Vectorworks ebooks on the iPad

I have been experimenting with ebooks for some time. I have tried ebooks on the Kindle device, iPhone and iPad.

The iPhone screen is just too small for me. The screen size is acceptable for reading a novel, but it is just too small for reading a tutorial manual that has screen shots in it. Sure, you can make the images bigger by pinching, but then you can't see the words. 

The Kindle device is limited by the screen size and display. It has a greyscale display that makes it hard to see screen shots clearly. I can kind-of make them out, but they lack real clarity. The screen size is much better than the iphone, but it is not as good as the iPad. PDF's on the kindle are hard to read, mainly because of the greyscale screen and the lack of a touch screen for zooming. 

There is a kindle book reader for the iphone, iPad, Blackberry, PC and Mac. This means that any kindle books you buy, can be read on several devices. So, while the kindle device is limited, any books you buy for the kindle will be useful an many devices. 


The iPad... there is so much to say about the iPad. The iPad has a decent sized screen. You can read Kindle books, ibooks, PDF's and so on. The touch screen is very easy to use, and before you know it you expect all computers to work with such ease. 

Ebooks on the iPad look great. When you open then in landscape mode, you get two pages next to each other. If the books are formatted correctly, you can get the cover and table of contents next to each other. 

When you get into the book, you get two pages next to each other. The text is clear, the images are clear. If you drag your finger along the bottom, you can see the chapter and page numbers. When you release your finger, the book jumps to that page. 


You can't make the images bigger, which I think is a shame.  


Unless you write your own books, you have to buy books from the Apple iBookstore. At present, there are no Vectorworks books available on the iBookstore. I have tried, but they are not showing up. You can buy Vectorworks manuals at www.lulu.com. 


PDF's in ibook look very good, and these you can zoom. This is an image from one of my monthly manuals, the June 2010 edition. The text is clear and very readable. If you want, you can zoom the PDF to make it easier to read. 


If you copy the PDF files to your iTunes library, they will be copied to iBooks. You could add all the monthly manuals to your iTunes library so you can read the manuals away from your computer. 

The manuals tend to be small enough to copy quickly, and not take up too much of your valuable storage space. They display the text and graphics clearly. And if you need to, you can zoom the page to make it bigger. 

You can see thumbnails of all the pages as well. This makes it easy to jump to different parts of the manual. When you tap on one of the thumbnails, iBook will jump to that page. 

Kindle On The iPad
As I said earlier, the great thing about buying a Kindle book is that any books you buy can be read on many devices. The iPad is just one device. 

The Kindle bookstore has so many books, and you can get Vectorworks manuals there too. 

The Vectorworks manuals look great on the big screen of the iPad. The images are in color, you can see a whole page, and you can pinch the images to make them bigger.

If you make the iPad landscape, you do not get two pages, you still get the one page, but it is wider. 

Book Shelf for Vectorworks

I have been really fortunate to have a review copy of book shelf from VectorDepot. This is now in my Vectorworks and I use it all the time.

Bookshelf is a plugin for Vectorworks. You have to add it to your plug-ins folder, and then add it to your workspace. This takes about 30 seconds to complete, and is very straightforward.

When I first got book shelf, I was impressed, but it hadn't dawned on me just how useful it can be. You see Bookshelf stores files and web site locations for you. Not just Vectorworks files either. I found that I can store PDF files, Vectorworks files, photoshops files and more. when you open these files with Bookshelf, your computer will open the file with the correct application. So, my PDF flies open with Acrobat Reader, the image files open with photoshop and so on.

For example, if you are designing a brick house, you could set up a library that had your typical brick details file, links to web sites that had brick cladding details, links to web sites that had brick textures, and you could include the pdf files for the structural codes for a brick building.

When you work on a brick project, you would have quick access to all the codes, textures, websites, details and so on that you need. this is a real time saver for me. I have so much stuff on my computer, I can never remember where I've put everything.

Bookshelf has been a real time saver, and I'm not going to use Vectorworks with out it. I highly recommend bookshelf, go buy it.

Short Sharp Training (Monthly) - July 2010 Creating a Plumbing Schematic in Vectorworks

Creating a Model of  Plumbing Schematic

More of my clients are being asked for a 3D presentation of a plumbing schematic. If you create the building as a model, with the correct symbols, layers and classes, this can be straightforward to create. We will need to look at how to make your symbols work for you, how to structure your layers and classes, how to create the pipework and and how to set up a drawing to show the schematic.


Book now for the online sessions in July 2010.

Session 1  Monday, July 12, 2010, Time: 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM NZST Register : https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/368404714

Session 2  Wednesday, July 14, 2010, Time: 8:30 PM - 9:30 PM NZST Register https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/436411666

Session 3  Friday, July 16, 2010, Time: 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM NZST  Register : https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/469219778

Presentation 60 minutes. Q&A about 15 min.
Cost : You have to be a subscriber to join this webinar.

Retrieving a Corrupt File and Backing Up

I've just had an email from a client, they have trouble with a corrupt file and their backup system is not working. I feel for my client, it is never nice being in that situation.

