DM20 Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 Hello, I am new to Vectorworks (coming from a Revit and CAD background) and I'm wondering whether there is a way to set elevation benchmarks in a Vectorworks model once and have them appear in all section and elevation viewports. This seems like a pretty standard BIM feature but so far haven't been able to figure it out for Vectorworks. For now I've been setting them manually in each of my section and elevation viewports. Any help would be appreciated! Quote Link to comment
Diego - Resuelvector Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 Vectorworks has a Elevation Benchmark in the Dims/Notes toolbar and the tool has several ways to set the heights in sections and elevations. 1 Quote Link to comment
bohlr Posted October 4, 2017 Share Posted October 4, 2017 Try setting "Y value equal to reference elevation" 1 Quote Link to comment
nrkuhl Posted October 5, 2017 Share Posted October 5, 2017 As folks have pointed out, the elevation benchmark is the tool that sort of does this. It seems to get weird graphically when used directly in design layers (I was just messing with it yesterday). It definitely doesn't work the way you think it should if you've used the equivalent Revit tool. Quote Link to comment
DM20 Posted October 5, 2017 Author Share Posted October 5, 2017 Thanks for the input, everyone. 3 minutes ago, nrkuhl said: As folks have pointed out, the elevation benchmark is the tool that sort of does this. It seems to get weird graphically when used directly in design layers (I was just messing with it yesterday). It definitely doesn't work the way you think it should if you've used the equivalent Revit tool. nrkuhl - this is more so what I was trying to get at with my initial question. I don't find setting them in the design layer very helpful. I appreciate the Revit benchmark tool because if you change the elevation in one view, it automatically updates in whatever other view that benchmark elevation appears in... very handy. Quote Link to comment
nrkuhl Posted October 5, 2017 Share Posted October 5, 2017 Yeah, I've been setting one reference elevation in the design layer that sits on my first finished floor. I then manually draw the markers I want in elevation viewports, and set their control points to land on my reference marker. It's not great. I haven't messed with using them in design layers extensively, so there might be a way to get them to work, but they'd only show properly when your view is to the same view you set them in or the mirrored elevation. Quote Link to comment
JMR Posted October 6, 2017 Share Posted October 6, 2017 I've been trying to accomplish auto-updating elevation benchmarks, too. How does one create one so that it's attached to a roof/eave height, for example. Is there a way? Mine won't auto-update if they are in the viewports. Quote Link to comment
DM20 Posted October 6, 2017 Author Share Posted October 6, 2017 6 hours ago, JMR said: I've been trying to accomplish auto-updating elevation benchmarks, too. How does one create one so that it's attached to a roof/eave height, for example. Is there a way? Mine won't auto-update if they are in the viewports. From what I hear there isn't a way to do this in Vectorworks, yet. Or else I haven't discovered it yet... I agree, it would be nice if the benchmarks could be linked/attached to the stories so if you change a story elevation, the benchmarks automatically move with it and auto-update when the viewport is updated. Quote Link to comment
nrkuhl Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 On 10/6/2017 at 7:32 AM, DM20 said: From what I hear there isn't a way to do this in Vectorworks, yet. Or else I haven't discovered it yet... I agree, it would be nice if the benchmarks could be linked/attached to the stories so if you change a story elevation, the benchmarks automatically move with it and auto-update when the viewport is updated. If you place them on a design layer they will update - they just won't look right in all (any) views. That's why I'm currently using the mixed workflow I described earlier. 1 Quote Link to comment
Diego - Resuelvector Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 I just put this question in the Wish List forum, go there and vote for ithttps://forum.vectorworks.net/index.php?/topic/52377-setting-elevation-benchmarks-linked-to-stories/ Quote Link to comment
DM20 Posted October 10, 2017 Author Share Posted October 10, 2017 (edited) 19 minutes ago, nrkuhl said: If you place them on a design layer they will update - they just won't look right in all (any) views. That's why I'm currently using the mixed workflow I described earlier. Yes, your method makes sense. I was just hoping the tool was more streamlined. I can set my benchmarks in the design layers but they don't look right in all views, as you mentioned. And if I set my benchmark to, for example, Top of Slab and then I later change the height of the slab, the benchmark doesn't follow it. I have to go back and change it manually. Edited October 10, 2017 by DM20 Quote Link to comment
