10/15/09
Serving the Seattle VectorWorks Users Group and Northwest VectorWorks users.
An archive of past newsletters can be found at
http://converttolines.blogspot.com/
Vectorworks for Left Handers videos can be found at
http://www.viddler.com/explore/Tguy/tags/TomGreggs/
To contact me, please write tomgreggs@comcast.net or call (206) 524-2808
In this issue:
• What's up with our meeting schedule?
• NNA comes to Seattle to demo V. 2010
• Why Unified View in V. 2010 is or isn't important
• Get to know Steve S.
• Tag Ends
• Upgrading: What's in it for me?
What, where, when do we meet? In an effort to tailor the user group experience I sent out email notices about our last meeting (held October 14) asking that you indicate a preference when attending. If you did not receive one of these, or would like to be notified for future group meetings, please contact me and ask to be placed on the mailing list. If you know anyone who might also be interested, I'd appreciate it if you could pass this on. Thanks!
…...........................................
Staff from NNA will be in Seattle to demo VectorWorks 2010 tenatively scheduled for November 4th. Mark your calendars.
…...........................................
I don't envy the engineers at NNA. They have the painful job of updating Vectorworks by extending one foot into the future while trying to keep older users happy with the other foot planted in the past. Thus we currently have these diverse and confusing ways to assemble and display our 3D models: Layer Links, Model View Tool, linked layers displayed on Design Layer Viewports (oh ya!), Stacked Layers and now, Unified View.
Layer linking was poorly named and unintuitive. Model View Tool was an improvement in ease of use but too little too late and now resides in the Legacy folder. Neither of these methods could reliably regenerate after changes. Linked layers on DVLP's was and is a work-around unsupported by NNA (see my own Hidden Line Tutorial to see how these work). Stacked Layers gave us a model that was easy to assemble but the on/off toggle was awkward—you were never sure what setting you were in—important since most tools would not work when in that mode, and while it gave you a means to hide the clutter of 2D line work it did not give you a way to easily measure between elements on the various assembled layers. It seemed to work better as a display tool than a development tool; lots of show, not a whole lot of go.
Is Unified View a breakthrough or just a name change? I see that the stack-of-paper symbol on the menu bar remains as before. What's different? When using Stacked Layers of old, you were prohibited from modifying elements on layers other than the selected, working layer. This has changed in V. 2010. You can reach into ANY layer provided you select Show/Snap/Modify Others as the display setting for Layer Options. I recently was able to reach into a collection of Layers and, although the active layer was the main story, I could select and change basement layer wall and window heights by using the Object Info palette or move entire elements on other layers using the Nudge or Move tools. I was even able to ungroup and edit a roof while on a different layer than that holding my 3D roof. This makes the model much more immediate than in the past. I still was unable to pull a 2D dimension between elements while viewing my model from the front but I could limp along by dragging a line from point to point, reading the output before dropping the snap.
There is a perverse way to be able to dimension-check your Unified model, again assuming that you want interim info and are not doing final annotations. Go to File > Unified View Options. Check “Display Screen Objects” and also check “Only on Active Layer”. Make a new layer called Dimension Layer. Check that layer to be visible. With Unified View toggled on and your new Dimension layer set to visible, all 2D line work will be hidden except that which you apply to this unique layer. Dimension as needed to determine if the model as developed meets your criteria. Feel free to change settings of any 3D element via the OIP (Object Info palette) or Move/Nudge to revise your model.
What confuses is why I am required to set Layer Option visibility manually to Show/Snap/Modify Others? Why, when the Unified View icon is toggled, doesn't the program tip you into this setting automatically? This would seem more intuitive than the user having to make this change manually. Perhaps because you wish to set certain layers to Gray and so................no, tried it, doesn't work. There is only one setting to have all selected layers available for change and that requires them to be fully visible—no gray. So my point remains; until someone more informed offers a rebuttal, hitting the Unified View icon should toggle Show/Snap/Modify Others to an “on” position.
So far I'd say that Unified View is an important step in the right direction. I'm happy, if not ecstatic but check back after awhile. These changes can sometimes turn out to be indispensable.
One caveat to leaving Show/Snap/Modify Others on all the time. Unless you work by yourself or are experienced, it can be dangerous to leave Show/Snap/Modify Others on full time. This is because one can zero in on some element that seems like it shouldn't be on the layer you're working on. Did you forget to remove it from a while back? So you delete it only to discover later that you'd reached into a deeper layer beyond where you were working. This happens especially when you've come back to a file after some time and have not refreshed your memory. For this reason I work almost exclusively in Show/Snap Others.
URL linking to a NNA video describing Unified View
http://download2CF.nemetschek.net/www_movies/2010/2d3d-Integration.mov
Lastly I should say that Unified View has not yet obsoleted linked layers on DLVP's. Until we have better line control, I plan to continue using this technique.
…............................................
Steve Scaysbrook is an architectural technologist* from Great Britain. It was he who encouraged me to ship my videos to a more accessible site than my original Me.com public folder. Steve was also kind enough to watch several, create links to his site while saying positive things about their content.
http://blog.konstrukshon.com/?p=1963
http://blog.konstrukshon.com/?p=2000
As an architectural technologist, Steve has wide ranging exposure to all things relating to building construction and technology. Take a look at his home page and the links included therein
http://blog.konstrukshon.com/
Here is a link to an iPhone CAD program and a review video by Steve:
http://blog.konstrukshon.com/?p=2175
Great work, Steve! We'll look forward to visiting again in the near future.
*Architectural Technologist:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architectural_technologist
…............................................
TAG ENDS
Some other interesting Steve Scaysbrook links:
Dropbox. Great for sharing drag and drop files and folders between team members. Control over who has access to folders, automatic backup of files, 30 day undo history, free for Windows, Mac and Linux. Files backed up to Dropbox servers. Free 2 GB accounts with pay accounts up to 100 GB. Watch video here:
www.getdropbox.com
Take a tour:
https://www.getdropbox.com/tour/2
The blog:
http://blog.getdropbox.com/#
Glenn Fleishman's Practical Mac review of Dropbox in the Seattle Times
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/practicalmac/2009492113_ptmacc18.html
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Here is a link showing free hour-long online videos offered by Resolve.
http://blog.konstrukshon.com/?p=2094
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
And finally, if you like iPhones, apps and art, here's one I came across on David Hockney drawing on his iPhone. Wonderful!
http://www.nybooks.com/features/slideshows/hockney/
Here's a painting application. Don't know what Hockney used.
http://current.com/items/90222767_painting-by-iphone.htm
Video of a painting in progress on an iPhone
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/tny/2009/05/jorge-colombo-iphone-cover.html
The Brushes application:
http://brushesapp.com/
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
New movie from NNA on V.2010:
http://download2.nemetschek.net/www_movies/2010/Sustainable.mov
This video shows various projects that have some connection to “green design” and how Vwks can aid in displaying information. This is a fast flying video giving a broad overview of the talents of Vwks, not really intended as a how-to, but worth watching all the same, especially as it spends some time showing the Digital Terrain Modeler.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Great old video of an early CAD program from 1962 called Sketchpad which included 3D capability.
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USyoT_Ha_bA&feature=related
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKM3CmRqK2o&NR=1
Contributed by R.Poulin from the Vwks Listserv.
Here is a modern video which serves as an overview of the above:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=495nCzxM9PI&feature=related
…....................................................
Upgrading: What's in if for me?
With every upgrade of Vectorworks there comes, in reply from users, a whole list of reasons why upgrading is less than a great idea. Here are a few:
• I'm in a new line of work.
• No budget for upgrading--I'm almost in a new line of work.
• I work in 2D. Have you heard of this SketchUp?
• I'm still learning 12.5 or I know everything about 12.5 so what's the rush?
• What's a Viewport? Or "What's the point in getting a few stroked-out tools if I haven't updated/changed my whole workflow?"
• I'm waiting for the first bug fix.
• Can't upgrade computers AND software at the same time.
• I really plan on upgrading but I still like to complain online in hopes NNA squirms a little.
These are all legitimate reasons to hold onto your checkbook, except for maybe the last one.
Most relavent for this discussion is the fourth reason; “What's the point in getting a few stroked-out tools if I haven't updated/changed my whole workflow?" What about your workflow? Easy for me to say, I know, having just myself to satisfy. Those with groups of users face a glacial response to change not because they lack gumption but because of cost. Implementing change costs money and change can't be allowed to shut down production. This happens when new computers are purchased, operating systems are upgraded, conflicts between applications occur or key applications are refreshed. For these interruptions to be as small as possible, change needs to be implemented steadily and constantly in a sort of drip-drip-drip of progress.
Vectorworks, despite my most fevered dreams, advances in a kind of drip-drip too. There is never a world shattering breakthrough where NNA buys SketchUp from Google, joins the two together with a few deft lines of code, and emerges triumphant above all the lumbering giants of the CAD world. Yet if you've read the last Convert to Lines (“SketchUp on Steroids”) and watched the videos showing SpaceClaim and Solid Edge push-pull technology, you can begin to see where Vwks is headed, dragged as it is into this new century by technology provided by Seimen's Parasolid.
In Convert to Lines #38 I suggested that such a change could bring about “a massive improvement in the user experience.” If the drip-drip of change is directed toward a steady improvement in how you utilize Vectorworks and other tech apps, then you will be there to reap the rewards. Looking back, the cumulative change may indeed be termed “massive.” For others, this unclaimed progress may simply be productivity gone down the drain.
That's a wrap. Thanks for reading and watching.
Tom
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
Convert to Lines #38
9/21/09
Serving the Seattle VectorWorks Users Group and Northwest VectorWorks users.
An archive of past newsletters can be found at http://converttolines.blogspot.com/
To contact me, please write tomgreggs@comcast.net or call (206) 524-2808
In this issue:
• Refreshed video group: newest video added
• How Transom and Clerestory windows work
• SketchUp expert puts Cheney WA on map
• Official Guide “Getting Started with Vwks 2010” gets it right
• Digital Terrain Modeling advice
• SketchUp on steroids: the future of Vwks?
• More Resource Library points of view
.....................................
People:
Welcome to Fall. The leaves are turning, the days shortening, and production is rising, at least here in my basement where I compose the Convert to Lines newsletters. Since issuing CTL #37, I’ve been able to produce one more tutorial, this one called Viewports Tutorial and it has been placed with the others onto Viddler.com. (Google VectorWorks for Left Handers to see any one of them and view the list on the lower right hand side of the Viddler page.)
I rewrote the intro to CTL #37 to announce these new and revised videos. Do scroll down to read the expansion of that letter, done since it was last mailed to you.
http://converttolines.blogspot.com
.......................................
In Vwks Architect, what’s the difference between Transom and Clerestory selections on the Object Info palette (OIP)? Doors and windows, once inserted into a wall, have an option on the OIP to choose transom or clerestory. If you have a door and you click on the transom button on the OIP or you go into the Custom palette of the OIP for a finer array of choices, you’ll find, once you indicate the height of the transom window, that it shows as connected to the door or window. Windows work the same way. If you want to place a window or a series of windows above a door or another window and wish them to be spaced such that they don’t appear to be mullioned together at the manufacturer, then the clerestory button is the one to check. Sometimes a transom window’s OIP choices are limited so even if you want them connected you may decide to try the clerestory route.
To create a clerestory unit, put your door or window into the wall first. Then select the window tool and click over the window or door. Don’t insert it down the wall expecting to drag the window over the unit below. This causes a wall to appear across your original opening. Now, with the new window selected and sitting above the base unit, click on the clerestory button. The window will turn into a simplified line which looks a little funny over a door but blends in over a window such that it isn’t visible. If you don’t like the look of the clerestory in Top/Plan view over your base opening, make a class called Clerestory, move the clerestory unit there via the OIP, and then turn it to invisible. Turn it on once you make a 3D viewport so that it always shows up in that 3D view.
...............................................................................
Visit virtual downtown Cheney WA by way of SketchUp / Google Earth format!
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/cldetails?mid=a2719281744cd235a6b07619650f86c9&prevstart=0
Check out the alley view of the Odd Fellows Hall (3D rotate). Eeww. I joke, but only someone with a deep altruistic streak or a powerful love of their environment would spend this kind of time fleshing out their town and environs in such a unique way. That person is Ron Hall.
For those of you who aren’t Washingtonians, Cheney is a sleepy little college town in the wheat fields of Eastern Washington. The models shown are all created by Mr. Hall who has also made an impressive collection of E.W.U. buildings plus other Eastern Washington building collections.
Ron is an interesting guy. Golf course builder, advocate for cleaning up the Spokane River, urban planner+computer science combination Masters degree, GIS certified, MBA in finance/risk analysis from Wharton, not to mention his SketchUp skills which had Google flying him into Boulder Colorado in August for a two day conference where he was one of twenty “Super Modelers”. NNA would kill for that kind of passion--right?
Check this out:
http://cforjustice.org/2008/10/14/the-river-and-ron-hall/
http://www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs/txt/archive/?postID=4274
Nez Pierce Historic trail:
http://sites.google.com/site/nezpercehistorictrail/
Bill Gates’ high school building Bliss Hall
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=10b563904e5b7eb484bb00fee9a23237
Wow.
........................................................................
NNA has produced several “Getting Started” PDF’s for Vwks 2010 which are available for download off their website. On the right hand side of the main page, click on Free Resources. Spotlight, Landmark, Fundamentals and Architect all have tutorial style How-to’s created. So far I’ve only read through the Architect guide but I’m impressed. In the past, NNA has tried to show too many whistles and bells. This one is worth your time, even if you are an experienced user, but especially if you are not. While the authors don’t take time to delve into the why’s of Z or Delta Z (See Vwks for Left Handers: 3D Tutorials), the guide none the less has plenty of info for new users working in 2D who might be interested in 3D.
Take a look at Page 16 on how Constrain Collinear works in keeping certain walls fixed in relation to each other, and, later a quick look at the Select Similar tool which looks like a magic wand providing a nice shortcut to having to use Custom Selection to select like-minded elements.
If you are interested in the authors, their blog can be found here:
http://klad.com/blog/
Worth checking out.
...................................................................................
DTM advice from the web:
Question:
I'm trying my first "real" DTM (doing it the real way and not just using the Loft Tool). I have a dwg of a site plan. The contour lines are in 3D, and each contour line is a symbol. Each symbol is made up of many, many 3D polys. It appears that each poly is a ca. 15" line - or a 3D poly w/ only 2 vertices.Do I have to get the 3D polys "out" of the symbols? Or trace over them?
Any suggestions?
Thanks!
michaelk
From Peter Cipes:
I personally find it easier to trace over, but others might have different opinions. Do the following: 1) On a new clean design layer, trace over each contour, using the POLYLINE tool, starting with the LOWEST and working to the HIGHEST elevation. 2) Select all of the 2d Polylines and run the menu command: MODIFY/CONVERT?CONVERT TO POLYGONS. 3) Select all the Polygons and run the menu command: AEC/SURVEY INPUT/ 2d POLY'S to 3d CONTOURS. During this process you will be given some choices, like the elevation interval between contours, etc. then, each of your 2d polygons will highlight, one at a time, starting with the first created, and then the next, etc, each time you click Next. When all of them have been converted you will be asked if you want to save the originals. If you do, put them on another layer (you may want them later...) 4) Select all the new 3d Contours (which are actually 3d Poly's) and change their fill to None (in the attributes palette). 5) With them still selected run the menu command:AEC/Terrain/Create Site Model. There are lots of choices here, all of which can be modified after creation, so don;t worry too much about every single one.
From Chad McNeely:
I'll say that I generally disagree with this method, since polyline to polygon conversion creates huge vertex counts, and I've never had any luck with the 2d polys to 3d polys (contours) saving me any time. I'd further avoid any conversion attempt of dwg imported geometry for the same "control my vertex count" reason, as well as the likelihood that there are overlaps and other faults that could be tough to troubleshoot.
Instead, I trace my survey info with 2d polygons so that I can control my vertex count. Only I know where I need tight spacing, or not. Vertex reduction has always been very important for DTM/Site Models. I generally throw in some 3d loci as well where I have point elevations that I need. Next, select all the 2d polygons and convert to 3d polygons, ungroup to get individuals, set fill to none, and then select and enter each z-height in the OIP. Check the look of the 3d poly and loci 'cloud' from an isometric view or two, rotate the view with the flyover tool to make sure nothing is missed or whacky (zero, or 100" high instead of 100', etc.), then run the create Site Model command.
Next, check the look of the Site Model in the format you need. It will likely look great in 2d (w/ 2009), but if you use any 3d format beside extruded contours, you'll likely have some dirt spilling over (or have some dirt washed out from under) your contours. After copying this into a fresh file and sending it to NNA as a bugsubmit, a few tricks to try to massage the result that sometimes work are to add additional (or trace existing) contours and convert them to site modifier "pads" (with a fence), adding some 3d loci, adding some 3d polygons, moving the existing 3d polygons just a smidge (check them in a iso view to make sure they didn't get moved to z=0), etc. Note site modifier "pads" do not need to be enclosed shapes- a line can be used even.
The DTM/Site Model tool has always been an almost great tool- they keep chipping away at the edges, but can't seem to get it to "just work".
....................................................................
SketchUp on steroids?
Very cool video of a mechanical modeling program in action:
http://www2.spaceclaim.com/stream/video.aspx?v=transaxle.flv
Loved the narrator too.
If you enjoyed watching the above SpaceClaim vid’, take a look at this one produced by Siemens, makers of Solid Edge and authors of Parasolid; the 3D kernel VectorWorks is now almost entirely based on. Note that 3D animations occur about halfway in.
http://www.plm.automation.siemens.com/en_us/campaigns/breakthrough/
Can we see Vwks’ future? VectorWorks 2010 encompasses several features which seem to point the way. They are:
•Unified View
•3D snapping and working plane graphics
•Planar graphics (which might yield 3D text and dimensions eventually)
•Parametric constraints (locking relationships between various components)
•Wall sculpting
The decision by NNA to invest in Siemen’s Parasolid kernel could eventually extend the push-pull methods of Siemen’s Synchronous Technology into VectorWorks and thus bring forth a massive improvement to the user experience.
.....................................................................
More on Resource Libraries.
This from the NNA Listserve:
Hello Everyone,
This is my first post to the list and I was hoping to get some input from everyone.