I have written a manual that would really help, (Saving a Corrupt File) which i have now sent. But, if my client had read this manual earlier, they would have had all the backups they need, and they wouldn't need to retrieve the lost file.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Novedge online Webinar Series 004 - Quick Concept Design in Vectorworks

Today we had our last online webinar in the Novedge Webinar series, covering How to Create a Quick Concept Design.

Vectorworks has several, very cool, techniques that can be used together to create a very fast concept design. If you can create a quick conceptual design, you can improve the quality of your work though 3D visualization, solar studies and checking your concept against site restrictions.

Although the title is residential concept design, you can use these techniques for larger projects as well.

Video of webinar:

Quick Concept Design in Vectorworks from Jonathan Pickup on Vimeo.

If you have trouble setting up layers, this webinar is for you.

If you want to learn how to setup layers for a building, stage design, or event planning project, this webinar is for you. If you learn how to set up your layers correctly, you can speed up the creation of your concept models and complex building projects.

Register here...

We will learn:
what are layers;
what is layer Z, and delta Z;
using the Model Set up command;
creating your on layers quickly;
Stacked Layers/Unified view.


Suitable for beginners and everyone that wants to set up layers effectively.

Presentation 30 minutes. Q&A about 15 min.
Cost : $35US

As well as the presentation, you will receive an electronic manual that covers this webinar. If you are a subscriber to Short Sharp Training (monthly), we covered this topic in February 2010.
Monday 5th July 2010, 2:00pm
Time zone is shown in Pacific Daylight Time (California), Please check your time zone.

Trust Agents by Chris Brogan and Julian Smith, How This Relates to Vectorworks

I have been reading this book recommended by Steve Scaysbrook at the Konstrukshon web site. http://blog.konstrukshon.com/?p=3402

This is a great book and I'm enjoying it a lot. I'm at a part where the are talking about three main parts to the way kids learn games. I have been thinking about how these parts relate to learning vectorworks and I have added my comments in the brackets.

1. Playing (learning the rules)
2. Cheating (learning from others)
3. Programing (customizing)

Playing (learning the rules)
This is when you first start to learn Vectorworks. Ideally, you should start with the Essential Tutorial manual, but you can start with the Vectorworks Getting Started guides.
You need to learn the rules when playing with Vectorworks, and the easiest way to do this is with a well structured and easy to use manual. My manuals are designed to be easy to use, and they are well structured to teach the rules for using Vectorworks.

Cheating (learning from others)
Once you have learned the rules, you can start to learn from others. This is where you should be attending the user groups, watching youtube movies and joining community boards like www.vectorworking.com, or www.vector works.net. If you were playing computer games, you would be reading FAQ web sites. The community boards, movies and blogs serve the same purpose, to give you the inside information.

Programing (customizing)
Vectorworks has it's own built-in programming language, and a customizable interface. This allows you to change the look of Vectorworks and create your own tools. You can make Vectorworks do pretty much what ever you want.

Location:Mason St,San Francisco,United States

Vectorworks for Modeling

Nearly everywhere I've been, they has been a discussion about 3D modeling vs 2D drawing. Even when I went out for dinner last night with Novedge, we discussed it. There are many Vectorworks users that think of 2D drawing first, and 3D modeling as some kind of luxury that you do after the real work is done.

I think that as you resolve the conceptual plan of your project, you should be looking at a simple model of the concept. Vectorworks has so many tools you can use for this, and it is so quick.

I had a project once where the concept plan was resolved, but not the form of the building. I had a sketch to work with, but a 5 minute model made from simple extrusions showed some problems with the sketch. The architect and I then spent 30 minutes resolving the concept in 3D, and the result was a better building.

This, to me, is the great thing about 3D. it can be fast it can help sort out early problems with the concept and it doesn't take a lot of effort. Everyone should be modeling first, then creating drawings.

Next week I have a webinar on improving your conceptual designs by using 3D models, site models ane the advantages you get from this. You can register here.

Central California User group

24th June 2010, Fresno, California

Thanks again to my sponsor www.novedge.com (vectorworks resellers) and www.vectorworking.com (the vectorworks online community) for making these visits possible. 

Due to the airlines, I as really late to the user group meeting, but that's another story. We had a great evening looking again at 3D. Not 3D for working drawings, but using 3D at the really early stages. 


I think that at a very early stage, you can use simple extrusions to create a block model of the project so you can test your ideas. Sure, I know a lot of people start the concept in plan, I'm saying you shouldn't do that, but as well as, you could look at some rough 3D forms. I had a project once where the quick 3D model helped the Architect and I to resolve some really tricky junctions. The 3D model only took 5 minutes to show the problems, and having found them, the architect and I spent about 30 minutes sorting out the problems and resolving the concept in 3D. This was a powerful lesson to me, because I was told not to make a 3D model, but having made one, the architect was very happy to use it to improve the quality of the concept model. 


