Vectorworks 2014 New Features

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The new Vectorworks 2014 release provides many significant improvements, designed to boost both base-level performance as well as improve functionality within specific versions. Major areas of improvement in the core Vectorworks package cover interface and display and file interoperability. Changes to the 3D working environment provide more Sketchup-like modelling behaviour whilst working in perspective views. The new Taper Face and Twist tools further enhance the 3D push-pull style of modelling. Various improvements to architectural and space tools assist with BIM management. Please see the sections below for full details on these new functions and tools and which versions they are available within.

 

Best in 3D

Better BIM
Improved Efficiency

 File Interoperability
Entertainment Design

 Site Design
Rendering Tools

 

Best in 3D

 

  • Fast Interactive Display
    ( Vectorworks Architect | Vectorworks Landmark | Vectorworks Spotlight | Vectorworks Fundamentals | Vectorworks Designer | Renderworks )
    With version 2014, navigation in all 3D views looks amazing with OpenGL, and you get real-world 3D feedback in all-solid rendered modes. The cache generated in OpenGL also improves navigation in other render modes. Plus, with our integrated rendering application, Renderworks®, you will enjoy interactive light aiming and faster OpenGL shadows by default. Now you can enjoy the rendered look of your model without sacrificing performance and speed.


Better BIM

 

  • Create Section Viewports from Clip Cube
    ( Vectorworks Architect | Vectorworks Landmark | Vectorworks Spotlight | Vectorworks Designer )
    You now have the ability to immediately create either design layer or sheet layer section viewports directly from the interactive Clip Cube. You can not only create these viewports, but also edit them using the Clip Cube. This enhancement allows for a more hands-on, visual approach to creating specific sections from your model.
  • Auto Hybrid Enhancements
    ( Vectorworks Architect | Vectorworks Landmark | Vectorworks Spotlight | Vectorworks Designer )
    An auto hybrid object can create a hidden line representation of the object above or below the cut plane in plan view. New options have been added to the auto hybrid object to control the smoothing angle, intersection lines, and dash styles, resulting in better-drawn objects and overall improved performance.

  • Polygonal Control
    ( Vectorworks Architect | Vectorworks Landmark | Vectorworks Spotlight | Vectorworks Fundamentals | Vectorworks Designer )
    The new Simplify Polys command will enable you to simplify polylines, and 2D or 3D polygons in the Vectorworks application. This command can be incredibly useful after importing complex site data, simplifying imported DWG files, or dealing with any polys with too many corner vertices. Many incredible projects start with basic shapes and evolve into more intricate and interesting forms. The Reshape tool has been enhanced with a new mode that allows you to move an object’s edge without changing the adjacent angles. Plus you can now reshape rectangles.


File Interoperability

 

  • Publish Command
    ( Vectorworks Architect | Vectorworks Landmark | Vectorworks Spotlight | Vectorworks Fundamentals | Vectorworks Designer )
    A new Publish command gives you tremendous flexibility in customizing and saving drawing sets for when you need to issue them. With this new command, you can select specific views and sheets from files along with PDF, DXF/DWG, and DWF files, and save them as a named set for export or printing (Design Series required for batch printing and PDF export). Managing your publishing settings has never been so easy.
  • DWG Improvements
    ( Vectorworks Architect | Vectorworks Landmark | Vectorworks Spotlight | Vectorworks Fundamentals | Vectorworks Designer )
    You can now directly reference DWG/DXF or DWF files in your Vectorworks project, making collaboration and team workflows that much simpler. The Export DXF/DWG and Export DWF commands now support complex and custom line types when exporting from Vectorworks, resulting in a cleaner and more accurate experience for your collaborator. DXF/DWG and DWF Support for Named Colors enables the color names to match in Vectorworks and AutoCAD® software. Save DXF/DWG and DWF Preferences in the Import Log File provides a record of your DXF/DWG and DWF import settings to assist you in achieving consistent results with respect to your DXF/DWG and DWF imports.


Entertainment Design

 

  • Lighting Device Improvements
    ( Vectorworks Spotlight | Vectorworks Designer )
    The lighting device object has received a serious boost with features that are sure to make you more efficient. It’s no longer necessary to try to remember label names when assigning a label legend. Instead, use the new pop-up on the lighting device. See the full height of the beam clearly at the focus point. Freely mix your own information with the built-in information using customized data records. See the simulated color of multiple gel “sandwiches.”
  • Lighting Pipe Objects
    ( Vectorworks Spotlight | Vectorworks Designer )
    New lighting pipe and lighting pipe ladder objects to bring you exciting new options and facilitate the creation of lighting positions.
  • New Instrument Summary Object
    ( Vectorworks Spotlight | Vectorworks Designer )
    Based on the original tool designed by Joshua Benghiat Lighting Design, enjoy the flexibility to efficiently create and format instrument and position summaries with this amazing new plug-in object.Seating
  • Seating Layout Improvements
    ( Vectorworks Spotlight | Vectorworks Designer )
    We’ve added a new option to the Create Event Seating command, so you can accurately lay out seating with rows aimed at a focal point. The focal point option is also available when editing a seating layout.


Site Design

 

  • Plant and Massing Model Shadow Improvements
    ( Vectorworks Architect | Vectorworks Landmark | Vectorworks Designer )
    With the enhanced plant shadows, you’ll find it faster and easier to create presentation-level site plans with interactive, dynamic shadows on your plant objects. You can apply a document-wide shadow style to all plants on your drawing, while also creating custom shadow settings for individual plants, as needed. With support for massing model shadows, you can work with smart objects in 3D while simultaneously achieving their desired visual results for 2D plan representation. And like plant shadows, you can also apply both document-wide and individual custom shadow settings to massing models. Additionally, you now have the ability to specify floor usage data in a massing model record. The floor usage data can be reported on by using a new worksheet sub-string function, giving you the ability to use massing models for early design analysis in urban planning.
  • Plant Tool Enhancements
    ( Vectorworks Landmark | Vectorworks Designer )
    The custom plant tag can now be created by selecting predefined tag field values instead of having to remember keywords for the plant record fields. You now have easy access to edit plant definitions from every pane in the Plant Settings dialog box.
  • Site Modifier Improvements
    ( Vectorworks Landmark | Vectorworks Designer )
    The new site model contour label position functionality gives you the freedom to position and reposition contour labels at will with the Reshape tool for legibility, annotation, and office standards. This new addition can be applied to drawing types such as site surveys, grading plans, site plans, and planting plans.
  • Suppress Location Adjustment for Georeferenced Data
    ( Vectorworks Architect | Vectorworks Landmark | Vectorworks Designer )
    This new option provides greater selectability and power in sharing data from a .VWX file, as well as increasing the number of layers and classes with record formats in a single .SHP file. This may benefit GIS users, planning departments, land use planners, and urban designers who are fulfilling and/or enforcing jurisdictional requirements.


Rendering Tools

 

  • Displacement Mapping
    ( Renderworks )
    Current Renderworks users have never before seen rendering quality like what they’ll get in version 2014. The new displacement mapping option gives you the ability to make even more realistic renderings with materials like grass, carpet, water, bricks, or stone.
  • Images for Brick Shaders
    ( Renderworks )
    Many great new images of bricks come with Renderworks and are ready to use and edit for texturing your designs. In addition, they are also new shaders, which enable you to control multiple images representing multiple bricks, along with having granular control over the gaps/grout between bricks or tiles.

 

 

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