Pages

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Vectorworks Tip #074 - Visibility Palette - Edit Lights in Viewports

Edit lights in viewports The Visualization palette show the lights that are in the current scene, and if a viewport is selected, the Visualization palette shows the lights that are in the viewport. This allows you to edit light, shadows, the intensity of the light, etc. in this viewport, without affecting the lighting in other viewports.


For Vectorworks manuals, visit:
http://store.archoncad.com

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Vectorworks Tip #073 - Basic Tools - Place Doors Accruately

When you place doors in a wall, you can use the Offset Insertion Mode to ensure that you are accurately placing them. This will make it fast and accurate to place the doors as they will be in hte correct place the first time, saving you from edting their position.

For Vectorworks manuals, visit:
http://store.archoncad.com

Monday, April 28, 2014

podcast 174 - Doors in Vectorworks

This movie is a short introduction to the Door object in Vectorworks. This iobject is a great way to create doors in 2D and 3D. If you insert the door in a wall, it will punch the hole for you automatically. The doors are very flexible with several configurations to choose from. It is important to make sure you choose the correct settings from the Door Preferences on the Tool bar.

for more information see this website:
http://store.archoncad.com/?product=introduction-to-bim-of-vectorworks-2011

Saturday, April 26, 2014

Book Review - Things a Little Bird Told Me

Things a Little Bird Told Me
This is the story about Biz Stone and what he learned at Twitter, Biz Stone was one of the inventors of Twitter and he helped grow Twitter from nothing to a billion dollar brand. Along the way he leaned many valuable lessons:
plain hard work is important, but it is ideas that drive us... creativity is a renewable resource...

I found this book has some valuable advice and it made me think about how i want to run my business. It is a short book so it doesn't take very long to read and it is written in a style that makes it easy to read, it will make you think.

Friday, April 25, 2014

Vectorworks Tip #072 - Basic Tools - Mirror Tool

Use this tool to mirror an existing object, or objects. This tool works in both 2D and 3D and it can be used to mirror the original object, or it can be used to mirror a copy of the original. In Vectorworks 2014 you will now see a preview of the mirrored object so you can see if it is going to be placed correctly.



For Vectorworks manuals, visit:
http://store.archoncad.com

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Vectorworks Tip #071 - Basic Tools - Rotate Tool

When you need to rotate an object this is the tool to use. Rotate tool works in both 2D and 3D and it can rotate the original object, or it can rotate a copy. In Vectorworks 2014 the rotating object has a preview to show you where the new object will be placed.



For Vectorworks manuals, visit:
http://store.archoncad.com

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Vectorworks Tip #070 - Basic Tools - Doors

Doors in Vectorworks allow you to create 2D and 3D version of the door or opening. If you created door, there are several types of doors you can make (hinged, bi-fold, sliding, overhead) and you can also use the door to create opening. So if you need an opening in the wall, try using a door. The doors can show the door number in 2D and 3D, and you can use the doors to create a schedule.


For Vectorworks manuals, visit:
http://store.archoncad.com

Monday, April 21, 2014

podcast 174 - Connect_Combine Tool

The Connect/Combined tool is really useful for extending single or multiple lines to a boundary. In this movie I will give you a quick introduction to using this tool. Instead of using this tool you could use the Selection tool to extend lines, but that is slow and unreliable. This tool is fast and reliable for extending lines to meet other objects.

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Book Review - Inbound Marketing

Instead of bulk emails or called calling, what about using Inbound Marketing to get potential customers to contact you? I have read this book several times and it is really helping me to understand social media for marketing.
Traditional "outbound" marketing methods like cold-calling, email blasts, advertising, and direct mail are increasingly less effective. People are now increasingly turning to Google, social media, and blogs to find products and services. Inbound Marketinghelps you take advantage of this change by showing you how to get found by customers online.
Buy now...