The favorite manual I showed tonight was the 3D Modeling manual form NNA, the one I wrote. There is some great stuff in there, one of the new chapters is the one on working planes, which we discussed. When you want to draw 3D models quickly and effectively, working planes make it easy. 

Philadelphia User Group Meeting

22nd June 2010

Thanks again to my sponsor www.novedge.com (vectorworks resellers) and www.vectorworking.com (the vectorworks online community) for making these visits possible. 

I travelled into Philadelphia early on the train with my aunt so I could see a little of this historic city.  Philadelphia is the city were the Declaration of Independance was written and signed, starting the war, and ultimately seperating USA from England. 

The Philadelphia User Group meets at the AIA, which is very nice. Air conditioned an nicely designed.

Again, the topics that most people seem to want to know about are:

When to use 3D modeling

How to use simple 3D modeling

How to have fun with NURBS. 

It seems to me, that there is a challange here. How to get users to see that creating objects is not a luxury that you do after you have done the real work in 2D. 3D can really help at the concept stage, and at the modelling stage to get the plans, rough sections and elevations from the project.

We had a great time ( so they told me) and then my aunt and had to rush to catch the train home.     

Jonathan Pickup, Live from Asbury Park

21st June 2010
Tonight, I went over to New Jersey to attend the New Jersey Vectorworks User Group. They were very kind to invite me over and they provided pizza and sandwiches for the group, about 14 were there.

Some of the users were in my online user group, some had my manuals, but everyone was pleased to see me.

We had several questions about NURBS, which I love showing. I hope everyone learned something about how easy they are to use, and when to use them. In order to cover the NURBS, I also covered working planes.

After a short break, we went back to covering basic concepts: planar objects, extrusion, duplicate along a path, and layers and classes.

I would like to thank everyone that attended, thanks for giving up your time to listen to me. Thank you to www.novedge.com and www.vectorworking.com
Novedge are a major online vectorworks reseller, and vectorworking are a great community site.

Where in the World is Jonathan Pickup

Saturday 12th June 2010, 1850 hrs.

I've just to to Auckland airport, and I'm waiting to board my Air New Zealand Flight NZ8 to San Francisco. I made the mistake of not giving my wife the car keys when I got on my flight to Auckland. Luckily, my son was able to bring a spare set for her.

Have gone through all the security checks, now just waiting to board. At the airport the signs tell you that final call for boarding has been made, which made all us late people run to the gate for boarding. We ran past all the shops, past all the duty free. It turns out that the Final Call trick is to get you to the gate, because there is so much security to go through. So, I had a long wait...

Monday 14th June
Have settled in. I'm staying with relatives in Pennsylvania and from here I will be able to visit several user groups in Maryland, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The weather here is very hot, and when it rains, I've never seen it rain so heavily.
I have had trouble getting my computer online. I brought with me a mobile 3D modem, that will not work here at all. Right now I have hooked up directly to the household modem. Fast, but I can use this permanently. I will have to unplug at some stage.

I'm really tempted to solve my problem with an iPad. wifi, 3G, skype when I want. and my manuals are available on the Kindle app. I have not seen them myself, but I have seen an ipad with my manuals on them, they look great.

Tuesday 15th, Easton PA
Don Marquardt, from the Eastern PA user group gave me a lift up to Easton PA for the user group meeting (a long drive, so thanks Don). We had a great time talking about Why Use 3D. I'm a real fan of modeling projects. There are so many advantages, and so many things you can do with a model to improve the quality of your work. I reckon that in a short time (maybe a couple of hours) you can create your site model, building restrictions, space objects and then you can check for compliance, excavations and site fills, solar studies and so on. It’s great to see these things in a rendered view, and it is a powerful technique. See my blog on Productivity is not Just About Speed.

Wednesday 16th June, Columbia MD
I was due to be in Columbia and the Nemetschek North America for a webinar. However, I started my trip in the car and the GPS would not find a signal. Boy, I wish I had one of those old things, a map. I got lost more than once, and I ended up being very late. So for those of you that we expecting to hear from me on the webinar, I’m very sorry I was late.

I met with several people at NNA when I got there, and all of them were please to see me! I was really please to meet with them all and I was able to talk to everyone, even the CEO, Sean, had time to talk with me.

After the delayed start, the webinar got under way. Usually, I have some people live on the webinar, so I can have a conversation. This time, there were loads of people, and it wouldn’t be fair to talk to just a few. It felt very odd though, like I was talking to myself. There was a lot to cover, so sometimes I went too fast. If I left you behind, I’m sorry.

After the meetings at NNA I went out for a dinner meeting with JessieX. I had a great time. She has so many ideas for social media, I learnt heaps. I will be starting to put some of Jessie’s suggestions in place on my web site and blog.

Thursday 17th June, Columbia, MD
All day I had meetings at NNA. I met so many people there and they work really hard. I know every time a new Vectorworks comes out, I’m disappointed about things that I think should have been included. I know that the R&D team and the engineers are working as hard as they can, and they really do listen to what we say. Just because they don’t do what I want, doesn’t mean they haven’t heard me.

