Kindle Reader on iPad updated

One of my complaints about the kindle app on the iPad was when you change to landscape, you only have one page, one really wide page. I found this makes it not as nice to read as the Apple iBook application.

Amazon have released an upgrade to the Kindle app on the iPad to allow 2 columns. This means that when you change a kindle book to landscape, you see two columns, so it looks like two pages next to each other.


This seems like a small change, but it makes the kindle books much more readable.

Office for Mac 2011 Now Available

I'm not normally a fan of Microsoft products, but I do use Office. If you want to share documents and spreadsheets, you need to have Office. I have tried the free OpenOffice, but I really did not like it. The effort I wasted trying to use OpenOffice would have been better spent buying the real Office.

In the end I bought Office for Mac and I have not regretted it.

I read today that this suite of applications has been updated. There are several changes that make this worthwhile. One that caught my eye was collaborative changes. so it should be like using Google Docs, but with more ability to control graphics (which google docs lacks).

I will be upgrading my office suite today.

Offset Duplications or Duplicate in Place

I had a discussion the other day with a  client. He really loves using the duplicate command from the Edit menu. He especially likes the keyboard shortcut, Ctrl+D (Windows), or Command+D (Macintosh). But he only likes to use this command when the object does NOT jump up to the right.

By default, Vectorworks will offset the duplications so you can see that the object has been duplicated. To change the default, you need to change one of the Vectorworks Preferences. You access these preferences from the Menu bar.

This post has moved here...

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell: book review

I have really enjoyed reading this book. This book questions the principle of success being down to individual effort. Gladwell uses Canadian ice hockey as an example of success, and how success is partly controlled by other circumstances other than your own natural talent. In the example Gladwell uses, success seems easier depending the month you were born in.

It is common to think of success as being the result of one person's effort. But is that really the case? I know in my situation, I would not be writing manuals and teaching CAD had it not been for the help of several people, and many fortunate situations.

This is a good read, a thoughtful book that will help you understand more about success. I'm going to give this book to my kids to read.

General Notes in Vectorworks

I had a question today form a client wanting to know if she can use the general notes tool to create general notes with bullet points rather than the numbers that are so common.

I do not know an easy way to substitute the bullet points for the numbers, but you can ungroup the general notes after you have made them.

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Showing Thick Lines in Vectorworks

I had a question yesterday form a friend about showing thick lines in Vectorworks. When you draw objects in Vectorworks, you use the line weights you want for printing. But the challenge can be that what looks good on paper, does not look good on the screen. Normally, this is due to the lines that look good on paper are too thin to display well on screen.

This post has been moved here...

check out my kindle books for Vectorworks 2011 here. 

Vectorworks Movies on YouTube

I have been making movies and posting them on YouTube for some time. I was pleased to see that today I have passed 150000 total views on all my movies. I'm glad that there are some people that like them.

See what others are looking at http://www.youtube.com/archoncad


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PanzerCAD Releases CameraMatch 2011 for the Vectorworks 2011

Columbia, Md. (Oct. 5, 2010) – Nemetschek Vectorworks, Inc. announced today that PanzerCAD has released the 2011 version of its CameraMatch plug-in to be compatible with the Vectorworks® 2011 line of software products.

The CameraMatch 2011 plug-in allows a user to easily align a 3D model view to a photograph. With this plug-in, a user can also superimpose the rendered model into the photograph, saving time by eliminating the need to spend hours creating models of a project's surroundings.


That is the extract from the press release. I must tell you, I'm a real fan of CameraMatch and I'm glad that the developer, Matt Panzer, has updated this fabulous plugin for Vectorworks. I have used this plug in on some projects and it has saved me hours of work. It saves hours of work on every project that you need to visualize. 


One of the new additions to CameraMatch is the clone mode. This allows you to clone an area of the photograph to hide parts of the existing photo that you need to remove. I have an example from Matt Panzer. 

Existing Photo. 

Proposed Vectorworks model with additions. CameraMatch makes this work so easy. You don't need to model the whole house when you you CameraMatch like this. 

There is a small area of the existing photo that needs to be removed from the back of the house. The new clone mode allows you to copy some of the background of the photo. 

When you use this, you can hide parts you do not want to see. This is so quick. I used to do the same thing in photoshop, but it was always hit and miss to get the right area. 


I have some clients that need to do this kind of rendering. I always tell them " you can't afford NOT to have CameraMatch" 


Maybe I'm not being clear, CameraMatch means you only have to model the NEW parts of the project. You do not have to model everything if you can photograph the scene. The savings are enormous. 


Back to the press release...


