Saving and closing event documents

You can save your event document as a Vivien file. You can also save an object or group of objects contained within your document as a separate file.

Vivien also allows you to export a Vivien file to a DWG/DXF formatted file. DWG and DXF formats are used to transfer documents to AutoCAD or other compatible drafting applications. For more information, see “Saving event documents as DWG/DXF files”.

Saving event documents

The Save command saves the open document to the same file name and location (folder, disk, and so on) as it was previously saved. If the document is being saved for the first time, this command performs the Save As function.

To save your document

From the File menu, choose Save.

or

Click the Save tool on the Standard toolbar.

The Save button.

Saving documents with new names or destinations

Use the Save As command to save the current document to a new file name, a new file type, or new destination.

To save the current document

1. From the File menu, choose Save As.
2. In the dialog box that opens, in the Save in box, select the destination for the saved file.
3. In the File name box, enter a name for the file.
4. In the Save as type box, choose Vivien file (.vvn).
5. Click Save.

To save an object

You can use this procedure to save the currently selected object to a separate Vivien file.

1. Select the object(s) to be saved.
2. From the File menu, choose Save As.

Result: The Save As dialog box opens.

3. Do one of the following:

• To save the current document to a new file name, file type, or new destination, select Full Document.
• To save the selected object(s) as a separate Vivien (.vvn) document, select Selected Objects and then select one of the following:
• Use 0,0,0 as Basepoint: To align the incoming drawing at 0,0,0 with the existing drawing.
• Select Basepoint with mouse: To use the mouse to select the basepoint for the merge of the drawings.

4. Click OK.
5. If you selected Select Basepoint with mouse, move the cross-hairs to the point you want to set as the basepoint and click.
6. If you selected Selected Objects, select the Create Insertable checkbox to create an insertable from the object. For more information, see “Insertables”.

Note: This option is only available if the Selected Objects option was previously chosen.

7. In the Save Copy As dialog box, enter the destination and file name of the file.

Saving event documents back to previous Vivien file format

You can save your event documents so they can be opened in previous versions of Vivien. This can be useful if you want to share your drawings with users who have previous releases of Vivien (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018) installed on their computer.

Note: Vivien cannot save files that are compatible with Vivien 2.0 or earlier.

To save event documents as a previous Vivien version

1. From the File menu, choose Save As.
2. In the dialog box that opens, select the destination for the saved file in the Save in box.
3. In the File name box, enter a name for the file.
4. In the Save as type box, choose the appropriate file version.
5. Click Save.

Saving event documents to be compatible with WYSIWYG

You can save your event documents to be compatible with the latest WYSIWYG version.

Note: You can open “.vvn” files in WYSIWYG.

To save event documents in the latest WYSIWYG format

1. From the File menu, choose Save As.
2. In the dialog box that opens, select the destination for the saved file in the Save in box.
3. In the File name box, enter a name for the file.
4. In the Save as type box, choose WYSIWYG Files (*.wyg).
5. Click Save.

Saving event documents as DWG/DXF files

If you need to send your Vivien drawings to someone using another drafting program, you can export your file to the DWG or DXF file type. DWG and DXF formats are used to transfer documents to AutoCAD or other compatible drafting applications. For details, see “Exporting DWG/DXF files”.

Event Template files

The Vivien Save As command lists a file type called “.vvt”. Vivien Event Template files are similar to the type of template file you may use on your word processor to set up fax cover sheets, memos, or letters. Once you have drawn your event with everything that is common to all events, save it as a “.vvt” file in the \Templates directory. Each time you start a new event, that file will be available as a template to start from.

This is also the ideal option for saving your preferred working settings. Event Template files save all the shortcuts including custom reports, plots, and so on. However, toolbar settings are not saved in template files since they are saved by the application.

A list of most recently opened template files appears under the heading Event Template on the Vivien Welcome window. The More... link will prompt you to open a template file from the Vivien Templates directory.

To save an event template file

1. In an active view, and with no objects selected, from the File menu, choose Save As.
2. In the dialog box that opens, browse to the location where you want to save the file. Ensure that the destination appears in the Save in field. To ensure that your template file is available on the Vivien Welcome window, save your file to the Vivien/Templates directory.
3. In the File name box, type a name for the file.
4. In the Save as type box, choose Vivien Template files (*.vvt).
5. Click Save.

Insertables

Vivien ships with several files that contain sets of pre-configured objects called “Insertables”. Insertables can be merged into your current file and inserted as needed. Vivien also allows you to create and save your own insertables.

Creating insertables

If a part of your file has objects that you would like to reuse again, you can save it as an insertable. This is similar to merging one Vivien file into another one, but the insertable will be listed conveniently for you in the Insert Insertable dialog box.

To create insertables

1. In Wireframe view, select the object(s) you want to become an insertable.

Note: The object will be saved exactly as it appears in the file, with the same properties.

2. From the File menu, choose Insertables > Create.

Result: The Save As window appears.

3. In the Save As window, select the Selected Objects radio button.
4. Select one of the following options for the base point of the insertable.

• Use 0, 0, 0 as Base point
• Select Base point with mouse

5. In the Name box, enter a name for your insertable.
6. Click OK.

Result: The insertable will be saved. You can now insert it into any file from the Insertables... menu,

To insert insertables into a file

1. From the File menu, select Insertables... > Inset.

Result: The Insert Insertables window appears.

2. In the Insert Insertables window, in the Insertables section, click the item that you want to insert.
3. In the Base Point section, select the appropriate base point option.
4. Click Add.

1. If you chose to select the base point with your mouse, click in your drawing to select the base point and insert the insertable.

Result: The insertable will be inserted into the file.

Purge command

Purge enables you to lower your file size by ridding the file of unused data such as old images, old renders, unused Layers, lighting positions, imported items from AutoCAD or SketchUp, and so on.

To use the Purge command

Note: Save your file before using the Purge command.

1. From the File menu, choose Purge.
2. In the warning box that appears, click Yes to proceed with the purge.

Note: Once you purge objects from your file, the action cannot be undone.

Result: The Purge window appears.

Note: The Purge window displays all of the items that could possibly be purged. If you do not have many purgeable items in your drawing, there won’t be many items listed. Purgeable items include: Layers, Images, Custom Library items, and All imported items.

Tip: You can double-click on an image item in the Purge window to see what that item is. Most of the time these images are Internal Renderings and other image objects that might be in your drawing, like old logos and plot images.

3. Once you have clicked the items that you would like to Purge, simply click either Purge (for single items) or Purge All (for multiple items). You can also choose to have Vivien confirm each item to be Purged, as an added precaution in case you change your mind halfway through.

Closing event documents

The Close command closes the current event document and returns you to the Welcome window.

To close an event document

1. From the File menu, choose Close.

Result: You are prompted to save changes to the current event document:

• To save changes and close the document, click Yes.
• To skip saving and close the document, click No.
• To skip saving and not close the document, click Cancel.