Product Review: Vectorworks Architect 2011

Released this past Fall, Nemetschek Vectorworks’s latest CAD/BIM program Vectorworks Architect 2011, built on top of Vectorworks Fundamentals 2011, offers some excellent new technology and features. This review was authored with the assistance of architect and Architosh contributor, John Helm, NCARB. John recently reviewed Cameramatch 2011, an add-on application for Vectorworks 2011.

First a Few Notes About Vectorworks

Vectorworks is the all-around CAD program for architects, landscape architects, civil engineers, mechanical and electrical engineers, theater lighting designers and design in general. From the standpoint of graphics, Vectorworks can be a one stop shop for an architectural office.  It’s a design tool, a production tool and a rendering tool that can also be used for most of the graphic layouts an architect might need.

Vectorworks is well regarded for its short learning curve compared to other CAD programs. Design can be done all in 3D and those 3D drawings will be or can be the same drawings that become the 2D drawings making up the production drawing set.  Client presentations can be rendered printouts, animations, walk-throughs, or even real time views of a 3D model taken on one’s laptop to a client meeting.  And if one needs to do a graphic presentation, a competition board for example, pictures, text, 2D and 3D drawings can all be composed and printed right in the program.

Vectorworks 2011

Nemetschek North America changed its name last year to Nemetschek Vectorworks. Most in the industry, including its users, saw that as a good sign–a sign that they really want to identify with it (the Vectorworks brand) and thus make it the best they can.

The biggest bit of news in Vectorworks 2011 is that they have replaced the rendering engine in Renderworks with the Cinema 4D render engine.  And they have created an easy integration with the actual Cinema 4D program.  This is a really big improvement especially for anyone wanting to take their models to a very high level. The company claims a 5 to 7 times increase in speed. However, we did not verify this in any tests in this review.

The other big feature change is what they call 2D/3D integration.  Vectorworks has for a long time been a very flexible program allowing one to create just about any 3D form.  But now with this integration of 2D and 3D the program is even more flexible and easier to use for preliminary design.  I know there are people who design in SketchUp and import into Vectorworks. Vectorworks’ new modeling technology, with its improved Push/Pull tool, will begin to enable experienced SketchUp and Vectorworks users to simply model all in Vectorworks 2011. We will spend some time digging into the new 2D/3D integration and modeling features as well as many other improvements in the full review.

New Improved 3D Environment

There are some stunning improvements to the new unified 2D/3D environment in Vectorworks 2011. The most important is the way 2D objects can now be drawn in 3D views, complete with text creation and editing abilities.

Most experienced Vectorworks users will delight in the ability and flexibility to manipulate planar objects in various 3D views. Architects and engineers for example might develop connection details in axon views complete with dimensions and extruded connections and members. (see images 01 – 03)

Vectorworks 2011 allows you to work with text blocks in 3D just like in 2D. One caveat however. If you create a viewport of a 3D view or 3D object, you cannot place text in 3D in the annotation layer of the viewport. Therefore, you must first add that text on a design layer prior to the creation of the viewport. That is the method for establishing a detail like above. (see third image above).

Vectorworks 2011 now allows you to utilize, view and edit fills, gradients and hatches in isometric views. This will greatly expand the possibilities for presentation drawings.

New Modeling Abilities – Push/Pull Tool

One of the most exciting new features in 2011 is the new Push/Pull tool and the improved Face Selection technology. Previously, some of the functionality here existed in the old Protrusion Cut-Out Tool and in version 2010 there was an attempt at making a push/pull tool function but it was immature compared to the tool now.

One can use the new Push/Pull tool to stretch objects to whatever size they need to be and then change them interactively.

Vectorworks 2011’s Push/Pull tool is not entirely equal to the similar tools in Google’s SketchUp or AutoDesSys’ very capable modeling tool Bonzai 3D. But Push/Pull in Vectorworks 2011 does truly exist now and you can do a lot of great things with it, especially once you master the new 3D environment.

When using the new Push/Pull tool you will notice the new Face Selection technology. Clicking anywhere on a face, not just its edges, will highlight it using “pre-selection” technology used elsewhere in the program. (see images 04-06). There is a lot to this new technology in 2011 so we want to cover it in some detail in a series of images.

Creating a simple 3D bracket detail using solely the new and improved Push/Pull tool was easy. Face selection is a solid highlight color. The workplane was placed on various faces of the beam or post member to create the 2D planar rectangles which would form the bracket’s geometry. Then the circles, as planar objects, were drawn on the face of the bracket. You can subtract from solids using the “sub-face” mode of the Push/Pull tool.