Some of the new features in CameraMatch 2011 include:

Completely Rewritten View Calculation Procedure
This “under the hood” improvement makes calculated views more accurate and allows for more difficult situations.

Mask Object's New Clone Mode
The feature allows a Mask object to shift the photo image it displays, which lets a Mask object behave similar to the Clone tool in many image-editing applications.

New Shadow Object
The new Shadow object allows shadows and shading to be placed over the rendered image, eliminating the need to export to an image editor for adding simple shadows.

Other New Features
CameraMatch’s more efficient use of image resources greatly reduces file sizes. Mask and Shadow objects automatically clip any parts of themselves extending past the viewport’s crop.

The CameraMatch 2011 plug-in can be purchased from www.panzercad.com for US$100. For CameraMatch 2010 users, the upgrade fee is US$40. CameraMatch 2011 is free for students and teachers using the 2011 educational version of the Vectorworks software.

CameraMatch is currently available in English, and German and Italian versions are planned for later this year.

Located in the Baltimore/Annapolis area of Maryland, PanzerCAD has developed plug-ins for Vectorworks software since 1995 and provided architectural design/presentation services since 1994. Learn more at www.panzercad.com.

About Nemetschek Vectorworks, Inc.
Nemetschek Vectorworks, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nemetschek AG and has been developing software since 1985. The Vectorworks line of software products provides professional design solutions for more than 450,000 designers in the AEC, entertainment and landscape design industries. With a tradition of designing flexible, versatile, intuitive and affordable CAD and Building Information Modeling (BIM) solutions, Nemetschek Vectorworks continues to be a global leader in 3D design technologies. For more information, visit www.vectorworks.net.



Lastly, Matt Panzer has added a few youtube movies to show some of the techniques with CameraMatch. 
CameraMatch 2011 - Mask Obj Improvements
CameraMatch 2011 - Shadow Object
CameraMatch 2011 - Rewritten View Calculation Procedure
 CameraMatch 2011 - Viewport Crop Clipping
CameraMatch 2011 - Photo Scales with Viewport Scale Change
CameraMatch 2011 - Pixel Dims and Sug Sht Lay DPI

Planar Graphics or Planar Objects in Vectorworks 2011?

One of the new features in Vectorworks 2011 is planar graphics. This will allow you to draw graphic objects in any plane.

I have been thinking about this, and I now believe that calling the objects planar graphics does not describe the objects. I will be calling them Planar Objects form now on. Planar objects is a better description because it is not just the graphics that are on the plane, the whole object is on the plane.

You can get into a problem if you are think of 2D objects and 3D objects. 2D objects would be screen plane objects. Planar objects are not really 2D. the concept of 2D doesn’t really make sense when dealing with planar objects. Sure you used the rectangle tool to draw it, but if the object is on a 3D plane, it is no longer 2D, you can turn it and walk around it.

This is a big change. It will change the way you draw, and it will change the way you think about your drawings. Calling a rectangle 2D will not make sense with planar graphic, because a rectangle can be on any 3D plane.

In this view you can see two rectangles. One rectangle is in the screen plane, this is a true 2D object. The other rectangle is on the layer plane. It looks 2D in plan view, and it looks like a 3D object in a 3D view, but it is still a rectangle. This is a planar object, a 2D object on a 3D plane.

When you use the old 2D tools in Vectorworks 2011, they can be used on a plane. Beware, when you use planar objects, do not expect 2D commands and 2D tools to work the way you want. 2D commands like Rotate Left, and Move... will move objects using the screen plane. If you are using planar objects, and you are in a 3D view, use the 3D commands like the Rotate tool and Move 3D...

GoodReader iPad app updated

One of my favorite apps for the iPad has just been updated. GoodReader is a very good application for reading PDF files. I have been using it for some time now, and I have tried several PDF reader on the iPhone and iPad.








GoodReader works well with DropBox, the online storage system. The way i use it is to store all my user group notes in a folder on DropBox, then i can access them when I want them on my iPad.

I have formatted the user group notes as half a letter size, so they fit on the iPad. This page size works really well, as it is about the same size as the iPad. That makes the words an pictures easy to read.

But enough about the manuals, back to GoodReader. The update to GoodReader allows you to annotate the PDF.

Select a word, or a block of text and you get a new pop-up menu. You can highlight the text, markup the text or add a note.

If you were attending a meeting with the PDF manual, you could add notes with ideas, or additional information that you picked up at the meeting. This makes the notes more personal, and more useful to you.

The notes look like any other edited PDF, like a small speech bubble. When you tap on the icon, the note window appears for you to edit or update the notes.

You can move the note to a better location.  It's not just notes. you can add sketches and highlights. If the file is not protected, you can copy and paste form the PDF to other applications.

