Mouldings Plugins important update

[Paolo]

I have just updated the Mouldings plugins package (for Vectorworks® 2020 and 2021).

 

https://fitplot.it/vwplugins/mouldings.html

 

Old customers should receive an e-mail to get the update for free.

Changelog (version IV.5):

• The library dialog has been dramatically sped up! Also libraries and symbols are now alphabetically sorted .
• New library organisation: Basic Profiles folder (containing the mandatory profiles) renamed (previously was named Classic); New England Classic folder now gathers the previously scattered libraries and symbols.
•  🆕 Lenoble Lumber Mouldings
•  🆕  Real Cedar (sidings)
• Updated the script in MouldingsLib to build custom libraries of profiles.
• Bug fixed in the Sidings plugin.
• Updated the price (for new users) now starting from €25.

 

[MarcelP102]

Hi Paulo, your plugin looks nice! Before 'wasting' a lot of time learning everything I wonder if you can use VW 2021 new material functionality? In our template everything is controlled by materials instead of classes. In the feature all VW tools will use materials, so being able to use materials in your plugin as well would be great!

 

Edit, some more questions:

- Is it also possible to use a 'composed' profile. So multiple shapes with different classes/materials in one profile?

- If I change a custom made profile will all the already placed profiles also change?

- Can your siding tool also be used with multiple profiles? So we can have a repeating pattern or random stacking of multiple profiles.  Maybe nice idea for upcoming feauture?

 

Perhaps I can help you with the translation to Dutch?

Edited June 11, 2021 by MarcelP102

[Paolo]

@MarcelP102 About the new material functionality, having to support both 2020 and 2021, I am still sticked with classes.

I am studying a way to bridge class to material control, but I am at an early state, though...

 

Quote

 Is it also possible to use a 'composed' profile. So multiple shapes with different classes/materials in one profile?

One profile is one closed polyline (or polygon) and one only. If you want to get, for example a crown moulding composed of two different profiles / materials, you can easily create and save both profiles (.cpf files) sharing the same point of insertion, then create the Mouldings 2D of the first, duplicate and select the second profile / material (material is here meant as class).

There are many facilities to manage the mouldings plugins, for example you can start from a 2D path to get a Moulding 2D, or extract a path from a Moulding 2D object. You can even "import" a new path on an existing Moulding object.

 

Quote

- If I change a custom made profile will all the already placed profiles also change?

When you choose a profile (from library or from a saved cps file), the path of the profile is embedded as a symbol in the document.

Whenever you modify the symbol in the document, all objects using it, will adopt the changed symbol once they are regenerated.

This, of course, does not affect other documents where the same profile is used.

 

Quote

- Can your siding tool also be used with multiple profiles? So we can have a repeating pattern or random stacking of multiple profiles.  Maybe nice idea for upcoming feauture?

Currently only one profile is repeated. You cannot do random stack, but you can create a complex custom profile (made out of three, for example), but you have necessarily to compose them into one (adding a joining surface).

Another interesting way is to use wisely the repetition pace, leaving gaps in one siding object, to be filled with another siding object. The use of the offset fields allows to move the starting piece at the right point. In this way you can set different classes for each siding object (though the siding object already takes into account a different class for even and odd pieces).

 

About translations, you are welcome.

 

[Andy Broomell]

Hi @Paolo - with Vectorworks 2022 here, is there an ETA on an updated version of the Mouldings plug-in? In the meantime, do you have any specific precautions about using the 2021 version by manually moving the files over?

[Paolo]

Hello @Andy Broomell

These days I am testing my plugins with Vectorworks 2022 beta, SP0B2 (Build 602031) PRERELEASE (64 bit).

About the Mouldings plugins package, simply moving / copying the 2021 files in the corresponding locations in 2022 (and importing your 2021 workspace) it works.

Just it takes to manually open and re-save (as 2022) the file in Libraries/Defaults/Moulding - Models/Cornices/MouldingsLib.vwx

Pay attention to remove any VWBackup folder that may be eventually created inside Libraries/Defaults/Moulding - Models/Cornices/.

 

As soon as I get a VW2022 final version, I'll provide to upload an update to Gumroad® and let it know to all registered users.

Of course, later, I'll explore new functions and possibilities that this new release could allow.

