[TOTALLYRC]

\r\n \r\n Hi Ray,
\r\nuse Viacad 3d and absolutely love it.
\r\n
\r\nThe gaps detected in profile comes from some programs not connecting the lines properly. When you try to extrude, you will see markers on the drawings showing where the problems are but they disappear in a few seconds. If you zoom in you can usually see what the problem is. I usually find the the line intesect but that there is a tail haning and you can\'t extrude something that has a loose end
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\r\nCurves not planar means that what you have selected is not a closed polygon or all of the curves are not in the same plane.
\r\n
\r\nAttempt to sweep zero length vector means that the line you have chosen as a direction and length is on the same plane as the vectors you are trying to extrude. This can be very trying as they do not explain very well how to actully pick a direction to extrude in.
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\r\nWhen using the parallel line tool, you just drag a line off of the existing line and then in the nice offset box that is there you just type in the distance from the first line that you want it to be, couldn\'t be easier.
\r\n
\r\nAs far as I can tell there is not a parallel to a curve function but I have never noticed that and you can very easily do that by using selecting the arc tool of you choice, putting in the new arc radius?? and using the smart curser pick up the center of the arc and draw another curve. Use the trim tool to get the ends exactly where you want them.
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\r\nI don\'t do a ton with the 3d stuff, but I have not had any of the features stop working on me that I can remember.
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\r\nI am assuming that you want to go from 3d to 2d even though you typed 2d to 2d. There is a model to sheet function that may do what you want.
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\r\nThe logic curser has settings that can change the distance at which they select. It is under preferences I believe.
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\r\nIf the objects are too close together, I just use the mouse wheel to zoom in, it makes it easier to pick the right object. You should also be getting an ambiguity dialog box to ask which item you want to select if they are close together. ctrl-f will zoom all to fit the screen after you are done zooming in.
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\r\nThe program is associative so you should be able to edit complex objects to your hearts content. The undo and redo buttons work here so you shouldn\'t be locked out of reediting a complex object that you have made.
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\r\nIf you PM me a drawing that is giving you trouble, I would be glad to test it out here.
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\r\nI hope all of this helps.
\r\n
\r\nMike.\r\n \r\n

[TOTALLYRC]

\r\n \r\n I am sorry for all the typos in the last message but it is bed time and I really shouldn\'t type when I am sleepy.
\r\n
\r\nMike\r\n \r\n

[SCzEngrgGroup]

\r\n \r\n Mike,
\r\n
\r\nSee below....
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Hi Ray,
\r\nuse Viacad 3d and absolutely love it.
\r\n
\r\nThe gaps detected in profile comes from some programs not connecting the lines properly. When you try to extrude, you will see markers on the drawings showing where the problems are but they disappear in a few seconds. If you zoom in you can usually see what the problem is. I usually find the the line intesect but that there is a tail haning and you can\'t extrude something that has a loose end
\r\n
\r\nProblem is, the path I\'m trying to extrude is almost entirely obscured by other objects, so I see nothing indicating where the problem is. I then go in and trim all the segments, and it still doesn\'t work. I find if I select the entire path, do a "Convert Type" to polyline, I can then, usually, extrude *once*, then it goes back to complaining.
\r\n
\r\nCurves not planar means that what you have selected is not a closed polygon or all of the curves are not in the same plane.
\r\n
\r\nHow can they not be co-planar when they\'re created in a 2D view? And why do I get a different error depending on which segment of the path I select?
\r\n
\r\nAttempt to sweep zero length vector means that the line you have chosen as a direction and length is on the same plane as the vectors you are trying to extrude. This can be very trying as they do not explain very well how to actully pick a direction to extrude in.
\r\n
\r\nI\'m not entering a vector, I\'m using distance mode....
\r\n
\r\nWhen using the parallel line tool, you just drag a line off of the existing line and then in the nice offset box that is there you just type in the distance from the first line that you want it to be, couldn\'t be easier.
\r\n
\r\nActually, it could.... Other CAD programs all you have to do is click on the line you want to be parallel to. The distance is preset, so you can do many parallel lines by just doing click, click, click. Here it appears you MUST re-enter the dimension every single time.
\r\n
\r\nAs far as I can tell there is not a parallel to a curve function but I have never noticed that and you can very easily do that by using selecting the arc tool of you choice, putting in the new arc radius?? and using the smart curser pick up the center of the arc and draw another curve. Use the trim tool to get the ends exactly where you want them.
\r\n
\r\nAgain, this requires you to *know* the correct radius, and to manually type it in every time. Seems very cumbersome.
\r\n
\r\nI don\'t do a ton with the 3d stuff, but I have not had any of the features stop working on me that I can remember.
\r\n
\r\nI am assuming that you want to go from 3d to 2d even though you typed 2d to 2d. There is a model to sheet function that may do what you want.
\r\n
\r\nModel to Sheet is exactly the function I was looking for, but it was NOT located where the tutorial said. It seems to be accessible only through the toolbar, while the tutorial said it was on a non-existant menu.... I just tried it, and it created a mostly blank sheet with a few scattered lines on it, and seems to have disappeared my 3D object.....
\r\n
\r\nThe logic curser has settings that can change the distance at which they select. It is under preferences I believe.
\r\n
\r\nIf the objects are too close together, I just use the mouse wheel to zoom in, it makes it easier to pick the right object. You should also be getting an ambiguity dialog box to ask which item you want to select if they are close together. ctrl-f will zoom all to fit the screen after you are done zooming in.
\r\n
\r\n
\r\nThe program is associative so you should be able to edit complex objects to your hearts content. The undo and redo buttons work here so you shouldn\'t be locked out of reediting a complex object that you have made.
\r\n
\r\nHow do I "undo" a 3D subtract? After the subtract, the part that was subtracted disappears, so how can I "put it back" or change the subtract after the fact?
\r\n
\r\nIf you PM me a drawing that is giving you trouble, I would be glad to test it out here.
\r\n
\r\nI\'ll try to put together a few simple files to show the problems...
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\r\nI hope all of this helps.
\r\n
\r\nMike.

