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  • Vectorworks, Inc Employee

I am sorry you're having the problem with the incorrect conversion of the Title blocks. I believe it has to do with (as one poster suggested) the changing of the origin on the Sheet layers. I have created a bug report covering this issue and referencing this thread. If anyone is having trouble converting a v2017 Title Block, please send me a copy of a Vectorworks file with a single sheet layer and that title block in it. If we can reproduce the conversion error, we will fix it ASAP. Send to randerson@vectorworks.net and I will make sure the example files are attached to the bug for testing.

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On 9/12/2017 at 11:57 AM, Andy Broomell said:

 

Fit to page and lock to page center can both be found on the Sheet Border section of the Settings:

 

59b82df1b9742_ScreenShot2017-09-12at11_54_47AM.png.eb1e2cc6ec0feffa6a34de0c8741d3cc.png

 

Some settings have moved, but so far haven't seen any removed functionality. I was worried that I'd have to manually re-create all my title blocks for the new system, but so far the auto-convert has worked quite well.

so, what was 1 simple click to lock / unlock to page & other setting that were right there now requires

1 click to open setting, 1 click in left pane to select, 1 click to lock, 1 click to OK it ... brilliant, what a time saver! 

Edited by crosetti
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Robert - I am sending you a typical file, which I have attached.  It was upgraded directly into 2018 - I have only corrected the bugs that can be fixed (all as highlighted above) including word wrapping which for some reason has gone completely bonkers in 2018. This is highlighting quite a few features with the new title block - which could be really good, if they worked.  Also, when I have created title sheets previously - I have always centred them on the page (0,0) Vectorworks has had a habit of changing the origin of a drawing whenever it suits itself (I think this only started to happen in 2017).  When title blocks were attached to the border - this is not an issue, but it definitely is now.  I am unable to use the title block until this 'bug' is fixed.  The title block should work, wherever the title sheet is located.

 

A perfect example is now having the revision No (or issue number) included as part of the overall drawing number, however the system as it currently stands does not allow an unrevised drawing to be issued - unless you want to have the word "none" appended to the end of the drawing number.  Where there is no revision or issue - the title block should assume that the field is empty and not have a value included.

Type_D_(House)_2018_(Test_file).vwx

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  • Vectorworks, Inc Employee

I have just received the following message from the engineer working on this problem;

 

"I have investigated TB_Le_Pham.vwx and in the classes Signature and Stamp there are objects that are part of a Title Block Border Layout. In the test file these classes are invisible. That is the reason why the group boundary of layout is different from visible objects boundary. For the second problem with Drawing list worksheet the user have to update formulas to the new records of Title Block Border object. For example =('GEP Titleblock Record'.'S_Sheet Number_SN') has to be =('Title Block Sheet Data'.'Sheet Number'). Also the user has to edit the criteria. The field S_Drawing List is not added into new Title Block Sheet Data record because its value is not linked to text into Sheet Border symbol.

 

The problems with file TB_John_Crosetti_v2018.vwx are fixed for 23.0.1 and with VW389180 the file is updated correctly.

The problems with file TB_Andrew_Carr.vwx are fixed for 23.0.1 and with VW389180 the file is updated correctly.

The problems with file TB_Crawford.vwx are fixed for 23.0.1 and with VW389180 the file is updated correctly."

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Robert,

 

I am not sure what you bean by your response.

 

I get the fact that the formulas and coding have changed - that is a relatively simple fix.  Does not get round the problem with the "none" data value being displayed when no revision is present in the drawing though. Unless 23.0.1 means service Pack 1??  If this is the case - When is it being released?

 

The throwing of the title block away from the page centre is a major problem as I will be unable to upgrade my office to 2018 with this bug.  All of my projects have title blocks which are locked to the page.  When I set up a title sheet - I do not choose the location of the title block; VW does it and always has done.  If I have to start and redo every drawing sheet (there are thousands) because someone has decided that they don't care about existing users, I do not now how I can continue.  This is quite serious for me,  I need a solution.

