Architectual 3DS
I too was hoping for object snaps in 3DS with R3!! I really miss them
– it is much easier to use AutoCAD for many arch. models because of
the osnaps. Using Snap in 3DS helps, but if you ever forget to turn
it on in a viewport before moving something…. arrgh!
Like you, I have used Vlink for pulling the model back into AutoCAD
and matching my 3DS camera view for a plot. I really thought it was
going to allow easy transitions between programs, and I guess it does
if you don't mind redoing face normals all the time. There's gotta
be a better way. The other thing that annoys me is when you merge a
3DS file into AutoCAD along with some existing AutoCAD geometry, all
the 3DS meshes are placed on the VLMERGE layer. You have to select
them one by one and move them to the correct layer in order to
explode them and work on them along with your other 3d data in
AutoCAD.
I have used AutoCAD for creating polylines to load into the 2D Shaper,
but I still tend to use both products to assemble a model, and would
therefore like a more reliable way of moving 3D geometry between
them. What have you heard about AutoVision that would make you think
(or hope) it is better at this?
Bob Keefer, AIA