I'm in a fairly new office of 8 people that is using VW2009 Architect. As such, there hasn't ever been a "symbol" or "resource" library (A "Favorite") established before, so the task is now mine. This library would have our custom hatches, custom symbols, our vectorscripts, etc. As it is a work in progress, it will be changing and growing for quite a while.
In VW2009's Preferences, I have found that one can specify "Workgroup and Project Folders" on a shared hard drive (our server), so I am planning on building a file there that has all of our custom resources, then pointing everyone's VW at it. The file that I am building would have all of our resources, available in the Resource Browser and divided up into folders wherever possible for easy sorting & locating. By having it as a shared file in a "Workgroup folder" any changes I make to it would be available to any user each time they restarted VW, so I wouldn't have to install the new additions/change on each machine individually.
Does this overall approach sound like a good way of setting such a shared resource? If not, what would you recommend?
If it does sound like a good way of doing such a thing, might you have any tips as I'm building this file?
Thanks!
-Neil
From Garrit Vanoppen:
Here's a few personal suggestions :
1. I would go for several Library files rather than one, so you can keep file size low enough to both work with and link to. Personally, I have a file for every type of Resources.
2. Find a good naming convention before you start adding all the resources. Symbol folders are a possible solution for symbols. Personally, as an overall solution, I have all of my Resource names to begin with numbers : this has proven to be a nice way to sort resources other than by alphabet, and the numeric codes refer to the Descriptive articles and the Bill of Materials.
From Julian Carr:
Here is what we tell our users:
1. Create a folder on the server (say "ACME Libraries") then within that folder, create some or all of the following directories:
+ACME Libraries
+Templates <- store VW template files in here
+Standards <- store VW standards files in here if any
+Favorites <- store shortcuts to library files in here for the Resource Browser
+Libraries
+Defaults
+Attributes - Gradients <- store VW gradient files in here
+Attributes - Hatches <- store VW hatch files in here
+Attributes - Image Fills <- store VW image fill files in here
+....etc.
Not that files in the defaults folder populate the various menus and popups within Vectorworks such as the Attributes palette, texture tab in the Obj Info palette, etc. Utilise these in preference to adding the library as a Favorite file unless you prefer that workflow.
2. Remove only these folders from the user folder on each of the client machines:
+Templates
+Standards
+Favorites
+Libraries
Although most of these will get recreated, they will be empty. You can access the User Folder by going the Vectorworks Preferences/User Folders tab, then clicking the Explore button (Windows) or Reveal In Finder button (Mac) at top right.
3. Optionally, remove the files in these folders from the Vectorworks application folder on each of the client machines:
+Templates
+Standards
This will prevent the default USA Templates and Standards from appearing in the lists in Vectorworks. This suggestion is probably more appropriate for users outside the USA.
4. In Vectorworks Preferences/User Folders tab, click the Add button in the Workgroup and Project Folders section. Navigate to the ACME Libraries folder on the server and click Choose. Notice that once you add a workgroup folder, the Explore/Reveal In Finder button is available for that directory too. Quit and restart VW.
Now all these files will be read from the server instead of the local machine.
5. Note that if/when you create a new resource, you can locate it in the Resource Browser, right click on it, choose Export, then export the resource to the appropriate folder.
6. Note that with a system setup like this, if you disconnect a machine from the network (like a laptop), the it will obviously not have access to your library folder. In this case you can replicate the library folder in the user folder on those machines, though it will need discipline to keep them coordinated.
7. Do not be tempted to add the Workspace or Settings folders to the master library. These need to be unique on each computer and stay in the User Folder.
..............................................................
That’s it!
Thanks for reading and watching.
Tom
Serving the Seattle VectorWorks Users Group and Northwest VectorWorks users.
An archive of past newsletters can be found at http://converttolines.blogspot.com/
To contact me, please write tomgreggs@comcast.net or call (206) 524-2808
In this issue:
• Refreshed video group: newest video added
• How Transom and Clerestory windows work
• SketchUp expert puts Cheney WA on map
• Official Guide “Getting Started with Vwks 2010” gets it right
• Digital Terrain Modeling advice
• SketchUp on steroids: the future of Vwks?
• More Resource Library points of view
.....................................
People:
Welcome to Fall. The leaves are turning, the days shortening, and production is rising, at least here in my basement where I compose the Convert to Lines newsletters. Since issuing CTL #37, I’ve been able to produce one more tutorial, this one called Viewports Tutorial and it has been placed with the others onto Viddler.com. (Google VectorWorks for Left Handers to see any one of them and view the list on the lower right hand side of the Viddler page.)
I rewrote the intro to CTL #37 to announce these new and revised videos. Do scroll down to read the expansion of that letter, done since it was last mailed to you.
http://converttolines.blogspot.com
.......................................
In Vwks Architect, what’s the difference between Transom and Clerestory selections on the Object Info palette (OIP)? Doors and windows, once inserted into a wall, have an option on the OIP to choose transom or clerestory. If you have a door and you click on the transom button on the OIP or you go into the Custom palette of the OIP for a finer array of choices, you’ll find, once you indicate the height of the transom window, that it shows as connected to the door or window. Windows work the same way. If you want to place a window or a series of windows above a door or another window and wish them to be spaced such that they don’t appear to be mullioned together at the manufacturer, then the clerestory button is the one to check. Sometimes a transom window’s OIP choices are limited so even if you want them connected you may decide to try the clerestory route.
To create a clerestory unit, put your door or window into the wall first. Then select the window tool and click over the window or door. Don’t insert it down the wall expecting to drag the window over the unit below. This causes a wall to appear across your original opening. Now, with the new window selected and sitting above the base unit, click on the clerestory button. The window will turn into a simplified line which looks a little funny over a door but blends in over a window such that it isn’t visible. If you don’t like the look of the clerestory in Top/Plan view over your base opening, make a class called Clerestory, move the clerestory unit there via the OIP, and then turn it to invisible. Turn it on once you make a 3D viewport so that it always shows up in that 3D view.
...............................................................................
Visit virtual downtown Cheney WA by way of SketchUp / Google Earth format!
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/cldetails?mid=a2719281744cd235a6b07619650f86c9&prevstart=0
Check out the alley view of the Odd Fellows Hall (3D rotate). Eeww. I joke, but only someone with a deep altruistic streak or a powerful love of their environment would spend this kind of time fleshing out their town and environs in such a unique way. That person is Ron Hall.
For those of you who aren’t Washingtonians, Cheney is a sleepy little college town in the wheat fields of Eastern Washington. The models shown are all created by Mr. Hall who has also made an impressive collection of E.W.U. buildings plus other Eastern Washington building collections.
Ron is an interesting guy. Golf course builder, advocate for cleaning up the Spokane River, urban planner+computer science combination Masters degree, GIS certified, MBA in finance/risk analysis from Wharton, not to mention his SketchUp skills which had Google flying him into Boulder Colorado in August for a two day conference where he was one of twenty “Super Modelers”. NNA would kill for that kind of passion--right?
Check this out:
http://cforjustice.org/2008/10/14/the-river-and-ron-hall/
http://www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs/txt/archive/?postID=4274
Nez Pierce Historic trail:
http://sites.google.com/site/nezpercehistorictrail/
Bill Gates’ high school building Bliss Hall
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=10b563904e5b7eb484bb00fee9a23237
Wow.
........................................................................
NNA has produced several “Getting Started” PDF’s for Vwks 2010 which are available for download off their website. On the right hand side of the main page, click on Free Resources. Spotlight, Landmark, Fundamentals and Architect all have tutorial style How-to’s created. So far I’ve only read through the Architect guide but I’m impressed. In the past, NNA has tried to show too many whistles and bells. This one is worth your time, even if you are an experienced user, but especially if you are not. While the authors don’t take time to delve into the why’s of Z or Delta Z (See Vwks for Left Handers: 3D Tutorials), the guide none the less has plenty of info for new users working in 2D who might be interested in 3D.
Take a look at Page 16 on how Constrain Collinear works in keeping certain walls fixed in relation to each other, and, later a quick look at the Select Similar tool which looks like a magic wand providing a nice shortcut to having to use Custom Selection to select like-minded elements.
If you are interested in the authors, their blog can be found here:
http://klad.com/blog/
Worth checking out.
...................................................................................
DTM advice from the web:
Question:
I'm trying my first "real" DTM (doing it the real way and not just using the Loft Tool). I have a dwg of a site plan. The contour lines are in 3D, and each contour line is a symbol. Each symbol is made up of many, many 3D polys. It appears that each poly is a ca. 15" line - or a 3D poly w/ only 2 vertices.Do I have to get the 3D polys "out" of the symbols? Or trace over them?
Any suggestions?
Thanks!
michaelk
From Peter Cipes:
I personally find it easier to trace over, but others might have different opinions. Do the following: 1) On a new clean design layer, trace over each contour, using the POLYLINE tool, starting with the LOWEST and working to the HIGHEST elevation. 2) Select all of the 2d Polylines and run the menu command: MODIFY/CONVERT?CONVERT TO POLYGONS. 3) Select all the Polygons and run the menu command: AEC/SURVEY INPUT/ 2d POLY'S to 3d CONTOURS. During this process you will be given some choices, like the elevation interval between contours, etc. then, each of your 2d polygons will highlight, one at a time, starting with the first created, and then the next, etc, each time you click Next. When all of them have been converted you will be asked if you want to save the originals. If you do, put them on another layer (you may want them later...) 4) Select all the new 3d Contours (which are actually 3d Poly's) and change their fill to None (in the attributes palette). 5) With them still selected run the menu command:AEC/Terrain/Create Site Model. There are lots of choices here, all of which can be modified after creation, so don;t worry too much about every single one.
From Chad McNeely:
I'll say that I generally disagree with this method, since polyline to polygon conversion creates huge vertex counts, and I've never had any luck with the 2d polys to 3d polys (contours) saving me any time. I'd further avoid any conversion attempt of dwg imported geometry for the same "control my vertex count" reason, as well as the likelihood that there are overlaps and other faults that could be tough to troubleshoot.
Instead, I trace my survey info with 2d polygons so that I can control my vertex count. Only I know where I need tight spacing, or not. Vertex reduction has always been very important for DTM/Site Models. I generally throw in some 3d loci as well where I have point elevations that I need. Next, select all the 2d polygons and convert to 3d polygons, ungroup to get individuals, set fill to none, and then select and enter each z-height in the OIP. Check the look of the 3d poly and loci 'cloud' from an isometric view or two, rotate the view with the flyover tool to make sure nothing is missed or whacky (zero, or 100" high instead of 100', etc.), then run the create Site Model command.
Next, check the look of the Site Model in the format you need. It will likely look great in 2d (w/ 2009), but if you use any 3d format beside extruded contours, you'll likely have some dirt spilling over (or have some dirt washed out from under) your contours. After copying this into a fresh file and sending it to NNA as a bugsubmit, a few tricks to try to massage the result that sometimes work are to add additional (or trace existing) contours and convert them to site modifier "pads" (with a fence), adding some 3d loci, adding some 3d polygons, moving the existing 3d polygons just a smidge (check them in a iso view to make sure they didn't get moved to z=0), etc. Note site modifier "pads" do not need to be enclosed shapes- a line can be used even.
The DTM/Site Model tool has always been an almost great tool- they keep chipping away at the edges, but can't seem to get it to "just work".
....................................................................
SketchUp on steroids?
Very cool video of a mechanical modeling program in action:
http://www2.spaceclaim.com/stream/video.aspx?v=transaxle.flv
Loved the narrator too.
If you enjoyed watching the above SpaceClaim vid’, take a look at this one produced by Siemens, makers of Solid Edge and authors of Parasolid; the 3D kernel VectorWorks is now almost entirely based on. Note that 3D animations occur about halfway in.
http://www.plm.automation.siemens.com/en_us/campaigns/breakthrough/
Can we see Vwks’ future? VectorWorks 2010 encompasses several features which seem to point the way. They are:
•Unified View
•3D snapping and working plane graphics
•Planar graphics (which might yield 3D text and dimensions eventually)
•Parametric constraints (locking relationships between various components)
•Wall sculpting
The decision by NNA to invest in Siemen’s Parasolid kernel could eventually extend the push-pull methods of Siemen’s Synchronous Technology into VectorWorks and thus bring forth a massive improvement to the user experience.
.....................................................................
More on Resource Libraries.
This from the NNA Listserve:
Hello Everyone,
This is my first post to the list and I was hoping to get some input from everyone.
I'm in a fairly new office of 8 people that is using VW2009 Architect. As such, there hasn't ever been a "symbol" or "resource" library (A "Favorite") established before, so the task is now mine. This library would have our custom hatches, custom symbols, our vectorscripts, etc. As it is a work in progress, it will be changing and growing for quite a while.
In VW2009's Preferences, I have found that one can specify "Workgroup and Project Folders" on a shared hard drive (our server), so I am planning on building a file there that has all of our custom resources, then pointing everyone's VW at it. The file that I am building would have all of our resources, available in the Resource Browser and divided up into folders wherever possible for easy sorting & locating. By having it as a shared file in a "Workgroup folder" any changes I make to it would be available to any user each time they restarted VW, so I wouldn't have to install the new additions/change on each machine individually.
Does this overall approach sound like a good way of setting such a shared resource? If not, what would you recommend?
If it does sound like a good way of doing such a thing, might you have any tips as I'm building this file?
Thanks!
-Neil
From Garrit Vanoppen:
Here's a few personal suggestions :
1. I would go for several Library files rather than one, so you can keep file size low enough to both work with and link to. Personally, I have a file for every type of Resources.
2. Find a good naming convention before you start adding all the resources. Symbol folders are a possible solution for symbols. Personally, as an overall solution, I have all of my Resource names to begin with numbers : this has proven to be a nice way to sort resources other than by alphabet, and the numeric codes refer to the Descriptive articles and the Bill of Materials.
From Julian Carr:
Here is what we tell our users:
1. Create a folder on the server (say "ACME Libraries") then within that folder, create some or all of the following directories:
+ACME Libraries
+Templates <- store VW template files in here
+Standards <- store VW standards files in here if any
+Favorites <- store shortcuts to library files in here for the Resource Browser
+Libraries
+Defaults
+Attributes - Gradients <- store VW gradient files in here
+Attributes - Hatches <- store VW hatch files in here
+Attributes - Image Fills <- store VW image fill files in here
+....etc.
Not that files in the defaults folder populate the various menus and popups within Vectorworks such as the Attributes palette, texture tab in the Obj Info palette, etc. Utilise these in preference to adding the library as a Favorite file unless you prefer that workflow.
2. Remove only these folders from the user folder on each of the client machines:
+Templates
+Standards
+Favorites
+Libraries
Although most of these will get recreated, they will be empty. You can access the User Folder by going the Vectorworks Preferences/User Folders tab, then clicking the Explore button (Windows) or Reveal In Finder button (Mac) at top right.
3. Optionally, remove the files in these folders from the Vectorworks application folder on each of the client machines:
+Templates
+Standards
This will prevent the default USA Templates and Standards from appearing in the lists in Vectorworks. This suggestion is probably more appropriate for users outside the USA.
4. In Vectorworks Preferences/User Folders tab, click the Add button in the Workgroup and Project Folders section. Navigate to the ACME Libraries folder on the server and click Choose. Notice that once you add a workgroup folder, the Explore/Reveal In Finder button is available for that directory too. Quit and restart VW.
Now all these files will be read from the server instead of the local machine.
5. Note that if/when you create a new resource, you can locate it in the Resource Browser, right click on it, choose Export, then export the resource to the appropriate folder.
6. Note that with a system setup like this, if you disconnect a machine from the network (like a laptop), the it will obviously not have access to your library folder. In this case you can replicate the library folder in the user folder on those machines, though it will need discipline to keep them coordinated.
7. Do not be tempted to add the Workspace or Settings folders to the master library. These need to be unique on each computer and stay in the User Folder.
..............................................................
That’s it!
Thanks for reading and watching.
Tom
Thursday, August 27, 2009
CONVERT TO LINES #37
8/27/09
Serving the Seattle VectorWorks Users Group and Northwest VectorWorks users.
An archive of past newsletters can be found at http://converttolines.blogspot.com/
To contact me, please write tomgreggs@comcast.net or call (206) 524-2808
In this issue:
• New free 3D videos
• Axio into Perspective
• Successful DTM’ing
• The history of VectorWorks
• New video from NNA
• CONfused about BIM?
• Vwks VS SketchUp
• Importing your own stuff
• Late breaking news on Snow Leopard (Mac OS) & Vwks 2009 compatability
• Healing oneself
.....................................
New free how-to videos have been uploaded to Viddler.com
http://www.viddler.com/search_detailed/?searchString=Video+for+left+handers
Last year, in response to writing these newsletters, I was asked if I couldn’t please illustrate my text-only explanations with pictures or videos of some kind. That winter, I began creating a series of videos designed for the newer user, the sole proprietor and those working in the residential, light construction market. Recently I’ve produced a couple of new videos plus rewritten others such that there is now a block of tutorials which gives the user an overview of 3D object creation and display via Viewports. Also explored is the creation of Design Layer Viewports and hybrid ways to control unwanted lines. The videos available are:
VectorWorks for Left Handers: 3D Tutorial Part 1
VectorWorks for Left Handers: 3D Tutorial Part 2
VectorWorks for Left Handers: 3D Tutorial Part 3
VectorWorks for Left Handers: Hidden Line Tutorial
VectorWorks for Left Handers: Viewports Tutorial
also
VectorWorks for Left Handers: Color and Texture
VectorWorks for Left Handers: Workspace Editing
I’ve called this group VectorWorks for Left Handers because I’ve felt for a long time that the process of creating layers and setting heights of the elements within those layers was easier than implied by the software itself as well as the online manual. I’d like to provide a left-of-center, right-brained approach to using this powerful software, a tool I find indispensable in my professional life.
There is no wrong way to use VectorWorks, in my opinion, only ways to be more effective and efficient in how you display your work. Conversely, there is no single right way to teach VectorWorks. I expect that others, having invested hard-won time in developing their own methods, will have important perspective to add to any discussion on technique or that advanced users may wish to look elsewhere for more focused help.
It has been my pleasure to create and provide these. I want to especially thank Steve Scaysbrook for his encouragement in my getting them uploaded to Viddler. Take a moment to view one of Steve’s videos here: http://www.viddler.com/explore/scays/videos/15/
........................................
