Anomolies in the Drawing Editor.

Lorin Holzbauer · Post by **Lorin Holzbauer** » Thu, Feb 22 2007, 2:55PM

I've been trying to use the Drawing Editor to create a dimensioned floor plan. The issue I'm running into is that after I've placed a number of dimensions, zooming in and out repeatedly during this process, my dimension text shifts to and remains at a very small font size. This seems to \"stick\" in that after the job is saved and reopened the font size of the dimensions are still very small when the drawing is viewed.

Also I'd like to ask, \"Does everyone else find using the drawing editor frustrating, or is my frustration due to my lack of experience using the tool?\" I'm an accomplished user of AutoCAD, and I find using this editor rather frustrating at times. Is there a way to export to any AutoCAD recognizable format?

I don't mean to beat anyone up, or start a rain of flames, and I do consider the price, and I think the rest of the application is very well done. I'm just wondering what other users opinions are in respect to the Drawing Editor.

Thanks in advance,
Lorin

Jean G Voyer · Post by **Jean G Voyer** » Thu, Feb 22 2007, 4:59PM

I use it because I need it but I find that it bugs down the memory to the extend that sometimes after using it I can't save my work and the computer ask to shut down the program. It's an issue that has been cover in the past and I would like to know what the programmers have done so far about it.
I would also like to know what kind of system did Ken Sunsjara used when he did design the new shop. Because he was mentionning the amount of objects in the drawings was phenomenal. And I haven't been able to go that far because my computer won't take it.

Kerry Fullington · Post by **Kerry Fullington** » Fri, Feb 23 2007, 7:50AM

Lorin,
I used to avoid the Line Drawing Editor. Now I think it is great. Look at the way you use it and develop a standard system to dimension drawings using the line editor.
The first thing I do when bringing a wall into the editor is click on the PRT button and hide all of the stuff that is in the way. Moldings, doors, drawer fronts, display objects, counter tops, everything but the box and face frame. It is now easy to find the nodes for my dimensions. After dimensioning I usually copy and save this drawing on another page then I can Restore all of the objects that were hidden to get a great looking drawing with dimensions.
As for your fonts, if you have placed dimensions with too small a font then click on the PRT button then highlight all of the dimensions that you want to change and the click on the Font control and change the font size. Your dimensions will now reflect the new size.
Develop a system for what font size you want and what dimensions you want on a drawing and where you drag those dimensions to on the drawing. Do it the same every time and soon the Line Drawing Editor will be a piece of cake.

Jean.

For drawings with a lot of graphical content the amount of RAM on your system is important (minimum of 2G) and more important is the amount of RAM on your video card. 128mb used to be enough but now you need a card with 256mb or if you can justify the cost 512mb is the best.
I have two computers with just 512mb of system RAM and 128mb on the video card and one computer with 2G of system Ram and 512 on the video Card. The difference in graphic quality and performance is phenomenal.
I want to up the system RAM on this computer to 4G because I still bog it down at times.
Kerry

DanEpps · Post by **DanEpps** » Fri, Feb 23 2007, 8:25AM

What Kerry says about developing a system is important not only in the line drawing editor, but in every aspect of eCabinets.

We all know that a part that has been edge-profiled cannot have cutouts made to the profiled edge in the part editor. We have developed a system as such, so that we make all of the cuts before profiling the edges.

Memory is a big issue with eCabinets. Seemingly small jobs require large amounts of memory and even the biggest, badest, fastest workstations slow to a crawl during certain operations.

It is important to learn what features cause such slowdowns and leave them for last when you can. A good example is in custom layout.

I don't use it very much but I have learned that things move a lot faster if you hide everything that is not important to placing cabinets in the room until you are ready to do the final render. Items such as intricate moldings, knobs and pulls, raised panel doors and drawer fronts and drawer boxes all use lots of memory. Hide them while you are placing and sizing cabinets in the room and it will run faster and more smoothly.

