3D Vectorworks

A roller coaster first week back at college, scrambling to finish something resembling the required documents before a Tamsin led whistlestop tour of Vectorworks 3D.

Our two days has been crammed into one day for some reason which I can't quite fathom, something about 3d VW not being relevant which in fact turns out not to be the case as we wend our way through manipulating contours and building sweeping solids. My laptop, a supposedly wizard gaming machine, struggles to render at times....I ponder changing to an iMac and inwardly groan at the cost.

From Desktop

The course is nothing if not a rapid change of schedule and covered topics.

Contouring in Sketch Up

An eventful Easter Sunday (no rest for the wicked as they say!) spent playing in the Google Sketch Up sandbox. It appears that it is only possible to import level surveys into Pro which is a good plan for making people buy pro a bad plan for us mere students who don't want both Vectorworks and Sketch Up Pro as there are too many cross overs in functionality and the former wins hands down on overall functionality.

So hand contouring it is, tracing over an imported .jpg file exported from Vectorworks where the levels survey is imported (not so professional, but it works).

The site looks precipitous which makes me think I have something wrong (scale maybe?). More contours make it look less so but then the steep banks and suddenly ending contours make it much more complicated to draw in with the sandbox tool.

Still I am pleased at least to have succeeded with the tool itself.

I think project 3 may find itself with much simplified contours and smoother shapes overall, steep banking is out!

From Project 3 - Rural

What is a Hard Landscape Portfolio?

I was asked this lately and realise I have skirted around the details in previous postings.

The task was to prepare full construction drawings from Plan, Elevation and Section through to the Detail. Enough to allow a contractor to build each project successfully.

Furnished with some plans, some photographs and some written material the level of detail was up to each person to decide upon.

For some of the students, me included, this meant learning the 'how' of what to build i.e foundation width, depth and content, how does a retaining wall retain, what are the components of a decking structure and how do they fit together, how deep is a pond? and what sits beneath it? how deep is a step riser?, what are the dims of a brick?, a concrete slab? and even a roof tile? plus endless beams, joists, noggins, hoggin, mortar and sub-base components. This detail fathomed, how to brace, hang, support and wedge (!) together. Lastly to gather it all elegantly and efficiently into the CAD program of choice, Vectorworks 2010 which turned out to be stage two of the steep climb to knowledge.

Stage three was printing it all out with perfect titling, positioning, labeling and the right amount of information. Each requiring detailed knowledge of printer performance, features and why DPI might be relevant.

The learning aim was clearly about getting the written construction material off the page and into heads. Then from heads and sketch pads into Vectorworks. Upping skills in both areas, pronto. Having a real project is, for me at least, a blessing, something to actually 'do' rather than play at doing.

I leanrt more than I needed to in some areas and not enough in others.

The final part was a Bespoke portfolio of 12 pieces drawn with enough detail for a craftsman or woman to build for our clients. A creative exercise and most enjoyable although some of my crafts people will need to be magicians as well!

All in all my HLP and bespoke took me 192 hours (curtesy of www.tickspot.com) to complete. That's sitting down at the computer hours, not faffing about making tea, reading, researching, getting help, discussing with peers, tutors, sending 'help' emails, completing Vectorworks tutorial book, deciphering VW help text (bad, really bad!) and the many other tasks that surrounded it. For that, Tickspot reckons another 40 hrs, give or take.

All will be on show at the end of year exhibition in June (16/17), of course updated per instructions from those marking them in the coming weeks.

The sense of achievement

I have a sense of achievement which could be the prelude to a massive disappointment but still, the last 5 weeks struggling with Vectorworks, constructions notes, supplier catalogue blurb, plans, 2d drawings, grainy photo's and my own n00b-ness in the face of building anything that will stand up for more than a slight breath of wind, has turned out to be the expected steep learning curve and though I say it myself, successful. To some degree at least. The OCGD Hard Landscape Portfolio is well on the way.