The following was taken from the NNA Community Board ( I regret I did not record the author) and gives some methods for rotating a model from axiometric, which is the default Vwks projection, into perspective view.
Once you've rotated your model into an axo view (non-perspective) that you like,
- Go to the "Visualization" tool set, then:
- Get into perspective mode quickly by choosing the Walkthrough tool [Shift + U]. (But don't move the cursor around.)
- Now choose the Translate View tool [Shift + V]. You can slide the model around in the perspective window with it.
- While you are in the Translate View tool (in perspective), hold down the Alt/Option key. Now click and drag left and right, up and down.
- Alt/Option Drag LEFT moves the model into the distance.
- Alt/Option Drag RIGHT move the model closer.
- Alt/Option Drag DOWN increases the perpective effect.
- Alt/Option Drag UP decreases the perspective effect
- Dragging UP and DOWN changes the angle of the lens, controlling how dramatic your perspective is. Drag DOWN to widen the lens, making the perspective more dramatic.
- Dragging DOWN to increase the perspective effect also makes the model appear closer. Drag LEFT to decrese its size.
- Dragging UP decreases the perspective effect, but makes the model seem smaller. Drag RIGHT to increase its size.
To get out of perspective, go to View > Perspective > Orthogonal. If you do a lot of perspective, you'll want to use a shortcut for that.
For a shortcut out of a perspective view when on a Mac try using Command + 5 or Option + 0 or use, if you have a numeric key pad, simply press 0. On a PC use Ctrl + 5 or 0 on the numeric key pad. Note that the Camera tool gives much the same fine control—and then some. Escape from the Camera Tool view the same way.
Unsure of what axio means?
http://www.csus.edu/indiv/d/driesbachj/instructional%20stuff/axiometric%20demo.pdf
................................................................
Peter Cipes of Cipes Design, Ashland OR, gives a short but useful description of using the DTM or Digital Terrain Modelor in the NNA Community Board.
Try this in a new blank file:
1) Using the POLYLINE tool draw four or five (fictitious) contour lines
2) Select all of them
3) Run the menu command MODIFY/CONVERT/CONVERT TO POLYGONS
4) Select all of them
5) Run the menu command AEC/SURVEY INPUT/2d POLY'S to 3d CONTOURS. You will be given some choices in the dialog. Set the contour interval at 24" (2ft) then click NEXT at each highlighted Polygon. When finished you will be asked if you want to keep the originals. In this case (for demonstration) choose NO.
6) If you select each of the newly created 3d polygons you can look in the object info palette and will notice that they each have a "Z" value (ie: an elevation).
7) Select all of them and make sure sure that their FILL is set to NONE (in the attributes palette)
8) With them all selected run the menu command AEC/TERRIAN/CREATE SITE MODEL. You can either accept all of the default settings or make choices as desired. You can always go back later and change all of these so don't worry.
If you follow all of the above steps you should have your first (albeit very basic) Site Model.
Thanks, Peter!
Here is the link to the original post:
http://techboard.nemetschek.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=126106&gonew=1#UNREAD
If you’d like to follow a subset of this thread (DWG contours):
http://techboard.nemetschek.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=126853#Post126853
.................................................
Ever wonder about the history of VectorWorks?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vectorworks
Scroll to the bottom for a timeline.
........................................
New video from NNA called Understanding the Object Info Palette, 11:52 minutes
Description- In this video we discuss the versatility of the object info palette along with the various editing options that you have available to you through the Object Info Palette. We will also explain why the OIP is the most important palette in Vectorworks.
.
For QT movie in downloadable format:
http://download2.nemetschek.net/www_movies/user_group/Object_Info_Palette_QT.zip
For QT Movie in streaming format:
http://download2.nemetschek.net/www_movies/user_group/Object_Info_Palette_QT/Object_Info_Palette_QT.html
Be sure to watch the discussion of Data Tab options.
......................................
Confused about BIM and NNA? Robert Anderson has provided links to a video that was made of a slide show he delivered recently.
http://www.bimfusion.com/video.php?user=BIMFusion&video_id=20
BIMfusion hosts Robert’s video plus others. If you take time to listen to the end you will see a description of how InteriorCAD—a cabinet builders tool—works on top of VectorWorks. Robert also says the following:
“We let him [the user] develop workflows that might be outside what we are telling him that he has to do. As long as he can solve his problems, that makes us happy.”
And that makes me happy too.
...................................................
Back to the Community Board yet again with this reference to an opinion on using SketchUp versus—or maybe with—VectorWorks.
Check out gmm18’s thoughts.
http://techboard.nemetschek.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=127561&gonew=1#UNREAD
......................................................
Jeffrey Ouellette of NNA posted the following process, taken from the Vwks manual, on how to make a library of your details which can then be imported into new drawings. I usually don’t simply cut and paste from the manual but here I thought isolating the text might be helpful.
How to Make a Library
Resources in Favorites
For quick access, the Resource Browser can store links to VectorWorks files that contain resources that you use frequently. You can then import resources from a Favorites file into any VectorWorks file and not have to search for the file again. Remove the link when the file is of no further use. Favorite files are remembered for future sessions.
Use the Files menu in the Resource Browser to create, use, and manage your Favorites list. Alternatively, add files (or aliases or shortcuts to the files) to the appropriate Favorites folder manually.
Making the Current File a Favorite
To make the current file a favorite:
In the Resource Browser, select Add Current to Favorites from the Files menu.
The file is added to the File list under Favorites.
The file must be saved to be added as a favorite.
Making an Unopened File a Favorite
To make an unopened file a favorite:
1. In the Resource Browser, select Add New Favorite Files from the Files menu.
The standard Open dialog box opens.
2. Select the file to make a favorite, and then click Open.
The file is added to the File list under Favorites.
The file must be saved in the same version of VectorWorks as the current file to be added as a favorite.
Multiple files can be selected and added as favorites at the same time; alternatively, press Ctrl+A (Windows) or Command+A (Macintosh) to select all files at once.
Opening the Current Favorite
To open the current favorite:
1. In the Resource Browser, select the favorite file to open from the File list.
2. Select Open Current Favorite from the Files menu.
The file opens.
Importing a Resource from a Favorite
To import a resource from a favorite file:
1. In the Resource Browser, select the favorite file to access from the File list.
The file name is displayed as the current file in the File list, and its resources display in the resource window.
2. Select the desired resource from the resource display window. To import the resource for future use, select Import from the Resources menu. To use the resource immediately, double-click it to activate it, or select Apply or Make Active, if applicable, from the Resources menu. (Alternatively, drag the resource onto an object or to a location in the current file.)
Once the resource is placed or applied in the drawing, it is added to the Resource Browser for the current file.
Multiple resources can be selected and imported at the same time.
Refreshing Favorites from Disk
To update the resources from all favorite files:
In the Resource Browser, select Refresh Favorites from Disk from the Files menu.
All current favorite files are reloaded into the Resource Browser, to reflect any changes that occurred since they were loaded when this VectorWorks session began.
Revealing the Location of the Current Favorite
To reveal the location of a favorite file:
1. In the Resource Browser, select the favorite file to reveal from the File list.
The file name is displayed as the current file in the File list, and its resources display in the resource window.
2. Select Reveal Current Favorite from the Files menu.
Either Windows Explorer or Macintosh Finder opens to the folder that contains the file.
Removing Favorites
To remove a single favorite file:
1. In the Resource Browser, select the favorite file to delete from the File list.
2. Select Remove Current Favorite from the Files menu.
The file is removed from the Favorites list.
To remove all favorite files:
1. In the Resource Browser, select Remove All Favorites from the Files menu.
A confirmation dialog box opens.
2. Click Yes to remove all favorites.
All favorite files are removed from the Favorites list.
Adding a Favorite Manually
To create a favorite manually (not through the Resource Browser):
1. Place the file that you want to appear on the Favorites list (or a shortcut or alias that points to the file) in one of the following folders.
Favorites Folder
[User]/Libraries/Favorites
[Workgroup]/Libraries/Favorites
The file appears in the Favorites list of any user who has the workgroup folder set up in VectorWorks preferences
The file is added to the File list under Favorites.
2. In the Resource Browser, select Refresh Favorites from Disk from the Files menu.
Only files that are in your user Favorites folder can be removed with the commands in the Resource Browser. (See User Folders Preferences for more information.) Files that were placed in a workgroup Favorites folder must be removed manually.
You can read the above on page 148, in the Vwks 2008 Fundamentals manual or find the same online here:
file:///Applications/Vectorworks%202009/VWHelp/wwhelp/wwhimpl/js/html/wwhelp.htm
Scroll down to Resources in Favorites
............................................
Technical Bulletin
Vectorworks 2009 and Mac OS X Snow Leopard (v.10.6) Stability Concerns
As many of you know, Apple will be releasing Snow Leopard on August 28,2009. And as many of our customers work on a Mac platform, the release of Snow Leopard naturally brings up questions of compatibility.
Understanding that for the majority of our customer base, our software is a key component of their work flow, our CTO, Dr. Biplab Sarkar, does not
recommend running Vectorworks 2009 (Service Pack 4 or earlier) on Snow Leopard at this point in time. Dr. Sarkar and his team are already in process, developing a version of Vectorworks 2009 that will be fully
compatible with Snow Leopard and free to all Vectorworks 2009 users. Expect
to hear notice of this version availability in early November, 2009. And, if
you?re not already subscribed to our monthly e-Dispatch newsletter, please
subscribe now so that you?ll get the announcement.
http://www.nemetschek.net/community/edisp_subscribe.php
For those customers with software versions earlier than Vectorworks 2009,
please note we do not have plans to update these older versions to support
Mac OS X Snow Leopard (v.10.6).
Thank you for your understanding and patience. If you wish to read a more
detailed technical explanation of the current stability issues with Snow
Leopard, you?ll find that information on our ever-growing Vectorworks
Knowledge Base site: http://cli.gs/JrsNtD If you wish to be kept abreast of
all our latest updates on the Vectorworks Knowledge Base, you can subscribe
to the feed of new posts there.
Respectfully,
Juan Almansa
Product Support Manager
Nemetschek North America, Inc.
T 410-290-5114
D 443-542-0716
S jalmansamd
E jalmansa@vectorworks.net
...........................................................
The ecomonic downturn globally and nationally has taken momentum out of most markets, CAD especially. I liken the effect on the user community to an injury of some kind, the type that takes a while to recover from both physically and mentally. We’ve lost our momentum too, and some of our joy, as we hunker down to get through this difficult period.
The one thing that we can do for ourselves, as our doctors have been prescribing, is to retrain, to get up and excercise, to strengthen and stretch and get back to where we were, fully engaged and invested in our work and our lives. If you’ve had an accident or an operation you know how hard it is to get out of bed or off the couch. I won’t discount your struggle. But having gone through such a recovery, I know that it will work out, and the sooner you heal yourself, as much as you can, the happier you will be.
The markets will come back, the work will come back, along with the joy and a willingness to invest time in making yourself better in all ways.
Thanks for reading.
Tom
Serving the Seattle VectorWorks Users Group and Northwest VectorWorks users.
An archive of past newsletters can be found at http://converttolines.blogspot.com/
To contact me, please write tomgreggs@comcast.net or call (206) 524-2808
In this issue:
• New free 3D videos
• Axio into Perspective
• Successful DTM’ing
• The history of VectorWorks
• New video from NNA
• CONfused about BIM?
• Vwks VS SketchUp
• Importing your own stuff
• Late breaking news on Snow Leopard (Mac OS) & Vwks 2009 compatability
• Healing oneself
.....................................
New free how-to videos have been uploaded to Viddler.com
http://www.viddler.com/search_detailed/?searchString=Video+for+left+handers
Last year, in response to writing these newsletters, I was asked if I couldn’t please illustrate my text-only explanations with pictures or videos of some kind. That winter, I began creating a series of videos designed for the newer user, the sole proprietor and those working in the residential, light construction market. Recently I’ve produced a couple of new videos plus rewritten others such that there is now a block of tutorials which gives the user an overview of 3D object creation and display via Viewports. Also explored is the creation of Design Layer Viewports and hybrid ways to control unwanted lines. The videos available are:
VectorWorks for Left Handers: 3D Tutorial Part 1
VectorWorks for Left Handers: 3D Tutorial Part 2
VectorWorks for Left Handers: 3D Tutorial Part 3
VectorWorks for Left Handers: Hidden Line Tutorial
VectorWorks for Left Handers: Viewports Tutorial
also
VectorWorks for Left Handers: Color and Texture
VectorWorks for Left Handers: Workspace Editing
I’ve called this group VectorWorks for Left Handers because I’ve felt for a long time that the process of creating layers and setting heights of the elements within those layers was easier than implied by the software itself as well as the online manual. I’d like to provide a left-of-center, right-brained approach to using this powerful software, a tool I find indispensable in my professional life.
There is no wrong way to use VectorWorks, in my opinion, only ways to be more effective and efficient in how you display your work. Conversely, there is no single right way to teach VectorWorks. I expect that others, having invested hard-won time in developing their own methods, will have important perspective to add to any discussion on technique or that advanced users may wish to look elsewhere for more focused help.
It has been my pleasure to create and provide these. I want to especially thank Steve Scaysbrook for his encouragement in my getting them uploaded to Viddler. Take a moment to view one of Steve’s videos here: http://www.viddler.com/explore/scays/videos/15/
........................................
The following was taken from the NNA Community Board ( I regret I did not record the author) and gives some methods for rotating a model from axiometric, which is the default Vwks projection, into perspective view.
Once you've rotated your model into an axo view (non-perspective) that you like,
- Go to the "Visualization" tool set, then:
- Get into perspective mode quickly by choosing the Walkthrough tool [Shift + U]. (But don't move the cursor around.)
- Now choose the Translate View tool [Shift + V]. You can slide the model around in the perspective window with it.
- While you are in the Translate View tool (in perspective), hold down the Alt/Option key. Now click and drag left and right, up and down.
- Alt/Option Drag LEFT moves the model into the distance.
- Alt/Option Drag RIGHT move the model closer.
- Alt/Option Drag DOWN increases the perpective effect.
- Alt/Option Drag UP decreases the perspective effect
- Dragging UP and DOWN changes the angle of the lens, controlling how dramatic your perspective is. Drag DOWN to widen the lens, making the perspective more dramatic.
- Dragging DOWN to increase the perspective effect also makes the model appear closer. Drag LEFT to decrese its size.
- Dragging UP decreases the perspective effect, but makes the model seem smaller. Drag RIGHT to increase its size.
To get out of perspective, go to View > Perspective > Orthogonal. If you do a lot of perspective, you'll want to use a shortcut for that.
For a shortcut out of a perspective view when on a Mac try using Command + 5 or Option + 0 or use, if you have a numeric key pad, simply press 0. On a PC use Ctrl + 5 or 0 on the numeric key pad. Note that the Camera tool gives much the same fine control—and then some. Escape from the Camera Tool view the same way.
Unsure of what axio means?
http://www.csus.edu/indiv/d/driesbachj/instructional%20stuff/axiometric%20demo.pdf
................................................................
Peter Cipes of Cipes Design, Ashland OR, gives a short but useful description of using the DTM or Digital Terrain Modelor in the NNA Community Board.
Try this in a new blank file:
1) Using the POLYLINE tool draw four or five (fictitious) contour lines
2) Select all of them
3) Run the menu command MODIFY/CONVERT/CONVERT TO POLYGONS
4) Select all of them
5) Run the menu command AEC/SURVEY INPUT/2d POLY'S to 3d CONTOURS. You will be given some choices in the dialog. Set the contour interval at 24" (2ft) then click NEXT at each highlighted Polygon. When finished you will be asked if you want to keep the originals. In this case (for demonstration) choose NO.
6) If you select each of the newly created 3d polygons you can look in the object info palette and will notice that they each have a "Z" value (ie: an elevation).
7) Select all of them and make sure sure that their FILL is set to NONE (in the attributes palette)
8) With them all selected run the menu command AEC/TERRIAN/CREATE SITE MODEL. You can either accept all of the default settings or make choices as desired. You can always go back later and change all of these so don't worry.
If you follow all of the above steps you should have your first (albeit very basic) Site Model.
Thanks, Peter!
Here is the link to the original post:
http://techboard.nemetschek.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=126106&gonew=1#UNREAD
If you’d like to follow a subset of this thread (DWG contours):
http://techboard.nemetschek.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=126853#Post126853
.................................................
Ever wonder about the history of VectorWorks?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vectorworks
Scroll to the bottom for a timeline.
........................................
New video from NNA called Understanding the Object Info Palette, 11:52 minutes
Description- In this video we discuss the versatility of the object info palette along with the various editing options that you have available to you through the Object Info Palette. We will also explain why the OIP is the most important palette in Vectorworks.
.
For QT movie in downloadable format:
http://download2.nemetschek.net/www_movies/user_group/Object_Info_Palette_QT.zip
For QT Movie in streaming format:
http://download2.nemetschek.net/www_movies/user_group/Object_Info_Palette_QT/Object_Info_Palette_QT.html
Be sure to watch the discussion of Data Tab options.
......................................
Confused about BIM and NNA? Robert Anderson has provided links to a video that was made of a slide show he delivered recently.
http://www.bimfusion.com/video.php?user=BIMFusion&video_id=20
BIMfusion hosts Robert’s video plus others. If you take time to listen to the end you will see a description of how InteriorCAD—a cabinet builders tool—works on top of VectorWorks. Robert also says the following:
“We let him [the user] develop workflows that might be outside what we are telling him that he has to do. As long as he can solve his problems, that makes us happy.”
And that makes me happy too.
...................................................
Back to the Community Board yet again with this reference to an opinion on using SketchUp versus—or maybe with—VectorWorks.
Check out gmm18’s thoughts.
http://techboard.nemetschek.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=127561&gonew=1#UNREAD
......................................................
Jeffrey Ouellette of NNA posted the following process, taken from the Vwks manual, on how to make a library of your details which can then be imported into new drawings. I usually don’t simply cut and paste from the manual but here I thought isolating the text might be helpful.
How to Make a Library
Resources in Favorites
For quick access, the Resource Browser can store links to VectorWorks files that contain resources that you use frequently. You can then import resources from a Favorites file into any VectorWorks file and not have to search for the file again. Remove the link when the file is of no further use. Favorite files are remembered for future sessions.