If you have an iPad, I highly recommend GoodReader.

short Sharp Training Monthly - What's New in Vectorworks 2011

The online user group, which I call Short Sharp Training (Monthly) is looking at the new Vectorworks 2011 this month. There has been a lot of online resources looking at the new features of Vectorworks 2011. I do not want to repeat these, I want to look at about 11 topics in detail:

Text Styles 

• Creating a Text Style
• Editing a Text
• Assigning a Text Style to a Text Object
• Assigning a Text Style to a Dimension Standard
• Assigning a Text Style to Other Objects

Planar graphics

• This is a big change. It will change the way you draw, and it will change the way you think about your drawings. Calling a rectangle 2D will not make sense with planar graphic, because a rectangle can be on any 3D plane. 

Push/Pull Tool

• This can be used to replace the extrude command, add solids, subtract solids, and it is very quick to use. Goodbye sketchup!

Extract Tool

• This tool has been around for a while, but it has a new very powerful feature. It can now create planar objects from a 3D object or model.

Wall Styles

• Wall styles are not new, but they have been improved. You now have control over the 3D height of each wall component.

Slabs

• These are new. They replace floors and they work with your walls styles to create complex wall/ceiling/floor geometry. 

Working in 3D - 3D Modeling

• If we bring together working planes, planar graphics and the push/pull tool, we can model objects much faster and more intuitively than before. 

Working in 3D - Building

• If we bring together the improvements in walls,  slabs and planar graphics, we can model our buildings more easily and more quickly. 

Existing Tree

• for users outside Australia and New Zealand, this is a new tool, and very useful. You can identify and schedule existing trees on site. 

I see these as the most important changes. They will change your workflow. I want to look at these topics and show how to use them and how to implement these concepts in your work.

This should be a really fun session. Book as soon as you can.

Presentation 60 minutes. Q&A about 15 min.
Cost : You have to be a subscriber to join this webinar. You can subscribe here, or you can join this session for a one-off change of $35US.

Session 1: Monday 11th October 2010 (NZDT) Book here:
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/965335723

Session 2: Wednesday 13th October 2010 (NZDT) Book here:

https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/226026411

Session 3: Friday 15th October 2010 (NZDT) Book here:

https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/372003194

Is It Worth Upgrading to Vectorworks 2011

A lot of people ask me if they should upgrade to Vectorworks 2011. Is it worth the upgrade they ask? I'm very happy about the changes and new techniques in Vectorworks 2011, and I think these will save you a lot of time.

I guess you have to ask what your time is worth. I have a client with a large file (44.8MB) with several viewports and 30 sheet layers. When it's time to update all the viewports my client uses Update All Viewports command.

In Vectorworks 2008 this file was incomplete after 13 minutes of updating. In Vectorworks 2011, this file was completed in 3.5 minutes. So, that would be a saving of 10mins. If you update the file, or files like this, everyday, then you can save yourself about an hour a week. Just on the speed of updating viewports. This should be enough savings to pay for your upgrade. At 50 weeks, an hour a week at $40/hr, that is a saving of $2000!

There is no doubt in my mind that Vectorworks 2011 is a major upgrade. The changes to 3D modeling with the Pus/Pull tool and planar objects will change the way you model. It is so much faster to model in Vectorworks 2011, I can't go back. The interaction between walls and slabs will change the way you create buildings. They will become faster to draw and model.

Text Styles in Vectorworks 2011

I have been using the the new text styles in Vectorworks 2011 for a short time, but already I love them. Today, I had to teach a Vectorworks user on Vectorworks 2010, and I wanted to use a text style to change the text on the drawing. Of course you can change the font, size and so on with Vectorworks 2010, but it is just is much quicker in Vectorworks 2011.

In Vectorworks 2011, text has a style assignment. So, when you create text you can tell Vectorworks what style each block of text should use.

When you specify a text style, the block of text will always use the settings from the text style. If you edit the text style the block of text will update.

Text styles are resources and can be imported from a library. You can drag and drop a text style from your library to a block of text on the drawing.

Locate the text style in your library.

Drag and drop the text style onto the text object (dimension, plant, hardscape, etc.). The text will then use the setting in the text style. If you edit the text style, all the text in your drawing that uses this text style will update. This will give you global control of all your text in your drawing.


I have posted  youtube movie giving you a quick introduction to text styles:

Vectorworks 2011 is now released

Nemetschek Vectorworks have now announced Vectorworks 2011, and they have released a lot of feature movies on their YouTube web page.