For Vectorworks manuals, visit:
http://store.archoncad.com

Friday, April 18, 2014

Vectorworks Tip #069 - Basic Tools - Connect/Combine tool to Extend Roofs

If you are using roof faces, you can use the Connect/Combine tool to join them together. You still have to choose which mode you will be using to join the faces together. In this example I have used the second mode, the Dual Object Connect mode. This can be a very quick way to extend the roofs so that they meet.


For Vectorworks manuals, visit:
http://store.archoncad.com

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Vectorworks Tip #068 - Basic Tools - Connect/Combine tool to Extend Multiple lines

The Connect/Combine tool is can be used to extend multiple lines to another object. This makes it ideal when you have several lines that you want to extend to the edge of an object. In this situation you can't use the Selection tool to drag all the lines at the same time.



For Vectorworks manuals, visit:
http://store.archoncad.com

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Do IT Pros Recommend Macintosh?

I had to laugh when I read this blog post. For many years I have been arguing with IT pros about the differences between Windows and Mac. In my office I use both systems, but I find the Macintosh easy to use. In this blog post the argument is that IT professionals often recommend Macintosh computers to their friends and families to avoid having to support the Windows machines.

Vectorworks Tip #067 - Basic Tools - Connect/Combine tool to Extend lines



The Connect/Combine tool is used to extend lines to another object. This makes it ideal when you have some lines that you want to extend to the edge of an object. I know you could use the Selection tool to drag the end of the line to touch the other object. But actually, that can be quite tricky in some cases. This tool makes it easy.

For Vectorworks manuals, visit:
http://store.archoncad.com

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

3D Printing - "The first truly consumer 3D printer"

I have been following 3D Printing for a few years now. 3D printing has been around for several years. When I first started following 3-D printing, the printers were extremely expensive ($30 K). But I always thought that the 3-D printers would become like the laser printers of the past. When the Macintosh first came out in the laserprinter followed, they were very expensive. Only the richest clients could afford to buy a laser printer. Nowadays, you can buy laserprinter for a couple of hundred dollars. I thought the 3-D printers would follow this trend.

Vectorworks Tip #066 - Basic Tools - Unified View

When you set up models on different layers, it can be awkward to change views to see the entire model. The answer is to use Unified View. Unified View is located on the right side of the View Bar (at the top of the screen). This allows you to work on the model and be able to see all the layers joined together.

Monday, April 14, 2014

Do Not Disturb - iPad and iPhone

I sometimes get notifications in the middle of the night from my website, twitter, and so on. I even get some of my overseas clients calling me when I should be asleep. It's not their fault, they just don't know that I am in New Zealand. I used to switch my phone to silent, but it would still buzz. I was looking through the Settings the other day and I can accross Do Not Disturb. This feature allows you to schedule the Do Not Disturb so that your iPhone or iPad does not ring or buzz after a specific time. I set this up on my phone the other day, and when a client rang me at 3:30am, I did not get woken up.

 

podcast 173 - Macintosh Mavericks Notifications

I do not use my Macintosh for online training, but I was using it the other day and I was surprised to have notifications appearing while I was training. I found that you can turn off the notifications easily in the Notification area (Do Not Disturb), or you can automate the Do Not Disturb to activate at a specific time of the day.

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Book Review - Drawing on the Artist Within

Sketching is a fundamental skill for Architects and Technologists, but many of us are not taught to sketch. I always wanted to be an architect so I took Art in high school. The art teacher sent us all out with a sketchbook and pencils and when we returned to criticised our work. She didn't so much teacher us to draw as to tell us whether or not we were talented enough to draw.
Buy here...

Friday, April 11, 2014

Vectorworks Tip #065 - Visibility Palette - Select Lights

The Visualization palette shows all the lights in the current view. This allows you to select any lights in the current view. You can also use the Force Select to force Vectorworks to change layers and classes so that your light can be selected.





For Vectorworks manuals, visit:
http://store.archoncad.com

Thursday, April 10, 2014

Vectorworks Tip #064 - Basic Tools - Scale Symbols

Older versions of Vectorworks did not allow you to scale symbols, you have to break them up into groups first. Later versions of Vectorworks allow you to scale symbols. This makes it easy to use the same symbol (which is much more memory efficient) in several different places, but with several different sizes. You can activate simple scaling by using the Object Info palette.