Friday 18th June, Warrington, PA
I had another series of meetings today with some very interesting people from NNA. They gave me so much or their time, that it was after 2pm by the time I got away. I went to Columbia Mall to get some more time on my pre-paid phone (that is a whole story on its own), I I found the Apple store. First time I have ever been to an Apple Store. It really was a lot of fun. The stores are very slick, and there are a lot of Apple devices to play with. There were 2 tables of iPads to play with, but not one to buy. I suspect that with Father's Day here in USA, they have sold all the stock. I hope they have more stock arriving soon, otherwise I will not be able to get my one.

I managed to leave just in time to meet the rush hour traffic in Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. So, basically, it was busy on the road all the way home. The GPS still confuses me. It told me to stay in the right lane, but the right lane was exit only... Still it got me back on the correct road in a matter of minutes.


24th June 2010, Philadelphia, PA - Frenso, CA
I needed an early start to get to the airport. The flight is scheduled to leave at 6:22am.  Because of the security checks. I was checked in about 5:00am for my flight.  Strange, I didn't get a boarding pass.  It turns out the United runs a service where they overbook the flight and then issue you a ticket at the boarding gate.  So, even though I paid for my flight in March thus year, they would not let me on the plane. I got all the way to the gate, they even printed me a boarding pass, but the other passenger turned up in time.

I seems they over book the flight, in the hope that some passengers will show up late, or will not show up at all.  So, I was the unlucky one. I guess, now that I know this is how it works, I won't be so shocked. At least I have my seat for the next flight to LA and then on to SF

Good bye Philadelphia, it is an old city by USA standards and they are very proud of the history. The oldest street, the house where the US flag was first sewn, the signing of the Declaration of Independence and so on.

I won't make it a long story, but after 5 hours of delays at LAX, I ended up at the correct final destination of Fresno, CA. I'm not sure what it is but my US flights have not been fun nor reliable. Anyway. I got to the user group about 40mins late, but they were still pleased to see me. My luggage finally turned up at 11pm!


26th June 2010 Fresno, CA - San Francisco, CA.
My bother was really kind taking me all round Fresno yesterday. We visited his friends, the Apple store and anywhere else I wanted to go, like the motorbike shop. Today he drove me all the way up from Fresno to SFO. The dive reminded me of New Zealand, but bigger. Lots of farms, but bigger.

I have been hosted on my trip my NOVEDGE and Vectorworking. They have helped me plan this trip, and they took me out for dinner to meet the team there. We have a very long dinner, finishing about 11pm, and we had a fun time talking about my trip and Vectorworks. Please support these to web sites, they have been very kind to me.


27th June 2010 SFO - Home
It turns out that today is the Gay Pride day, so it is very busy here in San Francisco. But I have all day here before I'm due out at the airport for my 13 hour trip Auckland.

Jonathan Pickup to visit USA

This time next week, I'll be in USA, in Pennsylvania. I have bee arranging to visit the USA for some time now and I have tried to fully book myself. My main reason to visit the USA is to meet the people at NNA that have been printing and selling my manuals for the last year and a half. 

I have offered to visit as many user group meetings as I can and I and now nearly fully booked. The current list of placing I'll be visiting is:

15th June  - ePaVUG EASTERN  * PA * Vectorworks * USER * GROUP, Easton, PA


16th June, online webinar 

The "Ins and Outs" of Popular Vectorworks® Tools with Jonathan Pickup
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/803583603
Webinar June 16, 2010, 1pm to 2pm EDT

17th June Mid-Atlantic VW User Group, Columbia, MA

21st June New Jersey VW User Group, 6-8pm

ASL Design Studio,Inc

1221 Main Street

Asbury Park,  N.J. 07712

Mark Napolitano, (732)861-3843 www.naturebydesignllc.net
(sponsored by www.novedge.com)

22nd June Philadelphia VW User Group 6:30pm-8pm
(sponsored by www.novedge.com)

24th June Central California User Group 6:00pm

RSVP to 

David Laurence Phillips, AIA 559.456.6118  /  CCVWUG@GMail.com (or DLPAssociates@Me.com)

(sponsored by www.novedge.com)

If you live anywhere near these meetings, please come along. I'll add more details when I can.

How Can I Re-shape The Top of a Wall?

There are two main ways to reshape the top (or bottom) of a wall. The first method uses the 3D Reshape tool, and the second is to use the Fit Walls to Roof... command. If you have Vectorworks architect you can use either, but if you do not, you can only use the first method.

Change to a 3D view.

Use the 2D Selection tool to Double click on the wall. You will see several blue handles on the wall.

Vectorworks has selected the 3D Reshape tool for you. Check the Tool Bar. To move the handles (peaks) on a wall, use the first mode.
To add a peak, use the second mode.
to remove a peak, use the third mode.

Move your cursor to the handle at the start of the wall. The cursor will change shape.
Click once.

Move your cursor along the wall to the place you want.
Click once.