A while back someone posted a piece on the line drawing editor and how to speed it up a little. Clearing unwanted pages before saving the file (I think it was) was a lot faster than simply deleting the page.

The point is, learn which things make the program bog down and save them for last when you can.

Jean G Voyer · Post by **Jean G Voyer** » Fri, Feb 23 2007, 9:14AM

Kerry,

My system has 2G and a video card of 512 MB. And after talking with Dan I am going to be trying another video card to see if the process can be smoother if not faster.
I am getting right now in cabinet jobs that are closer to $100,000.00 a piece, kitchens that are out of this world, huge with lots of features in it.
Except for the appliances I try to make it as simple as possible but it still seems to be not enough, specially when I get to the rendering part.
One of the last kitchen I have done will render half the way and then stop completely.
I would say that everything you are mentionning I have been doing.
That's why I would like to know what kind of system Ken have been using to produce the picture of his new shop and how it was going when he did that.
I try to keep everything as clean as possible but to no avail.
Most likely I will be doing everything in sections to simplify the concept. At least this way I will have all the information I need for production.
The only problem is that a good rendering sells the job pretty quick. Right now one rendering for one client is bringing me so much work it is creating a situation I would not have thought possible a year ago.
I don't want anybody to feel that I just want to complain. But it would be nice to use the software without the fuss. Because it is still a great piece of software.

Kerry Fullington · Post by **Kerry Fullington** » Fri, Feb 23 2007, 11:59AM

Jean,
Your jobs are just getting too big. Like you, I thought that with a new computer with the latest greatest video card I would be able to do anything with eCabinets but I have run into the same problem. If I try to dress a job up very much I have problems with the eCabinets \"Out of Memory\" error or when I try to render the Presentation View, it hangs up before completing the render and I have to shut down. I have found that I can go a little further by shutting down everything I can that is running on the computer in the background and by starting the render only after re-starting the computer and opening eCabinets without doing anything else.
I am jealous also. With what I am averaging per house for cabinets I would have to do 13 houses to get what you are for one kitchen.
Kerry

Jean G Voyer · Post by **Jean G Voyer** » Fri, Feb 23 2007, 1:01PM

Kerry,
I appreciate what you are saying. That's why I will have to cut projects in sections. That's the only way I can manage.
And as for the work, don't be jealous. Any time you want to I have a job for you. I am not short of work, I am just short of help.
I wish that would have happended 10 years ago. But you have to take them when they come.

Michael Billings · Post by **Michael Billings** » Mon, Feb 26 2007, 9:55PM

Anyone,
I too have had trouble with fonts in Line Drawing Editor. In my case, all the dimensions numbers are 28 point text. This might be a fine size for a title, but its much too large for dimensions on my drawings. I am unable to change this text size. I can go to the box and change the number, but it doesn't stick. The font doesnt change and when I open the box again, its back to 28pt. The font also can not be changed. I also cannot change drafting perameters. My gap is always set to zero. Fustrating because if you dimension from a corner, it's sometimes hard to tell where the corner is. Does anyone else suffer from such things?
Michael

Joe Dusel · Post by **Joe Dusel** » Mon, Feb 26 2007, 11:31PM

This is one of the weak areas of the program. I would like to see a bunch of changes here. First I would like a selectable auto-dimensioning feature. I would also like a view port setup so that if an object, such as a cabinet box is changed it would also change your view of that object in the LDE - auto-majically updating. I would also like to have some settings where we could enter our company data and job information to have automatically entered into title block fields. It would also be nice if the line drawing information was saved in it's own file separate from the rest of the project file. Just adding a few line drawings bulks up the project files way too much. It would also be nice to be able to take a cabinet box into the LDE and just select a button to have a Plan, Front Elev. and Side Elev. (I'm just dreaming on that one...)

Joe

Thermwood / eCabinet Systems

Anomolies in the Drawing Editor.

The Drawing Editor, what cha think?

Anomolies in the Drawing Editor.