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\r\n \r\n

[SCzEngrgGroup]

\r\n \r\n Mike,
\r\n
\r\nMaking some progress. I\'m getting better at extruding. Part of the problem is how I was selecting the paths to extrude. I was selecting all the segments one by one, which doesn\'t seem to work. If I turn off all other layers, then select all on the one I want, it works MUCH better.
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\r\nI was not seeing the "error" markers when there was a problem in a path. Turns out you need to be zoomed in pretty far for those to show up.
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\r\nNext problem: I\'m trying to do an assembly. How do you flip/rotate a part to get it in the correct position to mate up to other parts?
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\r\nRegards,
\r\nRay L.\r\n \r\n

[TOTALLYRC]

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\r\n

\r\n \r\n \r\n

Mike,
\r\n
\r\nMaking some progress. I\'m getting better at extruding. Part of the problem is how I was selecting the paths to extrude. I was selecting all the segments one by one, which doesn\'t seem to work. If I turn off all other layers, then select all on the one I want, it works MUCH better.
\r\n
\r\nI was not seeing the "error" markers when there was a problem in a path. Turns out you need to be zoomed in pretty far for those to show up.
\r\n
\r\nNext problem: I\'m trying to do an assembly. How do you flip/rotate a part to get it in the correct position to mate up to other parts?
\r\n
\r\nRegards,
\r\nRay L.

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\r\n

I have never actually done that before but it looks like you can use the rotate function on 3d objects. I just drew a quick cube and you can use the rotate function on it. I just used view menu to pick which side I wanted to start from and then rotated it to where I needed it.
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\r\nIt would have been great to figure this out last month as I was given a drawing to quote but it kept coming to me drawn showing the side as the top and my cam program kept truing to do it like it came. If I have the drawing I will see if it works because I drew a part that way once and had to redraw it to get it to work.
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\r\nYou are probably a much more advanced CAD user than I am since I never draw in layers, I just make different file for each "layer" and then put them all together in a different file if I need to see how it all looks.
\r\nRight, adding layers to the list of things that I need to do.
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\r\nI don\'t use the parallel line function much and now that you mention it a sticky settable distance would be nice.
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\r\nAs far as the curves go, it could be better but for $99 dollars I can let some of the smaller things slide.
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\r\nI tested Ashlar Vellum\'s Cobalt, but at $7k I think I can put up with having some of the things be a little cumbersome. Cobalt has an almost identical user interface since it is based on the same technology. I still have my version of Drawingboard light from the days when it was shareware. It was the early predecessor of Graphite and Cobalt. It is one of the reasons that I like Viacad as I am familiar with the user interface.
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\r\nI think that the pro version may have some of the more advanced things that you are looking for.
\r\nSince you have pointed out some of the things that will be useful to me in the future, I am downloading the pro trial to see if it has the features you and I are looking for. At $250 the price is still in line with what I can afford and if it has better/more features that I need, then it is worth a look.
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\r\nWhen selecting items to extrude you have to select it all at once, either by dragging a window around the item you wish to extrude or by using the shift key and clicking on all the lines in an item. I find if you group a figure you can then just click on any part of it and it will be selected when extruding. Makes it much easier when working in close proximity to other objects.
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\r\nToday is the first time I did an extrusion by distance, much easier than by vector.
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\r\nIt is true, you can teach an old dummy new tricks. LMAO, and it is a lot of
\r\na$$ to laugh off.
\r\n
\r\nMike\r\n \r\n

