MODEL SETUP (first post to this board!)

[poodle]

Recently installed VW 11 (Industry Addition - Mac) to use on renovation project. I'm very proficient with graphics programs and a few years ago I played around with VW and started to get a feel for how things work. I have no other CADD experience.

Since, I'm starting from scratch it seems like a good idea to let VW's built-in organizational ideas guide my process. In other words I want to adopt VW conventions like Model Setup, Task Manager and Create Standard Viewports. Why fight it?

Question:

In the model setup dialogue, after you choose the number of floors, you can set the slab thickness, floor elevation and ceiling height for each floor. In most houses each story stacks one on top of the other. Why doesn't VW calculate the floor elevation of the second floor by adding the slab thickness and ceiling height of the first floor. It feels weird to have to calculate this manually. Am I missing the point of this tool?

[mike m oz]

Poodle's comments shows how frustrating and confusing the MODEL SETUP dialogue box is for users - it just does not do what you expect it to do. It needs to be substantially improved, and I repeat my comments from a previous post on this topic:

"ADJUSTING HEIGHTS AND SLAB THICKNESSES SHOULD BE POSSIBLE IN THE MODEL SETUP DIALOGUE BOX

Model Setup works fine if you know exactly what your floor to floor heights and slab thicknesses are at the beginning of a project.

If however you want to adjust these afterwards it will not accept any changes - these have to be done manually in the Layers dialogue box.

And yet if you add or remove a floor it will adjust the heights.

The logic is inconsistant and it is not user friendly!

Can it please be changed so that it will accept height and slab thickness changes and adjust everything accordingly.

MODEL SETUP SHOULD DO THE MATHS AUTOMATICALLY

This second issue relates to the logic of how the heights are entered.

It would be better if for each storey there were four heights to be entered:

A floor to floor height

B slab below thickness

C ceiling height

D height from underside of ceiling to floor over

This would then allow the program to calculate the heights of respective elements automatically. A and D should also be linked so that adjusting one will adjust the other.

Allied to this is the need for a ceiling object - A necessity if 'live' sections when they are introduced are to be useful."

Chris is right when he says that it is easier to set up the layers yourself. The point is though it shouldn't be for straightforward (ie. non split level) projects.

Routines like MODEL SETUP should make life easier, rather than harder.

The next priority after functionality should be simplicity of use - ie they need to be obvious and unambiguous.

To this end I would also like the ability to name the model layers as I want them, rather than have the program predetermine them (and yes I do realise you can rename them afterwards).

Once this issue has been sorted out the big one is the absolutely diabolical task manager!

[ThinAirDesigns]

As a new user I agree with Mike here. I tried to get the Model Setup dialog to do what I wanted and just found it easier to do my own thing on the individual layer sheets. But then my first project is a lot more complicated level-wise then a first project has any right to be.

Best wishes.

JB

[ 01-08-2005, 01:35 PM: Message edited by: ThinAirDesigns ]

[poodle]

Thanks all! Its good to learn that I'm not way off base. I think I'll try to get used to the tools provided even though they may not be totally ready for prime time. Maybe the pay off will be realized in later versions of VW.

I've posted another querry about setting up VWs here:

http://techboard.nemetschek.net/cgi/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=16&t=001330