vectorworks 2009 user guide

Vectorworks Fundamentals Users Guide

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SpaceNavigatorisatrademarkof3Dconnexion. OpenEXRisatrademarkofLucasfilm,Ltd. ACISandSATareregisteredtrademarksofSpatial Corporation. PiranesiisatrademarkofInformatixSoftware International,Ltd. TheForboflooringtexturesarebasedontextures suppliedbyForboHoldingS.A. Allotherbrandorproductnamesaretrademarksor registeredtrademarksoftheirrespectivecompaniesor organizations. Theshaderappendixcontainscontent,copyright 19902001,and20022008byLightWorksDesignLimited. Allrightsreserved.Reprintedwiththepermissionof LightWorksDesignLimited. TheRenderWorksCameratoolwasdevelopedbyJulian Carr,OzCAD,Sydney,Australia. TheVectorworksFundamentalsUsersGuidewaswritten andillustratedbyAlexandraDuffy,TeresaHeaps,and SusanCollins. SpecialthankstoWesGardnerandEricGilbeywhose drawingswereusedasthebasisforavarietyof illustrations. SpecialthankstoMichaelHuggins(BurrowesHuggins Architects,Vancouver,B.C.Canada)andtoRiccardo MartirefortheirMasterWorkscontestfilesubmissions, whichwereusedasthebasisforavarietyofillustrations. HDRIbackgroundimageinChapter22isacopyrightof PaulDebevec. ForDefenseAgencies:RestrictedRightsLegend.Use, reproduction,ordisclosureissubjecttorestrictionsset forthinsubparagraph(c)(1)(ii)oftheRightsofTechnical DataandComputerSoftwareclauseat252.2277013. Forcivilianagencies:RestrictedRightsLegend.Use, reproduction,ordisclosureissubjecttorestrictionsset forthinsubparagraphs(a)through(d)ofthecommercial ComputerSoftwareRestrictedRightsclauseat52.22719. Unpublishedrightsreservedunderthecopyrightlawsof theUnitedStates.Thecontractor/manufactureris NemetschekN.A.,Incorporated,7150RiverwoodDrive, Columbia,MD,21046,USA.

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Vectorworks License AgreementThelicenseagreementbindingtheuseofthissoftware canbefoundintheVectorworksReleaseNotesdirectory orbyclickingLicenseintheAboutVectorworksdialog box.

Table of ContentsPreface ........................................................................................................................................................xiInstalling Vectorworks Products.............................................................................................................................. xi Updating Vectorworks Products............................................................................................................................. xii New Features.........................................................................................................................................................xiii Learning Vectorworks ............................................................................................................................................ xx Technical Support ................................................................................................................................................xxiii

1 Introduction ...............................................................................................................................................1Understanding Vectorworks.....................................................................................................................................1 Creating a New File .................................................................................................................................................4 Opening a File .........................................................................................................................................................4 Using Finder Quick Look (Macintosh OS X 10.5+ Only)..........................................................................................5 Migrating from Previous Versions ............................................................................................................................7 Closing a File ...........................................................................................................................................................7 Saving a File ............................................................................................................................................................7 Reverting to the Last Saved Version .......................................................................................................................9 Converting Previous Version Files...........................................................................................................................9 Exiting Vectorworks ...............................................................................................................................................14 Vectorworks Standard Workspace.........................................................................................................................14 The View Bar .........................................................................................................................................................17 Palettes and Tool Sets...........................................................................................................................................19 Palette Layout Options...........................................................................................................................................20 List Box Functionality .............................................................................................................................................23 Additional Key Functionality...................................................................................................................................24 Screen Tips............................................................................................................................................................25 Drawing Techniques ..............................................................................................................................................26 Moving Around.......................................................................................................................................................27 Selecting Objects ...................................................................................................................................................32

2 Getting Started ........................................................................................................................................45Setting Vectorworks Preferences...........................................................................................................................45

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| Table of Contents Setting Document Preferences ..............................................................................................................................56 Setting Up the Drawing ..........................................................................................................................................60 Setting Default Object Attributes............................................................................................................................72 Creating Templates................................................................................................................................................85 Printing...................................................................................................................................................................86 Using Drawing Tablets...........................................................................................................................................90

3 Drawing Structure ...................................................................................................................................93Organizing the Drawing .........................................................................................................................................93 Managing Layers ...................................................................................................................................................96 Managing Classes ...............................................................................................................................................108 Setting Class and Design Layer Options .............................................................................................................115 Managing Viewports ............................................................................................................................................116 Managing Saved Views .......................................................................................................................................116 Setting Visibilities .................................................................................................................................................120 Workgroup Referencing .......................................................................................................................................123

4 Drawing with Snapping and Constraints ............................................................................................135Setting Snapping Parameters ..............................................................................................................................135 Drawing with Snapping ........................................................................................................................................147 SmartCursor Cues ...............................................................................................................................................153 Parametric Constraints ........................................................................................................................................156

5 Using Vectorworks Resources.............................................................................................................167Libraries ...............................................................................................................................................................167 Vectorworks Fundamentals Default Resources...................................................................................................167 Using the Resource Browser ...............................................................................................................................169 Understanding Symbols.......................................................................................................................................180 Creating New Symbols ........................................................................................................................................183 Inserting Symbols ................................................................................................................................................186 Editing Symbols ...................................................................................................................................................192

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Record Formats ...................................................................................................................................................198 Global Symbol Commands ..................................................................................................................................206

6 Creating 2D Objects ..............................................................................................................................213Using the 2D Data Bar .........................................................................................................................................213 Inserting Text .......................................................................................................................................................216 Modifying Text......................................................................................................................................................220 Inserting Callouts .................................................................................................................................................229 Creating Lines......................................................................................................................................................233 Creating Arcs .......................................................................................................................................................237 Creating Quarter Arcs ..........................................................................................................................................241 Creating Rectangles ............................................................................................................................................241 Creating Polylines ................................................................................................................................................244 Creating Circles ...................................................................................................................................................250 Creating Ovals .....................................................................................................................................................252 Creating 2D Polygons ..........................................................................................................................................253 Creating 2D Loci ..................................................................................................................................................260

7 Applying Object Attributes...................................................................................................................261The Attributes Palette ..........................................................................................................................................261 Hatch Attributes ...................................................................................................................................................268 Gradient Attributes ...............................................................................................................................................275 Image Attributes...................................................................................................................................................279 Editing Gradient and Image Fills..........................................................................................................................282

8 Editing 2D Objects ................................................................................................................................287Editing Object Information....................................................................................................................................287 Reshaping Objects...............................................................................................................................................291 Offsetting Objects ................................................................................................................................................297 Aligning and Distributing 2D Objects ...................................................................................................................300 Trimming and Clipping Objects............................................................................................................................301 Resizing Objects ..................................................................................................................................................303

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| Table of Contents Shearing Objects .................................................................................................................................................305 Joining Objects ....................................................................................................................................................306 Splitting Objects and NURBS Surfaces ...............................................................................................................308 Creating Fillets and Chamfers .............................................................................................................................312 Editing Object Surfaces .......................................................................................................................................315 Engineering Properties ........................................................................................................................................318 Drafting Aids ........................................................................................................................................................319

9 Creating 3D Objects ..............................................................................................................................323Using the 3D Data Bar .........................................................................................................................................323 Creating 3D Polygons ..........................................................................................................................................326 Creating Cylinders ...............................................................................................................................................327 Creating Spheres .................................................................................................................................................330 Creating Hemispheres .........................................................................................................................................331 Creating Cones ....................................................................................................................................................332 Creating NURBS Curves, Circles, and Arcs ........................................................................................................333 Creating 3D Loci ..................................................................................................................................................337 Extruding Objects.................................................................................................................................................337 Sweeping Objects ................................................................................................................................................341

10 Advanced 3D Modeling.......................................................................................................................3433D Power Pack Fundamentals ............................................................................................................................343 NURBS Surfaces .................................................................................................................................................347 Extracting Geometry ............................................................................................................................................365 NURBS Surface-curve Interaction .......................................................................................................................367 Creating Helix-Spirals ..........................................................................................................................................377 Creating Contours................................................................................................................................................378 Solids Operations.................................................................................................................................................379 Converting to Generic Solids ...............................................................................................................................388

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11 Editing 3D Objects ..............................................................................................................................389Obtaining Volumetric Properties ..........................................................................................................................389 Reshaping 3D Objects .........................................................................................................................................389 Aligning and Distributing 3D Objects ...................................................................................................................392 Editing 3D Object Surfaces..................................................................................................................................393