Just one of the draft drawings

From 1 HLP

An email from 'Teach' reminding us to have planting plans for project 2 ready for the CAD course at the beginning of term ( 10 days time) slammed me into the wall of deadline pressure: delivering the HLP (85% done), the bespoke portfolio (not yet begun) and now a planting plan on top of that.

In a frantic half an hour I went from 'I can't do all this!' (think hysteria pitch) to ' S**t, I have to get this done! plan it woman' (terminator workaholic mode) and the consequent flurry of research, absorbing and cogitating that goes on around the actual 'sitting down and doing it' process.

An interesting change of head space which was much needed tbh. I may not complete on time but I will be skidding in to the finish post with my best attempt at it all, come hell or broken leg!

And in the background of all this I am steadily building my 365 project and discovering it's not that easy. Another learning process.

From Collages

Reality check

Sometimes in the middle of crazy deadlines and the chaos of humanity something happens to make you remember there really is more to life.

Today, a friends beloved Dad died and another friend gave birth to twins (one boy, one girl).

A sad and a joyous day.

And then..... it's back to drawing construction diagrams in Vectorworks

Bi-continental tech support rocks

Back in like with Vectorworks after finding this http://kbase.vectorworks.net/. Donny from tech support really rocks!

And of course more locally but still virtually our tutor Tamsin Slatter, who made me realise how much I have to learn to be even a rookie at VW as opposed to a n00b.

Thanks Guys

Vectorworks HELL

This is a RANT if you don't like rants then read no further.



Today is turning into some sort of Vectorworks hell. Who knew something seemingly so straightforward could have some of the worst help texts in human history (ok possibly a teeny exaggeration there!)

'it makes sense' someone said to me. Yeah, if you happen to be a Vectorworks geek it might make some sense. I have worked in IT for a number of years, damn I have written instruction manuals and help sites, worked in support for software from the devil (OK SAP). I know how dull they are to read AND to write.

BUT GODS guys you're writing for a 101 idiot, REMEMBER not some geek who loves your product so much, knowing it's every feature (bug!), quirk, shortcut, jargon, even how it is coded..........

The overuse of hyper-linking might save paper but it sure as hell makes following instructions within instructions within instructions confusing.

And don't get me started on printing. Yesterday all was well, today it prints 1 sheet on 7, why? who knows, I daren't look in the help text, it's not helpful!

Oh for the days of a human being on the end of the phone.

I am sure at least one or two readers will be VW wizards so if you are and you want to help PLEASE get in touch :D

Snow and landscape detailing

In the Milky Way lecture it was indicated the best titles for blog posts are questions but I can only ask so many times 'How much snow did you get?' I suppose I need to work on my questions at some point.

I splashed out on the 4 Landscape Detailing books (water, surfaces, structures, enclosures) by Michael Littlewood in a moment of panic about this HLP, almost £150 from discounted Amazon. VERY expensive. But in the end they are brilliant and worth the gross expenditure (as long as I carry on to do this professionally that is!) Full to the brim with all kinds of structures and surfaces detailed beautifully. They may not be exactly what I need but many are pretty darn close.

The books are sporting index postit's galore, now I need to get down to it and flex my newly forming VW muscles.

....and of course it's one more snow day, how much did you get ?!

From Collages

How much time ??????

After a recommendation months ago to use this little piece of software I finally got going with it to count up the hours spent on the holiday project drawing up a series of hard landscape projects from plan and image.

Tickspot is about as intuitive as it comes which is a bonus as one wades through the unknown in Vectorworks and Sketchup not to mention construction of even the simplest forms in the garden (butyl liner, geotextile and butterfly wall ties anyone?)

Running the reports makes it obvious that there is a lot more faffing about going on, sorry 'Task - research' than actual drawing up or designing but it is a steep learning process and the tickspot tool is helping to focus my time on the task at hand instead of all the distractions that pervade at this time of year.

So far 36 out of the predicted 200 hours are done, somehow that 200 is feeling a touch optomistic!

And one of my working drawings (from VW) to give those 'construction engineer types' a laugh....