Use the Files menu in the Resource Browser to create, use, and manage your Favorites list. Alternatively, add files (or aliases or shortcuts to the files) to the appropriate Favorites folder manually.
Making the Current File a Favorite
To make the current file a favorite:
In the Resource Browser, select Add Current to Favorites from the Files menu.
The file is added to the File list under Favorites.
The file must be saved to be added as a favorite.
Making an Unopened File a Favorite
To make an unopened file a favorite:
1. In the Resource Browser, select Add New Favorite Files from the Files menu.
The standard Open dialog box opens.
2. Select the file to make a favorite, and then click Open.
The file is added to the File list under Favorites.
The file must be saved in the same version of VectorWorks as the current file to be added as a favorite.
Multiple files can be selected and added as favorites at the same time; alternatively, press Ctrl+A (Windows) or Command+A (Macintosh) to select all files at once.
Opening the Current Favorite
To open the current favorite:
1. In the Resource Browser, select the favorite file to open from the File list.
2. Select Open Current Favorite from the Files menu.
The file opens.
Importing a Resource from a Favorite
To import a resource from a favorite file:
1. In the Resource Browser, select the favorite file to access from the File list.
The file name is displayed as the current file in the File list, and its resources display in the resource window.
2. Select the desired resource from the resource display window. To import the resource for future use, select Import from the Resources menu. To use the resource immediately, double-click it to activate it, or select Apply or Make Active, if applicable, from the Resources menu. (Alternatively, drag the resource onto an object or to a location in the current file.)
Once the resource is placed or applied in the drawing, it is added to the Resource Browser for the current file.
Multiple resources can be selected and imported at the same time.
Refreshing Favorites from Disk
To update the resources from all favorite files:
In the Resource Browser, select Refresh Favorites from Disk from the Files menu.
All current favorite files are reloaded into the Resource Browser, to reflect any changes that occurred since they were loaded when this VectorWorks session began.
Revealing the Location of the Current Favorite
To reveal the location of a favorite file:
1. In the Resource Browser, select the favorite file to reveal from the File list.
The file name is displayed as the current file in the File list, and its resources display in the resource window.
2. Select Reveal Current Favorite from the Files menu.
Either Windows Explorer or Macintosh Finder opens to the folder that contains the file.
Removing Favorites
To remove a single favorite file:
1. In the Resource Browser, select the favorite file to delete from the File list.
2. Select Remove Current Favorite from the Files menu.
The file is removed from the Favorites list.
To remove all favorite files:
1. In the Resource Browser, select Remove All Favorites from the Files menu.
A confirmation dialog box opens.
2. Click Yes to remove all favorites.
All favorite files are removed from the Favorites list.
Adding a Favorite Manually
To create a favorite manually (not through the Resource Browser):
1. Place the file that you want to appear on the Favorites list (or a shortcut or alias that points to the file) in one of the following folders.
Favorites Folder
[User]/Libraries/Favorites
[Workgroup]/Libraries/Favorites
The file appears in the Favorites list of any user who has the workgroup folder set up in VectorWorks preferences
The file is added to the File list under Favorites.
2. In the Resource Browser, select Refresh Favorites from Disk from the Files menu.
Only files that are in your user Favorites folder can be removed with the commands in the Resource Browser. (See User Folders Preferences for more information.) Files that were placed in a workgroup Favorites folder must be removed manually.
You can read the above on page 148, in the Vwks 2008 Fundamentals manual or find the same online here:
file:///Applications/Vectorworks%202009/VWHelp/wwhelp/wwhimpl/js/html/wwhelp.htm
Scroll down to Resources in Favorites
............................................
Technical Bulletin
Vectorworks 2009 and Mac OS X Snow Leopard (v.10.6) Stability Concerns
As many of you know, Apple will be releasing Snow Leopard on August 28,2009. And as many of our customers work on a Mac platform, the release of Snow Leopard naturally brings up questions of compatibility.
Understanding that for the majority of our customer base, our software is a key component of their work flow, our CTO, Dr. Biplab Sarkar, does not
recommend running Vectorworks 2009 (Service Pack 4 or earlier) on Snow Leopard at this point in time. Dr. Sarkar and his team are already in process, developing a version of Vectorworks 2009 that will be fully
compatible with Snow Leopard and free to all Vectorworks 2009 users. Expect
to hear notice of this version availability in early November, 2009. And, if
you?re not already subscribed to our monthly e-Dispatch newsletter, please
subscribe now so that you?ll get the announcement.
http://www.nemetschek.net/community/edisp_subscribe.php
For those customers with software versions earlier than Vectorworks 2009,
please note we do not have plans to update these older versions to support
Mac OS X Snow Leopard (v.10.6).
Thank you for your understanding and patience. If you wish to read a more
detailed technical explanation of the current stability issues with Snow
Leopard, you?ll find that information on our ever-growing Vectorworks
Knowledge Base site: http://cli.gs/JrsNtD If you wish to be kept abreast of
all our latest updates on the Vectorworks Knowledge Base, you can subscribe
to the feed of new posts there.
Respectfully,
Juan Almansa
Product Support Manager
Nemetschek North America, Inc.
T 410-290-5114
D 443-542-0716
S jalmansamd
E jalmansa@vectorworks.net
...........................................................
The ecomonic downturn globally and nationally has taken momentum out of most markets, CAD especially. I liken the effect on the user community to an injury of some kind, the type that takes a while to recover from both physically and mentally. We’ve lost our momentum too, and some of our joy, as we hunker down to get through this difficult period.
The one thing that we can do for ourselves, as our doctors have been prescribing, is to retrain, to get up and excercise, to strengthen and stretch and get back to where we were, fully engaged and invested in our work and our lives. If you’ve had an accident or an operation you know how hard it is to get out of bed or off the couch. I won’t discount your struggle. But having gone through such a recovery, I know that it will work out, and the sooner you heal yourself, as much as you can, the happier you will be.
The markets will come back, the work will come back, along with the joy and a willingness to invest time in making yourself better in all ways.
Thanks for reading.
Tom
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Convert to Lines #36
4/26/09
Serving the Seattle VectorWorks Users Group and Northwest Vectorworks users.
An archive of past newsletters can be found at http://converttolines.blogspot.com/
To contact me, please write to tomgreggs@comcast.net or call (206) 524-2808
In this issue:
• New video from VectorWorks for Left Handers
• Sort of new videos from NNA
• Bits and pieces
.....................................
Everyone:
I’ve been on a breakneck pace since December getting out newsletters and how-to videos and I’m going to go light on the writing this month and focus on making a how-to video on adding colors and textures to 3D objects. Called Color and Texture, it is 17 minutes long and 48 MB in size. Fundamentals users may lack the texture libraries shown in this tutorial.
I will place this video in my public folder which contains several others. It can be found at: http://public.me.com/tomgreggs
You will be presented with a dialog box into which you should type the following:
Account: public
Password: vector
Click on the little down-pointing arrow at the end of the file row to begin the transfer.
I’m really pleased with the transition from the all-text nature of my newsletters to text-plus-video. Video clearly communicates that Vwks can be useful right out of the box provided there is a little help from your friends.
I’m happy to add a small bit of learning material to what is available to you from other, more established sources. You get what you pay for and that’s no lie. But it is equally true that the best things in life are free. Enjoy!
.........................................
You’ve already had a chance to see the DWG tutorial video which was listed on the last NNA eDispatch newsletter. If you missed it, here is the URL:
http://download4.nemetschek.net/movies/usergroup/file_DWG_in_out.mov
Also available from NNA is a video on sustainable design:
http://download2.nemetschek.net/www_movies/2009/SustainableVW-video.mov
Coming up from NNA:
Late April: Photorealistic Rendering
How and when to use HDRI, Final Gather and Radiosity to achieve superior rendering results.
Late May: Architectural Modeling
How 3D modeling tools like “Loft Surface” and “Create Contours” can help when designing organic 3D architectural shapes.
Late June: Key Elements with the Vectorworks Interface
How different palettes and menus like “OIP (Object Info Palette)”, “Resource Browser” and “The View Bar menu” can help on your day-to-day design process.
............................................
Here’s a new Vwks blog to bookmark:
www.vectorshpere.wordpress.com
The author, Brian J. Poole, or BJP, is a long time user of Vwks, is enthusiastic and has provided a solid place for community and for learning. Check it out.
See his very nice work on his website too
...............................................
Last time I talked a little about printers. Pam Lund wrote to tell me that she uses an HP 500 N photocopier. She draws at 1/16”=1’ and then enlarges 200% to get to 1/8” scale.
................................................
That’s it! Hope you enjoy the video.
Tom Greggs
Serving the Seattle VectorWorks Users Group and Northwest Vectorworks users.
An archive of past newsletters can be found at http://converttolines.blogspot.com/
To contact me, please write to tomgreggs@comcast.net or call (206) 524-2808
In this issue:
• New video from VectorWorks for Left Handers
• Sort of new videos from NNA
• Bits and pieces
.....................................
Everyone:
I’ve been on a breakneck pace since December getting out newsletters and how-to videos and I’m going to go light on the writing this month and focus on making a how-to video on adding colors and textures to 3D objects. Called Color and Texture, it is 17 minutes long and 48 MB in size. Fundamentals users may lack the texture libraries shown in this tutorial.
I will place this video in my public folder which contains several others. It can be found at: http://public.me.com/tomgreggs
You will be presented with a dialog box into which you should type the following:
Account: public
Password: vector
Click on the little down-pointing arrow at the end of the file row to begin the transfer.
I’m really pleased with the transition from the all-text nature of my newsletters to text-plus-video. Video clearly communicates that Vwks can be useful right out of the box provided there is a little help from your friends.
I’m happy to add a small bit of learning material to what is available to you from other, more established sources. You get what you pay for and that’s no lie. But it is equally true that the best things in life are free. Enjoy!
.........................................
You’ve already had a chance to see the DWG tutorial video which was listed on the last NNA eDispatch newsletter. If you missed it, here is the URL:
http://download4.nemetschek.net/movies/usergroup/file_DWG_in_out.mov
Also available from NNA is a video on sustainable design:
http://download2.nemetschek.net/www_movies/2009/SustainableVW-video.mov
Coming up from NNA:
Late April: Photorealistic Rendering
How and when to use HDRI, Final Gather and Radiosity to achieve superior rendering results.
Late May: Architectural Modeling
How 3D modeling tools like “Loft Surface” and “Create Contours” can help when designing organic 3D architectural shapes.
Late June: Key Elements with the Vectorworks Interface
How different palettes and menus like “OIP (Object Info Palette)”, “Resource Browser” and “The View Bar menu” can help on your day-to-day design process.
............................................
Here’s a new Vwks blog to bookmark:
www.vectorshpere.wordpress.com
The author, Brian J. Poole, or BJP, is a long time user of Vwks, is enthusiastic and has provided a solid place for community and for learning. Check it out.
See his very nice work on his website too
...............................................
Last time I talked a little about printers. Pam Lund wrote to tell me that she uses an HP 500 N photocopier. She draws at 1/16”=1’ and then enlarges 200% to get to 1/8” scale.
................................................
That’s it! Hope you enjoy the video.
Tom Greggs
Monday, March 23, 2009
Convert to Lines #35
Serving the Seattle VectorWorks Users Group and Northwest VectorWorks users.
Scroll down to read past newsletters
To contact me, please write to tomgreggs@comcast.net or call (206) 524-2808
In this issue:
• No User Group meeting in March
• New NNA video tutorial (it’s a good’un)
• ANOTHER (!!!) video tutorial available from VectorWorks for Left Handers
• Cheap printing
• Misc. tips
....................................
There will be no meeting for the month of March. The good news is that the Wood Construction Center will remain at its current location and, I assume, continue to be available for us for future user group meetings. I made mention of interest in having someone step into the role of user group leader. So far, no takers. Let me know if you have an inkling of interest.
[The Urban Dictionary defines “inkling”, in its second definition, as “A small angry man or dwarf that runs through public areas kicking people in the shin.”]
....................................
Here is a link to NNA’s latest video tutorial, made especially for the User Groups, on “Using Spotlight in Exhibit Design.”
http://download2.nemetschek.net/www_movies/user_group/Creating_an_Exhibit_Design.mov
This is a splendid tutorial that should be seen by anyone using or about to use VectorWorks because it shows a relatively simple project that delivers a lot of bang for the effort. The renderings created in a very short time look great. This is the kind of enabling from NNA I like to see.
Spotlight using Lighting designers may also be interested in this URL of a review of Spotlight:
http://livedesignonline.com/gear/lighting/0311-vectorworks-2009-program-review/
Lastly, the latest Dispatch has a great little tutorial on how to take a jpg or other image file and turn it into wall art, including the picture frame. This video builds on the core of the Exhibit Design tutorial:
http://download2.nemetschek.net/TechTips/3D_Painting_VTT/3D_Painting_VTT.html
.....................................
Not to be outdone, I’ve created my second beginners video, called Preferences Tutorial, which can be downloaded same as earlier ones by following the directions below. This tutorial is intended to give the new user a base for starting out and is not an exhaustive definition of all pref’s and their actions and consequences.
Not yet created will be a second basic tutorial covering use of the 2D tools. It is my hope that, together, these two, along with the 3D tutorial, will be a helpful introductory trio for any new user and/or the more experienced upgrader.
To lock these preferences in, be sure to make a template of your file for future projects. To make a template, go to File > Save As Template.
Download the Preferences Tutorial.mov.zip from here (107 MB, about 28 minutes):
http://public.me.com/tomgreggs
You will be presented with a dialog box into which you should type the following:
Account: public
Password: vector
Click on the little down-pointing arrow at the end of the file row to begin the transfer.
Also within the Public folder is an advanced tutorial called Hidden Line Editing plus a Read Me, another tutorial on Workspace Editing along with a Vwks 2009 version of keyboard shortcuts (VWKeyboardShortcuts.pdf), a shorthand version of frequently used commands (Tom’s Keyboard Shortcuts.pdf) and a copy of an edited workspace (Tom’s Architect Wkspace.zip).
The latest Quicktime player can be had at www.apple.com/quicktime/download/
....................................
There has been some discussion lately on the NNA Listserv concerning best laser type printers. Several posters suggested that you could save money both in the cost of the printer and in the cost of consumables by printing using a large format photocopier set to 50% the size of your sheet scale. This assumes you would eventually send full sized PDF’s out for final printing somewhere.
The best bang for the buck seemed to recommend a used HP Laserjet 5000 N and 12 x 18 paper. The N designates the addition of a JetDirect print server which allows printing in a workgroup setting but also connects single machines, Macs in particular, through their ethernet ports or ports on a router. Here are two resellers:
http://www.printertechs.com/printer/refurbished-hp-laserjet-5000.php
http://www.dolphininc.net/
These are about $500 refurbished and will print 11 x 17 and 12 x 18 when hand-fed. If you draw typically in Arch D size on 24 x 36 paper at 1/4” per foot, you can switch to A1 (23.4”x33.1”) as your preferred sheet size and then print to the HP 5000 using a 50% reduction which should print an accurate sheet at 1/8” per foot onto 12 x 18 paper. Use this process to proof your drawings, then send out your PDF’s for final printing. Make sure the printer has A1 paper in stock.
HP 5000 N manuals here:
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/DocumentIndex.jsp?contentType=SupportManual&lang=en&cc=us&docIndexId=64179&taskId=101&prodTypeId=18972&prodSeriesId=25473
Dan Belfiori, posting to my questions about the HP 5000 on the NNA Listserv, said that he’d originally started scaling half sized sheets per the above process but found that staying with 11 x17 sheets meant that paper fed more easily and was more readily accessible even though the reduction process meant that to fit the image from 24 x 36 onto 11 x 17 sheets, the percentage dropped to about 46% and thus was no longer reliably scalable to 1/8” per foot. He said he finds that scaling in his work has not been much of a factor and when it has been important, he adds a scale bar. He also suggests looking at other 11 x17 printers such as the 5100, 8000 and 8500.
...........................
Miscellaneous bits:
• For those looking for a schematic showing how one might set up a filing structure for a multi-user environment:
http://techboard.nemetschek.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=119565&gonew=1#UNREAD
From the Community Board. Scroll down until you see the post from highpass showing an attachment (PDF) labeled as Drawing Tools.
• Speaking of multi-users, the NNA Community Board has added a folder to serve the same and it has only been in service since November of ‘08. There is an interesting thread there on how to set up to serve several:
http://techboard.nemetschek.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=113450&gonew=1#UNREAD
• Xfrog is a group that has provided 2D and 3D plants for Vwks Architect and Landmark. Take a look at this lushly rendered landscape from their Gallery:
http://www.xfrog.com/4images/details.php?image_id=436&mode=search
Click on Top Images to see more.
Here’s a link to their For Sale libraries:
http://www.xfrogdownloads.com/greenwebNew/products/productStart.htm
• Are you finding that Section Viewports need more editing than the tool allows? If drawing over your section in Annotations is less than fulfilling, and you don’t need an updatable template as described in my Hidden Line Editing video tutorial, take a look at this nice description of a simple process that will break your Section Viewport into editable parts. By Pat Stanford.
http://aecbytes.com/tipsandtricks/2006/issue7-vectorworks.html
........................
That’s it for now. Thanks for reading.
Tom Greggs
Greggs Building Design
Seattle
Scroll down to read past newsletters
To contact me, please write to tomgreggs@comcast.net or call (206) 524-2808
In this issue:
• No User Group meeting in March
• New NNA video tutorial (it’s a good’un)
• ANOTHER (!!!) video tutorial available from VectorWorks for Left Handers
• Cheap printing
• Misc. tips
....................................
There will be no meeting for the month of March. The good news is that the Wood Construction Center will remain at its current location and, I assume, continue to be available for us for future user group meetings. I made mention of interest in having someone step into the role of user group leader. So far, no takers. Let me know if you have an inkling of interest.
[The Urban Dictionary defines “inkling”, in its second definition, as “A small angry man or dwarf that runs through public areas kicking people in the shin.”]
....................................
Here is a link to NNA’s latest video tutorial, made especially for the User Groups, on “Using Spotlight in Exhibit Design.”
http://download2.nemetschek.net/www_movies/user_group/Creating_an_Exhibit_Design.mov
This is a splendid tutorial that should be seen by anyone using or about to use VectorWorks because it shows a relatively simple project that delivers a lot of bang for the effort. The renderings created in a very short time look great. This is the kind of enabling from NNA I like to see.
