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display contours on all hardscapes etc


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Hi, im new to Vectorworks and im not sure the best way to show contours on top of a hardscape etc. My goal ultimately is to build up the model so it can be used as both to produce both 2D plans and a 3D model. When using hardscapes, i therefore want to be able to use the hardscapes as both a 2d visual element and as a 3D object.

 

my issue is this: i want to be able to have the contours and thier lables visible over the hardscapes. i cant find a visiblilty setting that only shows contour lines and text, and not the white infill of the site model. The work around i am using at the moment is to have the sitemodel layer greyed out, which is fine for the design work and model building, but not ideal for when i eventually producing drawings. It would also be good NOT to have them show through stairs and retaining walls, but i guess this could be solved by having the "constructions" layer above the "site model" layer.

image.thumb.png.f6ad98eff8720ea9de1c11ee6c04b355.png

 

ive not actually used sheets much (or even at all really!😇) so maybe there is something obvious im missing there?

 

Thank you for any help or tips,

 

Rob

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  • Vectorworks, Inc Employee

Hi @Rob Norris--welcome to Vectorworks!

 

Attached you'll find a sample file you can investigate. You are right about the Design Layer stacking order...note the stacking order of the design layers in the screenshot below in the Navigation Palette... "Walls" above "Site Model" above "Hardscape". Like that, contours will appear above the hardscape but geometry on the "Walls" design layer will be above the contours on the "site model" layer.

Screen Shot 2021-03-04 at 12.53.02 PM.png

In the screenshot above, the site model is selected and the 2d attributes are set not have a fill. Warning though, this will cause the 3d fill to also disappear. Luckily, we have control over this setting in the Site Model Settings>Graphic Properties window—see below. We can specify a new class or simply override these settings. By default, they are set to <Site Model Class>. Apply a fill to "3D triangles", or better yet, set to a new predefined class with a fill.

 Screen Shot 2021-03-04 at 12.54.09 PM.png

 

sample site model and hardscape.vwx

I hope this helps!

 

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@Rob Norris easy solution... Put your site model on a class that has fill set to "none" and place the site model on its own design layer.  Put the site model's design layer at the top of the stack.  Boom, you have contours legible over hardscapes 🙂  Edit - Tony and I posted at the same moment LOL.  His method is better for addressing the need for differing 2D/3D appearance in simple situations.  However, class overrides in viewports are better when needing differing control over graphics across multiple drawings in both 2D and 3D.  Choose the former for simple situations, choose the latter for more complex graphics needs.

 

After - how nice.

664278548_ScreenShot2021-03-04at11_04_54AM.thumb.png.9432519f1eb44a6e1f9d52ec5ae1f41b.png

 

 

Prior - not so nice

1897608804_ScreenShot2021-03-04at11_05_18AM.thumb.png.63769343c7cc9436b13b50f92fd558f6.png

 

Edited by jeff prince
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@Tony Kostreskiand @jeff prince thank you so much for that. i feel like a bit of an idiot now, searching deep in the graphic properties in the site model settings! when it was there i front of my face the whole time!:D

but great advice about using the class settings over object settings. (its a golden rule of mine coming from acad too). you have to know these rules so you know when to break them! 

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