12 Common Functions and Utilities .......................................................................................................397Undoing and Redoing Actions .............................................................................................................................397 Moving Objects ....................................................................................................................................................397 Cutting, Copying, and Pasting Objects ................................................................................................................402 Removing Objects................................................................................................................................................404 Duplicating Objects ..............................................................................................................................................405 Smoothing Objects...............................................................................................................................................412 Combining and Connecting Objects ....................................................................................................................413 Composing and Decomposing Objects and Surfaces .........................................................................................418 Locking and Unlocking Objects............................................................................................................................419 Aligning Objects to Grid .......................................................................................................................................420 Rotating Objects ..................................................................................................................................................420 Mirroring Objects..................................................................................................................................................424 Converting Objects ..............................................................................................................................................426 Grouping Objects .................................................................................................................................................428 Object Editing Mode.............................................................................................................................................429 Compressing Images ...........................................................................................................................................430 Tracing Bitmaps ...................................................................................................................................................431

13 Viewing and Rendering.......................................................................................................................433Using Standard Views..........................................................................................................................................433 Projection .............................................................................................................................................................435 Perspective ..........................................................................................................................................................436 Simulating Movement ..........................................................................................................................................436 Setting a 3D View ................................................................................................................................................443

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| Table of Contents Setting a Camera View in Renderworks ..............................................................................................................444 Fit to Objects........................................................................................................................................................448 Fit to Page Area ...................................................................................................................................................449 Viewing History ....................................................................................................................................................450 Adding Light.........................................................................................................................................................450 Rendering with Vectorworks ................................................................................................................................461

14 Dimensioning and Annotating ...........................................................................................................467Dimensioning .......................................................................................................................................................467 Marking 2D Object Centers..................................................................................................................................481 Angular Dimensioning..........................................................................................................................................482 Modifying Dimensions..........................................................................................................................................484 Measuring Distance .............................................................................................................................................487 Adding a Drawing Border.....................................................................................................................................489 Using Notation Objects ........................................................................................................................................497

15 Creating Floors, Walls, and Roofs .....................................................................................................505Creating Floors ....................................................................................................................................................505 Creating Walls......................................................................................................................................................505 Editing Walls ........................................................................................................................................................520 Inserting and Editing Symbols Within a Wall .......................................................................................................528 Creating Columns ................................................................................................................................................537 Creating Roof Faces ............................................................................................................................................539 Creating Roof Objects..........................................................................................................................................542 Editing Roof Objects ............................................................................................................................................544

16 Importing and Exporting Files ...........................................................................................................557Importing Files .....................................................................................................................................................557 Exporting Files .....................................................................................................................................................559 Exporting to Previous Vectorworks Versions .......................................................................................................567 DXF and DWG File Formats ................................................................................................................................567

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DXF/DWG File Export..........................................................................................................................................570 DXF/DWG File Import ..........................................................................................................................................579

17 Using Working Planes.........................................................................................................................593Understanding the Working Plane .......................................................................................................................593 Setting the Working Plane Location.....................................................................................................................594 Aligning Objects to the Working Plane.................................................................................................................597 The Working Planes Palette ................................................................................................................................598 Moving and Rotating the Working Plane..............................................................................................................600

18 Worksheets ..........................................................................................................................................605Creating Worksheets ...........................................................................................................................................605 Using Worksheets................................................................................................................................................608 Worksheet Rows..................................................................................................................................................620 Entering Data .......................................................................................................................................................622 Additional Worksheet Operations ........................................................................................................................626 Worksheet Import/Export .....................................................................................................................................634 Worksheets as Graphic Objects ..........................................................................................................................635

19 Using Scripts .......................................................................................................................................637Creating Custom Selection Scripts ......................................................................................................................637 Creating Custom Tool/Attribute Scripts................................................................................................................638 Creating VectorScripts .........................................................................................................................................639 Running VectorScripts .........................................................................................................................................640 Managing VectorScripts.......................................................................................................................................641 Managing Script Palettes.....................................................................................................................................643

20 Presenting Vectorworks Drawings ....................................................................................................645Animating Drawings with QuickTime ...................................................................................................................645 Presenting Drawings with Sheet Layer Viewports ...............................................................................................653 Cutting Sections...................................................................................................................................................673 Layer Linking........................................................................................................................................................674

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21 Creating and Mapping Textures.........................................................................................................679Renderworks Commands and Tools....................................................................................................................679 Textures and Shaders..........................................................................................................................................679 Creating Textures ................................................................................................................................................681 Editing Textures and Shaders..............................................................................................................................694 Creating Image Prop Objects...............................................................................................................................699 Creating Layer Backgrounds ...............................................................................................................................701 Applying and Mapping Textures ..........................................................................................................................707 Applying and Mapping Object Textures ...............................................................................................................709 Applying Textures to Symbols, Walls, and Roofs ................................................................................................717 Applying Renderworks Backgrounds ...................................................................................................................723

22 Rendering with Renderworks.............................................................................................................725Advanced Renderworks Lighting .........................................................................................................................725 Renderworks Features for OpenGL.....................................................................................................................732 Preparing to Render.............................................................................................................................................733 Rendering the Entire Drawing..............................................................................................................................733 Rendering a Selected Area..................................................................................................................................751 Batch Rendering ..................................................................................................................................................753 Managing Lights and Cameras ............................................................................................................................755 Exporting a Rendered Drawing............................................................................................................................758

A Using the Workspace Editor ................................................................................................................765Creating or Editing a Workspace .........................................................................................................................765 Updating Custom Workspaces and Plug-in Objects ............................................................................................774

B Standards and Resources....................................................................................................................777Vectorworks and Renderworks Libraries .............................................................................................................777 Vectorworks Circle/Arc Conventions....................................................................................................................779 Survey Bearings...................................................................................................................................................779 Architectural Scale ...............................................................................................................................................779 Correlated Color Temperature .............................................................................................................................780

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C Renderworks Shader Definitions ........................................................................................................781Shader Types.......................................................................................................................................................781 Shader Properties ................................................................................................................................................785 Frequently Asked Questions about Radiosity ......................................................................................................793

IX Index......................................................................................................................................................797

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PrefaceWelcometoVectorworksFundamentalsaCADprogramthatincludesallthe2Dand3Dtoolsandtechnologyyou needinoneeasytouse,costeffectivepackage.Inadditiontoprecisiondrafting,itprovidespowerfultoolsfor3D modelingthatcanbeusedtocreate,present,andevenmanufacturedesigns.Builtindatabaseandworksheet capabilitieshelptrackcostsandmaterials.Ahostofimportandexportformatsmakesiteasytosharefiles. VectorworksFundamentalsalsoincludesextensivesymbollibraries,defaultdrawingresources,andabuiltin scriptingenvironmentthatcanbeusedtoautomateroutinetasks.

Installing Vectorworks ProductsTheVectorworksinstallationprogramcontainsaReadMefilelistingtheinstallationsystemrequirements,anyknown installationissues,andanyinformationthatdidnotmakeitintothedocumentationbypresstime. Toensureasmoothinstallation,readthisfilepriortoinstallingVectorworks.Confirmthatsystemrequirementsare metandtakenoteofanyissuesorincompatibilities.Thisfileisavailablein[Vectorworks]\Release Notes\InstallationReadMe.txtforfuturereference. TheinstallationprogramcaninstallVectorworksDesigner,Renderworks,Architect,Landmark,Spotlight,Machine Design,andFundamentalsinanycombination.Theprogramdetermineswhichproductstoinstallbasedontheserial number. Yoursoftwarelicenseallowsforonecopytobemadeforbackuppurposes.Vectorworksshouldbebackedupona regularbasis.Thesebackupsareinvaluableinrestoringusercustomizedsettingsthatmaybeotherwiselostbyeither acomputerfailureorreinstallationofVectorworks.

Adding and Removing Serial NumbersDuringinstallationyouaretypicallyrequiredtoentertheserialnumber,whichisprovidedwiththeVectorworks software.Ifyouarenotpromptedtoentertheserialnumberduringinstallation,youmustenteritthefirsttimethe applicationisaccessed. Toaddserialnumber(s): 1. OpentheVectorworksapplication. TheSerialNumbersdialogboxopensthefirsttimetheapplicationisaccessed.Thereafter,itisaccessedby clickingSerialNumbersfromtheSessiontabofVectorworkspreferences.

2. ClickAdd. TheAddNewSerialNumberdialogboxopens.

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3. Entertheserialnumberexactlyasitappearsonthelabel.Theserialnumberiscasesensitive.Thelettersoandi arenotusedinserialnumbers;enterzerooroneinstead. 4. ClickAdd. ThelistofEnabledProductsintheSerialNumbersdialogboxdisplaysallproductsenabledbythisserial number.Forsecurity,serialnumbersthatbeginwiththeletterAarepartiallyhiddenwherevertheydisplayin Vectorworks. 5. Repeatsteps2to4toenteradditionalserialnumbersforadditionallicenses,asnecessary. 6. Whenallserialnumbershavebeenentered,clickDone. Toremoveserialnumber(s): 1. ClickSerialNumbersfromtheSessiontabofVectorworkspreferences. TheSerialNumbersdialogboxopens. 2. Selectaserialnumbertoremove,andthenclickRemove. 3. Whenalldesiredserialnumbershavebeenremoved,clickDone.