Spotlight using Lighting designers may also be interested in this URL of a review of Spotlight:
http://livedesignonline.com/gear/lighting/0311-vectorworks-2009-program-review/
Lastly, the latest Dispatch has a great little tutorial on how to take a jpg or other image file and turn it into wall art, including the picture frame. This video builds on the core of the Exhibit Design tutorial:
http://download2.nemetschek.net/TechTips/3D_Painting_VTT/3D_Painting_VTT.html
.....................................
Not to be outdone, I’ve created my second beginners video, called Preferences Tutorial, which can be downloaded same as earlier ones by following the directions below. This tutorial is intended to give the new user a base for starting out and is not an exhaustive definition of all pref’s and their actions and consequences.
Not yet created will be a second basic tutorial covering use of the 2D tools. It is my hope that, together, these two, along with the 3D tutorial, will be a helpful introductory trio for any new user and/or the more experienced upgrader.
To lock these preferences in, be sure to make a template of your file for future projects. To make a template, go to File > Save As Template.
Download the Preferences Tutorial.mov.zip from here (107 MB, about 28 minutes):
http://public.me.com/tomgreggs
You will be presented with a dialog box into which you should type the following:
Account: public
Password: vector
Click on the little down-pointing arrow at the end of the file row to begin the transfer.
Also within the Public folder is an advanced tutorial called Hidden Line Editing plus a Read Me, another tutorial on Workspace Editing along with a Vwks 2009 version of keyboard shortcuts (VWKeyboardShortcuts.pdf), a shorthand version of frequently used commands (Tom’s Keyboard Shortcuts.pdf) and a copy of an edited workspace (Tom’s Architect Wkspace.zip).
The latest Quicktime player can be had at www.apple.com/quicktime/download/
....................................
There has been some discussion lately on the NNA Listserv concerning best laser type printers. Several posters suggested that you could save money both in the cost of the printer and in the cost of consumables by printing using a large format photocopier set to 50% the size of your sheet scale. This assumes you would eventually send full sized PDF’s out for final printing somewhere.
The best bang for the buck seemed to recommend a used HP Laserjet 5000 N and 12 x 18 paper. The N designates the addition of a JetDirect print server which allows printing in a workgroup setting but also connects single machines, Macs in particular, through their ethernet ports or ports on a router. Here are two resellers:
http://www.printertechs.com/printer/refurbished-hp-laserjet-5000.php
http://www.dolphininc.net/
These are about $500 refurbished and will print 11 x 17 and 12 x 18 when hand-fed. If you draw typically in Arch D size on 24 x 36 paper at 1/4” per foot, you can switch to A1 (23.4”x33.1”) as your preferred sheet size and then print to the HP 5000 using a 50% reduction which should print an accurate sheet at 1/8” per foot onto 12 x 18 paper. Use this process to proof your drawings, then send out your PDF’s for final printing. Make sure the printer has A1 paper in stock.
HP 5000 N manuals here:
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/DocumentIndex.jsp?contentType=SupportManual&lang=en&cc=us&docIndexId=64179&taskId=101&prodTypeId=18972&prodSeriesId=25473
Dan Belfiori, posting to my questions about the HP 5000 on the NNA Listserv, said that he’d originally started scaling half sized sheets per the above process but found that staying with 11 x17 sheets meant that paper fed more easily and was more readily accessible even though the reduction process meant that to fit the image from 24 x 36 onto 11 x 17 sheets, the percentage dropped to about 46% and thus was no longer reliably scalable to 1/8” per foot. He said he finds that scaling in his work has not been much of a factor and when it has been important, he adds a scale bar. He also suggests looking at other 11 x17 printers such as the 5100, 8000 and 8500.
...........................
Miscellaneous bits:
• For those looking for a schematic showing how one might set up a filing structure for a multi-user environment:
http://techboard.nemetschek.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=119565&gonew=1#UNREAD
From the Community Board. Scroll down until you see the post from highpass showing an attachment (PDF) labeled as Drawing Tools.
• Speaking of multi-users, the NNA Community Board has added a folder to serve the same and it has only been in service since November of ‘08. There is an interesting thread there on how to set up to serve several:
http://techboard.nemetschek.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=113450&gonew=1#UNREAD
• Xfrog is a group that has provided 2D and 3D plants for Vwks Architect and Landmark. Take a look at this lushly rendered landscape from their Gallery:
http://www.xfrog.com/4images/details.php?image_id=436&mode=search
Click on Top Images to see more.
Here’s a link to their For Sale libraries:
http://www.xfrogdownloads.com/greenwebNew/products/productStart.htm
• Are you finding that Section Viewports need more editing than the tool allows? If drawing over your section in Annotations is less than fulfilling, and you don’t need an updatable template as described in my Hidden Line Editing video tutorial, take a look at this nice description of a simple process that will break your Section Viewport into editable parts. By Pat Stanford.
http://aecbytes.com/tipsandtricks/2006/issue7-vectorworks.html
........................
That’s it for now. Thanks for reading.
Tom Greggs
Greggs Building Design
Seattle
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Convert to Lines #34
2/14/09
Serving the Seattle VectorWorks Users Group and Northwest Vectorworks users.
To contact me, please write to tomgreggs@comcast.net or call (206) 524-2808
In this issue:
• No User Group meeting in February. Thoughts on the future.
• Viewing drawings through an AutoCAD lens
• New 3D tutorial movie available from Vectorworks for Left Handers
• New plant tutorial movie available from NNA
• Misc. tips
• What is VectorWorks for Left Handers?
....................................
There will be no meeting for the month of February.
Our traditional meeting place at Seattle Central may be going away. Word has it that the Wood Construction Center will be moved south to Georgetown for Fall Quarter. I’d like some feedback from the group. Where should we meet? Should we continue to meet? Is there an individual that would like to head up the User Group or cooperate with me in some fashion? The net has provided a super convenient place for us to learn at our own time and place. None the less, face-to-face sharing/learning is the most powerful process yet invented.
Let me know your thoughts.
....................................
For those that exchange drawings with AutoCAD people, it would be great if you could preview your drawings IN AutoCAD prior to pushing the Send button. Here is a link to a discussion on where to go/how to go about this:
http://techboard.nemetschek.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=116962#Post116962
The AutoCAD viewer DWG TrueView 2009 is available here:
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?id=6703438%26siteID=123112
While this viewer only works on Windows, I loaded it onto the Windows XP partition on my Mac (Intel chipset, Boot Camp) and it worked great. I discovered that my Windows partition didn’t have the same fonts as my Mac side so a default font was subbed which changed the font spacing. Of course, this is exactly what happens to exchanged drawings much of the time so seeing it firsthand gave me motivation to work this out in advance with the party on the receiving end.
http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/bootcamp.html
One of the last posts on the Tech Board (now called the Community Board) was from me providing a link to my Hidden Lines video tutorial which may give some users a more predicable outcome in translating files from Vwks to AutoCAD via DWG, DXF, etc. If you trade files regularly and have had problems, the video provides a means to simplify the export.
.....................................
What’s the best way to set up layers to show your 3D model? Below is a Community Board thread worth reading. I chimed in with a half-baked reply to the thread, got slapped down, got up and revised my original post:
http://techboard.nemetschek.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=116855#Post116855
After thinking about the process a bit more, I sat down and created a new video tutorial on how to assemble layers bearing 3D elements by presetting Z heights--or not--to show the model correctly. The tutorial is designed for the beginner or the user who hasn’t yet leapt into Vwks 3D. I've placed it in my Public folder which can be accessed and the video downloaded.
Download the 3D Tutorial.mov.zip from here (64 MB, about 23 minutes):
http://public.me.com/tomgreggs
You will be presented with a dialog box into which you should type the following:
Account: public
Password: vector
Click on the little down-pointing arrow at the end of the file row to begin the transfer.
Already existing in the Public folder is an advanced tutorial called Hidden Line Editing linked to a Read Me, another tutorial on Workspace Editing along with a Vwks 2009 version of keyboard shortcuts (VWKeyboardShortcuts.pdf), a shorthand version of frequently used commands (Tom’s Keyboard Shortcuts.pdf) and a copy of an edited workspace (Tom’s Architect Wkspace.zip).
The latest Quicktime player can be had at www.apple.com/quicktime/download/
....................................
NNA has produced a new tutorial for Landmark users called “Using the Plant Database”
http://download2.nemetschek.net/www_movies/user_group/VW_Plant_Database.mov
It’s about 17 minutes long. It should begin to play immediately assuming you have a video player that can handle .mov files.
....................................
• In the last few newsletters, I’ve talked a lot about creating Viewports which are then sent back to reside on a Design Layer (DLVP’s). Here is a link to a help file within Vwks 2009 that presents the official viewpoint and process: file:///Applications/Vectorworks%202009/VWHelp/Vectorworks%20Design%20Series/wwhelp/wwhimpl/common/html/wwhelp.htm#context=Vectorworks_Design_Series&file=01_Standards.3.7.html
The properties of DLVP’s are:
file:///Applications/Vectorworks%202009/VWHelp/Vectorworks%20Design%20Series/wwhelp/wwhimpl/common/html/wwhelp.htm#context=Vectorworks_Design_Series&file=01_Standards.3.7.html
• VectorWorks 2009 can import Sketchup 6 models but not their textures. You get the shape but not the colors. Booo.
• Cool way to bury product information within your drawing or model:
http://techboard.nemetschek.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=116173#Post116173
• Reasons to upgrade from Vwks Fundamentals to Designer #744:
There is a centerline stamp tool available in Designer that gives you FOUR different styles of C over L to choose from. Whatever mood I’m in, I’ve got a centerline stamp to fit!
....................................
What is VectorWorks for Left Handers? And why, with a product as advanced as VectorWorks, now in its thirteenth or fourteenth version, would there be any room at all for another fool offering how-to help? The last paper manual, VectorWorks 2008 Fundamentals, is over seven hundred pages long. NNA contracts with the Canadian company Resolve, to write how-to books, create Learning CD’s, and tour the country teaching Vwks. There’s the Quick Start Guide, the Getting Started guides, the Video Library, the Building Overviews, and of course, the e-manuals, Fundamentals and Design Series which replaced the paper manuals, and are now found under Help/VectorWorks Help.
In their way, each contributes knowledge but does not equip you, in my opinion, with the understanding needed to get useful work produced as soon as possible. Let's call "soon as possible" learning Just In Time learning. The e-manuals, while mercifully rewritten from the paper version, can’t be grabbed from the shelf on a whim and taken to the kitchen table to scan for anything that might catch the eye and as a result, serendipity has been dealt a blow. By their nature, the manuals address the entire enchilada, as it were. There is no official path to Just In Time learning but there could be; witness the Sketchup tutorials, for instance.
So VectorWorks for Left Handers is intended to live in the gaps; to fit between the manuals written by others, not intending to compete with but rather offer a process intended to get you up and running as quickly as possible. Toward that end, I’ve taken the first steps by setting up a Public folder and creating 3D Tutorial. I hope to soon add another based on using the 2D tools. With this modest start, the groundwork will have been laid for offering a VectorWorks beginner a most basic understanding of tools and framework for assembly of his or her first 3D model, no charge.
That’s it for now. Thanks for reading.
Tom Greggs
Greggs Building Design
Seattle
Serving the Seattle VectorWorks Users Group and Northwest Vectorworks users.
To contact me, please write to tomgreggs@comcast.net or call (206) 524-2808
In this issue:
• No User Group meeting in February. Thoughts on the future.
• Viewing drawings through an AutoCAD lens
• New 3D tutorial movie available from Vectorworks for Left Handers
• New plant tutorial movie available from NNA
• Misc. tips
• What is VectorWorks for Left Handers?
....................................
There will be no meeting for the month of February.
Our traditional meeting place at Seattle Central may be going away. Word has it that the Wood Construction Center will be moved south to Georgetown for Fall Quarter. I’d like some feedback from the group. Where should we meet? Should we continue to meet? Is there an individual that would like to head up the User Group or cooperate with me in some fashion? The net has provided a super convenient place for us to learn at our own time and place. None the less, face-to-face sharing/learning is the most powerful process yet invented.
Let me know your thoughts.
....................................
For those that exchange drawings with AutoCAD people, it would be great if you could preview your drawings IN AutoCAD prior to pushing the Send button. Here is a link to a discussion on where to go/how to go about this:
http://techboard.nemetschek.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=116962#Post116962
The AutoCAD viewer DWG TrueView 2009 is available here:
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?id=6703438%26siteID=123112
While this viewer only works on Windows, I loaded it onto the Windows XP partition on my Mac (Intel chipset, Boot Camp) and it worked great. I discovered that my Windows partition didn’t have the same fonts as my Mac side so a default font was subbed which changed the font spacing. Of course, this is exactly what happens to exchanged drawings much of the time so seeing it firsthand gave me motivation to work this out in advance with the party on the receiving end.
http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/bootcamp.html
One of the last posts on the Tech Board (now called the Community Board) was from me providing a link to my Hidden Lines video tutorial which may give some users a more predicable outcome in translating files from Vwks to AutoCAD via DWG, DXF, etc. If you trade files regularly and have had problems, the video provides a means to simplify the export.
.....................................
What’s the best way to set up layers to show your 3D model? Below is a Community Board thread worth reading. I chimed in with a half-baked reply to the thread, got slapped down, got up and revised my original post:
http://techboard.nemetschek.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=116855#Post116855
After thinking about the process a bit more, I sat down and created a new video tutorial on how to assemble layers bearing 3D elements by presetting Z heights--or not--to show the model correctly. The tutorial is designed for the beginner or the user who hasn’t yet leapt into Vwks 3D. I've placed it in my Public folder which can be accessed and the video downloaded.
Download the 3D Tutorial.mov.zip from here (64 MB, about 23 minutes):
http://public.me.com/tomgreggs
You will be presented with a dialog box into which you should type the following:
Account: public
Password: vector
Click on the little down-pointing arrow at the end of the file row to begin the transfer.
Already existing in the Public folder is an advanced tutorial called Hidden Line Editing linked to a Read Me, another tutorial on Workspace Editing along with a Vwks 2009 version of keyboard shortcuts (VWKeyboardShortcuts.pdf), a shorthand version of frequently used commands (Tom’s Keyboard Shortcuts.pdf) and a copy of an edited workspace (Tom’s Architect Wkspace.zip).
The latest Quicktime player can be had at www.apple.com/quicktime/download/
....................................
NNA has produced a new tutorial for Landmark users called “Using the Plant Database”
http://download2.nemetschek.net/www_movies/user_group/VW_Plant_Database.mov
It’s about 17 minutes long. It should begin to play immediately assuming you have a video player that can handle .mov files.
....................................
• In the last few newsletters, I’ve talked a lot about creating Viewports which are then sent back to reside on a Design Layer (DLVP’s). Here is a link to a help file within Vwks 2009 that presents the official viewpoint and process: file:///Applications/Vectorworks%202009/VWHelp/Vectorworks%20Design%20Series/wwhelp/wwhimpl/common/html/wwhelp.htm#context=Vectorworks_Design_Series&file=01_Standards.3.7.html
The properties of DLVP’s are:
file:///Applications/Vectorworks%202009/VWHelp/Vectorworks%20Design%20Series/wwhelp/wwhimpl/common/html/wwhelp.htm#context=Vectorworks_Design_Series&file=01_Standards.3.7.html
• VectorWorks 2009 can import Sketchup 6 models but not their textures. You get the shape but not the colors. Booo.
• Cool way to bury product information within your drawing or model:
http://techboard.nemetschek.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=116173#Post116173
• Reasons to upgrade from Vwks Fundamentals to Designer #744:
There is a centerline stamp tool available in Designer that gives you FOUR different styles of C over L to choose from. Whatever mood I’m in, I’ve got a centerline stamp to fit!
....................................
What is VectorWorks for Left Handers? And why, with a product as advanced as VectorWorks, now in its thirteenth or fourteenth version, would there be any room at all for another fool offering how-to help? The last paper manual, VectorWorks 2008 Fundamentals, is over seven hundred pages long. NNA contracts with the Canadian company Resolve, to write how-to books, create Learning CD’s, and tour the country teaching Vwks. There’s the Quick Start Guide, the Getting Started guides, the Video Library, the Building Overviews, and of course, the e-manuals, Fundamentals and Design Series which replaced the paper manuals, and are now found under Help/VectorWorks Help.
In their way, each contributes knowledge but does not equip you, in my opinion, with the understanding needed to get useful work produced as soon as possible. Let's call "soon as possible" learning Just In Time learning. The e-manuals, while mercifully rewritten from the paper version, can’t be grabbed from the shelf on a whim and taken to the kitchen table to scan for anything that might catch the eye and as a result, serendipity has been dealt a blow. By their nature, the manuals address the entire enchilada, as it were. There is no official path to Just In Time learning but there could be; witness the Sketchup tutorials, for instance.
So VectorWorks for Left Handers is intended to live in the gaps; to fit between the manuals written by others, not intending to compete with but rather offer a process intended to get you up and running as quickly as possible. Toward that end, I’ve taken the first steps by setting up a Public folder and creating 3D Tutorial. I hope to soon add another based on using the 2D tools. With this modest start, the groundwork will have been laid for offering a VectorWorks beginner a most basic understanding of tools and framework for assembly of his or her first 3D model, no charge.
That’s it for now. Thanks for reading.
Tom Greggs
Greggs Building Design
Seattle
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Convert to Lines #33
1/7/09
Serving the Seattle VectorWorks Users Group and Northwest Vectorworks users.
An archive of past newsletters can be found at http://converttolines.blogspot.com/
To contact me, please write to tomgreggs@comcast.net or call (206) 524-2808
In this issue:
• The January meeting time and place
• New movies available from Vectorworks for Left Handers
• Presentation topics for the quarter from NNA
•Jonathan Pickup offers limited free online access to his NZ User Group
• Simple explanation of Design Layers, Viewports, etc.
• Misc. thoughts, references
• How Vectorworks thinks you think
.....................................
Greetings VectorWorks users! Join us Thursday, January 22nd, 6:30 to 8:30 PM for the first User Group meeting of the new year. We’re going to be showing how to use DLVP’s in VW 2009 to bring in details of surveys or existing structures into our plans in a way that keeps things simple. We’ll also want to share your ideas with the group and help with any questions you might have. I’ll have free calendars from NNA if you missed the party in early December. Great space, great food, by the way. Thanks to all of you who came and added to the happy mood despite the weather and the concerns of the economy.
