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Blended Screen - No longer available


FabK

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I called the service select tech support yesterday due to a problem with Blended Screen.  I was extremely surprised to hear that  blended screen is no longer part of the standard Spotlight tools and is no longer supported.  This was a great tool to work out projection.

To my knowledge, it has not been replaced or added to the standard Video Screen tool that doesn't allow to work out how to build a large image with multiple beamers.

 

Anyone has an idea why or perhaps I am missing something.

 

Fabrice

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Very odd indeed,

 

I am using the French version of VW (the one with the &!@#!! dongle which I always forget at home)!

I had to retrieve it from the custom setting of my tool box where all the tools appear.  I called Service Select because my VP did not show and the answer I got is that they couldn't help me with my problem because the tool is no longer standard and they do not give support for non standard tools. 

 

Fabrice

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  • Vectorworks, Inc Employee
4 hours ago, FabK said:

I called Service Select because my VP did not show and the answer I got is that they couldn't help me with my problem because the tool is no longer standard and they do not give support for non standard tools. 


Please message me with the contact info of the department/rep you spoke to please, I'll make sure we get this cleared up. As far as I know the tool is still available in all localized versions but I'll verify this as well.

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5 hours ago, FabK said:

I called the service select tech support yesterday due to a problem with Blended Screen.  I was extremely surprised to hear that  blended screen is no longer part of the standard Spotlight tools and is no longer supported.

 

I think you were given some incorrect information.  Blended Screen (including the Landru Design counterpart) was significantly improved for 2017 - not dropped.

 

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From your screen shot, Blended Screen seems to be the only missing tool.

 

I spoke to the support service from CESYAM, the french distributor.  I don't know the name of the person I spoke to.

support@cesyam.fr

 

Thank you so much for your help.

 

Fabrice

 

 

screenshot_307.jpg

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5 minutes ago, C. Andrew Dunning said:

 

I think you were given some incorrect information.  Blended Screen (including the Landru Design counterpart) was significantly improved for 2017 - not dropped.

 

Hi Andrew,

 

As I mentioned, I was told that each country could decide which tool they could drop, and the French distributor decided, for whatever reason, to drop Blended Screen. 

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  • Vectorworks, Inc Employee
4 minutes ago, FabK said:

I did but something's wrong with it.  When I finalize the process and click on "insert projector", nothing happens.  My VP do not appear.  So I called for support which started the whole thing.


We'll get to the bottom of it, I'll post updates once we get things sorted.

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  • Administrator
On 7/28/2017 at 4:01 AM, FabK said:

I was extremely surprised to hear that  blended screen is no longer part of the standard Spotlight tools and is no longer supported

I just got this response from the French distributor. "The Blended screen tool is included in the french version of SL. But this tool is not translated, and not included in the standard Spolight workspace. Users can add it in the WS editor."

@FabK could you confirm that you can add it via Workspace editor?

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I can indeed add it manually which is what I did. But as there is something wrong with it on my computer, I called support. Their answer was :"we don't support that tool because we did not include it in the French version"! So they did not give you a complete answer.  it is available indeed but "as is", in English and if you have a problem you are on your own. 

 

1 hour ago, bcd said:

yep - they just made a mistake but it probably calls for a class etc. that has been translated and that would be why it doesn't' work when you add it to your workplace.

 

I did look into the classes, couldn't find anything that would make the VP appear. 

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Guest Frank Brault

If the problem is indeed with the class system, you could try to add default classes with the object settings in the Tool Bar to align with the French class system.

Edited by Frank Brault
Clarified suggestion.
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Thanks bcd for the file.  I can see the projectors on your drawing and noticed a specific video class with sub-classes. 

When I create a screen, these classes are not created.  I get this.

screenshot_308.jpg.1969a6142bccd4a6fa2c19ce736cedda.jpg

I tried creating your classes manually but this did not change anything, the projectors did not appear.

I then went into the property menu of the blended screen, into classes... and noticed all classes were set to "Blended Screen Classes". 

 

screenshot_309.jpg.15cac1f99a79866b2462e09f4df0f390.jpg

 

I clicked on  "use standard classes" and all the classes got  renamed properly in the property window. But when I clicked ok, only two got actually created.  Frames and Screens.  And still no projectors appearing on my drawing.

screenshot_310.jpg.622f70b0ef20ce6e7a2c798fb53cbcfd.jpg

 

This is very odd.

 

Here is a file as I get it from my end.  I just inserted the screen and projectors and did not touch any settings. Perhaps you can make more sense than I can out of this.

 

Blended Screen NoVP.vwx

 

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24 minutes ago, FabK said:

Thanks bcd for the file.  I can see the projectors on your drawing and noticed a specific video class with sub-classes. 

When I create a screen, these classes are not created

Did you perhaps forget to click Insert Projectors in the OIP?

Screen Shot 2017-07-30 at 8.29.37 PM.png

Edited by bcd
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No.  I insert the screen, then go back to the property window and click on "insert screen".  

 

Did the projectors appear when you opened the file or when you clicked on "insert projector"?  And what about the classes, do you have a video class with sub-classes when you open my file?

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I happen to be doing a show in the US at the moment.  I asked my US assistant to do the procedure on her US Vectorwoks.  The tool works perfectly but contrary to what I was expecting, the program behaves exactly as mine does.  No special Video classes are create when she places a Blended Screen, and in the property menu, all classes are set to "blended screen classes".  Exactly like me, the only difference being, I don't see the projectors and she does. Really strange.

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Fabrice -

 

While I can't speak to what is going on with the French version, I can offer 2 things:

 

1)  In the "Classes" dialog, "<Blended Screen Class>" means that no special sub-Classes will be created and all object geometry remains assigned to the over-all object's Class.  If, for a given element, you choose or define a Class other than "<Blended Screen Class>," the overall object is assigned to a Class and that specific element's geometry within the overall is assigned to the sub-Class.

 

2)  Don't be surprised if/when only 2 or 3 Classes are created - even if you've selected Classes other than "<Blended Screen Class>" in the "Classes" dialog.  Classes are only created when actual geometry is created.  For example, if you've defined a Class for Coverage Zones but have never toggled the "Show Coverage Zone" option, that Class won't show up.

 

Make sense??

 

Regards -

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