Viewing the Vectorworks License AgreementTheVectorworkslicenseagreementcanbeviewedatanytime. Toviewthelicenseagreement: 1. OnWindows,selectHelp>AboutVectorworks,oronMacintoshselectVectorworks>AboutVectorworks. 2. ClickLicensetodisplaythelicenseagreementtext. 3. ClickOKtwicetoreturntotheVectorworksapplication.

Network ProtectionWhenrunningmultiplecopiesofVectorworksacrossthenetwork,serialnumbersarecheckedwhentheprogramis launched,andalsoperiodicallythroughoutthesession. Ifthesameserialnumberisfoundtobeinuse,theAllSerialNumbersInUsedialogboxopens.Fromthisdialogbox, clickingUserInformationdisplaystheUserName,ifgiven,andtheIPaddressoftheotherlocation.ClickingEdit Numbersallowsanewserialnumbertobeenteredandanexistingonetobedeleted.Oncethesituationisresolved, clickRetryNumberstoregainaccesstoVectorworks.Iftheserialnumberisstillinuseafterthreeattempts, Vectorworksautomaticallyshutsdown.

Updating Vectorworks ProductsVectorworkssoftwareupdatesarecalledServicePacks,andareconsideredmaintenancereleases.Thereareseveral waystoobtainVectorworkssoftwareupdates: ClickCheckforUpdatesfromHelp>AboutVectorworks.Alternatively,selectHelp>CheckforUpdates (Windows)orVectorworks>CheckforUpdates(Macintosh). Adialogboxopenstoindicatewhetherthesoftwareisuptodate,orifanupdateisavailable.Ifanupdateis available,clickMoreInfotoopenawebbrowsertodisplayanddownloadavailableupdates.Ifitisinconvenient toupdateVectorworksatthistime,clickCancel.

New Features |

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SelecttoAutomaticallycheckforupdatesonaweeklyormonthlybasisfromtheSessiontabofVectorworks preferences(seeSessionPreferencesonpage 48). TheVectorworksInstallationDVDnotifiesyouofanyavailableServicePackupdates,andwillpromptyouto downloadupdatesattheappropriatetime.Theseupdatesarealsoavailablefordownloadat http://www.nemetschek.net/downloads

New FeaturesThisreleaseincludesmanynewfeaturesandsignificantenhancementstoVectorworksFundamentals,Renderworks, andthestandardworkspace,asdescribedinthefollowingsections.

New Vectorworks Fundamentals FeaturesThefollowingtablecontainsalistofnewandimprovedfeaturesforthisrelease,andindicatesthesectionwherethe functionalityisdocumented.

FeatureContextsensitivehelp

PurposeTheVectorworkshelpsystemhasbeen updatedtoreflectversion2009functionality. Inaddition,helpisnowavailabledirectly fromVectorworksdialogboxesbypressing F1onMacintoshandWindows,andFn+F1 onthenewerMacintoshaluminum keyboards.AnewPDFbuttonopensaPDFof theassociatedhelpsection. Protectstheserialnumber Updatescanbedownloadedfromanew CheckforUpdatescommand;adialogbox openstoindicatewhetherthesoftwareisup todateorifanupdateisavailable,ratherthan automaticallyredirectingtoawebbrowserto verifysoftwareavailability Toeasilyidentifyhowtomodifycustom workspaces,theWorkspaceEditordialogbox listsallnew,revised,andlegacymenus, commands,andtoolsforeachnewrelease; userdefinedpalettepositionsandsettingsno longercreateacopyofaworkspacefile settingsarestoredacrossVectorworks sessionsandcanberevertedbacktothe settingsestablishedwhenthecustom workspacewascreated

LocationNotapplicable

Serialnumberhiding NewCheckforUpdates command

AddingandRemovingSerial Numbersonpage xi UpdatingVectorworks Productsonpage xii

Workspaceusability improvements

PaletteLayoutOptionson page 20,SessionPreferences onpage 48,Creatingor EditingaWorkspaceon page 765

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| PrefacePurposeVectorworksnowhighlightsobjectsasthe cursormovesoveradrawing,toprovide visualcuesaboutwhichobjectisunderthe cursor,whichobjectisprovidingasnappoint, andwhethertheobjectcanbeacteduponby theactivetool.Thehighlightingcanbe disabled,ortheappearancecanbe customizedasneededintheVectorworks preferences. Forcertaintypesofobjects,theEdit commandopensaspecialEditwindowwitha coloredborder.Forsomeoftheseobjects,new featuresareavailableduringediting: TheVectorworksDisplaypreferenceShow otherobjectswhileineditingmodes showsotherobjectsinthedrawingwhen groups,solids,viewports,andsymbol definitionsaccessedfromsymbolinstances areedited.(Previously,thispreference appliedtogroupsonly.) Whenotherobjectsaredisplayed,thenew VectorworksDisplaypreferenceGray otherobjectsshowstheotherobjects grayed,insteadofintheirnormalcolor. TheviewintheEditwindownowcanbe switchedbetweenastackedand nonstackedlayerview(Vectorworks Architectrequired).

FeaturePreselection,snap,andtool highlighting

LocationSelectionandPreselection Indicatorsonpage 32and InteractivePreferenceson page 52

Editwindowimprovements

DisplayPreferenceson page 46andObjectEditing Modeonpage 429

Createanewdocumenton startuppreference Automaticallycheckfor updatespreference Improvedsnapping

AnewVectorworkspreferenceprovidesthe optiontolaunchVectorworkswithout creatinganewdocument AnewVectorworkspreferencecanbesetto automaticallycheckforsoftwareupdatesata userspecifiedinterval SmartCursorsnappinghasbeengreatly enhancedforVectorworks2009.Anew SmartCursorsettingsdialogboxcontrolsall snappingparameters,andnewsnapping optionshavebeenadded.Newpreferences allowtheappearanceofsnappingelementsto becustomized.Switcheasilybetween snappingcombinationswithaVectorScript createdbytheCustomTool/Attribute command.

SessionPreferenceson page 48 SessionPreferenceson page 48 SettingSnappingParameters onpage 135,Drawingwith Snappingonpage 147, InteractivePreferenceson page 52,Configuring InteractiveDisplayonpage 67, andCreatingCustomTool/ AttributeScriptsonpage 638

New Features | FeatureContentreorganization

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PurposeAnumberoffileswererenamedor reorganized(anindexoflibrariesislocatedin [Vectorworks]\Libraries\VW2009Libraries Index.xls): Standardsandtemplatesfilesarenowin theDefaultsfolder StructuralshapesarenowintheDefaults folder Objectlibrariesarenolongerunitspecific andarenoworganizedbyprofessional disciplineandsubject Duplicatefileswereremovediftheywere alreadycontainedintheDefaultsfolder Textures,imagefills,andimagepropshave new,standardnaming

LocationLibrariesonpage 167, VectorworksFundamentals DefaultResourceson page 167,andStandardsand Resourcesonpage 777

Australia/NewZealandseries structuralshapes

NewANZseriesstructuralshapesarenow availablethroughexistingsteelstructural shapesprovidedasdefaultresources: AngleEqualLegAngle,UnequalLeg Angle ChannelParallelFlangeChannel IbeamTaperedFlangeBeam RectangularTubingRectangular HollowSection(RHS) RoundTubingCircularHollowSection (CHS) WideFlangeUniversalBeams, UniversalColumns,WeldedBeams,and WeldedColumns

VectorworksFundamentals DefaultResourcesonpage 167

Defaultresources

Updatedresourcesavailablebydefault include: Avarietyofgradientsthatsimulatewood flooring,plants,paints,metals,sky, ground,andwater 3Dcabinetpullsandhandles


Newtexturelibraries

100newmaterialtexturesarenowavailable fromForboflooringfromtheEffect,Eternal, andSmaragdproductlines


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| PrefacePurposeSeveralimprovementshavemadeworking withresourceseasier.Resourcesinadrawing canbelocatedintheResourceBrowserwitha contextmenucommand,andreferenced symbolscanbeeditedfromtheResource Browser.Theviewandrendermodeof resourcethumbnailsarenowuserdefined. Newsymbolfolderoptionsareavailable whencreating,importing,andmoving symbols. TheOffsetInsertionmodenowhasanoption toclickaspecificpointonthesymboltouse fortheoffset,insteadofalwaysoffsetting fromtheinsertionpoint.Also,thereisnowan optiontouseanoffsetangleforroundwalls, insteadofalwaysoffsettingbyadistance. TheDatabarmenuhasthreenewoptions: Donotallowinstantdatabaractivation preventsinstantactivationofthefloating Databarbyanumericentryfromeither thekeyboardorthenumerickeypad. (Previously,keyboardactivationwasnot prevented.) Whensomeofthedatafieldsarehidden, theAutocycletonondisplayedfields optiondisplaysthehiddenfieldswhen youpresstheTabkeyinthelastdisplayed field.TheDonotautocycleto nondisplayedfieldsoptionpreventsthe hiddenfieldsfromeverdisplaying.