Our meeting will take place at the Seattle Central Community College Wood Construction Center lecture hall. The hall is located at 2310 S. Lane St. (intersection of 23rd Avenue South and South Lane Street). Parking is available in the gated lot off South King Street, just one block south of Jackson Street. The lecture hall is the building directly adjacent to the parking lot at its south side. Walk up the wooden side-ramp to the second door.
....................................
I’ve created a movie called Hidden Line Editing which describes how to derive easily edited lines from a model for the purpose of creating hidden line elevations. It is intended to be a more visual description of the process I’d originally laid out in text form in the last Convert to Lines #32. The original process of converting a model to lines is not new. What is new is the method described that sends a snapshot of an assembled model back to the Design Layers for the converting process which provides a LIVE MODEL as a template so that when changes are made, the model can be easily reconverted or edited. In other words, the Design Layer Viewport of your model automatically updates as your design changes and so the Convert Copy to Lines process, which was once static, becomes dynamic.
There is also a companion process for sending rendered images of the model (Bitmap Render) to layers holding linework such that composite images of renderings be combined with lines.
This process works for Version 2008 forward through Version 2009.
The movie has something to offer new users as well as advanced. It’s a long video of almost 24 minutes and a correspondingly large download. I apologize for that, however it is fully packed with comment and visual technique and is free.
In the coming months I intend to add more movies designed for the newer user. This group will be called Vectorworks for Left Handers and will take a more right-brained approach to learning Vectorworks and thus, hopefully, be a little less sequential, a little more intuitive, will focus on looking at the whole instead of a collection of parts.
Viewing the movie using Windows requires downloading Apple’s Quicktime plugin.
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/
To access the movie go to
http://public.me.com/tomgreggs
Account: public
Password: vector
Click on the little down-pointing arrow at the end of the file row to begin the transfer. The Read Me is largely a summation of the above. Feel free to ignore it.
Also within the Public folder is a second tutorial on Workspace Editing along with a Vwks 2009 version of keyboard shortcuts (VWKeyboardShortcuts.pdf), a shorthand version of frequently used commands (Tom’s Keyboard Shortcuts.pdf) and a copy of an edited workspace (Tom’s Architect Wkspace.zip). All is explained within the tutorial.
Lastly, I’ve written a bit of background at the end of this newsletter, if you have the time.
....................................
NNA continues to supply the user groups with videos. January’s will be on using Landmark in Vwks 2009. February brings a review of Spotlight. March focuses on Architect. I will forward these links to you as soon as they come in.
....................................
Jonathan Pickup is offering limited free seating to those that wish to sample his online user group training sessions.
http://ical.mac.com/WebObjects/iCal.woa/wa/default?d=7&u=jpickup1&v=1&y=2008&m=11&n=User%20Group.ics
Click on a class and email him to check on availability.
To read about his user group:
http://www.archoncad.co.nz/usergroup/join_nz.php
Also check out Pickup’s short but free movies on YouTube. Google Vectorworks to see his list of available videos.
He has also put the content of each months tutorial into a pdf downloadable for a fee. Want something explaining how to use the site modeling tools? For $16.50 you can drive it off the lot.
http://www.archoncad.com/electronic-manuals.html
...................................
From the Vectorworks Listserv, James Wiley asks:
“Here's a question from a beginning VW user: Can someone
offer a simple description of how Design Layers, Saved Views,
Viewports, and Sheet Layers are related and used to create a single
finished drawing?”
Dave @ cowcreekroad replies:
“Very, very simply:
Design layers are like (3 dimensional) tracing paper. They stack on
top of each other vertically. They contain the objects in your drawings.
A saved view is a script that allows you to specify a group of layers
and objects in specific classes, that can be seen and worked with.
When you call up a saved view, you are returning to a known state.
Look at it as sort of a bookmark.
A Viewport is a snapshot of your drawing, showing particular layers,
and objects in specific classes. It's only a picture. You can't work
directly with the objects shown in a Viewport.
A Sheet layer is the virtual piece of paper on which you arrange
Viewports.”
...................................
Vectorworks Misc.:
•The quality of the 2009 Learning Series CD’s by Resolve is quite high, in my opinion. Most important is their process of laying out and executing a task with a common goal in mind. Too often, tutorials were created in which every possible option was included which led to brain overload. Or, the language was Engineer-speak which is not native to a great many of us. Especially helpful was the Rendering Learning disk. Highly recommended.
•Custom Renderworks and Custom Radiosity has a Shadow Mapped rendering option as well as one for Ray Traced shadows. The latter offers sharp edged shadows while the former produces those that are softer edged. If you are generating HDRI views with the cloudy option on, use the Shadow Mapped style to better depict soft shadows from a shaded sun.
If you render an HDMI image, you can export it as a High Dynamic Image (HDMI) into Photoshop in order to protect against banding or other loss of fine detail.
• If you are using or tempted to experiment with HDRI backgrounds, here is a site with free sky views:
http://www.evermotion.org/index.php?unfold_exclusive=84&unfold=exclusive
Not sure what I’m talking about? Check this out this simple structure by Billtheia:
http://techboard.nemetschek.net/ubbthreads/Attachments//1730.jpg
• When rendering your large, fully textured models, test them first using low render settings. Set dpi from 40 to 72, Shadows set to Low. Then, once you are happy in general with the model, set the options high (not Highest) to create the best look for printing or exporting.
•3d solar collectors importable into Vwks can be found on the Google 3d Warehouse site under Velux>Velux Skylights>photovoltaic panel.
•The NNA website has been reorganized with the Tech Board renamed and moved to Community>Community Board. Also look at the new tutorials under Training>Free Resources. If you are unfamiliar with the Community Board, check it out. Lots of good
topics and a great way to learn from the generous contributions of expert users.
• In the movie Hidden Line Editing I describe the Boomerang tool which allows one to pan. You may find that simply holding down the scroll button of your mouse makes panning even easier since it eliminates use of the space bar. Be sure to check Mouse Wheel Zoom under Vectorworks Preferences. Other ways to move about include using the wheel for zooming in and out, using the option key plus wheel to scroll up or down and using the shift key plus wheel to scroll left or right.
• More DLVP ideas. You can drag a poly around an existing area slated for demolition and make a Design Layer Viewport of it. The opacity of the DLVP can be set be editing the layer via the Layers tab of the Navigation palette. Objects within the DLVP can register snaps so setting dimensions to walls and other objects is possible. This process also works when you want to display an existing, adjacent area. Create a new layer for the existing portion, then DLVP it (now its a verb) to the layer containing the adjacent new work. Previously this would have had to be controlled through class visibility settings. This tip comes from the NNA Community Board (I apologize for losing the name of the contributor).
• Pat Stanford, in his and Dan Jansenson’s December ‘08 PodCAD Podcast, mentions a small detail within Vwks 2009 that has to do with the accent colors that show up as light ghostly edging and backlighting on objects drawn and objects moused over. They may show the same colors in your stock settings but ideally, the object you’ve just drawn should have a different color than any adjacent object which your cursor happens to pass over. Go to Vwks Preferences, Interactive and click on the button marked Interactive Appearance Settings. Change the color of the choice marked Object Highlighting - Active Layer to be different from Object Highlighting - PreSelection - Active Layer. While you’re in there, make the borders (Size) wider so that you see a glow around the selected object. Change opacity as you see fit.
The (new) Vwks Help page for Object Highlighting brings a bit of clarity to an otherwise confusing maze of color options. Type ‘Configuring Interactive Display’ into the Vectorworks Help search box.
..................................................
Understanding concepts of how we learn and how we organize ourselves may help bring clarity in your ongoing effort to master Vectorworks. Standing back and looking out across some decades of experience, it seems to me that, perhaps obviously, from chaos comes order. We move from the dynamic toward the static, from the flexible toward the inflexible, from a world of fewer rules toward one of more rules. This evolution is present in each and every part of life, from how I get dressed in the morning to the way in which design projects are resolved into finished plansets. But neither order nor chaos is the end goal. More important is the movement of both; one into the other, then back again.
Just like the spectrum above, people learn in very different ways . Vectorworks, I would contend, supports those who enjoy learning in a strictly ordered environment as well as those who, like myself, thrive in a more chaotic place where rules are meant to be bent or broken, where tools and processes are mixed round and around until meaning emerges. Parts of Vectorworks are decidedly left brained. The Setup process comes to mind, for instance. But happily for me, Vectorworks provides a lot of elbow room, where, if one route seems blocked, another can usually be found, and this is the genius buried in its DNA.
The left brained and the right brained can cooperate and even thrive if we view the other as not being wrong in how we essentially view the world; in how we learn, and how we structure ourselves and ultimately our drawings. There is a precedence for this, one advanced by some in the business community. It’s a process called “both/and” thinking where each of the two parties can be right. They contend we’re not in an “either/or” world where black and white, yes and no, win or lose is the only outcome.
The point here is that we need to stick together, to work together, to accept each other and to cherish the energy and ideas each bring to the 3d table. That’s where the growth can be found, both in our personal lives, and in the bottom line at NNA.
If you are interested in reading more on “and/or” thinking:
http://www.hodu.com/either-or.shtml
Brain handedness:
http://www.funderstanding.com/content/right-brain-vs-left-brain
.................................................
That’s a wrap. Thanks for reading and for watching the movies (!) too.
Tom Greggs
Greggs Building Design
Seattle
Serving the Seattle VectorWorks Users Group and Northwest Vectorworks users.
An archive of past newsletters can be found at http://converttolines.blogspot.com/
To contact me, please write to tomgreggs@comcast.net or call (206) 524-2808
In this issue:
• The January meeting time and place
• New movies available from Vectorworks for Left Handers
• Presentation topics for the quarter from NNA
•Jonathan Pickup offers limited free online access to his NZ User Group
• Simple explanation of Design Layers, Viewports, etc.
• Misc. thoughts, references
• How Vectorworks thinks you think
.....................................
Greetings VectorWorks users! Join us Thursday, January 22nd, 6:30 to 8:30 PM for the first User Group meeting of the new year. We’re going to be showing how to use DLVP’s in VW 2009 to bring in details of surveys or existing structures into our plans in a way that keeps things simple. We’ll also want to share your ideas with the group and help with any questions you might have. I’ll have free calendars from NNA if you missed the party in early December. Great space, great food, by the way. Thanks to all of you who came and added to the happy mood despite the weather and the concerns of the economy.
Our meeting will take place at the Seattle Central Community College Wood Construction Center lecture hall. The hall is located at 2310 S. Lane St. (intersection of 23rd Avenue South and South Lane Street). Parking is available in the gated lot off South King Street, just one block south of Jackson Street. The lecture hall is the building directly adjacent to the parking lot at its south side. Walk up the wooden side-ramp to the second door.
....................................
I’ve created a movie called Hidden Line Editing which describes how to derive easily edited lines from a model for the purpose of creating hidden line elevations. It is intended to be a more visual description of the process I’d originally laid out in text form in the last Convert to Lines #32. The original process of converting a model to lines is not new. What is new is the method described that sends a snapshot of an assembled model back to the Design Layers for the converting process which provides a LIVE MODEL as a template so that when changes are made, the model can be easily reconverted or edited. In other words, the Design Layer Viewport of your model automatically updates as your design changes and so the Convert Copy to Lines process, which was once static, becomes dynamic.
There is also a companion process for sending rendered images of the model (Bitmap Render) to layers holding linework such that composite images of renderings be combined with lines.
This process works for Version 2008 forward through Version 2009.
The movie has something to offer new users as well as advanced. It’s a long video of almost 24 minutes and a correspondingly large download. I apologize for that, however it is fully packed with comment and visual technique and is free.
In the coming months I intend to add more movies designed for the newer user. This group will be called Vectorworks for Left Handers and will take a more right-brained approach to learning Vectorworks and thus, hopefully, be a little less sequential, a little more intuitive, will focus on looking at the whole instead of a collection of parts.
Viewing the movie using Windows requires downloading Apple’s Quicktime plugin.
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/
To access the movie go to
http://public.me.com/tomgreggs
Account: public
Password: vector
Click on the little down-pointing arrow at the end of the file row to begin the transfer. The Read Me is largely a summation of the above. Feel free to ignore it.
Also within the Public folder is a second tutorial on Workspace Editing along with a Vwks 2009 version of keyboard shortcuts (VWKeyboardShortcuts.pdf), a shorthand version of frequently used commands (Tom’s Keyboard Shortcuts.pdf) and a copy of an edited workspace (Tom’s Architect Wkspace.zip). All is explained within the tutorial.
Lastly, I’ve written a bit of background at the end of this newsletter, if you have the time.
....................................
NNA continues to supply the user groups with videos. January’s will be on using Landmark in Vwks 2009. February brings a review of Spotlight. March focuses on Architect. I will forward these links to you as soon as they come in.
....................................
Jonathan Pickup is offering limited free seating to those that wish to sample his online user group training sessions.
http://ical.mac.com/WebObjects/iCal.woa/wa/default?d=7&u=jpickup1&v=1&y=2008&m=11&n=User%20Group.ics
Click on a class and email him to check on availability.
To read about his user group:
http://www.archoncad.co.nz/usergroup/join_nz.php
Also check out Pickup’s short but free movies on YouTube. Google Vectorworks to see his list of available videos.
He has also put the content of each months tutorial into a pdf downloadable for a fee. Want something explaining how to use the site modeling tools? For $16.50 you can drive it off the lot.
http://www.archoncad.com/electronic-manuals.html
...................................
From the Vectorworks Listserv, James Wiley asks:
“Here's a question from a beginning VW user: Can someone
offer a simple description of how Design Layers, Saved Views,
Viewports, and Sheet Layers are related and used to create a single
finished drawing?”
Dave @ cowcreekroad replies:
“Very, very simply:
Design layers are like (3 dimensional) tracing paper. They stack on
top of each other vertically. They contain the objects in your drawings.
A saved view is a script that allows you to specify a group of layers
and objects in specific classes, that can be seen and worked with.
When you call up a saved view, you are returning to a known state.
Look at it as sort of a bookmark.
A Viewport is a snapshot of your drawing, showing particular layers,
and objects in specific classes. It's only a picture. You can't work
directly with the objects shown in a Viewport.
A Sheet layer is the virtual piece of paper on which you arrange
Viewports.”
...................................
Vectorworks Misc.:
•The quality of the 2009 Learning Series CD’s by Resolve is quite high, in my opinion. Most important is their process of laying out and executing a task with a common goal in mind. Too often, tutorials were created in which every possible option was included which led to brain overload. Or, the language was Engineer-speak which is not native to a great many of us. Especially helpful was the Rendering Learning disk. Highly recommended.
•Custom Renderworks and Custom Radiosity has a Shadow Mapped rendering option as well as one for Ray Traced shadows. The latter offers sharp edged shadows while the former produces those that are softer edged. If you are generating HDRI views with the cloudy option on, use the Shadow Mapped style to better depict soft shadows from a shaded sun.
If you render an HDMI image, you can export it as a High Dynamic Image (HDMI) into Photoshop in order to protect against banding or other loss of fine detail.
• If you are using or tempted to experiment with HDRI backgrounds, here is a site with free sky views:
http://www.evermotion.org/index.php?unfold_exclusive=84&unfold=exclusive
Not sure what I’m talking about? Check this out this simple structure by Billtheia:
http://techboard.nemetschek.net/ubbthreads/Attachments//1730.jpg
• When rendering your large, fully textured models, test them first using low render settings. Set dpi from 40 to 72, Shadows set to Low. Then, once you are happy in general with the model, set the options high (not Highest) to create the best look for printing or exporting.
•3d solar collectors importable into Vwks can be found on the Google 3d Warehouse site under Velux>Velux Skylights>photovoltaic panel.
•The NNA website has been reorganized with the Tech Board renamed and moved to Community>Community Board. Also look at the new tutorials under Training>Free Resources. If you are unfamiliar with the Community Board, check it out. Lots of good
topics and a great way to learn from the generous contributions of expert users.
• In the movie Hidden Line Editing I describe the Boomerang tool which allows one to pan. You may find that simply holding down the scroll button of your mouse makes panning even easier since it eliminates use of the space bar. Be sure to check Mouse Wheel Zoom under Vectorworks Preferences. Other ways to move about include using the wheel for zooming in and out, using the option key plus wheel to scroll up or down and using the shift key plus wheel to scroll left or right.
• More DLVP ideas. You can drag a poly around an existing area slated for demolition and make a Design Layer Viewport of it. The opacity of the DLVP can be set be editing the layer via the Layers tab of the Navigation palette. Objects within the DLVP can register snaps so setting dimensions to walls and other objects is possible. This process also works when you want to display an existing, adjacent area. Create a new layer for the existing portion, then DLVP it (now its a verb) to the layer containing the adjacent new work. Previously this would have had to be controlled through class visibility settings. This tip comes from the NNA Community Board (I apologize for losing the name of the contributor).
• Pat Stanford, in his and Dan Jansenson’s December ‘08 PodCAD Podcast, mentions a small detail within Vwks 2009 that has to do with the accent colors that show up as light ghostly edging and backlighting on objects drawn and objects moused over. They may show the same colors in your stock settings but ideally, the object you’ve just drawn should have a different color than any adjacent object which your cursor happens to pass over. Go to Vwks Preferences, Interactive and click on the button marked Interactive Appearance Settings. Change the color of the choice marked Object Highlighting - Active Layer to be different from Object Highlighting - PreSelection - Active Layer. While you’re in there, make the borders (Size) wider so that you see a glow around the selected object. Change opacity as you see fit.
The (new) Vwks Help page for Object Highlighting brings a bit of clarity to an otherwise confusing maze of color options. Type ‘Configuring Interactive Display’ into the Vectorworks Help search box.
..................................................
Understanding concepts of how we learn and how we organize ourselves may help bring clarity in your ongoing effort to master Vectorworks. Standing back and looking out across some decades of experience, it seems to me that, perhaps obviously, from chaos comes order. We move from the dynamic toward the static, from the flexible toward the inflexible, from a world of fewer rules toward one of more rules. This evolution is present in each and every part of life, from how I get dressed in the morning to the way in which design projects are resolved into finished plansets. But neither order nor chaos is the end goal. More important is the movement of both; one into the other, then back again.