From HLP

Hard Landscape Portfolio - beginnings

I have avoided this Hard Landscape Portfolio task because it is my weakest area. In that what I know about building and construction could fit on half a postage stamp. 200 hrs D says. I think that is optimistic, maybe it will turn out not to be.

The project consists of several parts and will train several core skills. Vectorworks familiarity. Understanding of the construction of out design elements: wall, pergola, decks and so on. Beginnings of familiarity with standard sizes and dimensions of materials e.g planks of wood (sorry timber!), breeze blocks, the humble brick and mortar.

Creativity in the original design of several garden objects, 12 to be precise. In total it's about 50 constructions drawings. If Vectorworks can be tamed that becomes MUCH less daunting, but that's a big IF

Project 2 .....in the post

For some reason this project (project 2) seemed a lot more difficult than the first one. I don't think I learned as much as during the first one but I certainly found a great print supplier locally, managed to navigate Vectorworks to some degree, and enjoyed the rendering aspect more, especially with the new chartpak colours I added last week. But there is so much more to do to develop my 'style' and a confidence with the presentation side of the plans.

I have some time allocated to re-draw the whole thing in Vectorworks, from scratch, I'll need it for the planting plans next term but it is also a good exercise to get ready for project 3 and begin the process of working out what an efficient method of working is, because 5.5 days from go to woe is NOT efficient and that's not taking into account design time.

I'd post examples but I was in such a hurry to get to the post office in the snow storm I forgot to take pics, let's hope postie doesn't lose them! I am off to make gingerbread tree decs and finish xmas cards in time for last post tomorrow. As Alex says, who said this course was easy!

Just as a record, 4 of the 5 sheets, unrendered:

From Collages

From Collages

From Collages

From Collages

Sucess and failure are either side of the same coin!

After a frantic few days I am finally feeling like the deadline of Friday is meetable. With help from Vectorworks whizz OH and technical collaboration with LM, not to mention the man from Brother who sorted out the A3 scanner only scanning at A4 (go figure) I am now on track to complete, more or less (!) in time to deliver the 4 A1 sheets of design work for project 2.

A jaunt south to hand deliver is still looking likely though.

Could you do this in 12 weeks?

A parody I suppose on D's posting could you do this in 8 weeks for our first project. But a mere 4 weeks later and project 2 is in the final stages, i.e. head down panic week to get it all tarted up and ready for submission to D, by close of Friday. The real client will see it at the annual summer show and hopefully chose a design to implement.

Ground plan done and 3d block model done and tweaked. The process is fairly integral in the final stages back and forth between plan and model. Attention to detail is easier to see in the model than on the plan, i.e. forgetting to put in the oil tank or a wall to block it from the road was easily missed on the plan not so the block model. Sketch up continues to be a delight if a bit flaky.

From 2009-12-08 1

3D model

From 2009-12-08 1

Plan draft

Vectorworks is in the wings for the Site Analysis and Functional bubble diagram sheet.

unsurprisingly....

Hedge laying got booted as an idea for these folks..ho hum.

We had some lively debate about the location of the veg plot including one wild suggestion that it could be located at a local allotment instead of in the garden. The design purists amongst the group nodded sagely, the rest of us smiled in hesitant disbelief. Design snobbery gone a little mad methinks!?!

I am also a little unsure that a statement, that fruit bushes will in fact grow in full shade, takes into account that they may well grow but imhe the don't give much sweet juicy fruit to speak of, without the old sunlight factor. I am sure someone will point out a cultivar or two that will perform in full shade.

After scouring a couple of John Brookes garden design books I am moving onto a 45 degree angle grid option to see if I can make something more interesting leap off the page. So far not so bad.

Am also planning on a spot of importing on the reference book front having been scared at the cost of the Vectorworks 2010 training manual. I have located it in the USA - NNA Training Guides for £20 less than a discounted UK price...good old exchange rate is back at 1.6 :)

Unhappily the exhaust sheered of the car on the way home so I am car-less for a wee while, not so good!