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On 9/14/2017 at 10:13 PM, Robert Anderson said:

I am sorry you're having the problem with the incorrect conversion of the Title blocks. I believe it has to do with (as one poster suggested) the changing of the origin on the Sheet layers. I have created a bug report covering this issue and referencing this thread. If anyone is having trouble converting a v2017 Title Block, please send me a copy of a Vectorworks file with a single sheet layer and that title block in it. If we can reproduce the conversion error, we will fix it ASAP. Send to randerson@vectorworks.net and I will make sure the example files are attached to the bug for testing.

The biggest problem is the centering issue. So it can be universal. If you move the page, the title block should move too. So in a new file, its easy to create a new titleblock, then move the page. Youll see even if the title block is centered on page, itll remain at the 0,0 mark.

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Thanks Samuel,

 

Just tried that and it seemed to work for one file (10 drawing sheets had to be re-centred).

 

To solve it this is what I did.

  1. Draw a rectangle around the 'printable area' then group everything inside the original sheet page
  2. Double click "Move page" on the basic tools palette
  3. Move the group to the relocated page location
  4. Ungroup and delete the rectangle

Seems quite a lot of faffing about to move forward - especially as VW has caused the bug.

 

The issue with the empty datasets in the title block displaying as "none" is still a big problem. 

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11 hours ago, Kevin C said:

Robert,

 

I am not sure what you bean by your response.

 

I get the fact that the formulas and coding have changed - that is a relatively simple fix.  Does not get round the problem with the "none" data value being displayed when no revision is present in the drawing though. Unless 23.0.1 means service Pack 1??  If this is the case - When is it being released?

 

The throwing of the title block away from the page centre is a major problem as I will be unable to upgrade my office to 2018 with this bug.  All of my projects have title blocks which are locked to the page.  When I set up a title sheet - I do not choose the location of the title block; VW does it and always has done.  If I have to start and redo every drawing sheet (there are thousands) because someone has decided that they don't care about existing users, I do not now how I can continue.  This is quite serious for me,  I need a solution.

I really think the issue is, that the Beta versions are not actually tested in a working environment, otherwise, these issues would have been identified straight away.

 

Edited by ptoner
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18 hours ago, Robert Anderson said:

Based on the engineer's comments (see above), I think that either the moved-origin or the hidden-classes issue can cause this bad centering on conversion. I think the hidden-classes issue may be more likely than the moved origin. 

 

I've had a bit of a problem with aligning the sheet because of the inherent bleed and margins for the printer. Usually its at 3/16" or so, but this configuration could vary depending on the printer you use. VW sees the margin and automatically integrates it into the paper space. So there are two ways to move it, based on dragging the edge to the bleed mark you set up in your title block (it drags by the bleed edge, not the edge of the sheet) or when you use the page tool - after pressing tab and accessing the position menu - enter 0, 0, 0 for all three components. It then resets it back to the 0 position. But if the page is offset, the tool doesn't center it to the page, it centers it to the 0,0,0 mark. That I think is the biggest problem that everyone is having.

 

Hidden classes could be an issue, but with me it definitely wasn't and after experiments with a new file (no classes), I can confirm the tool doesn't position the titleblock on page center. 

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On 22/09/2017 at 7:31 PM, Beth Globe said:

I am unable to even import my old title block correctly into the new 2018 version. They simply do not show up in the Sheet border menu.

 

I am experiencing the same problem, I would like to be able to use my 2017 Custom Titleblock in Vectorworks 2018 but can't get them onto my sheets.

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You have to convert them to the new format.

 

I am now unfortunately in the position where I am unable to roll VW2018 out to the rest of the office as there are too many issues with 2018,  it is also crashing a heck of a lot, specifically when using the eyedropper tool matching properties of walls to predefined wall types.

 

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  • Vectorworks, Inc Employee

Beth and Martha,

SP1 will fix many issues with titleblock conversion. However, in the short run, you should be able to convert titleblocks using the guidelines in this thread:

  • Do not use invisible classes in your titleblock symbol;
  • Do not shift the page or change the origin on your sheet layers;

If you have followed these guidelines and are still seeing conversion problems, please send the files to me. Thanks!