Just like the spectrum above, people learn in very different ways . Vectorworks, I would contend, supports those who enjoy learning in a strictly ordered environment as well as those who, like myself, thrive in a more chaotic place where rules are meant to be bent or broken, where tools and processes are mixed round and around until meaning emerges. Parts of Vectorworks are decidedly left brained. The Setup process comes to mind, for instance. But happily for me, Vectorworks provides a lot of elbow room, where, if one route seems blocked, another can usually be found, and this is the genius buried in its DNA.
The left brained and the right brained can cooperate and even thrive if we view the other as not being wrong in how we essentially view the world; in how we learn, and how we structure ourselves and ultimately our drawings. There is a precedence for this, one advanced by some in the business community. It’s a process called “both/and” thinking where each of the two parties can be right. They contend we’re not in an “either/or” world where black and white, yes and no, win or lose is the only outcome.
The point here is that we need to stick together, to work together, to accept each other and to cherish the energy and ideas each bring to the 3d table. That’s where the growth can be found, both in our personal lives, and in the bottom line at NNA.
If you are interested in reading more on “and/or” thinking:
http://www.hodu.com/either-or.shtml
Brain handedness:
http://www.funderstanding.com/content/right-brain-vs-left-brain
.................................................
That’s a wrap. Thanks for reading and for watching the movies (!) too.
Tom Greggs
Greggs Building Design
Seattle
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Convert to Lines #32
11/29/08
Serving the Seattle VectorWorks Users Group and Northwest VectorWorks users.
An archive of past newsletters can be found at http://converttolines.blogspot.com/
To contact me, please write to tomgreggs@comcast.net or call (206) 524-2808
In this issue:
• NNA (still) coming to demo Version ‘09
• New movie for User Group members
• Getting to converted line drawings while using Stack Layers
• Making promotional materials
• Misc. cautions, etc.
No meeting for December as usual but I had more than a few things to talk about so I’m getting this letter out hoping to have a running start when we return in late January. By then I hope to have a few hours under my belt using Version ‘09 which is due to arrive any day now.
............
Still time to register for the free demo of Vectorworks 2009, to be held December 11th, on Thursday evening, downtown Seattle. Please pass this on to anyone you know who uses Vectorworks. Thanks!
http://www.eventbrite.com/event/209798513
...........
We have a new movie provided by NNA for user group members.
Francois Levy, leader of the Austin Texas Vw User Group, has created a movie that shows how he uses the power of Vectorworks to design in 3d, then display model information throughout his plans. Levy has evolved a sophisticated approach to plan development. I think you’ll enjoy seeing him employ those processes.
http://download2.nemetschek.net/www_movies/user_group/Levy_Bim_small_project.mov
............
The following describes how to use Stack Layers to rapidly get four exterior hidden line views of your model, placed on new layers, rendered and converted to lines for ease of editing.
Reconciling old and new technologies within your Vectorworks workflow is a normal part of learning and advancing but can sometimes be a challenge when a technique you’ve used in creating drawings disappears. The direction we’ve gotten from NNA is that we should be using Stack Layers, along with Viewport Sections, to display our models. This is a natural evolution as new ways are developed to show information but as a result of this transition, we find tools such as Create Layer Link and Model View tool left off the main menus and sent into the Legacy folder. And yet there isn’t an official method—no developed alternative—for getting to the benefits of a traditional model-on-design layer using Stack Layers. For me, a big benefit of the past has been ease of converting a model into editable lines.
Stack Layers has become a key part of my drawing process and there is real advantage to seeing your model all at once while being able to isolate layers to correct various issues, usually related to textures or fills; errors that typically show up during rendering. Many of you have embraced Stack Layers and not looked back. When you’ve needed to edit-over unfinished or unwanted lines, you do it in Annotations mode after making a viewport of a model view. I find in my own drawings I do quite a bit of reworking of viewports, both adding lines, revising weights, or adding details, frequently because pushing the 3d model toward total completion didn’t seem practical at the time. These days I use Stack Layers to make viewport-based elevations of my drawing, typically in Hidden Line style, and I stay with these as long as possible, taking advantage of automatic updating of layers since projects change over time. But ultimately I want to convert my model to lines so editing is easier, really, much easier than staying solely with Stack Layers based viewports.
To start, assemble your Stack Layers model in the regular way by turning to visible any design layers holding 3d info. (Tip: indent the name of each 3d-holding layer by three spaces to ease finding them on your Layers list, then bunch them together). Make a viewport and send it not to a Sheet, but to a Design Layer. This is called a DLVP. Note that from this single DLVP you can rotate the model contained within to any view. Set your model to a side view, render in Hidden Line, then Convert Copy to Lines. Send the converted lines, using the OIP (or Object Info palette) to a new design layer we’ll name “Elevations”. From there it can be ungrouped and edited.
BONUS TECHNIQUE: before you render a second view, but after having sent your lines to the Elevations layer, select the Render Bitmap tool from the floating palettes (look at the Visualization palette sporting the light bulb and select the teapot icon) and drag it over the elevation such that it creates a full color image, perhaps using Custom Renderworks, which can be chosen from the Render Bitmap Options palette. Send this image to your Elevations layer and it will fall exactly atop the rendered lines. Obviously, we’ll want to send the full color rendering to the back so that the lines sit up front, accenting and highlighting the colored image. Repeat this process for the other three elevations but do the bitmap render first and the hidden lines second which places them in the correct order.
Make a viewport of each elevation, either of the line work alone from Hidden Lines rendering, or a composite including the Bitmap renderings.
From here you can annotate each elevation viewport, organize them on sheets and eventually print. If your model changes later, you can redo the bitmap render and replace the old with the new rendering. Same with the Hidden Line rendering. Having made a viewport of the line work from each face of the model, if the model changes you can turn the DLVP to visible, set it to match the original orientation, and rework your lines, assuming that the changes are small. If the changes are big, re-render as Hidden Line and Convert Copy to Lines again.
I found, in editing lines placed over a fully rendered model, that the result looked really good but there were many lines I didn’t want, lines that cluttered, rather than aided clarity. Among these:
•Muntin bar lines
•cable railing lines
•lines from objects with a heavy polygon count (people)
These can all be hand-edited out. With a little advance planning, you could class your cables and turn that class off prior to beginning Hidden Line rendering. I removed the image of the person from my line drawing by doing just that, since, with its high poly count, it rendered out as nearly all black. I turned that class back ON when rendering with Custom Renderworks, going into the dead lines VP and removing background lines that now overlaid and obscured my figure. The muntin bars can’t be controlled by class so manual removal is the only option.
If you use the Render Bitmap tool, be sure to set your dpi high, perhaps to 300, via the Render Bitmap Options palette found in the upper left hand corner of the Mode bar once the tool has been activated. Also, make sure you Edit the final Sheet layers to also show a 300 dpi setting.
More tips:
•DLVP’s can be duplicated.
•In assembling my 3d-containing design layers, using Stack Layers, into something usable, I will often employ the Camera tool to place a 3d loci into one of my 3d layers which can then be activated via the OIP or by clicking on the camera angle icon to generate a perspective view. If you find that your DLVP of a perspective view has lost its position and is now in Top View, go to the layer holding the camera loci (don’t forget which one) and dbl. click it. Now click on your DLVP. The correct setting should return. If you forget which layer you’ve placed the camera loci on, you can easily find it by using the Visualization palette and clicking on the camera reference which will restore the orientation.
•When you do a Convert Copy to Lines and send those lines to a new layer, an odd condition can occur when the receiving layer inherits the same 3d orientation of the original layer but the converted lines no longer contain 3d information. Hit Command 5 or Control 5 (or Top/Plan View) and your converted lines will appear.
•You have quite a bit of control of lighting using Custom Renderworks. In Custom Renderworks Options, look under the Adjust Lighting tab as well as under the Rendering tab.
•When using the Render Bitmap tool on a Stack Layers model, the bitmap will be created BEHIND the model and you won’t be able to see it. Turn off Stack Layers after the rendering is finished. You’ll see it then and be able to route it to the appropriate layer. This behavior doesn’t happen on a DLVP. If you render a few times in this fashion and know that the image is still selected, then just send it on to the appropriate layer.
•Add “DLVP” as a prefix to the front of any design layer containing a DLVP to help you recognize its unique status.
•There are two palettes within Vw named Visualization. OOPS, in my opinion. There is the tear-off palette containing a host of tools. There is also the palette available via the main menu under Window > Palettes that holds instances of light objects and camera views.
In the future, I’d love to be able to edit my viewports by reaching into the model, shift-selecting to hide lines or otherwise modify, ideally by using a keyboard command. Workarounds, such as I’ve described above, are no fun. And feature-envey is no fun either when you find a competing CAD app has just added the very tool you want. From the Sketchup 7 web site: “Right-click on any placed SketchUp model and choose Explode. Depending on how it was rendered, you'll get vector lines, raster images, or a combination of both. It's the easiest way to get vector geometry to edit directly, hands-down.”
Ok, NNA, the gauntlet has been thrown down. Everything old is new again!
I’d like to thank Kevin Keys for input on this topic and for Matt Panzer for starting the thread on the NNA Listserv. Any mistakes or misrepresentations in the above discussion are entirely mine.
............
Use Vectorworks to make your promotional materials. I created a job sampler recently which consisted of six projects. Four featured fully rendered perspective drawings including photographs of the existing residence prior to construction. One included PDF’s of parts of the working drawings showing isometric views of a detail from a ellipse-shaped eyebrow dormer. Two were rendered in hidden line set to Sketch mode. All had some amount of text defining the project. The lead sheet included a viewport of a title block. The final output was in PDF format.
To make something like this, you could start with the method outlined in the Convert Copy to Lines description above. In my case, I wished to finesse the 3d output in Photoshop, where I could stamp out aberrations and drop a sky color into the background and onto corner windows. To do this I made sure my Sheet layer dpi was set high and then I exported the images to the desktop as JPEG’s. To export line detail such as details from your working drawings, don’t use a raster process like a JPEG, instead create a viewport of the detail, place it on a sheet, and then export as a PDF. This keeps the vector-based lines sharp and avoids the jaggies. Once all these elements are on the desktop, start a new file, letter sized, and import each set of images to a single layer in the new file. The layer scale should be set at 1:1. Once you have all the images assigned to unique sheet layers and arranged to your liking, export all as a PDF (Batch) file.
Some like to export using TIFF or PNG since they lose less data, gain fewer compression artifacts and therefor look better when printed. File sizes may be larger to much larger versus JPEG. In testing one rendering, size grew from 692 KB for the JPEG, to 3.5 MB for the PNG, and to 6.7 MB for the TIFF. Test print to see what looks best for your particular output.
See Convert to Lines #31 for info on setting printing resolution.
..............
If you are using Vectorworks 2009, the advice I’ve read on the NNA Tech Board is to NOT convert an existing drawing into V. 2009 but rather finish in V. 2008 (or earlier) and start any new project in ‘09.
.............
That’s it for now. See you in the new year!
Tom Greggs
Serving the Seattle VectorWorks Users Group and Northwest VectorWorks users.
An archive of past newsletters can be found at http://converttolines.blogspot.com/
To contact me, please write to tomgreggs@comcast.net or call (206) 524-2808
In this issue:
• NNA (still) coming to demo Version ‘09
• New movie for User Group members
• Getting to converted line drawings while using Stack Layers
• Making promotional materials
• Misc. cautions, etc.
No meeting for December as usual but I had more than a few things to talk about so I’m getting this letter out hoping to have a running start when we return in late January. By then I hope to have a few hours under my belt using Version ‘09 which is due to arrive any day now.
............
Still time to register for the free demo of Vectorworks 2009, to be held December 11th, on Thursday evening, downtown Seattle. Please pass this on to anyone you know who uses Vectorworks. Thanks!
http://www.eventbrite.com/event/209798513
...........
We have a new movie provided by NNA for user group members.
Francois Levy, leader of the Austin Texas Vw User Group, has created a movie that shows how he uses the power of Vectorworks to design in 3d, then display model information throughout his plans. Levy has evolved a sophisticated approach to plan development. I think you’ll enjoy seeing him employ those processes.
http://download2.nemetschek.net/www_movies/user_group/Levy_Bim_small_project.mov
............
The following describes how to use Stack Layers to rapidly get four exterior hidden line views of your model, placed on new layers, rendered and converted to lines for ease of editing.
Reconciling old and new technologies within your Vectorworks workflow is a normal part of learning and advancing but can sometimes be a challenge when a technique you’ve used in creating drawings disappears. The direction we’ve gotten from NNA is that we should be using Stack Layers, along with Viewport Sections, to display our models. This is a natural evolution as new ways are developed to show information but as a result of this transition, we find tools such as Create Layer Link and Model View tool left off the main menus and sent into the Legacy folder. And yet there isn’t an official method—no developed alternative—for getting to the benefits of a traditional model-on-design layer using Stack Layers. For me, a big benefit of the past has been ease of converting a model into editable lines.
Stack Layers has become a key part of my drawing process and there is real advantage to seeing your model all at once while being able to isolate layers to correct various issues, usually related to textures or fills; errors that typically show up during rendering. Many of you have embraced Stack Layers and not looked back. When you’ve needed to edit-over unfinished or unwanted lines, you do it in Annotations mode after making a viewport of a model view. I find in my own drawings I do quite a bit of reworking of viewports, both adding lines, revising weights, or adding details, frequently because pushing the 3d model toward total completion didn’t seem practical at the time. These days I use Stack Layers to make viewport-based elevations of my drawing, typically in Hidden Line style, and I stay with these as long as possible, taking advantage of automatic updating of layers since projects change over time. But ultimately I want to convert my model to lines so editing is easier, really, much easier than staying solely with Stack Layers based viewports.
To start, assemble your Stack Layers model in the regular way by turning to visible any design layers holding 3d info. (Tip: indent the name of each 3d-holding layer by three spaces to ease finding them on your Layers list, then bunch them together). Make a viewport and send it not to a Sheet, but to a Design Layer. This is called a DLVP. Note that from this single DLVP you can rotate the model contained within to any view. Set your model to a side view, render in Hidden Line, then Convert Copy to Lines. Send the converted lines, using the OIP (or Object Info palette) to a new design layer we’ll name “Elevations”. From there it can be ungrouped and edited.
BONUS TECHNIQUE: before you render a second view, but after having sent your lines to the Elevations layer, select the Render Bitmap tool from the floating palettes (look at the Visualization palette sporting the light bulb and select the teapot icon) and drag it over the elevation such that it creates a full color image, perhaps using Custom Renderworks, which can be chosen from the Render Bitmap Options palette. Send this image to your Elevations layer and it will fall exactly atop the rendered lines. Obviously, we’ll want to send the full color rendering to the back so that the lines sit up front, accenting and highlighting the colored image. Repeat this process for the other three elevations but do the bitmap render first and the hidden lines second which places them in the correct order.
Make a viewport of each elevation, either of the line work alone from Hidden Lines rendering, or a composite including the Bitmap renderings.
From here you can annotate each elevation viewport, organize them on sheets and eventually print. If your model changes later, you can redo the bitmap render and replace the old with the new rendering. Same with the Hidden Line rendering. Having made a viewport of the line work from each face of the model, if the model changes you can turn the DLVP to visible, set it to match the original orientation, and rework your lines, assuming that the changes are small. If the changes are big, re-render as Hidden Line and Convert Copy to Lines again.
I found, in editing lines placed over a fully rendered model, that the result looked really good but there were many lines I didn’t want, lines that cluttered, rather than aided clarity. Among these:
•Muntin bar lines
•cable railing lines
•lines from objects with a heavy polygon count (people)
These can all be hand-edited out. With a little advance planning, you could class your cables and turn that class off prior to beginning Hidden Line rendering. I removed the image of the person from my line drawing by doing just that, since, with its high poly count, it rendered out as nearly all black. I turned that class back ON when rendering with Custom Renderworks, going into the dead lines VP and removing background lines that now overlaid and obscured my figure. The muntin bars can’t be controlled by class so manual removal is the only option.
If you use the Render Bitmap tool, be sure to set your dpi high, perhaps to 300, via the Render Bitmap Options palette found in the upper left hand corner of the Mode bar once the tool has been activated. Also, make sure you Edit the final Sheet layers to also show a 300 dpi setting.
More tips:
•DLVP’s can be duplicated.
•In assembling my 3d-containing design layers, using Stack Layers, into something usable, I will often employ the Camera tool to place a 3d loci into one of my 3d layers which can then be activated via the OIP or by clicking on the camera angle icon to generate a perspective view. If you find that your DLVP of a perspective view has lost its position and is now in Top View, go to the layer holding the camera loci (don’t forget which one) and dbl. click it. Now click on your DLVP. The correct setting should return. If you forget which layer you’ve placed the camera loci on, you can easily find it by using the Visualization palette and clicking on the camera reference which will restore the orientation.
•When you do a Convert Copy to Lines and send those lines to a new layer, an odd condition can occur when the receiving layer inherits the same 3d orientation of the original layer but the converted lines no longer contain 3d information. Hit Command 5 or Control 5 (or Top/Plan View) and your converted lines will appear.
•You have quite a bit of control of lighting using Custom Renderworks. In Custom Renderworks Options, look under the Adjust Lighting tab as well as under the Rendering tab.
•When using the Render Bitmap tool on a Stack Layers model, the bitmap will be created BEHIND the model and you won’t be able to see it. Turn off Stack Layers after the rendering is finished. You’ll see it then and be able to route it to the appropriate layer. This behavior doesn’t happen on a DLVP. If you render a few times in this fashion and know that the image is still selected, then just send it on to the appropriate layer.
•Add “DLVP” as a prefix to the front of any design layer containing a DLVP to help you recognize its unique status.
•There are two palettes within Vw named Visualization. OOPS, in my opinion. There is the tear-off palette containing a host of tools. There is also the palette available via the main menu under Window > Palettes that holds instances of light objects and camera views.
In the future, I’d love to be able to edit my viewports by reaching into the model, shift-selecting to hide lines or otherwise modify, ideally by using a keyboard command. Workarounds, such as I’ve described above, are no fun. And feature-envey is no fun either when you find a competing CAD app has just added the very tool you want. From the Sketchup 7 web site: “Right-click on any placed SketchUp model and choose Explode. Depending on how it was rendered, you'll get vector lines, raster images, or a combination of both. It's the easiest way to get vector geometry to edit directly, hands-down.”
