Introduction to Worksheets in Vectorworks

 Worksheets

Vectorworks offers the possibility of  creating spreadsheets within the drawing.  That means you can tally anything, 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 the information. Hence worksheets can easily be updated when the source information changes. In other words, any changes done in a drawing can easily be updated in the respective worksheets.

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.  

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

• Carry out mathematical operations with the parameters of drawn objects: areas, perimeters, volumes etc.  Name the objects ( Object Info Palette) and find their properties and combinations.

• Count / select objects ( generally symbols ) in 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.

• Create reports using symbols with records and list the field values of the symbols in the report.  

• Create reports of objects that have plug-in parameters and using the report to edit the objects.

Webinars to cover worksheets are next week, join me.