FeatureResourceimprovements

LocationLocatingSpecificResources onpage 178,Workingwith Resourcesonpage 178, UnderstandingSymbolson page 180,CreatingNew Symbolsonpage 183,Editing Symbolsonpage 192,and ManagingSymbolson page 196 OffsetSymbolInsertion Modeonpage 189

Improvedoffsetinsertionfor the2DSymbolInsertiontool

NewDatabaroptions

Usingthe2DDataBaron page 213andUsingthe3D DataBaronpage 323

ObjectInfopalette enhancements

ObjectInfopaletteimprovementsincludethe following: TheobjectpositionlocatorontheShape panematchestherotationofasingly selectedrotatedrectangle TheActivateObjectInfopalettecommand (orshortcutkeycombination)quickly switchesfocusfromthedrawingtothe firsteditablefieldintheObjectInfopalette Theshapepanenowdisplaysthenameof asinglyselectedobject(ifithasbeen named)foreasieridentification

CreatingRotatedRectangles onpage 242,andActivate ObjectInfoPaletteCommand onpage 288

New Features | FeaturePolylinetoolimprovements

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PurposeTwonewmodesmakeiteasiertocreate precisearcswiththePolylinetool.Tangent Arcmodecreatesarcsegmentsthatare tangenttotheprevioussegment.PointonArc modecreatesarcsegmentsbyclickingthree points:thestartpoint,apointthearcpasses through,andtheendpoint. NURBScurvescannowbefilletedor chamfered Resultsarerenamedandgroupedbyaxis ratherthanproperties,thedistancefrom alternateaxestocentroidresultisdisplayed, andthedistancefromcentroidtofarthest pointonobjectresulthasbeenremoved Profilecurveswithsharpcornerscannowbe extrudedalongapathwithsharpcorners.A newoptionhasbeenaddedtoconstrainthe extrudedobjecttotheglobalZaxis. Thefilletsurfaceoptionshavebeen simplified,andtheoriginalobjectsare trimmedbydefault Avariableradiusfilletisnowpossiblealong tangentiallyconnectededges Anewfacemodehasbeenadded,which includesfacegeometrywhenextrudingthe face.Incurvemode,eachcoplanarsectionof asolidsplitbyanopencurvecanbeadjusted. Inbothmodes,thegrabhandlelocationis moreaccurateandtheprocessissmoother andfaster. TheStitchandTrimSurfacescommand, projectandaddmodesoftheProjecttool, LoftSurfacestool,andProtrusion/Cutout toolnowresultinthecreationofageneric solid

LocationPolylineToolonpage 244

FilletandchamferNURBS curves EngineeringPropertiesdialog box

CreatingFilletsand Chamfersonpage 312 EngineeringPropertieson page 318

ExtrudeAlongPathcommand enhancements

ExtrudeAlongPathon page 339

CreateFilletSurfacecommand enhancements FilletEdgetoolimprovement Protrusion/Cutouttool enhancements

CreatingaFilletSurfaceon page 357 ReshapingEdgesbyFilleton page 380 CreatingProtrusionsand Cutoutsonpage 385

Improved3Dmodeling operations

StitchingandTrimming Surfacesonpage 385,Project andAddonpage 374, CreatingaLoftSurfaceon page 349,andCreating ProtrusionsandCutoutson page 385

xviii | PrefaceFeatureNewReferencePointmodefor theMovebyPointstool

PurposeAnewmodeallowsthemovementofobjects bysettingareferencepointandendpoint, andthenspecifyinganoffsetdistance.Ifthe objectisasymbolisinaroundwall,theoffset canbeadistanceoranangle. Inaddition,whenasymbolinawallis selected,theSetPositionbuttonontheObject Infopalettenowautomaticallyactivatesthe ReferencePointmodeoftheMovebyPoints tooltoallowmoreaccuratepositioning.

LocationMovingObjectsbyClicking onpage 399,MovingSymbols inWallswiththeMoveby PointsToolonpage 534,and EditingSymbolsinWallson page 535

ImprovedSendBackwardand SendForwardcommands

TheSendBackwardandSendForward commandsnowmovetheselectedobject behindorinfrontofanobjectwithwhichit overlaps;insteadofonlyonepositioninthe stackingorder TheadditionofParasolidspowerful tesselationof3Dgeometryyieldssmoother renderinginVectorworks2009.TheUse NURBSparameterhasbeenremovedfrom theOpenGL,CustomRenderworks,and CustomRadiositymodes. New,moreintuitiveparameterscanproduce upto60variationsintherevisioncloudshape Providesgreaterflexibilityforsettingruling linelengthsfordrawinglabelobjects,andfor settingthedistanceoftextaboveandbelow therulingline TheDuplicateArraycommandcannowbe usedtoinsertsymbolsinstraightorround walls TheMovecommandcannowbeusedto movesymbolsinstraightorroundwalls Youcannowdrawnonsymmetricalcolumns andthe3Dshaft,capital,andbasecannowbe renderedusinganyavailablestyleclassinthe document WallsnowtakeadvantageofParasolid technologyforimprovedprecision,reliability, andspeed.Theappearanceofrenderedwalls ismuchsmoother.Inaddition,symbolscan nowcreateholesofanyshapein3Dwalls.

ChangingObjectStacking Orderonpage 403

UseNURBSoptionremoved

OpenGLRenderOptionson page 464andCustom RenderworksOptionson page 735

Improvedrevisioncloudobject Improveddrawinglabelobject

CreatingRevisionCloudson page 497 CreatingDrawingLabelson page 500

ImprovedDuplicateArray commandforsymbolsinwalls ImprovedMovecommandfor symbolsinwalls Improvedcolumnobject

InsertingSymbolsina DuplicateArrayonpage 530 MovingSymbolsinWallswith theMoveCommandon page 533 CreatingColumnson page 537

3Dwallimprovements

Addinga3DWallHole ComponenttoaSymbol Definitiononpage 536

New Features | FeatureAllowautoclassinginRoof objects SupportforParasolidX_Tfiles

xix

PurposeUponcreation,aroofcanbeassignedtoa class.TheRoofMainclassisavailableasa standardclass. ImportandexportofParasolid3Dobjectsis nowsupported DXF/DWGimportandexportnowsupport AutoCADversion2009fileformat Eachdesignlayerviewportisnowexported asareferencedDWGfile;thispreservesthe visibilityoverridesfromtheoriginal viewport,becausethevisibilityofthelayers inthereferencedfilecanbecontrolled separatelyfromthelayersinthemasterfile Anewoptionexportsallofthehatchesand 2Dfillswithineachexportedlayerorclassto aseparateDXFlayer Anewoptionexportseitheralldesignlayers ortheselectedsheetlayersasseparateDXF/ DWGfiles AECobjectscreatedwithAutodesk ArchitecturalDesktop(suchaswalls,doors, andwindows)cannowbeproperlyimported toVectorworks Worksheetrowsandcolumns(orcopiesof them)cannowbemovedusingthedragand dropmethod Providestheabilitytoviewworksheetsat differentlevelsofmagnification Fournewworksheetfunctionsareavailable forcalculatingtheheatedandtotalareasof roofplanesorroofs.Also,slabthickness,Z center,concat,andvaluefunctionshavebeen added. Lamplibrariesnowinclude: AdditionalImperialelectricalaccurate lampsymbols EuropeanandUnitedKingdomsymbolsin anewmetricelectricalaccuratelamp library

LocationCreatingRoofObjectson page 542 ImportingFilesonpage 557 andExportinginParasolid X_TFormatonpage 564 DXFandDWGFileFormats onpage 567 DXF/DWGFileExporton page 570

SupportforAutoCADversion 2009 ImprovedDXF/DWGsupport ofdesignlayerviewports (DesignSeriesrequired)

ExportDXF/DWGhatcheson separatelayer Batchexportlayerstoseparate DXF/DWGfiles DXF/DWGimportsupportfor ADTobjects

DXF/DWGExportOptions onpage 573 DXF/DWGExportOptions onpage 573 DXF/DWGItemsWhich CannotImporttoVectorworks onpage 591 MovingRowsandColumns onpage 611 WorksheetMenuonpage 612 WorksheetFunctionson page 626

Movingworksheetrowsand columns Presetzoomlevelsfor worksheets Eightnewworksheetfunctions

Lamplibraries

Vectorworksand RenderworksLibrarieson page 777

Addprogressstatustostartup screen

Startupscreendisplaysinitializationroutine

Notapplicable

xx

| Preface

New Renderworks FeaturesThefollowingtablecontainsalistofnewandimprovedfeaturesforthisrelease,andindicatesthesectionwherethe functionalityisdocumented.