Ok, NNA, the gauntlet has been thrown down. Everything old is new again!
I’d like to thank Kevin Keys for input on this topic and for Matt Panzer for starting the thread on the NNA Listserv. Any mistakes or misrepresentations in the above discussion are entirely mine.
............
Use Vectorworks to make your promotional materials. I created a job sampler recently which consisted of six projects. Four featured fully rendered perspective drawings including photographs of the existing residence prior to construction. One included PDF’s of parts of the working drawings showing isometric views of a detail from a ellipse-shaped eyebrow dormer. Two were rendered in hidden line set to Sketch mode. All had some amount of text defining the project. The lead sheet included a viewport of a title block. The final output was in PDF format.
To make something like this, you could start with the method outlined in the Convert Copy to Lines description above. In my case, I wished to finesse the 3d output in Photoshop, where I could stamp out aberrations and drop a sky color into the background and onto corner windows. To do this I made sure my Sheet layer dpi was set high and then I exported the images to the desktop as JPEG’s. To export line detail such as details from your working drawings, don’t use a raster process like a JPEG, instead create a viewport of the detail, place it on a sheet, and then export as a PDF. This keeps the vector-based lines sharp and avoids the jaggies. Once all these elements are on the desktop, start a new file, letter sized, and import each set of images to a single layer in the new file. The layer scale should be set at 1:1. Once you have all the images assigned to unique sheet layers and arranged to your liking, export all as a PDF (Batch) file.
Some like to export using TIFF or PNG since they lose less data, gain fewer compression artifacts and therefor look better when printed. File sizes may be larger to much larger versus JPEG. In testing one rendering, size grew from 692 KB for the JPEG, to 3.5 MB for the PNG, and to 6.7 MB for the TIFF. Test print to see what looks best for your particular output.
See Convert to Lines #31 for info on setting printing resolution.
..............
If you are using Vectorworks 2009, the advice I’ve read on the NNA Tech Board is to NOT convert an existing drawing into V. 2009 but rather finish in V. 2008 (or earlier) and start any new project in ‘09.
.............
That’s it for now. See you in the new year!
Tom Greggs
Friday, November 07, 2008
Convert to Lines #31
11/2/08
Serving the Seattle VectorWorks Users Group and Northwest VectorWorks users.
An archive of past newsletters can be found at http://converttolines.blogspot.com/
Please contact me at tomgreggs@comcast.net
In this issue:
•NNA coming to demo Version ‘09
• Early word on 2009
• Animation continued
•Misc. cautions, misc. resources
•Adjusting preferences for printing
•More free advice
Greetings VectorWorks users! Join us Thursday, November 13th, 6:30 to 8:30 PM for the first User Group meeting of the season. We’re going look at using Stack Layers in Vw 2008 to view and edit, light and set perspective views. We’ll also want to share your ideas with the group and help with any questions you might have. I’ll have several 3D renderings to share of the planned remodel of the Wood Construction Center facility.
Our meeting will take place at the Seattle Central Community College Wood Construction Center lecture hall. The hall is located at 2310 S. Lane St. (intersection of 23rd Avenue South and South Lane Street). Parking is available in the gated lot off South King Street, just one block south of Jackson Street. The lecture hall is the building directly adjacent to the parking lot at its south side. Walk up the wooden side-ramp to the second door.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Finally back! Sorry for the long delay in writing but I’ve been waiting for a couple of things to happen. One was that the Vw’s update was about to arrive (Vw is the new shorthand) and I was expecting to bring it loaded on the laptop to our next meeting. That hasn’t happened--something about NNA not being able to ship my particular grade until quite late in the product cycle. I’m still waiting. The other reason, apart from outright entropy, was that NNA has been planning a Seattle tour to show off version 2009 and I was hoping to relay that date. I can say that Thursday, December 11th is currently being contemplated--tentatively contemplated--with the event site located in downtown Seattle. I WILL send out notice as soon as they determine their schedule.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile, Tech Board and List Serv comments have been very positive about the new version. The change to a better modeling kernel--Parasolid by Siemens PLM--may be the biggest advance. We should have far better ability to create objects in Vw ‘09, that in ‘08 and below. For instance, creating a handrail which follows an offset stairwell downward was not possible prior to this upgrade.
Siemens is a huge company with 5.5 million seats and 51,000 customers using various brands of their software.
Here is a URL to Parasolid if you’d like more info:
http://www.plm.automation.siemens.com/en_us/products/open/parasolid/index.shtml
For Version ‘09, 60% of their kernel has been imported into Vw with the following 40% planned for inclusion in 2010. Walls will benefit as we’ll be able to create shapes that can then be subtracted giving us unique sills, for instance. Improved snapping has gotten raves. Another advancement that caught my eye was that we can now snap to points within imported PDF’s. Thus you can bring in a survey, place it on a reference layer and trust that the corner you’re snapping down to will provide an accurate reading. Having this option, versus problematic DXF files, could make using imported files much simpler.
Take a look at the NNA website tutorials for ‘09 if you haven’t already. There’s a lot to explore and ponder.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the last Convert to Lines #30, I talked about making flyaround animations. One of the important parts of the discussion left out was how to create a more circular orbit around your model. You may have found that your flyaround took a boomerang route instead of a round one. To fix this, follow my guide in #30 up to the beginning of the last paragraph. After creating a perspective view of your model as described (enclosed in picture frame), click-select the whole frame and ungroup. Then drag-select just the model and not the frame or any ground volume if you can avoid it. With this central mass selected, go to Model>Create Animation. Orbit Point should be on by default. Select Animation Options and click on Selection. (If Selection is grayed out, you have nothing selected within the picture frame.) The rotate amount should be 360 degrees. To test, run for 5 seconds and see if your flyaround is behaving. If so, render your model for the final orbit. Once rendered, set a fly time of 45 seconds which seems a reasonable viewing period. Note that your model will render based on its relative screen zoom. Zoomed out, you’ll get a small model and zoomed in, a bigger one. Larger images will cause rendering times to increase.
It’s a little more work to generate a perspective view versus the ease of creating a simple isometric style, but once you’ve gotten used to seeing your model in this more realistic state, you aren’t likely to settle for less.
If you’d prefer a more professional, foolproof approach, check out OzCad’s AnimationWorks. Look at all of the sample QT movies as each one is a unique example of what’s possible.
http://www.ozcad.com.au/otherproducts/vwaddonsAW.html
Jonathan Pickup, in his cadsupportonline.com issue 0809 covers walkthrough and flyaround animation. His description, while quite good, covers isometric model viewing, not perspective.
It should be said that having a module one step up from Fundamentals--Architect for instance, plus Renderworks--is the base setup for these modeling discussions.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some misc. gotcha’s:
•If you set your model to Oblique view, OpenGL will not render with this particular representation selected.
•If you intend to import plants into your model, don’t name a Layer or Class “Plant” as this will cause any import of plant libraries to be blocked.
•When exporting an image of your model to a jpg format (File>Export>Export Image File), I find that I am prevented from increasing my dots per inch in the Resolution box which, on my Mac, typically reads as 72 px/in. If you look in the lower right corner of this dialog box, you’ll notice, at least in Vw 2008, that the default setting is for JPEG 2000.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JPEG_2000
Note that if you change this setting to JPEG Image or PNG or another, you ARE able to increase the dpi in the Resolution box. Set dpi somewhere between 150 and 300, depending on your printer’s abilities, you ability to wait for rendering to finish, and the expected quality of the final printout.
Some misc. FREE models:
•Duravit does not have an online download option but you can order their free CD which has DXF models of their products. Scroll down the page to the Spec Manual to order:
http://www.duravit.com/service/catalogs/overview-useo6mangt.html
•Mr-Cad is worth checking out. Mostly a pay-per-model site, they have some free models plus textures. 3ds Format.
http://www.mr-cad.com/
-------------------------------------------------------
Adjusting printing resolution in Vw is confusing since settings seem to be all over the place. For instance, dpi settings can be set, under File>Document Settings, Document Preferences. But after creating a sheet layer, you’ll find dpi can be set there as well. Click on a sheet, then hit the Edit button found on either the Navigation palette or the Organization palette.
Which is more important? Do we need both? To find out, I took one of my fully textured models, rendered in Custom Renderworks, and tried setting dpi’s in both locations. I found that the best place to set dpi was on sheet layers, not in the Documents Pref’s. Printing on a Brother 5280DW laser printer, (capable of 1200 x 1200 dpi), I saw much crisper output when sheets were set to 300 dpi, with the Prefs panel set to 72, than I did when the Prefs panel was at 300 dpi and sheet layers were back at 72 dpi.
My advice, if you are using sheet layers, is to set your dpi there and ignore the Document Preference panel unless someone out there can give me a reasoned argument against this. One last observation: when the sheet dpi was set high, there was a marked improvement in the image on my Mac notebook screen (OS 10.5.4)
Play around with dpi to see what setting between 150 dpi and 300 works for you--assuming your printer can handle more that 150 dpi.
Note all of this assumes you are printing FROM within VectorWorks and not creating a JPEG or some other image file which would then be printed through another application. If you are more interested in exporting and manipulating rendered files in an image processor like Photoshop, then read my suggestion above under Gotcha’s.
--------------------------------------------------------
Some free advice. Well, everything here is free so what’s the deal? Only that you may be slowing down in your business, what with the economy and all, and that brings, along with less money, lots of stress. One of the ways to take control of a less than ideal environment is to train up to gain new skills. We always want to do this when we’re busy, so why not now when we’re slow? If I’ve described you, and you are working in 2D, I suggest blocking out some time to design something in 3D, something really, really simple, such that your investment is manageable and the reward-to-labor ratio high.
You have options for designing in 3D, outside of VectorWorks, as you no doubt know. I’d just like to say that the pay-back, in designing from the beginning in VectorWorks, in 3D, is that you’ll have all your work in one file. Thus small changes, such as property line setback adjustments or stud wall thickness changes, can be managed in a more holistic approach. It was Aristotle who said “The whole is more than the sum of its parts”. Yes, you can get good-looking 3D at the beginning of your modeling process using other software. But starting and ending the file in Vw means that you have a much shorter distance to travel to make adjustments, to check relationships within the model, and to provide accurate, finished drawings, than with a “sum of parts” approach.
-----------------------------------------------------------
That’s a wrap. Hope to see you this coming Thursday.
Serving the Seattle VectorWorks Users Group and Northwest VectorWorks users.
An archive of past newsletters can be found at http://converttolines.blogspot.com/
Please contact me at tomgreggs@comcast.net
In this issue:
•NNA coming to demo Version ‘09
• Early word on 2009
• Animation continued
•Misc. cautions, misc. resources
•Adjusting preferences for printing
•More free advice
Greetings VectorWorks users! Join us Thursday, November 13th, 6:30 to 8:30 PM for the first User Group meeting of the season. We’re going look at using Stack Layers in Vw 2008 to view and edit, light and set perspective views. We’ll also want to share your ideas with the group and help with any questions you might have. I’ll have several 3D renderings to share of the planned remodel of the Wood Construction Center facility.
Our meeting will take place at the Seattle Central Community College Wood Construction Center lecture hall. The hall is located at 2310 S. Lane St. (intersection of 23rd Avenue South and South Lane Street). Parking is available in the gated lot off South King Street, just one block south of Jackson Street. The lecture hall is the building directly adjacent to the parking lot at its south side. Walk up the wooden side-ramp to the second door.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Finally back! Sorry for the long delay in writing but I’ve been waiting for a couple of things to happen. One was that the Vw’s update was about to arrive (Vw is the new shorthand) and I was expecting to bring it loaded on the laptop to our next meeting. That hasn’t happened--something about NNA not being able to ship my particular grade until quite late in the product cycle. I’m still waiting. The other reason, apart from outright entropy, was that NNA has been planning a Seattle tour to show off version 2009 and I was hoping to relay that date. I can say that Thursday, December 11th is currently being contemplated--tentatively contemplated--with the event site located in downtown Seattle. I WILL send out notice as soon as they determine their schedule.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile, Tech Board and List Serv comments have been very positive about the new version. The change to a better modeling kernel--Parasolid by Siemens PLM--may be the biggest advance. We should have far better ability to create objects in Vw ‘09, that in ‘08 and below. For instance, creating a handrail which follows an offset stairwell downward was not possible prior to this upgrade.
Siemens is a huge company with 5.5 million seats and 51,000 customers using various brands of their software.
Here is a URL to Parasolid if you’d like more info:
http://www.plm.automation.siemens.com/en_us/products/open/parasolid/index.shtml
For Version ‘09, 60% of their kernel has been imported into Vw with the following 40% planned for inclusion in 2010. Walls will benefit as we’ll be able to create shapes that can then be subtracted giving us unique sills, for instance. Improved snapping has gotten raves. Another advancement that caught my eye was that we can now snap to points within imported PDF’s. Thus you can bring in a survey, place it on a reference layer and trust that the corner you’re snapping down to will provide an accurate reading. Having this option, versus problematic DXF files, could make using imported files much simpler.
Take a look at the NNA website tutorials for ‘09 if you haven’t already. There’s a lot to explore and ponder.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the last Convert to Lines #30, I talked about making flyaround animations. One of the important parts of the discussion left out was how to create a more circular orbit around your model. You may have found that your flyaround took a boomerang route instead of a round one. To fix this, follow my guide in #30 up to the beginning of the last paragraph. After creating a perspective view of your model as described (enclosed in picture frame), click-select the whole frame and ungroup. Then drag-select just the model and not the frame or any ground volume if you can avoid it. With this central mass selected, go to Model>Create Animation. Orbit Point should be on by default. Select Animation Options and click on Selection. (If Selection is grayed out, you have nothing selected within the picture frame.) The rotate amount should be 360 degrees. To test, run for 5 seconds and see if your flyaround is behaving. If so, render your model for the final orbit. Once rendered, set a fly time of 45 seconds which seems a reasonable viewing period. Note that your model will render based on its relative screen zoom. Zoomed out, you’ll get a small model and zoomed in, a bigger one. Larger images will cause rendering times to increase.
It’s a little more work to generate a perspective view versus the ease of creating a simple isometric style, but once you’ve gotten used to seeing your model in this more realistic state, you aren’t likely to settle for less.
If you’d prefer a more professional, foolproof approach, check out OzCad’s AnimationWorks. Look at all of the sample QT movies as each one is a unique example of what’s possible.
http://www.ozcad.com.au/otherproducts/vwaddonsAW.html
Jonathan Pickup, in his cadsupportonline.com issue 0809 covers walkthrough and flyaround animation. His description, while quite good, covers isometric model viewing, not perspective.
It should be said that having a module one step up from Fundamentals--Architect for instance, plus Renderworks--is the base setup for these modeling discussions.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some misc. gotcha’s:
•If you set your model to Oblique view, OpenGL will not render with this particular representation selected.
•If you intend to import plants into your model, don’t name a Layer or Class “Plant” as this will cause any import of plant libraries to be blocked.
•When exporting an image of your model to a jpg format (File>Export>Export Image File), I find that I am prevented from increasing my dots per inch in the Resolution box which, on my Mac, typically reads as 72 px/in. If you look in the lower right corner of this dialog box, you’ll notice, at least in Vw 2008, that the default setting is for JPEG 2000.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JPEG_2000
Note that if you change this setting to JPEG Image or PNG or another, you ARE able to increase the dpi in the Resolution box. Set dpi somewhere between 150 and 300, depending on your printer’s abilities, you ability to wait for rendering to finish, and the expected quality of the final printout.
Some misc. FREE models:
•Duravit does not have an online download option but you can order their free CD which has DXF models of their products. Scroll down the page to the Spec Manual to order:
http://www.duravit.com/service/catalogs/overview-useo6mangt.html
•Mr-Cad is worth checking out. Mostly a pay-per-model site, they have some free models plus textures. 3ds Format.
http://www.mr-cad.com/
-------------------------------------------------------
Adjusting printing resolution in Vw is confusing since settings seem to be all over the place. For instance, dpi settings can be set, under File>Document Settings, Document Preferences. But after creating a sheet layer, you’ll find dpi can be set there as well. Click on a sheet, then hit the Edit button found on either the Navigation palette or the Organization palette.
Which is more important? Do we need both? To find out, I took one of my fully textured models, rendered in Custom Renderworks, and tried setting dpi’s in both locations. I found that the best place to set dpi was on sheet layers, not in the Documents Pref’s. Printing on a Brother 5280DW laser printer, (capable of 1200 x 1200 dpi), I saw much crisper output when sheets were set to 300 dpi, with the Prefs panel set to 72, than I did when the Prefs panel was at 300 dpi and sheet layers were back at 72 dpi.
My advice, if you are using sheet layers, is to set your dpi there and ignore the Document Preference panel unless someone out there can give me a reasoned argument against this. One last observation: when the sheet dpi was set high, there was a marked improvement in the image on my Mac notebook screen (OS 10.5.4)
Play around with dpi to see what setting between 150 dpi and 300 works for you--assuming your printer can handle more that 150 dpi.
Note all of this assumes you are printing FROM within VectorWorks and not creating a JPEG or some other image file which would then be printed through another application. If you are more interested in exporting and manipulating rendered files in an image processor like Photoshop, then read my suggestion above under Gotcha’s.
--------------------------------------------------------
Some free advice. Well, everything here is free so what’s the deal? Only that you may be slowing down in your business, what with the economy and all, and that brings, along with less money, lots of stress. One of the ways to take control of a less than ideal environment is to train up to gain new skills. We always want to do this when we’re busy, so why not now when we’re slow? If I’ve described you, and you are working in 2D, I suggest blocking out some time to design something in 3D, something really, really simple, such that your investment is manageable and the reward-to-labor ratio high.
You have options for designing in 3D, outside of VectorWorks, as you no doubt know. I’d just like to say that the pay-back, in designing from the beginning in VectorWorks, in 3D, is that you’ll have all your work in one file. Thus small changes, such as property line setback adjustments or stud wall thickness changes, can be managed in a more holistic approach. It was Aristotle who said “The whole is more than the sum of its parts”. Yes, you can get good-looking 3D at the beginning of your modeling process using other software. But starting and ending the file in Vw means that you have a much shorter distance to travel to make adjustments, to check relationships within the model, and to provide accurate, finished drawings, than with a “sum of parts” approach.
-----------------------------------------------------------
That’s a wrap. Hope to see you this coming Thursday.
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