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I also have issues with the position on the sheet layer. Having worked through my initial confusion with the data fields I think I now have that bit, but all my converted borders still seem to lock off-centre. I have emailed the file into Robert and hope we can get some clear guidance on all this summarised and pinned to the top of the forums rather than scattered throughout. Better still a video tutorial...

 

Mike

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  • 2 weeks later...

It's cumbersome, but the method below (from VW tech support) worked for me:

 

When you open the 2017 file in 2018, click on the Title Block Border (Formerly Sheet Border), go to Object info palette (OIP) and click Update. That’s where you’ll probably see your Title Block Border shifted. In the OIP, click on the Style dropdown and choose Convert To Unstyled. Then click on Title Block Border Settings. In the Title Block Border Settings dialog, click on the Sheet Border option. Change all of the margins to 0. Then click OK. Title Block Border should then go back to it’s original position. You’ll want to save this as a Style to be able to use this on all of your sheets. To do this, go to OIP and choose New Plug-In Style From Unstyled Plug-In. You will then be able to use your custom Title Block Border as a style to be applied to all of your sheets. 

 

In order to apply the Title Block Border Style to multiple sheets, you’ll need to have a Title Block Border already applied on your sheets. If you haven’t updated the Title Block Borders you have on all of your sheets, make sure to do that first. Then go to Tools > Custom Modification. Set the criteria to be “Type” Is “Title Block Border”. Once you click OK, this will select all of the Title Block Borders in your file. In the Properties dialog, choose your Title Block Border Style and click OK to have it applied to all sheets.

 

 

 

 

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Jim,

 

I have no issues with the new Title Block setup,  once you get around the dialogue boxes (which there are a few) because VW is trying to bring together issues / revisions and borders - which is a good thing.  It is relatively straightforward, even adding custom data fields - or swapping out the old for new ones,

 

The 2 problems that still remain with the custom title block are:

  1. The shifting of the title block to the page centre.  This is actually a VW created problem, as every title block that I have created has always been 'locked to page centre'  I have never shifted the title form origin. I do not even change the drawing origin because of all the previous issues that VW has with shifted origins.  It is normal for say a site development drawing to be located at a position which coordinates can be derived from and related to.  This means that site drawings will never be anywhere near 0,0.
  2. The inclusion of the 'none' text field when the dataset is empty.  If there is no revision  on a drawing, it is issued without a revision.

As I have said before in this post.  I am currently unable to roll out VW 2018 for these 2 points, there are some other minor glitches which others have mentioned re 2018, but I hope that these will all be sorted in SP1.  I can work into the late hours of the night re-positioning viewports and drawings (which will take weeks if not months) to suit a title block which has had the page re-centred by the software, but if I ask my staff to do it, they will expect to do it as part of their daily workload, which I will have to pay for and not get any fees for in return.. 

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  • Vectorworks, Inc Employee
21 hours ago, Kevin C said:

The 2 problems that still remain with the custom title block are:

  1. The shifting of the title block to the page centre.  This is actually a VW created problem, as every title block that I have created has always been 'locked to page centre'  I have never shifted the title form origin. I do not even change the drawing origin because of all the previous issues that VW has with shifted origins.  It is normal for say a site development drawing to be located at a position which coordinates can be derived from and related to.  This means that site drawings will never be anywhere near 0,0.
  2. The inclusion of the 'none' text field when the dataset is empty.  If there is no revision  on a drawing, it is issued without a revision.

As I have said before in this post.  I am currently unable to roll out VW 2018 for these 2 points, there are some other minor glitches which others have mentioned re 2018, but I hope that these will all be sorted in SP1.


Sp1 is coming out imminently, if you would be so kind as to let me know if either/both of those listed issues change, and if not for the better, how you need them to change, please let me know as soon as possible. LOTS of tasks in Sp1 for 2018 are devoted to Title Block Border related issues like these.

