Your Basic N00B Problem creating zones

3 posts / 0 new
Last post

I am just learning E Quest and am having some very basic issues.

I am trying to enter a very simple building into the Schematic Design
Wizard. This building has two zones. I can check the dropdown for "zoning
pattern one per floor" to make it automatically make a zone on the floor.
I'd like to edit this to make a second zone. I then hit "custom" and start
having pretty much no luck creating any more zones.

When I start out, there is a single active zone, with 9 points same as the
building footprint. It will need 11 points to be able to add the second
zone. I can't seem to add any points by clicking on the screen, except for
the very first vertex, so I guessed that is not the way to proceed. If I
manually type in the numbers for the vertices of the zone, it will not allow
more than 9 vertices to exist in this zone. If I add one manually, it
automatically deletes one. If I try to edit the 10th cell, it will not
allow any numbers to be entered. If I delete the active zone, and then hit
"Create a new zone", then it complains that a zone cannot have less than
three points, preventing a new zone from being created from scratch. If I
hit "create a new zone" before deleting the first one, it will allow exactly
two vertices to be created, but refuses allow the third and fourth,
generating another "no less than three vertices" error when I finally give
up. Same with "start from blank slate" - no new zones can be created by
clicking the "create new zone" button.

What is the trick for adding or creating points in a zone? So far the
program seems determined to prevent any new zones from being added or any
old ones from being edited.

--Lawrence

lawrence Lile's picture
Offline
Joined: 2011-09-30
Reputation: 0

Hi Lawrence,

I'm going to address this roughly -zone definition screens are tough to
convey in text... I believe some of the introductory help files may have
some good illustrations if you remain stuck:

- New vertices are always created from the "active" vertex.
Notice that one should be a different color (white/cyan) than the others
on your screen for the active zone - that's the active vertex.

- You can click inactive (red) vertices to make another the
active vertex.

- If you simply click the active vertex a single time, it will
change colors from white to cyan or vice versa

- When white, you can click-drag to move that vertex around

- When cyan, you can click-drag to create a new vertex from
that point

- If you need to create new or additional zones, click the
"create new zone" button. From there your next click will define the
first vertex, from which you will drag out the following vertices.

- Something everyone messes up at least once: You need to
remember to define your points in a "counter-clockwise" fashion, or else
the program will hiccup and make you re-do your work.

- One of the buttons to the left lets you adjust your "snap
priority" to snap to ends of line segments when you're referencing CAD
files... this is pretty important if that's what you're attempting.

- The "snap resolution" in that same dialog should be adjusted
if you have trouble snapping to the right point, even after zooming in.

I believe all of the above apply equally to both SD and DD wizards,
though I'll throw out the disclaimer that I rarely use SD wizards
myself. Best way to learn is to play around with all the
buttons/options available, so you get a sense of what tools are in front
of you... hopefully the above helps in getting you started!

~Nick

NICK CATON, P.E.

Nick-Caton's picture
Offline
Joined: 2011-09-30
Reputation: 805

This was the key information needed:

*If you need to create new or additional zones, click the ?create new zone?
button. From there your next click will define the first vertex, from which
you will drag out the following vertices.*

The last thing I would think of was to try was to click *and drag *to create
the next vertex. Doing this on a laptop with a touchpad doesn't help, as
that move is awkward for me on a touchpad. This is, of course, unlike
AutoCad, where you click then click again to define lines, vertices etc. I
would suggest (if I was talking to the developers) that embedding CAD-like
sequences into input screens down to the very lowest level will shorten the
learning curve for folks who have autocad on the brain like so many of us
do. Thanks for your help that was the problem!

lawrence Lile's picture
Offline
Joined: 2011-09-30
Reputation: 0