FeatureTexturingimprovements

PurposeFloors,walls,roofs,extrudes,andsweeps allowadditionalpartstoreceive individualtexturesandtexturemapping. NewmappingparametersintheObject Infopalettecancreateaseamlesstexture appearanceformultipleobjectsandacross layers.Finally,imagebasedshaders containadditionalcontrolsforimported images.

LocationApplyingTextureswithBasic Mappingonpage 709and CreatingImagebased Shadersonpage 683

Learning VectorworksThereareanumberofwaystolearnhowtouseVectorworks,includingbothonlinehelpandPDFs,trainingCDs,and bothonlineandclassroomtraining.

Users Guides ThisguideistheVectorworksFundamentalsUsersGuide.ItisacomprehensivereferenceforallVectorworks usersdescribingthecoretools,commands,andfeaturesintheVectorworksFundamentalsproduct.Theguide alsodescribesthepresentationcapabilitiesofRenderworks,foruserswhopurchasedRenderworks. TheVectorworksDesignSeriesUsersGuidedescribesthefeaturesintheVectorworksArchitect,Landmark, Spotlight,MachineDesign,andDesignerproducts.Itisdesignedforuserswhohavepurchasedoneormore DesignSeriesproducts. Thefollowingtabledescribestheconventionsusedintheguides.Allinstructionsintheguidesarebasedon clickclickdrawing.

Convention(Macintosh) (Windows) boldtext blueindentedtext click doubleclick rightclick Shiftclick

MeaningMacintoshspecificinstruction Windowsspecificinstruction Indicatesaspecificbutton,command,class,orexplicitlynameditem Indicatesanote,tip,orwarning Clickthemousebuttonandrelease.TheleftbuttonisalwaysimpliedinWindows. Clicktwotimesquicklyonthemousebuttonandrelease Clickwiththerightmousebuttonandrelease;ontheMacintosh,holddowntheCtrlkey whileclickingthemouse HolddowntheShiftkeyandclick

Learning Vectorworks | Conventionclickclick clickdrag Control+letterkey select

xxi

MeaningClickthemousebuttononceandrelease.Movethecursortothedesiredlocationandclick again.ThisisthedefaultdrawingpreferenceforVectorworksatinstallation. Clickoncewiththemousebuttonanddonotrelease.Drag(move)thecursortoadesired locationandthenrelease. HolddowntheCtrlkeyandpressthespecifiedkey Clickonanobjectwiththemouse,orclickdragoveranobjectwithmarqueeselection,to highlightit.Theobjectishighlighted,and/orhandlesdisplayontheobjecttoindicatethat itiscurrentlyactive.Thistermalsoreferstoexecutingmenucommands. AmenucommandaccessedbyaCtrlclick(Macintosh)orrightclick(Windows)

Contextmenu

Vectorworks Help SystemThehelpsystemallowsquickaccesstocomprehensivereferenceinformationaboutVectorworks.Programcommands, tools,anddialogboxesarelinkedtotheappropriatehelptopic,providinginstantinformation. Thehelpsystemalsoofferslinkstorelatedtopics,allowsfulltextsearches,andcontainsanindexandtableofcontents totopicsacrossallproducts. TheVectorworkshelpsystemincludesthefollowingvolumes: Welcome:InstructionsforusingthehelpsystemwithinVectorworks VectorworksFundamentals:ContextsensitiveonlineversionoftheVectorworksFundamentalsUsersGuide VectorworksDesignSeries:ContextsensitiveonlineversionoftheVectorworksDesignSeriesUsersGuide VectorScriptLanguageGuide:DescriptionoftheVectorScriptlanguage,whichcanbeusedtoautomateroutine tasks AdditionalDocumentation:ProvideslinkstocompleteuserguidePDFs,theVectorScriptLanguageGuide,and otherhelpfullinks

ToaccesstheHelpsystem,selectHelp>VectorworksHelpfromwithinVectorworks.InthehelpsystemTableof Contents,opentheWelcomebookforcompleteinstructionsonhowtousethesystem. Thefirsttimethehelpsystemopens,thereisaslightdelayasthenavigationandtopicsareinitiated.When consultingthehelpfrequently,keepingthehelpfileopenisrecommended. Thereleaseofversion3oftheFirefoxbrowserchangedsomesecuritysettings,blockingJavaScriptactionsfrom withinthehelpsystem.YouwillstillbeabletoaccesscontextsensitivehelpusingFirefox3.0;however,all navigationwithinthehelpsystemhasbeendisabled.Toworkaroundthisproblem,youcanlaunchthehelp systemfromoutsideofVectorworksbydoubleclickingontheindex.htmlfilein[Vectorworks]\VWHelp.Using aFirefoxversionotherthan3.0isrecommendedforthemoment.

Corporate Social Responsibility StatementNemetschekNorthAmericaistakingonaneverincreasingroleinembracingenvironmentallyfriendlypracticesto reduceourcarbonfootprint.Werealizethatpreservingtheenvironmentisaffectingourcustomersmoreandmore eachdayandwillbejoiningyouinyourpreservationefforts.Asoneimportantstepinthisprocess,weveincreased ouruseofpaperscertifiedbytheForestStewardshipCouncil(FSC)andmaterialwithrecycledcontent,inorderto supportresponsibleforestmanagement,minimizehabitatdestruction,reduceairandwaterpollution,andmaintain forestrypracticesthatrespecthumanrightsandsocialstandards.Wehavealsoincreasedourusageofvegetablebased inksandwindpowerinourprofessionallyprintedmaterials.Whilesomeofourmaterialsrequireprinting,wehave

xxii

| Preface

chosentoexploreoptionsthatutilizeelectronicdeliverywhereitisappropriate.Thishasimpactedseveralofour communicationpiecesthatyoumaybeaccustomedtoseeinginprintedform. PackagingMaterialsOneofourlargestchangeswasinhowweproducethepackagingtoshipVectorworks. TheboxisnowconstructedfromFSCcertifiedpapersandpaperswithrecycledcontent.Whilethisisasimilar changetoourothermaterialsoutlinedbelow,utilizingFSCcertifiedEFlutematerialisnotcommoninanyofthe packagingyoureceive.ItisnotreadilyavailableintheUnitedStates,requiresasignificantamountofeffortto sourcethematerial,andismoreexpensivethanconventionalpackagingmaterials.Nemetschekfeelsitis importanttobecomeatrailblazerinthisareaandthatourfirststepindecreasingourcarbonfootprintshould beginwithourproduct. ManualsPreviously,weprintedtheVectorworksFundamentalsUsersGuideandVectorworksDesignSeries UsersGuide,totalingmorethan1300pagesinlength.Thisrequiredalargershippingboxandalargevolumeof paper.Wenowprovideourusersguidessolelyonline,intwoformatsforyourconvenience.Eachguideis providedasaPDF,andisavailableonyourinstallationDVDinthe[Vectorworks]\VWHelp\Additional Documentationfolder.Wealsoprovideacomprehensive,searchableonlinehelpsystemwhichcanbeaccessed fromtheHelpmenuinVectorworks,orbypressingtheappropriatefunctionkeyforcontextsensitivehelp.The onlinehelpalsoaccesseschapterspecificPDFswithaclickofabutton.Thischangehasallowedustosavea significantnumberoftreesandprovidesouruserswithquickaccesstohelpinthemannerthatsuitsthembest. BrochuresInthepast,wehaveprintedourbrochuresandmailedthemtoclientswhowereconsideringusing Vectorworks.ThispiecewillnowbedeliveredasadownloadablePDFonthevectorworks.netwebsite,andasa PDFwithinseveralofourmultimediapieces. AdditionalMarketingCollateralManyofourcollateralpieceshavebeenconvertedtoamultimediaCDor DVD.WenowofferaMakingtheSwitchtoVectorworksKitwhichincludeselectronicversionsofourbrochures, casestudies,andotheritemsthatwerepreviouslyprintedforourprospects.WealsoofferYourGuidetoWhats New,amultimediaCDthathasanelectronicversionofourWhatsNewBrochure,thecontentthatwas previouslycalledtheUpgradeCompanionandseveralhelpfultutorialvideos.Whilesomeofthesematerialsstill utilizeapapercarrierforthemultimediaCDorDVD,weareusingFSCcertifiedpapersandmaterialwith recycledcontenttoincreaseourresponsibleconsumptionofpapermaterials. Overall,Nemetschekestimatesataminimumwehavedecreasedourcarbonfootprintandenvironmentalimpactby thestatisticsbelow.Insomecaseswewillstillneedtoprintmaterialsfordistribution.However,ourcommitmentto printingresponsiblywillcontinueandwehopethatyouwillconsiderusingsomeofthesepracticesinyourown businessasourenvironmentisthelegacywewillallleaveourchildren.

