuff less confusing, not by changing the way anything works but using better wording in the UI.

 

Just for example, instead of

 

"Symbol Selection: [Current Settings]" (what on earth does this mean to anyone who doesn't already understand how this works?)

and

"Save as Symbol" (save what as symbol?)

 

something like:

 

"Import settings from: [choose symbol]" (makes it clear that a bunch of railing/fence settings can be imported from a symbol, and that the dropdown thing lets you choose one)

and

"Save current settings as Symbol" (reinforces that you are saving a bunch of settings, not an actual object, as a symbol)

 

Doing this kind of thing wouldn't need any fundamental re-coding. But these confusing interfaces persist year after year, despite multiple people having difficulty with them.

 

Really brings to mind the video I posted in this thread. All of Vectorworks' design decision makers should be made to watch that video. Or just employ the guy who made it.

Edited March 12, 2023 by line-weight

[Kevin K]

Yeah....they try with the rail/fence tool, and in some instances it works well.

But in the screenshot below:

-the red oval notes how the round lower frame doesn't really imbed itself fully into the vertical round post.

-the black oval notes where, when sloping the railing, the bottom round frame member only shows a portion of what should be a 1.25" round member.

 

This is why often I just need 3d model any railings,/guardrails, etc, sadly 😞

[Kevin K]

Same situation here, with this cable rail guardrail, but because I used some rectangular metal guardrail members as opposed to round, and the horizontal frame members have a small round diameter, it is less noticeable.

Still there though. Hard to see from this view, but the horizontal frame members still not fully aligning with the vertical posts. 

 

Is this worth submitting as a bug, do ya think??

 

[Tom W.]

There are numerous bugs with the Railing/Fence Tool for example see recent:

 

 

Plenty others as well.

 

Yes I think the more this is brought to VW's attention the better. 

 

And hopefully these mean something better is around the corner:

 

 

 

 

[Kevin K]

So....I guess my thought on all this is that, I assume the programers@ VW test these tools before they make them available?

So, why would you include a tool like this, if it flatly doesn't work as advertised??

Seems to me it would be better to just not have it in a tool set since it is sort of half-baked? 

"Things that make you go hmmmmm"

[hollister design Studio]

Like Tom said, I am having the same issues with sloped handrails.

 

This could be such a useful tool, but I find myself either having to remodel with solids (and then convert to symbols for a 2d view) or draw over any details in my viewports.

 

Generally a frustrating experience.

 

 

 

11 hours ago, Tom W. said:

 

 

 

 

Can't emphasize how nice it would be to have a separate railing tool and fence tool.

From a landscape designer perspective these objects really have very little in common.

 

...and fences are almost NEVER simple in the Z dimension.