If you have tried the Orbit Point animation and now you want to try a more advanced animation, this is the one to try. You save a series of views, then put these views on a timeline. Vectorworks uses these views to walk through your model. It takes a lot of care to make sure that the views flow from one to another, but you can make inviting animations.
The Floating Data Bar is extremely useful for typing the the size of objects that you are drawing, that you often have to use the Tab key to access it. There is a quick preference that allows you to set the numeric keypad to have instant access to the data bar. Activating this option Will substantially speed up your drawing.
You can use the slab components to control how much of the slab is cut out. In this image the slab has been cut out one component at a time. If you need to have a set down in the slab, you can use a component to control it.
Automatic Working Planes. When you understand the concept of working planes, Automatic working planes will be easy to use. Automatic working planes allows you to instantly find and use working planes on the objects you move near. The Automatic Working Plane will appear as a blue plane on the object.
Create Animation - Orbit point. The easiest way to create an animation is to create a an Orbit Point animation. First, set the view, then choose the animation options for the duration and angle. If you have never made an animation in Vectorworks before, try this one, it's almost impossible to fail.
Some users want to be able to draw orthographically (constrained to 0, 90). I usually get this request from AutoCAD users. Hold down the Shift key to constrain linear objects (walls, lines, polygons) to orthographic and other objects (rectangles, ovals) to symmetric.
The leader in Vectorworks training and manuals: http://learn.archoncad.com
Once you start using the contextual menu, you will find that some of your favourite commands are not there. You can use the Workspace Editor to edit the menus to add the commands that you prefer using. This can dramatically speed up your drawing. An easy way to customise your workspace is to use the Customise... button at the bottom of a tool palette or set.
The leader in Vectorworks training and manuals: http://learn.archoncad.com
Slabs are like walls. You can create slab styles that can be stored in your library so that you can use them on all your projects. If you set up your slab styles to work with your wall styles and stories, they will be easier to use, and when you move the walls, the slabs will update to match the walls.
The leader in Vectorworks training and manuals: http://learn.archoncad.com
Save Working Planes. You can use the Working Planes palette to save working planes, but you can also use the right-mouse click. Set your working plane, then right-click away from everything and choose Working Plane > Save Working Plane.
Classes with area lights. Be very careful about the classes that you use when you make Area lights. The easiest way to do this is to make sure that the first object you create for the area light is on the None class. After you have made the Area light, then assign it to the correct class.
If you use a lot of classes, like I do, then it can be had to remember the names of the all the classes, so when you want to turn some of the classes off, you find it hard to locate the classes on the Navigation palette. I don't bother to find them on the Navigation palette, I use the Visibility tool. Set the options on the Tool bar, then just click on the objects that you want to hide. The Visibility tool will turn off the class for you.
This is the opposite of the wall projection, it allows you to make a recess in a wall.
The leader in Vectorworks training:
Vectorworks has a working planes palette that you can access from the Window > Palettes menu. This palette can be used to save, delete and activate working planes. But you dont have to use this palette. You can access and recall all the working planes from the Active Plane menu.
The leader in Vectorworks training:
Area Lights are very powerful in creating a lighting scene. When photographers what to fill an area of light, they use a large reflector, or a flash with a large disperser on it. An area light can do the same thing for your scene. Have a look at the two viewports, notice how the area light in the window lights the scene. Actually, in the area light viewport there are several area lights.
The leader in Vectorworks training:
This allows you to connect the Record Format to a text object in a symbol. I use this to create symbols that have heights, steel sizes, and code numbers.
There are now several files with Vectorworks image props from my friends at OzBreed. OzBreed specialise in improved varieties that are tougher, more uniform and often need less maintanence and water, striving to provide better plants for landscape professionals and home owners alike.
Check out the Vectorworks plants here...
Sometimes you need to add a 3D part to your walls. An Example of this might be a fireplace or chimney. This is when you should use the Wall Projection from the AEC menu. This command allows you to add 3D models to the wall, but it still acts like a wall. If you insert a door or window, it can be inserted into the wall projection.
The leader in Vectorworks training:
Posted with Blogsy