Benefits of Socially Responsible Improvements Over 2008*Wooduse Totalenergy Greenhousegases Wastewater Solidwaste 1,038fullygrowntreessaved 1,838millionBTUsnotexpended 255,694poundsCO2notreleased 862,750gallonsnotproduced 111,124poundsnotcreated

*ImpactestimatesbasedonresearchbytheEnvironmentalDefenseFund Formoreinformationonourongoingenvironmentallyfriendlyefforts,visitwww.nemetschek.net/green

TrainingVisitwww.nemetschek.netfordetailsaboutthefollowingtrainingoptions:

Technical Support | xxiii TrainingCDs Guidedonlinetraining Onsitetraining Classroomtraining

Other ResourcesVisitwww.nemetschek.netfordetailsaboutthefollowingadditionalresources: Documentationupdates Independentlocalusergroups LISTSERVuserlists

Technical SupportTechnicalsupportisavailableforregisteredVectorworksusersinseveralways.Internationalusersshouldcontact theirlocalresellerfordetailsconcerningtechnicalsupport(seewww.nemetschek.netforresellerinformation). UnitedStatesuserscancontactTechnicalSupportusingthefollowingmethods: Call410.290.5114 Sendafaxto410.290.8050 [email protected] Visitthetechnicalsupportmessageboardathttp://techboard.nemetschek.net Visitthetechnicalsupportknowledgebaseathttp://kbase.nemetschek.net [email protected]

WhenyoucontactTechnicalSupport,provideabriefdescriptionoftheproblemthatincludesspecificdetailsabout whatactionsweretakenpriortotheproblemsoccurrence.Themoreinformationyoucangiveyoursupport representative,theeasieritwillbetosolveyourproblemquickly. WhenyoucontactTechnicalSupportbyphone,pleasehaveaccesstoyourcomputerandbereadytotellthe representative: Vectorworksversionnumber Vectorworksregistrationnumber Operatingsystem Typeofcomputerbeingused AmountofRAMinstalledinthecomputer Listofanyrecentchangestothecomputerssetup(suchasnewfonts,software,orhardware)

TroubleshootingTroubleshootingaproblempriortocallingTechnicalSupportwillalsoaidinaspeedyresolution.Basic troubleshootingtipsinclude: Testtoseeiftheproblemoccursinanew,blankfile Testtoseeiftheproblemoccurssystemwide(especiallyprintandfontproblems) Copyandpastepartofthedocumenttoanewfiletoseeiftheproblempersists RunthecomputerinSafeMode(Windows)toseeifthereisasystemconflict Checkthetechnicalsupportmessageboardtoseeiftheproblemhasalreadybeenreportedorresolved (http://techboard.nemetschek.net)

xxiv | Preface

IntroductionUnderstanding Vectorworks

1

ThissectiondescribesthecoreconceptsbehindVectorworksfunctionality;eachconceptisdescribedbrieflyinthis overview.Theactualimplementationoftheseconceptsaredescribedthoroughlyintheirrelevantsections.Where possible,therelevantsectionsarereferenced.

Intuitive Design and Drafting PackageVectorworksisanessentialgraphicdesigntoolforanyonewhowishestouseCADsoftwareimmediately.The programemphasizesrapid,accuratedrawingandeasyobjectselection.Thiseaseofuseminimizesthelearningcurve, sothatideascanbequicklyconvertedintodrawings.

Parasolid Modeling KernelTheParasolidmodelingkernel(aSiemensPLMproduct)hasbeenintegratedinVectorworks2009.Thiskernel providesthegeometricfoundationforallthe3DPowerPacktoolsandcommands,2DBooleanoperations(add,clip, intersect,andcombineintosurfaces),3DBooleanoperations(add,subtract,andintersect,andsectionsolids),and basic2Doperationssuchasfillet,offset,trim,split,andsnapping.Inadditiontotheexistingfunctionality,unfoldingof developablesurfacesandParasolidbasedstraightandroundwallshavebeenintroducedinVectorworks2009.The newwallconstructallowsyoutoinsertoddshapedwindowsordoors.TheParasolidkernelprovidesrobustness, consistency,andhighperformanceinmodelingaswellasdraftingoperations. WhenapreviousversionVectorworksfileisopenedinVectorworks2009,thegeometryofthedrawingobjectsis automaticallyconvertedusingthenewkernel.Theconversionmayfailforsomesolidsforavarietyofreasons:for example,ifanobjecthasselfintersectingprofilesinsideanextrudeorsweep,orifanobjectssurfacesdonotpassthe Parasolidchecks.Ifthishappens,Vectorworksconvertsalloftheotherobjectsandalertsyouthatsomeobjectswere notconverted.Awireframerepresentationofthefailedsolidisincludedinthefile;youmaybeabletoeditthese objectsandregeneratethesolids.

Hybrid EnvironmentInmostCADprograms,itispossibletocreateeithera2Dora3Ddrawing.Vectorworksallowsyoutodoboth,with hybridobjectsthatdisplayina2Dor3Drepresentationofadrawing.Inthishybridenvironment,symbolsdisplayas 2Dsymbolsina2Dview,andasafullyformed3Dobjectin3Dview.Theprogramautomaticallydisplaysthecorrect symbolaccordingtotheview.VectorworksFundamentalsprovidessymbollibrariesthatcontainanumberof premadehybridsymbols;alternatively,createyourownhybridobjects. Agoodexampleofahybridobjectisadoor.Itdisplaysasanabstractsolidina2Dviewandasafullyformeddoorin a3Dview.

2

| Chapter 1: Introduction

2D View

3D View

Theadvantageofworkingwithhybridobjectsisthat3Dmodelscanautomaticallybecreatedfrom2Ddrawings,or viceversa.Formoreinformationonthehybridenvironmentandsymbols,seeUnderstandingSymbolsonpage 180.

SmartCursorDatum

Intersection

DesignwithprecisionusingtheSmartCursor.Byprovidingaseriesofcues(includingtextdisplayedatthecursors currentlocation)thatupdatewitheverymoveofthemouse,thedrawingoptionsareclear.UsetheSmartCursorto createsnapstospecificpointsrelativetootherobjectsortotemporarilysetaneworigin(datum).Drawexact perpendicularlines,angles,andmore.TheSmartCursorisdescribedindetailinDrawingwithSnappingand Constraintsonpage 135.

Image PreviewAnimagepreviewisusedforavarietyoffunctions,includingdrawingobjects,placingobjects,andtheSmartCursor. Theimagepreviewistheimagedisplayedastheobjectisdrawn,afteratoolhasbeenselectedoranoperation invoked,butbeforetheobjectisphysicallyplacedinthedrawing.Theimagepreviewmayexactlyresembletheobject tobeplacedormaybearepresentationofthatobject,suchasitsboundingbox.Duringthedrawingprocess,theimage previewcontainsafeedbacksegment,whichgathersinformationfordisplayintheDatabar.Vectorworksalsouses thissegmenttoproperlyinvokeSmartCursorcues.

Layers, Classes, and ViewsLayersandclassesprovidetheframeworkforVectorworksdrawings.Viewportsandviewsdisplayandpresent drawings.Thesefeaturesworktogethertoprovideflexibleorganizationalandviewingcapabilities. Vectorworksdesignlayers(wheredrawingsarecreated)canhaveheight.Ifawalliseightfeethigh,thedesignlayer canbeaswell.Thisallowsforatrue3Drepresentationofamodel.Showandhidedesignlayersasneeded,todisplay

Understanding Vectorworks |

3

certainaspectsofadesign.Objectsplacedtogetherindesignlayersarerelatedinspace.Designlayershelpautomate someaspectsofwallcreationaswellasprovideotheradvantages.EachVectorworksdesignlayercanhaveadifferent scale.Specialsheetlayersareusedforcreatingviewports;thesearemultiplelinkedviewsofadrawing,complete withannotation,andreadyforthepresentationofafinaldesigntoaclient.InVectorworksDesignSeries,viewports alsocanbecreatedondesignlayers,whichcanshowoneormoredesignlayersfromitsownfile,orfromanexternal file. Classesassociateobjectsacrosslayers.Classesareusedtoclassifyobjectsandcanhavespecificdisplayattributes,such ascolor.Classesareusedtospeedthedrawingprocess,sinceattributescanbespecifiedatobjectcreation,andto controlthevisibilityoftheserelatedgroups.Eachobjectcanonlybeassignedoneclass,buteachobjectcanbe composedofothernestedobjects,whichcaneachbeassignedadifferentclass. Aparticularviewofthedrawing,suchasonewhichshowsonlycertainlayersandclasses,canbesaved.Takea snapshotofacombinationoflayersandclassesandthenprinttheview.Layers,classes,andviewsaredescribedin detailinDrawingStructureonpage 93.