Click once on the new peak to create a new peak.

Move your cursor down to make a vertical part on the wall.
Click once to finish.

Click once on the new peak to create a new peak.

Move your cursor across to make a horizontal part on the wall. 

Click once to finish. 

Click once on the new peak to create a new peak.

Move your cursor up to make a vertical part on the wall. 

Click once to finish. 

In front view the wall should be the shape you want. The walls are not quite vertical, they are 1mm off vertical, but that’s the best I can get.

Vectorworks user group Meeting in Fresno

24 June 2010 at 6:00 pm Jonathan Pickup will be there to talk to our Central California V. W. User Group. . . 

So, if you are in Central California,  come alone and meet me. 

XTRA Kills My Emails

It turns out that my ISP has changed its email policies . When I send emails from a separate email address than the one registered with my ISP, my emails are not being sent. I have no idea when telecom introduced this system, they did not bother me with any details about this.

I was talking to a friend yesterday and I said, "did you get my email?" Imagine my surprise when he told me that he has not had an email from me since the 3rd of June. What has been happening? It took a long time to sort out that this was not my fault. I found that if I use my .mac or gmail account to send my emails they were sent successfully. So, it finally occurred to me that the problem was with my ISP, they must have changed something.

It turns out that they have brought in a new system to control spam. Rather than tell their customers, XTRA will let their customers find out for themselves. And rather than warn their customers that the sent email will not be forwarded on, XTRA will just wait for you to find out on your own somehow.

I have just spent most of the morning on the phone to XTRA. The tech support people are helpful, but that is not the issue. The issue is that XTRA have decided on a change to the security system, and have not warned the users that they will have to add passwords to their ISP accounts, and they will have to change the mail settings and ports, on all accounts, for me and all the members of my family, on all the computers.

Shame on you XTRA! you should have told us in advance...

So, if you haven't had my emails for a while, I'm sorry, XTRA has been killing them...

novedge Vectorworks Webinar Series - 003 The Problem is Counting, The Answer is Worksheets.

Register here..
VectorWorks offers the possibility of  creating spreadsheets within the drawing.  That means you can count things, create databases, extract information from objects and do mathematical operations and functions without having to leave VectorWorks.

These spreadsheets, or worksheets as they are called in VectorWorks, are linked to the source of information so the worksheet can be updated when the source changes or to put it another way, if you edit the things in the drawing the spreadsheet can be updated easily.

The most powerful worksheets in VectorWorks are databases linked to Symbols or Plug-in Objects listing the data entered in the different fields.  As you add these objects into the file you can update the worksheet and check the information.  An example of this would be a bracing spreadsheet that tracks the bracing objects in the drawing.  As you add bracing objects the worksheet tracks the number, type and length of the brace and puts this information into the worksheet, telling you if you have achieved enough bracing in each direction.

We can classify the worksheets into a few different groups depending on the nature of the worksheets:

• Count / select objects ( generally symbols ) through the file.  They do not need to have a record attached and they need not be in the same Class or Layer.  We can choose to count symbols on a specific layer or assigned to a specific class.
• Do mathematical operations with the parameters of drawn objects: 
• areas, perimeters, volume etc.  
• Name the objects ( Object Info Palette) and find properties of them and their combinations
• Create reports using symbols with records and list the field values from the symbols in the report.  

Register here...

archoncad calendar now available

I have been requested by several people to turn all my sketches into a calendar. I have scanned many of my sketches from my travels, and I have made two calendars. I have used a web site called lulu.com.  You can see the calendars if you click on the button.

Terrific Textures

I'm just writing my manual for the user group, all the subscribers will be getting this manual in a week or two. I just wanted to share some of the textures we will be learning about.

There are two textures here. One for the marble and the other for the glass. The marble texture is really easy to make. It has a shinny surface that reflects the window. I like the way the glass has the suggestion of a background reflection. It's a trick really, the texture is made that way.

If you want to join the online session, see this blog post:
http://archoncad.blogspot.com/2010/05/vectorworks-user-group-online-meeting.html

What kind of textures would you like to see covered?
marble, glass, brickwork, blockwork, weatherboard... what else?

What Design Layer Scale Should I Use in Vectorworks

When I draw in Vectorworks I like to keep the scale of the design layer at about the same as the scale of the viewports that I will be creating. This has come about from using Vectorworks for a long time, way before we had viewports, when the only way to create drawings with different scales was to use different layers with the correct scale.

Now that we have viewports, could you draw everything on one layer, then use the viewport scale to create the drawings and details? I guess you could, but it will cause trouble. Robert Anderson from Nemetschek North America puts it like this:

" The "Layer Scale" used by VectorWorks is primarily an exigency of "WYSIWYG" drawing. "Layer Scale" exists to allow graphic properties of the drawing or model to be represented properly, as though you were drawing at a particular scale on a piece of paper. It is a scaling value used to allow proper representation for these attributes:
     -Line weight;
     -Line style (e.g. length of dashes);
     -Marker (arrowhead) size;
     -Text size;
     -Hatch scaling;

In "WYSIWYG" drawing, in order to properly display these attributes, there has to be an intended output scale so you can see how the drawing will look at that intended format. The practical upshot of all this is that you should set your "layer scale" to be the same as the predominant output scale of your project. This will necessitate the least amount of attribute-scaling in viewports."

