October 2011 Archives

Custom Parts support an edge banding:

A material can be set using the »Construction« dialog.

interiorcad 2012 - Create Custom Parts from other objects

Custom Parts can be created from other objects, such as rectangles, circles, ovals, polylines, 3D polygons, and extrudes. To accomplish that, select the objects (note the plural) to convert. Then select the Custom Part tool. Now press the associated button in the method bar:

Custom Part

Custom Parts are aware of interiorcad features such as the creation of the various lists and costing. Via the object info palette, the »Construction« of objects can be changed. The dialog provides the usual favourites, grants access to the master data and allows to enter some notes:

Worktops and Frames

As we were at it, we also added the capability to edit the construction of worktops and frames. Both feature a »Construction« button via the Object Info Palette. Note that edge bandings are not available for frames and worktops, and that frames do not provide coverings:

Legacy

The menu command »Edit Construction...« still exists in interiorcad 2012. An attempt to use it to edit the construction of Custom Parts, Worktops, or Frames, will result in the following alert:

interiorcad 2012 - Custom Part Path Operations

Introduction

Basically, Custom Parts consist of extrudes. Since this means it is a path object, the path can be altered after the object's creation.

Path Editing

A double click can be used to edit the path:

Tools like fillet and chamfer can be used to edit the path:

Weiler Operations

Thanks to the excellent 3D capabilities of Vectorworks 2012, 2D objects can be drawn and placed in 3D easily. Such objects can then be used to create cutouts:

Of course such operations can be used while editing the path also.

Advanced Weiler Operations

Lines can be used to bisect a Custom Part. The resulting objects are two independent Custom Parts:

And finally, Custom Parts can be used to clip each other:

Unsupported Weiler Operations

Weiler operations creating holes in a Custom Part are currently not permitted, and thus rejected:

Conclusion

The Custom Part is based on an extruded path. The path can be edited using techniques of Vectorworks. Still, the Custom Part PIO looks like an ordinary 3D object of Vectorworks. What's still missing are the features that make such objects interiorcad objects. We will shed a little more light on this later.

interiorcad 2012 - Custom Part Basics

Introduction

This is a simple board. Let's call it »Custom Part«:

The default creation mode of this tool is to draw a rectangle. The databar can be used to enter the desired length and width:

As it is a rectangular object, its length and width can be changed via its object info palette:

Thickness

It also provides a parameter to change its thickness. Thus it is called »Custom Part 3D«:

Push-Pull-Creation

As it is a 3D object, the push-pull-creation-mode of Vectorworks 2012 is also available. Once again, the databar can be used also:

3D rotation

Since it does not contain any 2D element, immediate 3D rotation is possible:

Conclusion

interiorcad 2012 features a 3D board PIO called »Custom Part 3D«. Per default, it features the parameters length, width, and thickness. A couple of capabilities of Vectorworks can be used to create and modify it.

Is this just a PIO to replace an extruded rectangle? Obviously not. Stay tuned.

Overview

One of the features of interiorcad 2012 is a link to profacto, the CRM/ERP system also developed by extragroup. Until recently, transferring data between both products was possible, but required manual ex- and imports at either end.

Data exchange

interiorcad and profacto now can exchange data without much user interaction:

• Master data, such as boards, coverings, edge bandings, and finishings, can be exported from profacto. This export requires manual invocation, and interiorcad will automatically import it without any further interaction. Be warned: The imported data will replace any material already present in interiorcad.
• profacto will export projects automatically as soon as one is being created or edited, so those are accessible via interiorcad's »Project Details« dialog.
• interiorcad will export cutting list information each time an object gets created, edited, or deleted, but only in case the project details contain a valid profacto project identifier and a project item was assigned to the object. profacto will automatically import the items into its cutting list.

Here's the dialog to assign a project item to cabinets, worktops, frames, and boards:

Conclusion

The integration works almost perfectly and customers who use both products will benefit from the simplified workflow.

Since Nemetschek Vectorworks has released Vectorworks 2012, it is obvious that interiorcad 2012 will be released in a couple of days also.

Its features are as tightly integrated with Vectorworks 2012 as possible. Actually new features like the automatic working plane form the foundation for interiorcad's new tools and objects.

More details will be posted during the upcoming days, so stay tuned.