[SCzEngrgGroup]

\r\n \r\n Mike,
\r\n
\r\nI\'ve made a lot of progress tonight, and got most of the assembly done. Some of the operations are kinda tricky - you really have to THINK about what you use as reference points, or things really go wonky. But, I\'m starting to get the hang of it.
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\r\nBelow is a "rough draft" of the assembly drawing for the BP quill drive I\'m building.
\r\n
\r\nRegards,
\r\nRay L.\r\n \r\n

[TOTALLYRC]

\r\n \r\n

\r\n

\r\n

\r\n

\r\n \r\n \r\n

Mike,
\r\n
\r\nI\'ve made a lot of progress tonight, and got most of the assembly done. Some of the operations are kinda tricky - you really have to THINK about what you use as reference points, or things really go wonky. But, I\'m starting to get the hang of it.
\r\n
\r\nBelow is a "rough draft" of the assembly drawing for the BP quill drive I\'m building.
\r\n
\r\nRegards,
\r\nRay L.

\r\n \r\n

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\r\n

I will take a look at it later today.
\r\nI found the parallel to curve function. It is part of the trim sub menu and is called offset curve by distance. Silly place to put it but at least it is there.
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\r\nI am studying the pro trial and there is more option is the menus but I will reserve judgment until I actually do something in pro that I can\'t do in the regular 3d version.
\r\n
\r\nMike\r\n \r\n

[SCzEngrgGroup]

I recently downloaded the trial version of ViaCAD. While there are things I like about it, there are things that are really infuriating as well. There appear to be some very basic functions that simply don't exist, and many others that are, to be kind, very squirrelly. Is it just me?

Here are some examples:

I import a DXF created in another CAD program, and try to create a 3D model from it. First, everything needs to be converted to polylines, before they can be extruded. OK, no problem. But now, when I try to extrude them, I get one of several errors: "Gaps detected in profile", or "Attempt to sweep zero length vector", or "Curves not planar". None of these is particularly informative, and which one I get depends on *where* I click on the profile.

I've tried editing 3D objects, and the behavior seems really bizarre. For example, I have a solid object with a hole through it. I want to move the hole slightly. But, as soon as I select it, it's teleported to a completely different place within the object. If I try to move it along the X axis, it moves along the Z axis instead. It seems impossible to precisely place objects.

If I create a complex object by subtracting one 3D object from another, it appears there is no way to edit that object again, without completely re-constructing it. Is this really true?

There appears to be no way to quickly draw lines parallel to existing lines. There is a parallel line tool, but it seems to require you to click on the existing line, drag away from it, and the parallel line will then be placed wherever you stop dragging, which is not necessarily where you want it. You then have to edit the line to put it exactly where you want it. There appears to be no parallel drawing capability for curved lines at all.

I've lost count of how many times one or more features have simply stopped working, requiring me to exit and re-start the program to get it back. In one case, I created a 3D object for which I could no longer display anything but a wire-frame, even after re-starting the program.

The "documentation", as with most software these days, absolutely sucks, and even the menus and dialogs in the application often bear no resemblence to what's shown in the manual and tutorials! For example, is there really a way to make a section view? If so, I can't figure out how to make it work. I just get more gibberish error messages that give me no clue what the actual problem is. The menu option for creating a 2D drawing from a 2D object doesn't even exist!

So far, it appears to be *almost* a nice package, but with so many quirks and missing, broken, or just badly implemented features as to render it almost unusable. I mostly like what they've done with select modes and snaps, but even those seem to have a random element to them.

Regards,
Ray L.