ViewportsWhenadesigniscomplete,ittypicallyneedstobepresentedtoaclientwithviewsfromseveraldifferentdirections, completewithdetails,annotations,dimensions,andtitleblocks.ToaccomplishthisinVectorworks,createviewport objects,whichcanshowotherdesignlayersinthisfile,orevendesignlayersinotherfiles. Viewportscandisplayentireaswellascroppedviewsofadrawing,withspecifiedlayerandclassvisibilitysettings, projection,rendermode,andorientationparameters.Ifthedrawingchanges,theviewportscanbeeasilyupdatedto reflectthechanges. InbothVectorworksFundamentalsandtheVectorworksDesignSeries,youcancreateoneormoreviewportsona sheetlayer,andeachviewportcanshowoneormoredesignlayersfromthecurrentfile.Additionally,theVectorworks DesignSeriesallowsyoutocreateoneormoreviewportsonadesignlayer,andthedesignlayersshowncanbeeither fromthecurrentfile,orreferencedfromanotherfile. ViewportsaredescribedinPresentingDrawingswithSheetLayerViewportsonpage 653inthisguide,andin PresentingDrawingswithDesignLayerViewportsonpage 500intheVectorworksDesignSeriesUsersGuide.

Planes and 3D SpaceEveryVectorworksdrawinghasavisiblegroundplane.Thisplaneispermanentlyplacedandcanbeusedasa constantreferencepointfordrawingin2Dor3Dspace.In3Dspace,however,aplanecanbeplacedataspecificangle orrotationtobetterhelpcreateanobjectrelativetothatplane.Thiscanhelpasviewsarechangedorobjectsmodified. ThismodifiableplaneiscalledaworkingplaneinVectorworks.WorkingplanesaredescribedindetailinUsing WorkingPlanesonpage 593.

4


VectorScriptVectorworkshasacomprehensivescriptcapabilitycalledVectorScript.Useexistingscriptsorcreateyourown. CustomizeVectorworksworkingenvironmentwithscripts,orcreatecustomizedplugintools,commands,and objectsthatfityourneeds.TheVectorScriptscriptinglanguagecanbeveryusefulandsavestimeandeffortbycreating reusablefunctionsfordrawings.ScriptscanalsobeusedtocustomizeVectorworks.SeeUsingScriptsonpage 637 fordetailsoncustomizingVectorworks. SeetheVectorScriptLanguageGuideforanintroductiontotheVectorScriptlanguage.TheVectorScriptLanguage Guideisavailableinthehelpsystem,andasaPDFfilein[Vectorworks]\VWHelp\AdditionalDocumentation.In addition,theVectorScriptFunctionReferenceisacomprehensivecommandreferenceavailableonline.Itislocatedin VWHelp/VectorScriptReference/VSFunctionReference.html

WorksheetsVectorworksprovidescomprehensiveworksheetanddatabasefunctionality.Objectattributesandrecordscanbe listedinaworksheet,andspreadsheetcalculationscanbeperformedonthisdata.Forexample,listalltheroomsina drawing,andautomaticallycalculatethenumberofbedrooms.Createaworksheetlistingtheitemsrequiredto furnishtheroomsandthecost.WorksheetsaredescribedinCreatingWorksheetsonpage 605.

Creating a New FileTocreateanewfile: 1. SelectFile>New. TheCreateDocumentdialogboxopens. 2. SelectthetypeofdocumenttocreateandclickOKtoopenthenewfile.

Document TypeCreateblankdocument Usedocumenttemplate

DescriptionOpensanewdrawingfilewiththedefaultVectorworkssettings(attributes,scale, units,etc.) Opensanewdrawingwithsettingsthatweresavedinatemplatefile;selectthe templatetouse(seeCreatingTemplatesonpage 85tolearnmoreabouttemplates)

Vectorworkssearchesyouruserfolder,yourworkgroupfolders,andtheVectorworkssystemfolderfortemplate files.Ifnotemplatesarefoundanywhereonthesystem,theCreateDocumentdialogboxdoesnotopen.Instead, ablanknewdocumentiscreatedautomatically.

Opening a FileTherearethreewaystoopenafilethatalreadyexists.UptoeightVectorworksfilescanbeopenatonce.

Using Finder Quick Look (Macintosh OS X 10.5+ Only) |Toopenafilethatalreadyexists: 1. SelectFile>Open. TheOpendialogboxopens. 2. Selectthenameofthefileortemplatetoopen. 3. ClickOpen. Vectorworksopensthelastsavedversionoftheselecteddrawingfile. Toopenafilethatwasrecentlyused: SelectFile>OpenRecentandselectanamefromthelistofthelasttenfilesthatwereopenedorsaved. Thefileisopened;ifthefileisalreadyopen,itismovedtothefrontofthescreentobecomethecurrentfile. Toopenafilefromtheoperatingsystem: DoubleclickafiledirectlyinWindowsExplorerorMacintoshFinder.

5

IfmultipleversionsofVectorworksareinstalled,andVectorworksisnotyetopen,theversionthatopenswhen youdoubleclickafiledependsontheoperatingsystem. OnWindows,theversionofVectorworksthatwasinstalledmostrecentlyopens. OnMacintoshOSX,Vectorworks2009openswhenyoudoubleclickaversion2009file.Whenyou doubleclickanolderversionfile,theolderversionofVectorworksopens. Vectorworks2009canonlyopenfilesthatwerecreatedinMiniCAD7orinVectorworksversions8andabove.Files thatwerecreatedinversionsearlierthanMiniCAD7mustbeconvertedtoatleastversion7,withaversionof Vectorworksearlierthanversion12.IfanearlierversionofVectorworksisnotavailable,contactNNASalesSupport forassistance.

Using Finder Quick Look (Macintosh OS X 10.5+ Only)VectorworksQuickLookpluginprovidesanimagepreviewofthefileandathumbnailiconpreviewtomoreeasily locatefiles.

Vectorworks File PreviewWhenafileissaved,animageofthecurrentviewofthefileisalsosavedinthefile.Thisimageisthensuppliedtothe operatingsystemwithVectorworksQuickLookplugin. Apreviewisnotavailableforfilessavedwithautosaveorbatchconvert. Thepreviewimagecanbeviewedinanumberofways: SelectoneormoredocumentswithintheFinder,andthenpresstheSpaceBar SelectadocumentandthenpresstheQuickLookbuttonwithintheFinder Selectadocumentinthecolumnview;thepreviewcolumncontainsthepreviewimage DisplaythepreviewimageinthepreviewsectionforGetInfo

6


Vectorworks File ThumbnailVectorworksdocumentscanuseeitherthedocumentthumbnailiconorthestandardVectorworksicon.Thedefault settingforShowiconpreviewisoff(thestandardVectorworksicondisplays),andcanbechangedbytheView> ShowViewOptions(ortheCmd+Jkeyboardshortcut)fromtheFindermenu. WhenShowiconpreviewisenabled,thedefaultbehaviorappliesonlytothecurrentfolder,andtothecurrentfolder view(withorwithoutdetails,forexample).ClickallfoldersinFinderPreferencestoseethethumbnailsforallfolders. ChangethesettingforeachindividualView(listvieworcolumnview,forexample)toseeQuickLookthumbnailsin allfolderviews.

Migrating from Previous Versions |

7

Migrating from Previous VersionsTheUpdatePluginObjectscomman15 convertsavarietyoflegacyobjectstothecurrentapplicationformat.Thiscommandworksacrossallfilelayers,andas applicable,onobjectsthatarefreestanding,insertedinwalls,inaplacedsymbol,orinasymboldefinition.All applicableparametervalues,andanyattachedrecordsarealsotransferredduringtheconversion. Savingacopyofthefilepriortorunningthecommandisrecommended,asthecommandcannotbeundone. Toupdatepluginobjects: 1. Openafilecontaininglegacyobjects. 2. SelectTools>Utilities>UpdatePluginObjects. TheUpdatePluginObjectsdialogboxopens.

3. Selectthetype(s)ofobjectstoconverttothenewformat,andthenclickOK. Allolderversionobjectsoftheselectedtype(s)areconvertedintothenewformat.