Try to use the minimum of layer scales.

So, if you want details at 1:5, then create a layer scale at 1:5. When you draw the detail, add the notes and dimensions, the details will look correct in the final viewports, with a minimum of editing (and effort), what you draw will be what you get.

There are two short manuals I have written that will help out here:
Creating drawings for a building project
Creating Construction Details

Vectorworks and BIM

the main Vectorworks web site now has a BIM in practice area. I have found a lot of really useful information here. There is a whole page of BIM articles . 

Of particular interest is this white paper:

An Introduction to the IPD Workflow for Vectorworks BIM Users:
Many architects and architectural designers, particularly those with governmental or institutional clients, are being asked to “deliver BIM”.

This white paper is nearly 30 pages long, and it sets out:

The reasons for BIM

Integrated Project Delivery: The Basics

The National BIM Standard

Using Vectorworks in a BIM / IPD Project

Appendix: A Detailed Procedure for Planning an IPD Project

I really enjoyed reading his white paper, and I think that this white paper is essential reading.  The paper covers the really important aspects of BIM and Vectorworks will work with this. There is still some confusion over what BIM really is, and what clients expect when they talk about a BIM project, or what is a BIM capable program. 

Do we need BIM? The answer is, we can not avoid it. BIM can reduce waste, reduce errors and increase quality and may increase productivity. So, it will be with us in the future. We are moving from a paper-based physically documented project to a data-rich model based information system, and there is no going back. Even if you only draw in 2D you can still leverage some of the BIM capabilities and advantages such as viewports, associative dimensioning and creating data-rich drawings that allow you to create reports on objects in the drawings. 

In a recent interview, Sean Flaherty, the CEO of Nemetschek North America, stated that

"We offer a whole range of different features and allow architects to choose whether to use them or not. And this is going to continue, even as we build. It's important to remember that there are people out there still not using BIM techniques. We don't want to make them second class citizens"

"in some areas it [IFC] is more popular than others. Scandinavian countries, for example, heavily base their operations on IFC, and the US-government now requires plans to be presented in IFC formats. It is increasingly becoming the global standard for model delivery."

So, if you have to deliver IFC models, you have to use Vectorworks as BIM. In my mind, BIM starts right at the very beginning of the project, even before you have start the conceptual design, and this is where you get the quality benefits of BIM, you can check your concept model against site constraints, site modifiers, solar studies. 

Back to the BIM/IPD white paper...

"Most Vectorworks users use it as a 2D- or 2D-3D CAD product. They may use Vectorworks’ “hybrid design” capabilities to develop a visualization model, then “break” the model to create CAD drawings once the design is approved. Or they may be working in a 2D-only environment, taking advantage of Vectorworks’ graphics capabilities. In either case, the user may be unaware that he can use Vectorworks as a fully interoperable BIM authoring tool, or he may be uncertain of just how to initiate such a workflow in Vectorworks.

Vectorworks is a design tool. Architects using Vectorworks, in the designer tradition of "flexible, versatile, affordable" have always been able to "do their own thing" -- as long as the basis of exchange was the physical drawing. And one advantage of Vectorworks for any architecture firm is that it allows the designer to use Vectorworks to “do CAD” or to “do BIM” or even “just design” as the particular design or architectural problem requires.

The BIM delivery of architecture is (not unfairly) perceived as being a more constrained, less flexible environment in which to work. This is true, not the least because the team is now a larger one and the teammates need a common playbook which will not be so tolerant of improvisation or individual style (at least as far as the processes are concerned)."

There are 2 manuals that I have written to help you into BIM:

Introduction to BIM

Guide to Residential Concept Design

Short Sharp Training (Monthly) - May 2010 Simple Stairs in Vectorworks

This month, Short Sharp Training (monthly) looked at the stair tools in Vectorworks 12-2010. Stairs have caused a lot of comment since Vectorworks 2010 came out last year. There are several ways to create stairs in Vectorworks. There a a few tools you can use, some for simple stairs and some for more complex stairs. Then, you can ignore all the tools and use other methods.

As well as stairs we covered:

Extended Podcast 106
Creating a concrete floor symbol to use with the framing member.

Extended Podcast 107
Protrusion/Cutout tool can use used like sketchup.

Beginners Corner 20
Creating Associative Dimensions

The manual was equivalent to 64 A5 pages with over 170 images and 14 linked movies. If you would like this manual, subscribe here.

Book Review - Remarkable Renderworks

Remarkable Renderworks - An Introduction to the Basics by Daniel Jansenson, published by Nemetschek North America.

