Marionette Wires Frequently Disconnect

[willofmaine]

Marissa?  Sarah?  Anyone??  I’m having a very difficult time with extraneous and disconnected wires in networks, and related Marionette failures.  Until recently I thought it was just a scale issue when copying or importing networks, wrapper nodes, and Marionette objects from one scale to another (https://forum.vectorworks.net/index.php?/topic/51667-marionette-node-scale/#comment-259044).

 

The attached video demonstrates the basic issue, with a network created at 1:48 scale.  In my first attempt, I copy and paste it into the design layer of a new file, layer scale 1:1.  The wires are super long and disconnected.  When I change the layer scale to 1:48 the wires reconnect, and then I’m able to successfully rescale the network itself.  In my second attempt, I first change the scale of the new file to 1:48, and then there’s no issue copying and pasting the network.  But this is just a simple network.  And while the video doesn’t show it, if with the first attempt I’d double-clicked on the “Exterior Trim” wrapper node, all of the wires inside of it are in turn all messed up.  (The Vectorworks file that I’m copying this network from is also included here).  VWIS116

 

((Vectorworks Files are VW 2017))

 

(Continued...)

0.1-EAP Network-MLF 12-11.vwx

0.2-Network_vs_Design_Layer_Scale-MLF_12-12.mov

Edited October 23, 2017 by willofmaine

[willofmaine]

So I’ve spent a tremendous amount of time trying to figure it all out and, ultimately, I sort of gave up and came to the conclusion that:

 

1.) I will simply do all of my Marionette work (networks, network symbols, wrapper nodes, Marionette objects) all at the same scale (1:48).  

 

2.)  And (I think) I determined that as long as a Marionette object is first imported into a file before actually being placed in the drawing (i.e., on a design layer), the Marionette object seems to work as expected (at least in the case of the attached Vectorworks file; see video).  (And although it doesn’t seem to affect the functionality of the Marionette object, if it’s imported into a layer that’s of a scale other than 1:48, it’s wires are (temporarily?) disconnected, and completely disproportionate to the nodes.  But, as can be seen in the video, when each Marionette object is edited a second time, the wires are then reconnected…).  VWIS116

 

File “0.3” has the Marionette EAP object saved as a PIO;

File “0.4” is the file that it was imported into;

File “0.5” is the video…

 

(Continued…) (after Alan's post)

 

0.3-Marionette Object PIO-MLF 12-14.vwx

0.4-Imort Marionette Object to Different Scale-00.vwx

0.5-Import_Marionette_Object_Different_Scale-0.3-0.4.mov

Edited October 23, 2017 by willofmaine

[AlanW]

@willofmaineHi, What are you creating with your network as an end result, Just asked as i always look for a simpler way to do it. Can you show me a picture or something so i can have an idea please?

Haven't played with 2018 yet been gaming too much  

There a few old nodes that can choose the 4 corners for you in one node rather than using the wrapper., although its good to know how to do it long hand.

Cant help as to why they fall apart but will have a look.

I found doing all the networks at the one design layer scale always helped.

Good Luck

[willofmaine]

So, finally armed with a Marionette strategy, I updated my Library files so that everything’s at 1:48 scale.  And all’s good, right?  Not quite…

 

When I place a wrapper node from my Library file using the Marionette tool, even though everything’s at 1:48 scale, the network in the node, yet again, features messed up, disconnected wires… (see video).

 

But it turns out that if I import the wrapper node via the Resource Manager, the wires behave as expected (see video).

 

File “0.6” is a copy of the file in my Marionette library file (in Application Support > Libraries > Defaults, etc.).

File “0.7” is a copy of the file accessed via the Resource Manager. 

File “0.8” is the file into which I’ve placed the wrapper node from each of the above two files.

File “0.9” is the video of both methods.

 

Now I’m thinking wires are susceptible to both changes in scale and placement via the Marionette Tool…

 

So, I’ve now further updated my Marionette strategy to include:

 

3.) Saving wrapper nodes so that they are accessed via the Resource Manage rather than the Marionette tool.

 

What am I missing??  I didn’t have any of these issues when Marionette was introduced (VW 2016, I think).  According to Sarah Barrett “I would recommend upgrading to 2017, because Marionette is much easier to use - … the nodes are in page units, so you can scale your drawing and the nodes will remain page size.”  (from https://forum.vectorworks.net/index.php?/topic/48810-marionette-object-as-resource-other-questions/#comment-245821 ).  But then shouldn’t the relationships between the nodes and the wires also remain page size?  I’m pretty sure they’re not, and that that’s what’s causing most of my issues…  

 

Okay, I'm done now...

 

0.6-Library-Wrapper Node-00.vwx

0.7-Marionette Wrapper Nodes-00410.vwx

0.8-Marionette Tool vs RM Import.vwx

0.9-Marionette_Tool_vs_RM_Import.mov

Edited October 23, 2017 by willofmaine

[willofmaine]

Thanks Alan.  Ultimately I'm trying to create a Marionette object that will let me quickly change the sizes and profiles for interior and exterior trim for doors and windows but, in the meantime, for starters, I'd like to just get this simple EAP working reliably...

[Stephan Moenninghoff]

I have reported this and it was recently fixed. I believe it will be included in the next SP download.

[Marissa Farrell]

Yep, just came to say that I believe most, if not all, of these issues were taken care of recently.

I'm also (mostly) confident that you don't have to go through the changing layer scale step when you copy/paste them to a new document, if you just select them all and move them a little bit, I've found they realign with each other (spacing is sometimes still off, though)

 

I'd wait for the next SP and see if you're still seeing this issue, if you are, I'll gladly take another look!

[willofmaine]

Ha.  What are the odds that an issue is being fixed while I'm simultaneously laboring away to present said issue...

 

Yes, in most cases, moving the networks slightly seems to get the wires reconnected.  Hopefully the spacing issue is being fixed as well...

 

In the case of the wrapper imported via the Marionette Tool instead of the RM, however, moving the network didn't seem to help...

 

 

[willofmaine]

So are wrappers not intended to be used with the Marionette tool?  It's only for inserting just (non-wrapper...) nodes?... ... ... (Even when the scale is the same, extraneous wires are created using the Marionette tool that aren't created when the same wrapper is imported using the Resource Manager...).

[willofmaine]

It seems the "extraneous and disconnected wires in networks" of my original post have been resolved!!  But with testing to verify, a couple of new issues:

 

Marionette Object Disappears after Editing Script (VWIS194): https://forum.vectorworks.net/index.php?/topic/70049-marionette-object-disappears-after-editing-script/#comment-344473

 

 

Marionette Network Symbol Misaligned and Difficult to Select (VWIS195): https://forum.vectorworks.net/index.php?/topic/70050-marionette-network-symbol-misaligned-and-difficult-to-select/

 

I've posted these issues in "Troubleshooting" because it seems more likely that they're Vectorworks graphics issues rather than specifically Marionette issues...