Object editing mode
|
Command |
Path |
Shortcut |
|
Edit [object] |
Modify Context menu |
Ctrl+[ (Windows) Cmd+[ (Mac) |
Various types of complex objects are edited within a special editing mode in which you edit the parts that make up the object. When this editing mode is activated, an Edit window with a colored border displays in the drawing area. Once the edits are complete, exit the object to return to the regular drawing mode.
When editing certain types of objects (such as groups, viewports, or symbol instances in a design layer), the Edit window can show the edited object in context with the other objects in the drawing. To enable this feature, select the option to Show other objects while in editing modes in the Vectorworks preferences (see Vectorworks preferences: Display pane). To show the other objects in a less obtrusive way, also select the Gray other objects option.
The Show other objects while in editing modes preference does not work when editing a symbol definition from a flipped symbol instance; an alert message displays when this operation is attempted.
To set other options for the object editing mode, use the Edit Group and Object Visibility Options quick preference; the commands can also be selected from the Window menu. See Edit group and object visibility options for details.
To edit an object:
Select the object to edit.
Select the command that applies to the object (for example, Edit Symbol or Edit Extrude).
Alternatively, double-click the object, or right-click on the object, and then select Edit from the context menu.
For certain types of objects (such as symbols, viewports, and path or profile objects), only one part of the object can be edited at a time. When one of these objects is selected, a dialog box opens to allow you to select which part to edit. Select a part to edit and click OK.
Alternatively, right-click on the object, and select a command from the context menu to edit the part directly. For example, to edit the path or profile of a plug-in object directly, select Edit Path or Edit Profile from the context menu.
A colored border displays around the drawing window, and the object to be edited is selected. The name of the object displays as the active layer on the View bar's Layer list, with highlighting.
For some specialized workflows (such as editing the 2D or 3D parts of a symbol or plug-in object, or editing the contours of a site model) an additional palette or tool set becomes available in object editing mode. Use of these specialized palettes and tools is described in the appropriate sections of the Vectorworks help system.
Make the changes to the object.
If other objects in the drawing are displayed, the objects on other layers respect the layer options settings (for showing and snapping to objects in other layers) and the layer visibility settings. Other objects on the same layer as the edited object are snappable. One exception to this is when editing page-based (green) symbols, which are edited at a 1:1 scale; other objects that are not at a 1:1 scale are not snappable.
To save the changes and return to regular drawing mode, click the Exit button in the top right corner of the drawing window, or select the object's layer from the Layer list. (If you're editing a nested object, this exits back to the next level.)
