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Retaining Walls


Landartma

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I have been racking my brains, looking all over the web, community forums, and VW U with no luck on creating a curving retaining wall that's one piece.  Retaining walls are essential elements for all landscape designers and there should be a very slick tool that accomplishes it quickly and efficiently.  I would also be pretty cool if you could incorporate the site modifier right into it.  The walls I see out there are ok but they look like foundation walls not landscape walls.  If such a tool and methods exist please publish something specifically about it.  If it exists please share.

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As I have Vw Architect (not Landmark), I don’t have access to the Retaining Wall function so I may be way off base — but according to the Vw 2021 User Help file page on Creating Retaining Walls you can use Round Walls as the basis for creating Retaining Wall site modifiers.
 

And according to that help file page, as the Site Wall modifiers are not associated with the Wall object used to create it, so after creating the Retaining Wall Site Modifiers you could delete the Wall object and create your own 2D/3D geometry for ‘landscape walls’ exactly as you like.

 

Just a thought.

Edited by rDesign
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So from what I can tell the Landscape Wall (Retaining Wall) is a legacy function...Not sure.  But if you don't have your wall segments joined then you get an error message when you go to create the wall modifier.  I'm convinced there is a way to do it.  I just haven't figured it out yet.  Like with so much software you'd think it would be intuitive.  I think I will try an extrude.  Maybe if I complain about it enough the Jedi Knight of Vectorworks will show me the way?  I have a training coming up so I'm sure it will be solved then.  But now I'm a dog after a bone.

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Landscape Wall is definitely a Legacy tool as it's found in the Legacy section of Workspace Editor.

What is strange is that it remains an option under 'Create Objects from Shapes...'

I could find no info on the tool online whatsoever.

One assumes it was replaced by the 'Create Retaining Wall Site Modifier Command...' for Walls.

Is the crux of the matter for you that 1) you want to create battered walls, which is a function of Landscape Walls but not Walls or Round Walls + 2) that when you apply a Retaining Wall Site Modifier to a series of Round Walls you get this kind of thing happening:

1452625024_Screenshot2021-03-03at19_55_57.thumb.png.b1ee3001568cd8c52fb126f334558bb8.png

whereas with Landscape Walls the modifiers are far better behaved?

Someone like @Tamsin Slatter or @jeff prince will I'm sure be able to offer some advice on all this if you make it clear exactly what you're trying to achieve (the end result) + what's happening instead

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Here is the file.  This is a practice project to get me up to speed on basic 3d so a bunch of components are missing but the wall is the sticking point.  Wall modifier says walls are not connected.  I went through the classes, layers, elevations and think I have them all the same.  I did these with the fillet tool but it left really small pieces of straight wall.  I will do another free from and post that as well.

long lake road finished practice project.vwx

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@Landartma It is good practice when you post to note what version of VW you are using. I imagine you are using VW 2021?

I am currently using VW 2020 and could not open the file.

I am happy to take a look at the tile, but you would need to export it back to 2020.

Still not totally clear on what it is exactly you ae attempting. , or what exactly is not working for you.  Your file will speak volumes :-)

 

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Ok...file came in fine. there are several things that need addressing, but aside from that....

 

1) There are two site models ?? What is up with that?

2) is your issue with the meandering wall with round segments at the north /top of the the drawing?

It bothers you because it is not just one continuous wall ? Why would it really matter that there are individual round sections in the wall?

3) what do you mean when you say "The walls I see out there are ok but they look like foundation walls not landscape walls".

What is your concept of a 'landscape wall'? You have a photo or image of how you think they should appear?  That would help.

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The issue is that they won't join and as such the wall modifier tool wont work on them. 

Foundation walls are vertical landscape wall have a batter.  So if you look at the legacy create objects from shapes command and convert to landscape walls it gives the option to set Pitch (batter).  A retaining wall, at least the ones I build, aren't vertical.

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I've had a number of discussions about this and it appears to me that there is some type of limitation in the creation of curved walls and how they join and integrate with the wall modifier tool.  I'm guessing that I'm missing something but now that I can't figure it out I can't let it go.  I have to find the solution...Its a good challenge!

 

 

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I think you may be holding on too tight to thinking you need to use a site modifier for those walls....you do not...at all.

So....what is a good battered angle to use? and how wide at the top of the wall?

You have no textures on any objects at the moment, which is no biggie, but is the battered walls stone....stucco.....cotton candy ?   :-)

 

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Not only do I want the look with the batter I want my proposed grading to fit to the wall.  The textures are no biggie right now.  Once I get my wall I'll create a style and can just put what ever texture I want on it.  As far as the actual angle..I'm not to concerned I want the visual.  I normally do a 3/4-1"batter/1' of rise.  Normally we do an 18" top.  

 

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In terms of vectorworks objects, “landscape walls” and not the same as “walls” or “round walls” which is probably why you are having difficulty with the “wall join” tool.  Try using the “wall join” tool to combine an entourage person and an irrigation pipe, probably will work equally well 🙂

 

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Maybe I'm asking the wrong question.  The end goal is  to create a free from wall of any geometry and be able to set it to my proposed grade.   It would make sense that any of the wall tools will get you there to some degree.   If I understand what your saying about wall join tool.  It does not recognize all walls the same?  If that's the case then is it impossible to connect a round wall with a straight wall correct?  And if that's the case if you have a wall such as the one I have here with straight segments and curved segments how do they join.  If they don't or can't it does not matter I'm interested in the end result.  A landscape wall with batters that goes where ever I draw it then brings me up to grade.  I'm starting to think that an extrude is a possible solution.  I'll be messing with that possibility.

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@Tom W. Well, since the vectorworks tools do not do the job correctly, it comes down to what a person wants to achieve, and this is not clear from the OP.

 Are we concerned with cut/fill calcs?

Is modeling the actual form and visual quality of the wall in 3D critical?

Will these things change, or is the design fairly well established?

As with everything in this program, the approach you take and the stage of development of the design will dictate future happiness.

 

Vectorworks is just not powerful or reliable  enough to handle this curved geometry as it applies to the site.  Enter Vectorworks Employee stage left to challenge this statement and try to discredit my position (see links in signature).  Venture to a construction site and observe how steep slopes and retaining walls are built to see how wrong VWX handles the job without using some trickery.

 

Personally, I build these virtually as they would be done in real life.  Grade the site first 🙂

Then...Build the wall using extrudes along a path if batter is expressed, other tools as appropriate otherwise.

Then resolve the area behind the retaining wall....Sometimes, I use my “multi-site model method”, sometimes I fake the backfill with a simple 3D poly, depends if accurate cut and fill is needed.  If the latter method is used, placing entourage between the retaining wall and below the 3D poly is encouraged (hoffa_jimmy3a.VWX works well for this).

 

Too many problems with Vectorworks to trust it to do the right thing when it comes to curvilinear design and site models IMHO.

<insert “Prove me wrong meme”>

 

 

Edited by jeff prince
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