For Vectorworks manuals, visit:
http://store.archoncad.com

Wednesday, April 09, 2014

Vectorworks Tip #063 - Visualization Tools - Heliodon Tool

The heliodon is designed to create a sun. With the heliodon you set the latitude and longitude (or you select the city) then set the time of time. Vectorworks will then calculate the correct angle of the sun. You can edit the time of day by typing in the time, or you can type in names like “dawn", “sunset”, etc. But you can do more than just setting the sun position, the heliodon is also used to create solar animations, which can show the way the sun changes during the day, all the way the sun changes over the seasons.

For Vectorworks manuals, visit:
http://store.archoncad.com

Monday, April 07, 2014

podcast 172 - Wall Styles

Wall Styles are a great productivity tool when drawing buildings. They make it quick to change form one wall type to another when you are drawing, they can be stored in your library so that you can use the Wall Styles on every project, and the make it easy to change a drawn wall from one style to another.

Saturday, April 05, 2014

Book Review - Vectorworks Essentials Tutorial Manual, Sixth Edition

I have written a manual called the Vectorworks Essentials Tutorial Manual, which is designed to teach new users all the important fundamental concepts of Vectorworks. I recommend this manual is the best way to teach new users how to get the best from Vectorworks.It has now been used by thousands of people to get started and become productive with Vectorworks. Last December I went to visit an old client.This client has not used me for training for a couple of years and I was curious to see how the new staff were coping with Vectorworks.

Friday, April 04, 2014

Vectorworks Tip #062 - Basic Tools - Split Tool, Line Trim Mode

This tool has three modes, the third mode is used to split and trim objects with a line. This mode is ideal for trimming objects like polygons, rectangles, etc. With this mode, you get to choose which side of your split line will be retained. That makes this tool really useful for trimming up polygons, circles, landscape areas, and even viewports.


For Vectorworks manuals, visit:
http://store.archoncad.com

Thursday, April 03, 2014

0070 iPad Tip - Microsoft Word on the iPad

Microsoft has just released an iPad version of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. The first time you can now edit Word documents using Microsoft software on your iPad. In the past, there have been third-party applications that will allow you to edit your Word documents. These third party apps have not always worked consistently. Now at last you can use Microsoft software to edit your Word documents.

Vectorworks Tip #061 - Basic Tools - Split Tool, Split By Line

This tool has three modes, the second mode is used to split objects with a line. This mode is ideal for splitting objects like polygons, rectangles, etc. In this image you should notice that I'm trying to split a rectangle that is on top of two other rectangles. The new mode in Vectorworks 2014 allows you to split just the selected object. This is extremely useful. If you have previous versions of Vectorworks you can achieve the same thing using the Option all Alt key.


For Vectorworks manuals, visit:
http://store.archoncad.com

Novedge Webinar #108: Creating & Editing Site Models in Vectorworks - Q&A with Geoff McBeath

Here is a great blog with some Q&A on site modelling from my friends at novedge.

http://blog.novedge.com/2014/04/novedge-webinar-108-creating-editing-site-models-in-vectorworks-qa-with-geoff-mcbeath.html

 

Wednesday, April 02, 2014

Vectorworks Tip #060 - Basic Tools - Split Tool

If you need to cut or split objects, you will find the Split tool ideal. It can split object, or it can trim them. There are three modes. The first mode is used to split an object and it works best with linear objects line walls, lines, etc. The second and third modes work best on objects that have an area, like polygons, floors, landscape areas, etc.


For Vectorworks manuals, visit:
http://store.archoncad.com

Tuesday, April 01, 2014

Vectorworks Tip #059 - Basic Trigonometry

When you're creating landscape areas, Vectorworks tends to draw these as if they were projected down onto a flat plane. In reality, the site may be sloping, so the area of the site is actually greater than the plan area shown on the drawings. The difference between the playing area and the actual area can be calculated using basic trigonometry.