Vectorworks Tip #224 – Site Modeling – Simplify Polys

When you import polygons for site modelling they often have too many vertices. This command will simplify the polygons and make your site models faster. 

Vectorworks Tip #223 – Plant Tool – Place Multiple Plants by Clicking

Use this mode to place several plants. Each click places one plant (one of the group). Double-click to finish. This mode allows you to adjust the spacing between the plants but still have all the plants in one group.

Vectorworks Tip #222 – Stories and Levels – Creating New Levels

If you want to create new levels, click on the New Level… button. You can create as many levels as you need to complete your design. Keep the level names short and concise.

Vectorworks Tip #221 – Attributes – Editing Patterns

Although patterns are an old technique, they might still be useful. Vectorworks can only present about 64 patterns (due to the size of the palette) but you can edit the patterns that are there. The command is in the Edit menu.

Vectorworks Tip #220 – Site Modelling – Stake Objects

You can use a stake object to place a point for site modelling. I use a stake to place a 3D point to match the survey points.

Living With a Chromebook - 8

I have been without a Chromebook for several months now, but I bought one of the new HP ones yesterday. They have two models, so I made sure that I got one of the latest ones with the longer battery life. So today is my first day back with it. When I logged in, the new Chromebook had all my settings from the previous one, and all of the apps and extensions as well.

OK, i agree that the Chromebook is cheaply made, but then it is less than half the price of some other 11” laptops.

I believe that if you use google for your calendar, contacts and email, you will find the chromebook very easy to get used to. 

Vectorworks Tip #219 – Plant Tool – Place Single Plant

Use this mode to place a single plant. Click once to place a plant.

Vectorworks Tip #218 – Stories and Levels – Editing Default Levels

If you do not like the names of the standard design layers and levels in your story set up dialog box, you can edit them by clicking on the Edit Default Levels… This dialog box allows you to change the default layer names, level names and level elevations for the current project, but these do not change the overall default layers and levels for every project.

Vectorworks Tip #217 – Attributes – Changing the Colours on Patterns

Patterns have a foreground and a background colour and each can be edited separately. Click on the appropriate button to edit the foreground or background colour. This allows you to create other colours by combining the two colours.

Living With a Chromebook 7

More manufacturers are getting into the Chromebook market now and Samsung have dramatically improved the battery life. I am very interested in the HP Chromebook, it has a claimed 9 hr battery. This is now enough for a student to last all day at school, without recharging it. My previous Samsung chromebook did not last that well, it would only get 4-5 hours before it needed recharging. 

Vectorworks Tip #216 - Site Modelling - Grid Entry Method

For some users, this is the default way of recording information on site. If you are going to use the grid entry method, it is very important that you survey the site using the same strict grid on site.

Vectorworks Tip #215 - Plant Toolhttp://learn.archoncad.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/image041.png

There are two ways to add plants to your plans. The first (and easiest) way to do this is to use the Plant tool. This tool is specifically designed to place plants and it offers 5 different ways to place plants. These different modes should suit most situations. 

Vectorworks Tip #214 - Stories and Levels - Default Levels

Vectorworks comes with standard design layer and level settings. These design layers and levels can be used in your building projects to control the elevations of the building elements, especially walls and wall components.

Vectorworks Tip #213 - Attributes - Editing Hatches

If you want to change the scale of your hatches, use the technique to change the local mapping, then save the locally mapped hatch as a new hatch. If you want to change change the background fill, line colors or line weights, use the Resource Browser to edit the hatch. 

Podcast 215 - Test Yourself Exercise - 7

Chapter 7 is an introduction to 3-D modeling. 3-D modeling is important in Vectorworks (as you will notice from chapter 2). Chapter 7 covered techniques like extrusions, add solid, subtract solid and so on. You can use those techniques to create the bracket showing here.

Living With a Chromebook - 6

I finally sold my chromebook, because i didn’t see a need to keep it. I got a good price for it. I still think that for students at high school (that do not need to do any CAD work) the Chromebook is very useful. 

Living With a Chromebook 5

I have been reading a blog from Techsmith.com (http://blogs.techsmith.com/for-educators/chromebook-not-interactive-whiteboard/). They are betting that the chromebook will make a lasting and substantial impact in the classroom, unlike interactive whiteboards. The difference is that chromebooks are affordable for most parents (unlike a MacBook Air), but they will give most students the tools and applications that they need to work in the classroom. My daughter’s school required all the year 12 and 13 students to have a laptop computer. The recommendation was for a windows laptop (except the battery life sdoen not meet the required duration) or a MacBook. The MacBook Air greatly exceeds the required battery life, and so most students ended up with one. I’m disappointed that the chromebook was never one of the recommended options. Its a shame because it would easily fulfill my daughter’s requirements.

She needs to be able to write reports with images and photos, search the internet, and share the reports with the teacher. She also wants to watch online TV and movies. She could do all of this on a chromebook. 

Living with a Chromebook 4

When I bought this chromebook, the seller said that it had been his wife’s computer, but they were selling it because it didn’t completely replace the tablet they were using. I can see this now. I have an iPad mini. It has loads of storage, it’s connected to the internet, I can do everything that this chromebook does, and much more. The only thing that this chromebook does better than the ipad is typing, because it has a full size keyboard, and you can attach a mouse to the chromebook.

For writing reports and proposals the chromebook is better than my ipad. But for checking email, the ipad is much more capable, because it allows you to check multiple accounts in one place. The chromebook has the same problem as the android smartphones, it is great if you only want to use Gmail, but it’s a pain if you want to use Gmail and iCloud at the same time. 

iPhone 6+ as a Replacement for an iPad Mini

I've had an iPad Mini for over two years now, and i love the size and flexibility of it.  But lately i have been thinking about being able to repalce it. I wondered if i got a bigger phone, if I could stop carrying my iPad. 

I have just bought an iPhone 6+ and i thought is would be a great replacement for my ipad. In hte past i have thought about getting rid of my ipad, but the phone never seemed quite big enough. I think the iPhone 6+ is about the size where you could get rid of the ipad and just have a phone. 

I an very surprised at the size of the 6+. I knew it would be big, but it's only when you start to carry it around that you realise just how big it will be. 

Vectorworks Tip #211 - What is a Plant?

A plant in Vectorworks is a special object that has a plan representation, a model (or 3D) representation, and plant data. All these parts are bound together inside the object called a plant. When you place a plant, Vectorworks places all of these parts together in the drawing. This allows you to see the plan view, see the 3D, or create a report that shows the data.

the leader in Vectorworks training: http://learn.archoncad.com

Vectorworks Tip #210 - Stories and Levels

Design layers might be the container for holding all of the building elements, but levels control the elevation of these elements.

the leader in Vectorworks training: http://learn.archoncad.com

Vectorworks Tip #209 - Attribute palette - Patterns and Printing

There is a check box that you have to choose if you want to print the patterns as they appear on-screen. If you don't choose this option, the patterns will not print the way you want them too. Even when you do choose this option, the sizes of the patterns are a bit hit-and-miss relative to what you see on the screen.

the leader in Vectorworks training: http://learn.archoncad.com

Podcast 214 - Test Yourself Exercise - 6

The purpose of chapter 6 is to have an exercise that brings together many of the drawing tools and techniques that you need into one exercise. This exercise is designed to reinforce the flow of tools from start to finish. It will use techniques that you have learned in chapters 1-5.

The object shown here is a picnic table, and is just drawn using 2-D techniques. You can use the sizes shown on this image or you can make up your own sizes. In this exercise you will start with a blank file, check the units, check the layer scale, then draw the the table. Remember to use all the techniques you have learned to speed up your work.