[MarcelP102]

Hi Paulo, did you have any time exploring the new possibilities from vw2022? Are there any updates coming for your great tool? Materials perhaps?🙂

[Paolo]

I am still playing with materials.
As I have seen, some native objects OIP (extrusions, for example) got an option (checkbox) to choose the use of materials.
Once this checkbox is checked, a popup for materials appears to choose from and this overrides the class.
Unfortunately there is no way, in the plugin objects parameters list, to get easily this behaviour.
I'd have to provide the checkbox, then populate the menu with the document's available materials.
In case of objects with more classes (for example the frame plugin), each class needs its own alternative material.

I feel that a material menu will be available in the plugin's parameter types soon (as it was for the classes popup), so I am hesitating a while because it needs a bit of an effort… and I do not want to reinvent the wheel.

[Andy Broomell]

Hi @Paolo- I'd like to request the following two improvements for Moulding objects:

• Add the ability to texture Mouldings via the Render tab instead of having to do it via Classes.
• Make it so that Moulding objects without a texture use the Solid Fill Color of the object in the Attributes Palette. This would make it consistent with how other objects normally work in Vectorworks. Currently the moulding always appears white in 3D regardless of Fill Color (unless a texture is applied of course). This makes it challenging to make a bunch of different moulding pieces that are painted different colors. I would hope I could just change the Fill Color for each, but instead it involves making a unique Texture and unique Class for each color, which is quite cumbersome.
  • EDIT: Apparently solid fill colors can also be set by assigning the Moulding object to a class with a colored fill, but regardless, the request remains to be able to simply set a color via the Attributes Palette.

 

While materials aren't very important to me, personally, the above two items would be incredibly helpful. Even if one of the two improvements were made I would be incredibly appreciative.

 

Edited November 30, 2021 by Andy Broomell

[MarcelP102]

I Agree with Andy, both his suggestion are great. This would make editing the visual appearance a lot easier. I would also really appreciate this.

 

[Paolo]

About materials, I am still figuring a way how they would live / interact  with classes. I am a little confused at this point...

 

About the other @Andy Broomell suggestions I agree with him.

 

Plugins objects where one class only is required (corner or mouldings on path), are easy to manage: you will be able to set attributes by class or override fills and lines with the attribute palette. The rendering (oip) tab will allow you to set texture to none, class or by one of your choice.

 

More complex plugins (frames etc.), where more than one class is required, will take attributes of their part by their given classes (in oip classes popup for each part) unless you choose different fills or lines in   the attributes panel.

About the texture, in the rendering tab, choosing none will use the solid color fills in rendering as above said. Using by class, will use each class texture (whenever set), otherwise choosing a texture from the list, will cause that texture to be applied to the whole parts of the object.

 

I am at a good point with these changes, hope to test and finish up them in a short time.

[Paolo]

Mouldings Plugins version IV.6 just published on Gumroad®

 

What's new on version IV.6:

1. Version for Vectorworks® 2022 (tested).
2. Added the Mouldings catalog, a pdf file, complete with searchable indexes, that can be consulted and printed for a quick reference of all profiles included in the package. The catalog is available both in A4 and Letter page sizes.
3. Added the ability to choose attributes by class or either override fills and lines with the attribute palette.
   
   More complex plugins (frames etc.), where more than just one class is required, will take attributes of their individual parts from their given classes (in OIP see classes popup for each part) unless you choose different fills or lines in the attributes panel.
   In that case the plugin object attributes will be used for all classes.
   
   About textures and renderings, in the OIP rendering tab, choosing:
   • None: will use the solid color fills as above said
   • Class Texture: will use each class texture (whenever set)
   • Texture: selecting a (custom) texture from the ones present in the document, will cause that texture to be applied to the whole parts of the object
   
   You can control, as always, some of the texture parameters (scale, rotation etc.) for each part (where available) of the plugin object in the OIP, see texture controls.

 

Thanks to @Andy Broomell and @MarcelP102 for suggesting the point 3

Edited December 23, 2021 by Paolo

[MarcelP102]

Thanks! Right on time for a new project we are working on ☺️ Thumbnail preview of the profile library also seems a lot faster than before.

[Andy Broomell]

Awesome, thanks @Paolo!! Can't wait to check it out later today.

[ParkerJames]

The website isn't working for me using Safari. 'I want this', doesn't activate.

[Paolo]

@ParkerJames have you typed 25 in the price field?

[ParkerJames]

1 hour ago, Paolo said:

@ParkerJames have you typed 25 in the price field?

Ah--I see. Thanks.

[ParkerJames]

I look forward to using this.

Thank you.