Vectorworks Tip #198 – 3D Modelling – Solid Section

The Section Solid command allows you to use one object to create a section through other 3D objects. In practice this command can be a lot like the Subtract Solid command. So the technique is to make sure you create … Continue reading → visit http://ift.tt/1hjblTM

Podcast 208 – Test Yourself Exercise – 2

I am the author of the Vectorworks Essentials Tutorial Manual. I was recently talking to a university tutor that uses this manual with the students. At the end of the second chapter of this manual the students should be able … Continue reading → visit http://ift.tt/1hjblTM

Vectorworks Tip #196 – Basic Tools – Assigning a Hatch

Use the Attributes palette to assign hatches to your objects. Click on the Fill Style pop-up and choose hatch. After choosing Hatch, click on the pop-up menu to choose the hatch from the current file or from Default Content. visit http://ift.tt/1hjblTM

How to Find and Download a Manual from This Website

The site contains over 80 manuals that are created in the PDF form future read are the online or off-line. If you want to read the manuals off-line you will have to download them and save them to your computer … Continue reading → visit http://ift.tt/1hjblTM

Vectorworks Online Webinar – January 2015

Layers, Classes and Stories Vectorworks Uses the organizing methods of layers and classes to create your drawings, and for the last few versions it has used stories to control the three-dimensional model for architectural projects. Vectorworks 2015 has improved the … Continue reading → visit http://ift.tt/1hjblTM

Welcome to 2015

Welcome to 2015 It seems to me that many parts of the world are coming out of the recession and I know many Vectorworks users are getting busy. If you are getting busy, you need to maximise your productivity in … Continue reading → visit http://ift.tt/1hjblTM

Podcast 208 - Test Yourself Exercise - 2

I am the author of the Vectorworks Essentials Tutorial Manual. I was recently talking to a university tutor that uses this manual with the students. At the end of the second chapter of this manual the students should be able to draw simple objects and extrude them to create an object. The students sometimes forget just how much they have learned from the simple exercise, so I have created a Test Yourself exercise to allow the students to taste their knowledge from the second chapter.

Vectorworks Tip #195 - Basic Tools - Attributes Palette

The attributes palette is used to control the graphic style of your objects. So if you want to assign a thicker line weight, a different color line, a fill pattern, gradient, etc. then use this palette. If you are using wall styles, the attributes palette cannot be used to change the attributes of the wall, you have to edit the wall style to do that.

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Podcast 207 - Test Yourself Exercise - 1

I am the author of the Vectorworks Essentials Tutorial Manual. I was recently talking to a university tutor that uses this manual with the students. At the end of the first chapter of this manual the students should be able to draw simple objects and dimension them. The students sometimes forget just how much they have learned from the simple exercise, so I have created a Test Yourself exercise to allow the students to test their knowledge from the first chapter. This movie shows you how to complete this exercise. If you have bought my manual and you would like to test the knowledge from the first chapter, try this exercise.

Vectorworks Tip #194 - Site Modelling - Stake Object

To create a Site Model you require 3D data for the spot levels of the site. There are several ways to do this. One way of creating your site model is to import an image file showing contours, then trace along the contours of the polygon tool. There is a command that will convert your 2D polys to 3D contours.

 

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Vectorworks Tip #193 - Solid Modelling - Intersect Solid

I often use Intersect Solids to create a complex shape. The basic strategy with this concept is that you create two shapes. This command will find where the shapes overlap each other (intersect each other), giving me the object that I require.

 

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Should I Learn SketchUp?

I teach a lot of people. So I hear a lot of comments, concerns and questions. A common question is about SketchUp. Should a Vectorworks user learn this? I admit that SketchUp looks very seductive, but you can model everything you need in Vectorworks, so why bother?
This is a simple design that you could probably generate after going through chapter 2 of my Vectorworks Essentials Tutorial Manual. All it uses is simple extrusions, but it does not convey the feeling of the outdoor space.

Vectorworks Tip #192 - Text - Check Spelling - Worksheets

Check the spelling of your worksheets. When you select a worksheet you cannot use the right-click (contextual) menu to check the spelling. But you can go to Text on the menu bar and choose check spelling from there. This command checks for your worksheet looking for spelling mistakes. If it finds words that you know are spelled correctly but not in the dictionary, Vectorworks will show these words as misspelled. If you add these words to your dictionary, Vectorworks will use them from now on.

 

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Vectorworks Tip #191 - Basic Tools - Clip Surface

Like the Add Surface command, you can access this from the Modify menu or from the contextual menu. As with the Add Surface command, I prefer to access this from the contextual menu (right click). Use this command to subtract a shape from the base shape. In this command the stacking order is important. If you get the stacking order wrong you will be clipping the wrong object.

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Podcast 206 - Creating a Butterfly Roof in Vectorworks

A client was asking how to make a roof that has a low point in the middle. Some people call this a butterfly roof. The answer is to use a standard Vectorworks roof and edit it to make just half the roof. Then mirror the roof to create the other half. This works for most versions of Vectorworks.

Vectorworks Tip #190 - Site Modelling

To create a Site Model you require 3-D data for the spot levels of the site. There are several ways to do this. One way of creating your site model is to import an image file showing contours, then trace along the contours of the polygon tool. There is a command that will convert your 2-D polys to 3-D contours.


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Vectorworks Tip #189 - 3D Modelling - Subtract Soilds

When you select text, you can use the right-click to choose Check Spelling…. This does not work if you select a call out. You might think that that will stop you from checking the spelling in a callout note. If you select a call out object (or even several of them) then you can go to Text on the Menu bar and choose Check spelling… This will then check the spelling of all of the selected called out notes.

 

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Vectorworks Tip #188 - Text - Check Spelling of Callouts

Check the spelling of your callouts. When you select text, you can use the right-click to choose Check Spelling…. This does not work if you select a call out. You might think that that will stop you from checking the spelling in a callout note. If you select a call out object (or even several of them) then you can go to Text on the Menu bar and choose Check spelling… This will then check the spelling of all of the selected called out notes.


http://learn.archoncad.com

Vectorworks Tip #187 - Basic Tools - Add Surface

You can access this command from the modify menu or from the contextual menu. I prefer to access this from the contextual menu because that makes a quick. Use this command to add two or more shapes together to create a complex shape. In my experience this is the fastest way to create complex shapes.


http://learn.archoncad.com

Podcast 205 - Create Polygon - Clip Surface with Vectorworks

I have recently been working on a lot of 2D detailing with Vectorworks. One of the issues that I came up against was the look of plaster. The person who drew this plasterwork originally had a very nice style for drawing a wiggly line. I am editing these areas of plaster and I want my areas to look identical to the originals, but my way of drawing the wiggly line makes it appear different. I found the technique that allows me to quickly draw the plaster and completely replicate what has already been drawn, using create poly from inner boundary and clip surface. What is the movie to see how I do it.