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On 14/09/2017 at 10:45 PM, Andy Broomell said:

The only major flaw I've seen is the slower processing of entering data. Complete design failure... What used to take one click now takes two! And you can't tab between fields. Not sure what the design vision was here since this is regressive.

 

 

urgh.jpg.c0004086ffd78a184c5da5f56bad3095.jpg

 

 

(But I'm otherwise happy with many of the other new features which fulfill quite a few requests that have been made on the forums... Just wish there were more beta testing on V1.0)

OMG...This!! Please change this so we can type in the main section and tab between fields...talk about making things more complex for no apparent reason! One click, then type, then tab....surely! 

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All (including Jim).

 

I decided to take the plunge and roll out VW2018 after the SP1 release at the weekend - I should not have done so.  There are still major problems with 2018.

  1. Title Blocks - The issue raised previously by me has not been corrected.
    On 10/10/2017 at 5:04 PM, Kevin C said:

    The inclusion of the 'none' text field when the dataset is empty.  If there is no revision  on a drawing, it is issued without a revision.

    In fact, when one of my staff tried to 'update' an old drawing, we found an even more serious problem.  If the title block / sheet used the revision box (which I have done on every project since VW 2008), the revision box disappears on the updated title border. It now has disappeared altogether.  The revision data is still there, but now there is no way of showing the revisions without creating a custom revision box.  I tried to recreate the revision box manually, but the text formatting will only go upwards irrespective of the formatting chosen in the title border setup - this is potentially a hang up from the original revision box setup.  This is unforgivable and whoever overlooked it should lose their job. I can see myself having to backwards save everything to 2017 and reinstall last year's VW in each of my mac's - I had to delete the old program due to lack of hard drive space.  I know that VW cannot move backwards, but do the engineers at VW not test these things in the real world.  I am aware of 2 VW Beta testers who both have one thing in common - neither of them use VW in real world scenario's (they are 1 an academic and 2 a VW authorised trainer).  These are the worst people to test the software, they do not operate in a real world situation and have no comprehension that the vast majority of work is done whilst working with legacy drawings and bringing things in from previous projects (and libraries).

  2. I have not had the time to check whether the shifting title block has been fixed, I am only assuming that since the forum is now quite on this matter - the problem has been solved.

  3. Another problem which has surfaced is the crashing.  2018 is crashing regularly and with consistency. Take for example trying to match properties - specifically walls.  I have a library of wall types, different walls for different clients etc. Trying to match properties with the eyedropper seems to force a crash nearly every time.

Jim, there are some serious issues with this release of VW and it needs to be sorted.  I even resorted to phoning the VSS priority support line and while the guy was helpful to a point, there is nothing that they can actually do without getting a copy of the drawing, interrogating it for a day or two, then admit that there is an issue and then raise it as a bug with VW.

 

To finish off, can someone please tell me what actual improvements in the software have been done for this year (I'm talking specifically VW Architect)

 

I have seen:

 

Multiple Drawing Views Direct Section and Elevation Editing - These are just catching up to what everyone else has been doing for years, they are very pretty, but dare I say won't offer much of a product enhancement

Improved Graphic Output for Architectural Documents and Robust Wall modelling - It will probably be Christmas before I have the time to even look at this.

Improved Revit import - What about Export???

Streamlined Drawing distribution - I'm sorry, this is a joke - It just doesn't work

 

 

These are some of the improvements which I would like to see.

 

The problems with the doors and windows which was hinted at?  What has happened to these

A working stair tool - One that allows me to build a stair that can cater for more than a 2 storey building

A handrail tool that allows for 3D and 2D - Ie a handrail that wraps round a stair  / stops and starts where I want it to. 

Notes tool that actually works - I do not know anyone who uses the notes as you cannot format notes and you cannot import from word (for example)

Ability to create a section that can be extrapolated to a detail level (showing components - like independent cills and lintels)

Ability to parametrically model floors, walls & roofs and edit components individually - having the ability to add peaks and troughs to each component

 

These are not sexy - but will make everyone's life a lot better.

 

Kevin.

 

 

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