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copying layers and saved views.


cami

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A layer is like a physical location. Anything you paste is pasted onto the current layer.

But a pasted object does bring its class along with it.

In general, if you're thinking of the way Autocad layers work, the Vectorworks equivalent to that is Classes. Vectorworks layers are something else altogether. The only thing Autocad has that's even partly similar is the Layout tabs.

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Cami,

Check your CAPS lock.

Create a workgroup reference in a new drawing with the layer you want. Then Remove the reference, you can leave a copy of the layer behind in the new drawing. Saved views remain in the original.

I don't think jan15 was maligning autocad - although the former ac users (myself included) here might disagree with you as far as "best cad" .

George

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Actually, I WAS maligning Autocad. Subtly, but Cami is very perceptive.

I used Autocad for 10 miserable, frustrating years before discovering VectorWorks. Changing to VW felt like changing from a Model T Ford to a Porsche roadster.

A lot of ex-Autocad users don't agree with that, but their complaints are always things like, "There's no place to plug in the starter crank!"

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Jan15

If you used Autocad the right way then your 10 years would have been more pleasing. Using a program for a long time the wrong way might lead you to think that it's not good.

for example do you like drawing in vector works where all the line are the same color, leading to people drawing inthe wrong class and a lot of thime the wrong layer causing headaches when printing views. I autocad that's not a problem. because you draw in color but you have full control of you printing simply by setting plot styles & layer plotting options....

Anyway when Vectorworks users keep referencing Autocad everytime they speak there must be a reason.

I am here to learn not to Bicker about which program is better (Potato-Potaato)

I also used Autocad for 10 years.

Thanks for your help

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George

It's not about caring for it, I don't care what program I use as long as I get the job done. And actually there are a lot of jobs for autocad users, way more than for vectorworks users so that's not the question. I still use AutoCad when needed, & Revit, & Rhino...etc.

And from my experience with all these programs they all have limitations & strong points.

Jan15, just made nosense whe he/she knocked Autocad when the question wasn't about autocad.

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Cami,

You'll see many references to autocad here, mainly because it is so widely used & because many of us have used it, (I still use Arch Desktop). They aren't always criticisms. It's often because AC Layers & VW Layers are so different.

I agree that no program meets all needs.

George

quote:

Originally posted by Michael K:

I'd also like to take this soapbox to comment on the small wave of nastiness and negativity I've see on these boards lately. Everybody gets frustrated at computers and corporations but making wanton generaliztions about how someone's needs are not being met seems inappropriate to the purpose of these boards. We all should be here to help eachother instead of flinging accusations.

There. Thanks for listening to my rant...

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Caml - maybe I can clarify what Layers and Classes are in VW.

Layers can be either storeys of the building or individual drawing sheets (depending on how you want to work). The storeys of the building can be further subdivided into separate layers for 3D floors, 3D walls and model components and 2D drawing information.

Classes are used to identify either elements of the building or components of the drawing (like layers in AutoCAD). Each class has its own graphic attributes which allow you to define its line type, thickness and colour + fill type and colour. This provides the capability to give your drawings definition so that they 'read' both on the screen and on the piece of paper when printed. (it also provides the capability to colour the different drawing elements so that you do know that you are drawing them in the correct class.) Global changes of these class attributes are made by editing the class. Classed objects can be drawn on any layer and their visibility is controllable.

Your drawing information can then be assembled into drawing sheets by either Saved Views or Sheet Layers via Viewports.

The answer to your question about transferring 'Layer' information when you paste it into another drawing is yes as long as you substitute Class for Layer (remember that VW Classes = AutoCAD layers)

As answered by others above you can transfer whole layers by Workgroup Referencing.

Saved views cannot be transferred - you can however set up Template Sheets which contain preconfigured Saved Views.

Vectorwork's protocols and drawing organisation structures are different to AutoCAD's - to effectively use the program you need to understand how they work. There used to be a VW Training CD for AutoCAD users - it may be beneficial to ask if it is still available and get hold of it.

