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Vectorworks Override Fundamentals


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The concept of viewport and visualization palette overrides I understand.  Their implementation... not so much...

 

Can anyone explain to me the fundamentals of how Vectorworks overrides are intended to work???

 

A somewhat circuitous path has brought me to finally asking this question.  I added a "can" light fixture to my model, and updated a perspective viewport of the room.  No light.  Why?!?  I moved the light object (a spotlight) down below the ceiling (maybe the light fixture's "lamp" texture was the problem...).  Re-rendered.  Still no light.  I cranked the light's brightness way up.  Still no light.  I checked my classes; all good.  I went exponential with the light's brightness.  And lumens.  Still no light.  ALL I WANT IS TO SEE THE LIGHT!!!!!

 

Finally, in the visualization palette, I edited the light's brightness, and set it to 1,000,000.  FINALLY, LET THERE BE LIGHT!!  (Sure, overexposed beyond recognition, but, still, LIGHT!!).  So... if the brightness of a light object in a viewport is ONLY controlled by its brightness setting per the visualization palette, in what way is it an override?  If the light's settings in the model don't affect its settings in the viewport, what's being overridden?... ... ... VWIS192

 

All of which brings me to what, generally, I wrestle with in the world of Vectorworks overrides.  The question is difficult to articulate, but I think it's this: "Why aren't overrides remembered by, and unique to, each individual viewport?"

 

For example, with classes: I have a soffit class which, in top/plan view, is dashed lines with no fill.  In perspective viewports, it's overridden with a solid fill.  So far, so good.  But working in 3D on the model, I temporarily change the class's attributes to a solid fill (otherwise, except for ghosted edges, any geometry in the soffit class is invisible).  Still good; I can see my soffits to work on them.  But, oh oh, because the viewport's setting for a solid fill now matches the class's attribute, the viewport no longer considers it an override.  So, when I change the soffit class back to "no fill," the viewport displays the soffit class with no fill, completely forgetting that it's supposed to have a solid fill.  Unless I'm missing something, it really seems like viewports should remember their "overrides," regardless of the settings of the original class (or whatever) that they're overriding...

 

And when it comes to lights, the situation is maybe a bit different.  After setting up a scene, it really seems it would be best if lights subsequently added to the model would by default be OFF for all previously set up viewports!!  I find myself in a constant battle to try and remember to turn off ALL of the lights in my model (Visualization Palette > (radio button) at "All" (as opposed to "Current Scene")), so that the creation of new lights for new scenes (viewports) won't mess up my previously created viewports (VWIS084).  How many times have I added another heliodon for my latest viewport, only to then discover that all of my previously created viewports are woefully overexposed??  Too many.  (But at least heliodons can't be given meaningful names to help sort such things out... (a request made only almost four years ago now... ... ...) (VWIS084)).   

 

Let me know what I'm missing!!!  VWIS191

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My understanding is that if there are no overrides set for a Viewport, then all lighting and other Viewport settings such as class and layer visibilities will be inherited from the design layers.

 

If an override is created then ALL properties of that entity, be it Light, Class or Layer will be held. With regards to Light objects, then adjusting an intensity from a viewport will make the change, but any adjustment in intensity and other properties you make from a design layer will NOT show until you REVERT the override in the Viewport.

 

I think you highlight a really useful enhancement that could be made. Perhaps there could be a "LOCK OVERRIDES" button on a viewport that means that any new layers/classes/lights (and maybe even objects) that are created will not change the Viewport in its current state.

 

I think the intensity issue that led to your post is actually something else which I have noticed recently on a project when I added a Custom light object to a Viewport that previously did not have the light enabled. I wonder if this is a separate unrelated issue with Viewports.

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On 3/13/2020 at 5:24 AM, markdd said:

If an override is created then ALL properties of that entity, be it Light, Class or Layer will be held. With regards to Light objects, then adjusting an intensity from a viewport will make the change, but any adjustment in intensity and other properties you make from a design layer will NOT show until you REVERT the override in the Viewport.

 

Ah... okay.  That's very helpful in understanding some of what I'm struggling with.  I turn all of my lights off for "All" (scenes) so that when I'm setting up, say, my tenth viewport, I don't then need to go back to each and every one of my previous nine viewports and turn off any new lights I may have added for the tenth viewport.  So, right out of the gate, all of my lights turned on in viewports are done so as overrides, in which case all of their properties are controlled by their viewports (some quick experimentation seems to confirm this, just as you're saying...).

 

So thank you for helping to clarify the implementation of overrides, though why they're implemented this way remains a mystery to me... At the very least, it seems a "Lock Overrides" option, or similar, would be especially helpful!

 

Thanks!

 

 

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