This manual arrived in the post a few days ago, and I have been reading it ever since. I have heard about this book coming out and I am really pleased to see it. Rendering with Vectorworks is not a small topic, and there are some areas that are very subtle, so we need a manual that explains the basics for the beginner, but also explains the subtle parts of rendering for the more advanced user. That is a tricky balancing act, but I think the author, Daniel Jansenson has done this.

Like all the other NNA manuals, this is a quality offering. It is printed in color, on good quality paper and it is spiral wire bound so that it always sits flat on the desk, or, even better, can be folded back on itself.

The manual starts with an overview of the workflow for visualization. This is a great idea, not just for the beginner. It is a reminder to work in a methodical way so that you don't miss anything, or over complicate the project. There are some sage words of advice here.

The early part of the manual is like a quickstart, so the user understands the basics before moving on. After covering several of the rendering methods the manual movies on to textures. The manual covers the task of creating textures in a stepwise fashion. There are many ways to make textures and this manual covers these in a simple, carefully illustrated way. The whole manuals is full of screen shots, typically there are to or three screen shots on every page.

The middle part of the manual covers applying textures to models, and the final part is about lighting and high quality rendering. Again, the manual is full of step-by-step instructions with loads of screen shots. This was my favorite part of the manual, how to create good interior and exterior lighting.

When I first got this manual I thought that Remarkable Renderworks is intended for the beginner to rendering. Now that I have finished, I realize that Daniel Jansenson has created a book that balances the needs of the beginner with the needs of the advanced user to know in detail why things work (or not).

I thoroughly recommend this book if you want to render your models with Renderworks. Unless you are one of the few really good Renderworks users, you will get a lot from this manual, you will learn so much about rendering, in a short space of time. You will repay your investment in this manual very quickly. Go now and get your copy. http://www.nemetschek.net/training/guides.php

Remarkable Renderworks - rendering with Vectorworks

I checked my mail box today and look what I found!  I have been sent a copy of the Remarkable Renderworks manual by Daniel Jansenson. 

I've only had a quick look thought the manual so far, but I am really impressed. The manual is printed in color, has many, many clear illustrations and is written in an easy to read style. 

I will be writing a full review, so watch out. Thank you to Lisa at NNA, for sending me the review copy. 

novedge Vectorworks Webinar Series - 002 What is BIM? How does it make you more Productive?

Can BIM Make You More Productive or Improve the Quality of Your Work?

Lots of people talk about BIM (Building Information Modeling), it means as well as creating 2D drawings for plans, sections, and elevations, you can draw walls, floors, roofs and other 3D forms in Vectorworks and use these to create live plans, sections and elevations, as well as extracting non-graphic information from the model like a finish schedule, door and window schedule, and other information like wall areas and glass areas.

If you set up your Vectorworks files correctly, you will find it quicker to draw your projects, the building forms in 3D easily and you can use the model to create drawings and elevations. When you edit the doors, windows or form of the building, you can quickly re-generate the elevations. This is the productivity part, but there is more.

If you use the dimensioning tools correctly, dimensions will update as you change the design. This will keep all views of the model up to date. If you move a door, all drawings that show that door with dimension will update. This manages the risk of changes.

You can use the model at an early stage to check the design against site restrictions, check for awkward junctions, and study the effect of the sun. This is the quality part, where you can check to make sure your design is doing what you wanted.

Join Novedge and Jonathan Pickup to learn more about using BIM with Vectorworks.

Archoncad have created a movie based manual, Introduction to BIM. If you want more information about using BIM with Vectorworks, this is a great introduction.

If you really want to learn more about BIIM in general, buy this book. It has a lot of information, but not many pictures.

Vectorworks User Group - Online Meeting

The dates are now up for the online user group meetings in June. You can register for the meetings at the links below, but you must be a subscriber to register for the meetings.

Session 1  Monday, June 7, 2010, Time: 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM NZST Register : https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/213491290

Session 2  Wednesday, June 9, 2010, Time: 8:30 PM - 9:30 PM NZST Register https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/913230059

Session 3  Friday, June 11, 2010, Time: 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM NZST  Register : https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/465711843

The topic for the meeting is Textures. It has been a long time since we have covered textures, and I have had several users request this topic.  Textures in Vectorworks can make you designs come to life. 

Stop presenting dull lifeless views of your projects. 

Textures can help your clients see what you really have in mind. You can use textures to make things reflect, make things see through, and so on. 

Image props allow you to make things that look like complex 3D objects from a photo or scan. Textures can be a lot of fun, and they can be very powerful. This meeting will get you started, and subscribers get a manual for this meeting with linked movies. 

If you want to subscribe to this service, click on this link and subscribe.

Vectorworks User Group - Alaska meeting

Hello Alaska Vectorworkers,
I am pleased to inform you that Jonathan Pickup of Napier New Zealand, will be our guest presenter for our Spring user group meeting. A noted Vectorworks "Evangelist Guru" and trainer, Jonathan is author of many Vectorworks training manuals. Since 2006 he has presented monthly subscriber on-line training sessions for VW skills, tips, tricks and new features called Short Sharp Training.