The Vectorworks tech board and email list are full of comments about this upgrade. So far, the comments have been, on the whole, positive. I should think so, this release is one of the most exciting I have seen. There are many, many little improvements to the usability of Vectorworks, and some very big, major changes. The small changes are just nice, and they make it easier to do what you used to do. The big changes will get you thinking about your workflow, because of the changes to walls, slabs and especially the planar graphics.

If you are not drawing the walls using components at the moment, you should. Wall components have had classes for a while, now they have individual 3D control over components. This will let you create complex walls, where the 3D parts have different heights. Setting up floor layers and slab layers can be different, because walls and slabs work together. I've always used a wall layer that goes from finished floor to finished floor. Now when you place a slab, the wall will adjust according to the slab settings. I'm so happy, at last my walls will look correct in 3D.

I ran two webinars yesterday on Vectorworks 2011, one for www.Novedge.com and the other for the New Zealand distributor, www.megabits.co.nz. I recorded the megabits session and you will find a movie of the Novedge webinar at vimeo.

What’s New in Vectorworks 2011 - for www.megabits.co.nz from Jonathan Pickup on Vimeo.

The novedge movie:

Novedge Webinar Series: What's New in Vectorworks 2011 from Novedge on Vimeo.

Monthly Support for Vectorworks

Many people do not know that each month I write a manual for Vectorworks that includes linked movies. I have been writing the manuals since the beginning of 2007, which means that I've written about 43 monthly manuals since I started. Until recently, I was only able to keep about a year's worth of manuals and movies on my web site.

But this week, I found out how I can keep the movies (and there are over 633 of them since I started) safe for my subscribers. This means that I can free up room on my web site, for storing more of the back issues. At the moment I have uploaded all the manuals back to the start of 2008, which means there are 32 manuals on my web site for my subscribers.

This should make it easier for my subscribers to get the back issues, and they will be able to get access to all the movies. Eventually, subscribers will be able to access all of these movies.

Only subscribers are able to access these manuals and movies, so for the best Vectorworks monthly support, you should be subscribe to my online user group. Subscribe here...

Vectorworks 2011 Delivers...

UPDATE: September 15th
Nemetschek Vectorworks have announced the release of Vectorworks 2011, so now it's official. they have updated tier web site with lots of information and there will webinars all over the place to announce the release.

Novedge in CA will have a webinar and you can register here.
Megabits in NZ will have a webinar and you can register here.


Nemetschek Vectorworks (formerly Nemetschek North America) have announced that Vectorworks will be updating to Vectorworks 2011. I have been watching the videos that are available and it looks huge. I can't wait to get my hands on it.
First video:




Second Video:


Third Video:


Video number 4:

Newsletter from Chris Brogan

There are a few business people that I listen to. Chris Brogan is one of then. I like his books, blogs and newsletters. He has started a new newsletter focusing on personal development. You can subscribe to his newsletter here. http://www.chrisbrogan.com/newsletters/


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Vectorworks Plant Database on Your iPad

The Vectorworks plant database is made with with a program called Filemaker. Filemaker is a database program, so it is ideal for making the Vectorworks plant database. On your computer, you can search for plants, tag plants for a project, add your own plant images and add your own comments on each plant. This is great when you are in your office, but what are you supposed to when you leave the office to go on site? If you have a laptop, you could carry it with you, it's just that it is not that easy to hold a laptop in one hand a type on it with the other.

An iPad, now if only you could carry the plant database on your iPad....

Filemaker has released a version of their software that works on an iPad called Filemaker Go. You can read more about this here. This software allows you copy your plant database onto your iPad. When you buy Filemaker, you use iTunes to add it to your iPad. After that, you can tell iTunes to copy files to your iPad to carry with you. When you do this, you take a copy of the file, and any changes you make on the iPad are not automatically copied back to your computer. So, you can't really carry your original plant database but you can carry a copy. This means that any changes you make to the plant database are NOT copied to your original, but you can copy the copy the plant database from your iPad back to your computer (overwriting the original).




On the iPad, you start Filemaker Go. Then you choose the database that you want to open. You might notice that I have copied the USR portion of the plant database. This is the part that has all the plants in it.




When you open the plant database, you have all the records, you can edit them search and so on. Now you can take your plant database with you in the field.

Creating a Gable roof with Vectorworks 2010

This is the starting shape for the roof, the plan of the walls. We want a roof with two roof planes, and a gable to the left and right.

This post has been moved here...

Creating a Dutch Gable, or Truncated Hip?

I have been on a Vectorworks chat list lately, and the users were asking about making a Dutch Gable.

Vectorworks will make one easily if you start with a standard Vectorworks roof and edit the roof plane.

This post has been moved to here...