Vectorworks user w/ a big autocad problem-xclips

[jan15]

If I understand what you want to do, here's one pretty easy way to do it:

0. If the DWG file contained blocks, you first have to explode them by using the Select All, Symbol-to-Group, and Ungroup commands. If there are nested blocks, you have to do that more than once. I keep a Custom Selection script which selects all Symbols, which I use mainly for this purpose.

1. Draw a rectangle representing the area you want to clip.

2. While that rectangle is still highlighted, issue the Trim pull-down command. That cuts everything where it intersects the rectangle (but it won't cut groups or symbols, so that's why you have to get rid of them first).

3. Draw a selection marquee slightly offset from that rectangle (to select everything inside the rectangle).

4. While that stuff is selected, issue the Cut command.

5. Select All, Delete, and Paste-In-Place. That leaves you with only what was inside the rectangle.

[nmar]

As of now, this is my worst case fix... actually my only real fix. Imagine though, a crowded drawing, 3-4 xref clips, 10 of these type of drawings and a weekly to bi-weekly update. If I do a select all and explode it will erase that clip boundary and mesh all of my objects together. Therfore, I need to isolate each xref clip and perform these numerous operations for each. If the architect doesn't agree to help me out, then this is what I'll have to do... but I'm a whiny baby and I'd rather complain about it and research a simple solution than spend my time on this monotonous process. I would have been finished with this job yesterday, but I thought for sure there was an easier way.

I'm pretty certain that there is no quick fix, so if anything I'm bringing this problem to everyone's attention. Sorry to burden you all with talk about autocad.

[jan15]

If you have to continually update these things, maybe you should leave the DWG import alone, and just put a mask over it to cover up the parts outside the clip area.

Put the DWG import on the lowest layer. On a layer just above that, draw a solid white rectangle that covers up the whole DWG import. Then draw a smaller rectangle, the same size and location as the clip, and use VW's Clip Surface command to cut the small rectangle out of the large one. Then you'll be able to see the clipped area through the hole in the mask. And you can put your own drawing on a layer above the mask layer.

It's usually best to give the mask layer an odd scale, say 1:37, so that you can't select it even with Layer Options set to "Modify Others".

[ 04-14-2006, 09:50 AM: Message edited by: jan15 ]

[nmar]

We are an MEP engineering firm, but in order to show our work, we need legible backgrounds or floor plans to show it on. Since we work with so many different architects, we receive drawings in many different forms (99% of them are autocad). My biggest " architets" complaint is their use of xref clips. They are like viewports within model space, and in most cases, but not all, they aren't necessary. Since we are their client, we have little say about their menial use of this inferior program... therefore we deal with it, unless they're willing to modify their procedures. Here is my problem and my post verbatim, as it appeared on an autocad forum. I didn't get a single reply. Also, I was wrong about the part below that says I could delete everything inside of the polyline. I was using the wipeout command in autocad, which doesn't delete, it only blocks out that section.

quote:

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I have some drawings with multiple xref clips that I need removed. I use the xclipframe command and set the value to "1" which makes the boundary line visible. Then I generate a polyline from that boundary. Is there any way to delete all objects, associated with that xclip, outside of the xclip boundary? I can explode and then trim using "generated polyline" and it will delete everything inside of the polyline, but I want to delete objects outside of the polyline. I assume, if this is an available option, that it will delete all "outside" objects for the whole drawing. I only want to delete the objects, that prior to the explode, were hidden and attached to that xclip.... not objects that were already independent.

Essentially, what I would like to do is type a command that deletes all cropped or hidden information outside of xref clips... since I have multiple occurences per drawing.

I know that some of you will think this need is absurd, but that's irrelevant. I will benefit from this substantially... and yes I know, if I don't do anything, the final product will be identical to what I'm trying to achieve. If anyone here can help me with this problem, I will be eternally greatful. Thanks

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[ 04-17-2006, 04:56 PM: Message edited by: nmar ]

[nmar]

I don't think that is a good idea at all. That would require way too much work and if I did do it, I would have to assume that the drawings and xclip locations don't move or change. Otherwise, I could very well be blocking pertinent information with old masks. Also, since I have multiple xclips within close range this would require a precise sequence of "apple b's" and "apple f's" (and if not, a series of stacked layers) which may not be sufficient enough depending on the number and location of xclips.

My drawing scale is 1:96, so if I did generate a mask layer with a different scale I would want to assign it something as close to 1:96 (e.g. 1:97) as possible, so I could viewport them together with the same scale of 1:96. Creating two separate viewports within sheet space and overlaying them would pose some unnecessary risks. To keep them together it would be a good idea to lock them, so they can't accidently be moved (which does happen, i.e. someone drags their cursor across the screen and accidently clicks while doing so. Since we have numerous people working on drawings, I like to minimize all potential for error. This type of setup is likely to confuse an unsuspecting user, who at a minimum, will have to unlock one or both of my viewports to make changes to them.

[ 04-17-2006, 01:11 PM: Message edited by: nmar ]