Our meeting will be here at my humble home "cave-office" at 7:15 PM on Tuesday June 8th. Jon will be on-line at 7:30 PM, at 7331 Ticonderoga.


The topic for the meeting will be "Annotations - fundamentals in using the VW tools to put notes dimensions on the drawing." We will be covering how to create libraries for you notes and setting up your personal standards for dimensions and notes.

I have room for six to eight people, but I'd like to be forced to bring down more chairs. Hope to see you all and more on Tuesday June 8th at 7:15 PM. Please phone to confirm your plan to attend.

Novedge Vectorworks Webinar Series - Stairs

archoncad and novedge have started to present  series of short webinars focusing of various aspects of Vectorworks. The first webinar was today and the subject was about stairs.

How are you supposed to use the stairs? The new stair tool, the custom stairs, the simple stair, what is best and how do they work?

Vectorworks 2010 introduced a completely new stair tool because the previous stair tool had received so many complaints. The old stair tool is still available, but it has been renamed the Custom Stair. I Have heard some complaints about the new stair tool in Vectorworks 2010. I think a lot of these complaints arise because the tools are complex and need to be understood.  That’s what this webinar is all about. 

Suitable for beginners and everyone that has trouble with stairs. I have recorded the webinar and I will embed it here. Be patient, the video seems to take a while to load.

novedge webinar series - 001 Stairs from Jonathan Pickup on Vimeo.

If you enjoyed the presentation and want to get more information about dealing with stairs, you will find a detailed set of movies about stairs in my Vector-workout Guide to Productivity, available from archoncad or novedge. 

The next webinar will be on BIM, book now!

EASTERN * PA * Vectorworks * USER * GROUP

WHO: ePaVUG EASTERN  * PA * Vectorworks * USER * GROUP

WHEN: The next ePaVUG meeting will be: Tuesday, JUNE  15th  at 6:30 pm

WHAT: This month we will present "An evening with Jonathan Pickup"

This month our sometimes Skype visitor, Jonathan Pickup,  from New Zealand will be joining us live, in person:

About archoncad and Jonathan Pickup:
Archoncad (http://www.archoncad.co.nz) was founded in 1996 providing training and consulting services to architects and design professionals. The principal is Jonathan Pickup who has been training architects and designers since 1993, both in New Zealand and in England. He is based in Napier, New Zealand where he is also an architect. He has written several VectorWorks training manuals for architects, landscape architects, educators and design students. He also organises the New Zealand VectorWorks User Group. He can be contacted at ++ 64 21 743 470 or jon@archoncad.co.nz.

The evening's Session:  3D Modeling and Vectorworks

Topics:
Introduction to 3D Modeling
Complex 3D Modeling
Creating drawings from a 3D model
Model the Guggenheim Museum

Learning Objectives:
Learn basic concepts of 3D modeling and how these apply to architectural design.
Learn how to use 3D modeling to speed up concept design.
Discover how to use 3D modeling tools to create Elevations, Sections, Plans.
Demonstrate the integration of 3D Modeling by creating a model of the Guggenheim Museum.


If you know you are coming and want to join me and possibly Jonathan for a quick bite of dinner and/or a drink before the Meeting, let me know ahead of time.

Please join us, thanks

_________________________________________________________________

WHERE:

Offices of:
STEVEN L. GLICKMAN ARCHITECT and LYNNE HOLDEN INTERIOR DESIGN
24 NORTH 4th STREET, SECOND FLOOR
EASTON, PA  18042      610-253-6536 (office), 610-570-4429 (moblie)


Looking forward to seeing you there.

Novedge Vectorworks Webinar Series

Novedge Vectorworks Webinar Series 
Novedge, the Vectorworks online reseller (www.novedge.com), are sponsoring a series of online webinars for Vectorworks. The webinars will allow users to see a few short, important aspects for Vectorworks. We have planned some sessions for beginners and some sessions for more advanced users.

We would like to make the sessions partly interactive, partly presentation, and we want to keep the sessions short, about 30mins depending on the questions and answers.


The series includes 4 webinars: two basic, and two advanced
The registration pages show both the ArchonCAD and Novedge logos (200x200 pixels). 

1. Tuesday, May 11, 2010 - 3:30 pm PST (May 12, 10:30 am NZ time)
   [For Existing Users]
   Vectorworks Stairs: How are you supposed to use the stairs?
   The new stair tool, the custom stairs, the simple stair, what is best and how do they work? https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/367265563
2. Monday, May 24, 2010 - 2:00 pm PST (May 25, 9:00 am NZ time)
   [For New Users]
   What is BIM, how does it make you more productive? https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/230595930
   
   
3. Monday June 7, 2010 - 2:00 pm PST (June 8, 9;00 am NZ time)
   [For Existing Users]
   The Problem is Counting, the answer is worksheets.  https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/196952162
   
   
4. Monday, June 28, 2010 - 2:00 pm PST (June 29, 9:00 am NZ time)
   [For New Users]
   How can you create a Residential Concept design quickly? https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/224352651