DM20 Posted October 10, 2017 Author Share Posted October 10, 2017 7 minutes ago, Resuelvectorworks said: I just put this question in the Wish List forum, go there and vote for ithttps://forum.vectorworks.net/index.php?/topic/52377-setting-elevation-benchmarks-linked-to-stories/ Awesome! Thanks! Quote Link to comment
nrkuhl Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 16 minutes ago, DM20 said: Yes, your method makes sense. I was just hoping the tool was more streamlined. I can set my benchmarks in the design layers but they don't look right in all views, as you mentioned. And if I set my benchmark to, for example, Top of Slab and then I later change the height of the slab, the benchmark doesn't follow it. I have to go back and change it manually. Yeah, I've found the supposedly associative objects work intermittently at best (dimensions seem somewhat randomly associative.) Quote Link to comment
Diego - Resuelvector Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 (edited) De associative dimensions work well but you have to be careful with the geometry so the snaps work as intended. Edited October 10, 2017 by Resuelvectorworks 1 Quote Link to comment
theodor Posted December 7, 2017 Share Posted December 7, 2017 How do you set the reference point? Quote Link to comment
DM20 Posted December 14, 2017 Author Share Posted December 14, 2017 On 12/7/2017 at 2:51 PM, theodor said: How do you set the reference point? Hi Theodor, Do you mean how do you use the benchmark tool? Benchmarks can be set in the design layers or in viewports on sheet layers. I prefer setting them in the viewports because I find it easier to control which views they appear in. In any case, the tool itself is pretty straightforward: http://app-help.vectorworks.net/2018/eng/VW2018_Guide/Annotation/Creating_Elevation_Benchmarks.htm Once you set your benchmarks, you can edit the information (title, text style, title position, etc.) in the Object Information Palette. Cheers Quote Link to comment
theodor Posted December 15, 2017 Share Posted December 15, 2017 Thanks for your reply. I am trying to set a control point- say the ground floor elevation and then have the other benchmarks be referenced from that point. Quote Link to comment
DM20 Posted December 15, 2017 Author Share Posted December 15, 2017 Ah, okay. If you are setting your elevation benchmarks in your viewports, you can either set your benchmark preferences or select each benchmark individually and set the elevation display (in your Object Info Palette) to "Y value relative to reference elevation". The reference elevation is default set to 0" (but you can set this to whatever you like - also in the Object Info Palette) so it'll measure the benchmark off of that point. If you want to measure everything from your ground floor, I'd suggest setting the reference elevation to whatever elevation your ground floor is at. If you're setting your benchmarks in the design layers, set the elevation display to "Z value relative to reference elevation." Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment
RDS Casa Posted October 26, 2018 Share Posted October 26, 2018 Hello, There is something with this tool I don't understand. The origin of the sheet layer seems to effect the bench mark tool when in "Y value relative to reference elevation" mode ??? So, If I have a line in the design space at y = 10,000. In the design layer, the benchmark tool when on "Y value relative to reference elevation" mode, outputs 10,000, as one would expect. But, make a viewport to that line in a sheet layer, and if the origin of that sheet layer is not on 0,0, it impacts the bench mark tool output when on "Y value relative to reference elevation" mode??????????? Why would it do this? I can see perfectly how changing the origin in the design layer would rightfully change the Y reading, but not the origin of the sheet layer sheet layer? Surely this is irrelevant to geometry I have placed in the design layer. I did not even realise the sheet layers can have their own origins? took me ages to find the reason I would have thought, to maintain consistent benchmark reading across viewports in multiple sheets, the benchmark tool ought really only care about the Y value of the design layer(s) the viewport (s) are looking at? See above how the origin of my sheet layer has some how shifted to y=-85, which is why my bench marks were 85mm out? This is really curious to me, and my worry here is seeing as I don't how my sheet layer origins jumped out in the first place, this means it could happen again, and this would throw out the benchmarks on that sheet, even though the geometry in the design layers has never moved. Whats the story here? Am I using this tool incorrectly? Thanks Quote Link to comment
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