Closing a FileToclosethecurrentfile: 1. SelectFile>Closeorclickthecloseboxonthedrawingwindow. 2. Ifthefilechangedsinceitwaslastsaved,clickSave(Macintosh)orYes(Windows)tosaveandclosethefile. ClickDontSave(Macintosh)orNo(Windows)toclosethefilewithoutasave. Tocloseallopenfiles(Windowsonly): 1. SelectWindow>CloseAll. 2. Ifthefileschangedsincetheywerelastsaved,clickYestosaveandclosethefiles.ClickNotoclosethefiles withoutasave.

Saving a FileTheSavecommandsavestheopenfile,whichreplacestheearlierversionofthefile.Whenyousaveafileforthefirst time,specifythefilenameandlocation.TheSavecommandisdisabledifnochangeshavebeenmadetothefilesince itwasfirstopenedorcreated.

8


OnWindows,thefilesrequirea.vwxor.mcdextensiontoberecognizedbyVectorworks.Ifyoudonotenteran extension,Vectorworksaddsthe .vwxextensionautomatically. Tosavethecurrentfile: 1. SelectFile>Save. Ifthefilehasnotbeensavedbefore,theSaveVectorworksDrawingdialogboxopens. 2. EnteranameforthefileintheNamefield,andthenselectthedestinationforthefile. 3. ClickSave. Vectorworkssavesthefile.Thetimerequiredmaydependonthefilesize.

Save AsTosavethecurrentfilewithadifferentname: 1. SelectFile>SaveAs. TheSaveVectorworksDrawingdialogboxopens. 2. EnteranewNameforthefile,andthenselectthedestinationforthefile. 3. ClickSave. Vectorworkssavesanewcopyofthefile.Thetimerequiredmaydependonthefilesize.

Save a Copy AsTosaveacopyofthecurrentfileandcontinuetoeditthecurrentfile: 1. SelectFile>SaveACopyAs. TheSavedialogboxopens. 2. EnteranewNameforthefile,andthenselectthedestinationforthefile. 3. ClickSave. Vectorworkssavesanewcopyofthefileandkeepstheoriginalfileopenforfurtheredits.Thetimerequiredmay dependonthefilesize.

Automatically Saving FilesTheautosavefeatureautomaticallysavesthecurrentfileaftereitheraspecifiednumberofminutesoraspecified numberofoperations,asdefinedintheAutosavetaboftheVectorworksPreferencesdialogbox.SeeAutosave Preferencesonpage 51formoreinformation. IftheConfirmbeforesavepreferenceisselected,aconfirmationdialogboxdisplaysbeforetheautosaveisperformed. TheinformationthatdisplaysinthisdialogboxdependsonthesettingsselectedinVectorworkspreferences.

Reverting to the Last Saved Version |

9

ParameterYes No Settings

DescriptionSavesthefile;ifthedocumenthasnotbeensaved,theSavedialogboxopenstonamethefilefirst Cancelsthesaveoperationandresetstheautosavecounters OpenstheVectorworksPreferencesdialogboxtoedittheautosaveparameters;selectDontautosave thisdocumentfortheremainderofthesession(orDontbackupthisdocumentfortheremainder ofthesession)todisabletheautosavefeaturefortheactivedocumentfortheremainderofthesession

Whenthesaveiscomplete,themessageAutosavecompletedisplaysinthelowerrightcornerofthewindow;the messageclearswhenyouclickthemouse.

Reverting to the Last Saved VersionTheReverttoSavedcommandreplacestheactivedrawingwiththemostrecentlysavedversion.Thisdeletesall changesmadesincethelastsave,whichcanremoveseveralundesirablechangesinonestep. Toreverttothelastsavedversion: 1. SelectFile>ReverttoSaved. Thisactioncannotbeundone.Confirmthatchangesshouldnotbesaved. 2. ClickOK. Vectorworksclosestheactivedrawingandopensthelastsavedversionofthefile.

Converting Previous Version FilesVectorworksmusttranslatefilescreatedinpreviousversionsofVectorworksintothecurrentformat.Vectorworks cannotconvertMiniCAD6orearlierfiles,however.VectorworksautomaticallyappliesPNGcompressiontoimages containedinconvertedfiles. Toconvertanentirefolderoffilesatonce,usetheBatchConvertcommandasdescribedinConvertingPrevious VersionFilesasaBatchonpage 10. Toconvertonefileatatime,openandsavethefileinthecurrentversionofVectorworksasdescribedin ConvertingaSinglePreviousVersionFileonpage 12. Youmayneedtocorrectthevisibilityofcropobjectsandannotationobjectsinsheetlayerviewports(see ViewportParametersonpage 658).

10


Converting Previous Version Files as a BatchDuringabatchconversion,Vectorworksscansallfilesinthesourcefolder(andinsubfolders,optionally),and convertspreviousversionfilestothecurrentformat.NonVectorworksfilesandVectorworksfilesthataretoooldto convertareskippedandrecordedinthelogfile. TherearetwooptionsforVectorworksfilesduringbatchconversions: Bydefault,Vectorworksmovesthepreviousversionfilestoanarchivefolderandplacestheconvertedversions ofthosefilesinthesourcefolder. Alternatively,Vectorworksmakesnochangestothesourcefolder.Instead,theconvertedfiles(andcopiesofany currentversionVectorworksfiles)areplacedinaspecifiedfolder. Toconvertabatchoffiles: 1. Placeallfilestobeconvertedinonefolder,orinsubfolderswithinthesourcefolder. 2. InVectorworks,selectFile>BatchConvert. TheBatchConvertdialogboxopens.

ParameterSourceFolder

DescriptionClickChoosetoopeneithertheChooseSourceFolderdialogbox(Macintosh)orthe BrowseforFolderdialogbox(Windows);selectthefolderthatcontainsthefilesyou wanttoconvert,andthenclickChoose(Macintosh)orOK(Windows)toreturnto theBatchConvertdialogbox Toplacetheconvertedfilesintoadifferentfolder,clickChoosetoopeneitherthe ChooseDestinationFolderdialogbox(Macintosh)ortheBrowseforFolderdialog box(Windows).Selectthefolder,andthenclickChoose(Macintosh)orOK (Windows)toreturntotheBatchConvertdialogbox.ThendeselectConvertin place. Convertsthefileswithinthesubfoldersofthesourcefolder

DestinationFolder

Includesubfolders

Converting Previous Version Files | ParameterConvertinplace

11

DescriptionMovestheoriginalVectorworksfilestoanarchivefolder,andplacesthenewly convertedfilesintheoriginalsourcefilelocations.Thearchivefolderiscreated withinthesourcefolderandisnamedOldVersionVectorworksFiles. Deselectthisoptiontoplacetheconvertedfilesinthedestinationfolderandmakeno changestothesourcefolder.

Convertlayerlinksinto viewports (DesignSeriesrequired) Convertreferencedlayers intoreferencedviewports (DesignSeriesrequired) Convertabsolutereferences intorelativereferences (DesignSeriesrequired)

Createsviewportsondesignlayersthatreferenceoneormorelayerswithinthesame file.Selectthisoptiontoconvertanylayerlinksintheolderversionfilesinto viewports.SeePresentingDrawingswithDesignLayerViewportsonpage 500in theVectorworksDesignSeriesUsersGuide. Createsviewportsondesignlayersthatreferenceoneormorelayersinanexternal file.Selectthisoptiontoconvertanyreferencedlayersintheolderversionfilesinto viewports.SeePresentingDrawingswithDesignLayerViewportsonpage 500in theVectorworksDesignSeriesUsersGuide. Convertsworkgroupreferenceswithabsolutefilepathstorelativefilepaths,ifa relativefilepathisallowed.Arelativefilepathisnotallowedifthefileisona differentvolumefromthereferencedfile.

3. ClickOKtoconvertthefiles. Eachfileisbrieflyopenedandresavedintotheappropriatefolder.Subfoldernamesandhierarchiesare recreated,iftheyareincludedintheconversionprocess.IfConvertinplaceisselected,theoriginalfilesare movedtothearchivefolder,intheoriginalsubfolderstructure. 4. Oncetheconversioniscomplete,theBatchConversionResultsdialogboxdisplaysasummary.

ParameterTotalfilesinsourcefolder Totalfilessuccessfullyconverted Totalcurrentversionfilescopied

DescriptionThetotalnumberoffilescontainedinthespecifiedsourcefolder ThetotalnumberoffilessuccessfullyconvertedbytheBatchConvert command Thetotalnumberoffilesthatwerealreadyinthecurrentversionof Vectorworks;ifConvertinplaceisselected,thefilesareleftinplaceinthe originalfolder;ifConvertinplaceisnotselected,thefilesarecopiedtot

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