[ 03-03-2006, 08:31 PM: Message edited by: mike m oz ]

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Uh-oh. I guess I ruffled some feathers when I was trying to make a joke. Sorry, Cami.

Seriously, I really didn't intend my first reply as a dig at Autocad. The only reason I mentioned it then is that you're new to the forum and I could tell from your question you used Autocad before. I was trying to be helpful, speaking in terms of what you already know.

My second reply was definitely a dig at Autocad, but it was said in fun, playing off of what George said. And it, too, was intended to help. The main problem ex-Autocad users have in learning Vectorworks is that they try to use it just like Autocad. By doing that they fail to discover the tremendous advantages that Vectorworks has, such as scale, layering, groups, and surfaces.

That's why I said the thing about the starter crank. It wasn't meant to suggest that people who like Autocad are dumb. Even a very intelligent person, if given a Porsche 911 in 1908, would have looked for a starter crank. That's what they would have been used to. The aerodynamic shape, low center of gravity, and McPherson struts would all have seemed strange and meaningless to them.

To answer your question: yes, I love working in a program where all the lines are the same color, and are differentiated by lineweight, just like in the print-out. Drawing is seeing, as the old artist's maxim says. It works out better if you can see what you're drawing while you draw. Autocad is all about doing something over here to make a drawing appear over there.

And, yes, I especially love not having to deal with plot style tables. In 1995 that was one of the things I loved most about Vectorworks. It's not an issue now, or for the last 5 years. When Autocad discovered object lineweight I started working in monochrome with no plot style table even in Autocad.

I agree that getting things in the wrong class or Autocad layer is a major headache. But when there are over a hundred classes and you try to differentiate them by color, that's bound to happen. Especially if you simultaneously try to use color to represent lineweight. I've never seen an Autocad drawing using that method that wasn't full of objects on the wrong layer.

By the way, you can, in fact, use color to differentiate classes in Vectorworks, and you can switch the display back and forth between class colors and monochrome. Another way to check what's in each class is to set Class Options to Active Only, and then use the shifted arrow keys to quickly cycle through the classes.

I have to admit that the comparison between the Model T and the Porsche was a little unfair. The change actually felt more like switching to a Toyota Prius, from a Hummer that I couldn't afford to buy gas for and had to push everywhere.

[ 03-04-2006, 06:38 PM: Message edited by: jan15 ]

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quote:

Originally posted by jan15:

A layer is like a physical location. Anything you paste is pasted onto the current layer.

But a pasted object does bring its class along with it.


Just remember that if the item's Class visibility is "off" or does not exist it will be pasted but invisible. Took me awhile to figure out where a lot of stuff was going.

Or if the Class or Layer is not active you may see it but not be able to "grab" it; use right-click "Force Select" .

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This thread seems to be generating some ill will.

Answer to the original question based on my limited knowledge:

1. Objects copied & pasted from one .mcd to another will bring only their Class properties along.

2. The only way I know to transfer Layer properties to another .mcd is via the Workgroup Reference process I described above. This may be similar to Binding an Xref in Autocad.

3. Create a Layer and save it as a standard to be reused as needed. This is from the VW Help file:

"Custom layers or classes can be created in a blank file and saved as an .sta file in the Standards folder. Once placed in the Standards folder, these new layers or classes become part of the Standards list and are available when creating new layers or classes."

HTH

George

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  • Vectorworks, Inc Employee

There is a reason for the difference between layers and classes. Classes (like ACAD layers) are an attribute applied to objects, while Layers are a "container" for objects. Duplicating an object doesn't bring along its layer (container), but does its class (attribute).

In VW12, duplicating a layer will duplicate its contents, but it's a "top-down" operation. Copying and pasting an object still presumes that it's going into a -different- container, therefore the layer info gets left behind.

The best semantic is to think of Classes as defining "what" something is, while Layers define "where" something is.

PS: no need to get ruffled feathers here!

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