Working in 3D in Vectorworks 2011 still requires orientation and navigation skills that are more difficult than other programs, especially dedicated modelers. For instance, when working on the detail above it was best to save a view of the isometric orientation in order to quickly go back to it. We know that on full keyboards the number keys are associated with particular views thus creating shortcuts but on laptops you are at a loss. In the past we have discussed multiple working windows so you can see top, side, axon and perspective all at once. Given the direction of direct-modeling (explicit modeling) in MCAD and in BIM the focus seems to be on better 3D navigation/orientation all within the main window.

In any case, producing the bracket detail was quite simple with mastery of the 2011 2D/3D environment. Setting the working plane to various faces is necessary to push and pull objects and draw planar objects on new 3D surfaces. The “pre-selection” highlighting however is very faint (gray) and we could find no preference to change this to a brighter and different color. (see image 07 above).

Finally, Vectorworks 2011 has a new Extract Planar Objects from 3D Objects command. This is very useful to creating and applying textures and fills on 3D surfaces. Currently in Vectorworks you cannot select a face of a 3D object and apply a single texture, hatch or fill to it. In order to do this, you now extract a planar face object from a 3D object. This is a big improvement to the old process of applying such hatches and fills to new polyline objects inside a viewport of a 3D object, like a building. (see image 08)

New BIM Tools

Version 2011 also improves on BIM with a series of new or improved features for architects. Important to architects using Vectorworks Architect 2011 for BIM-based US government work is an improved Space Object. You can now add a lot of information about each space that is IFC compatible and GSA-specific. And the Space Object has a new paint bucket mode for quick creation of spaces with the same attributes. All aspects of both the 2D and 3D attributes of space objects can be controlled, including colors, relationship of space object to boundary walls and space object labels.

Version 2011 offers better geometry control of various BIM model elements, such as improvements to walls, slabs and windows and doors. New 3D Wall Components in particular offer more advanced settings for their position in the wall. The biggest new improvement to walls is the new Offset from Top or Bottom feature.

Now in Vectorworks Architect 2011 architects can set individual components of a wall to have various height offsets from either top or bottom. This will help coordinate wall components to exacting conditions as they are built in reality. Slab and roof and framing integration is now vastly improved directly in the BIM 3D geometry model. (see image 10)

The new Slab Tool is all new and offers powerful BIM features. You can now customize your slabs as much as you do walls. You can also integrate walls and slabs with automation features. There are two ways to create Slabs. Associated slabs are those that are matched to walls. When walls move the slab moves too. You can also create slabs with both 2D and 3D attributes. There are also edge offset abilities with slabs which greatly benefit wall to slab integration. You can also clip slabs with the same clip surface but you have the ability to clip just various selected components of the slab or the entire slab.

Other features that improve BIM for architects include a new Wall End Caps functionality and improved Window and Door settings. Responding to user demand it is now easier to create window and door objects with each component having direct class controls. And new in version 2011, glazing is automatically defaulted to the Glazing-Clear class and given the Glass Clear texture. Finally, in Version 2011 you can apply Multi-File Batch printing and print or print to PDF from multiple saved views and sheet layers from multiple Vectorworks files, even those that are closed.

New Site Modeling Features in Architect and Landmark

There are numerous new features in Vectorworks Landmark 2011 and although this review is focused on Architect 2011 we will quickly touch on some of them pertaining to site modeling. Some of the new modeling features and technologies actually overlap the two separate products and Architect users will gain new features as well.

There is a new Retaining Wall Site Modifier in LandMark which enables you to create retaining walls on a site. The benefit if this tool is that you can better fit the site model to the edges of these retaining walls both automatically and with manual 3D vertex editing. (see image 11)

In both Architect and Landmark there is a new setting called 2D Contour Smooth within the graphic display for viewing site models in 2D to prevent contour lines from overlapping, offering a better display.  Another improvement common to both Landmark and Architect is the ability to use different colors and line qualities to the major and minor contours in both existing and proposed site models. This is a nice feature addition as it gives you more fine-tune control over the presentation of site model data. Next to last, again common to both products, is the new 2D Contour for Slopes display option which enables you to view site models with different colors for areas of various slopes. And finally, there is also a new cut and fill display option where you can colorize both fill and cut areas in the 3D model.

These are all features that are included in both Architect and Landmark and that is why we are mentioning them here. The one exception to this is the new Retaining Wall Site Modifier tool. We feel that architects doing digital terrain site models should have this tool as part of the overall set of “site modifier” tools. The reality is that architects placing buildings on a site may need to place these buildings sometimes behind retaining walls. Unless they have Landmark they will get stuck and not bee able to accomplish and complete the site model for their project. What is included today in the site modifiers (in Architect 2011) are: pad, boundary, grader, texture bed.

Perfect Text

Nemetschek Vectorworks Inc. have spent considerable effort on improving their text features in Vectorworks 2011 and we would be remiss in not spending some time pointing out all the neat features this product has in this area. While not as sexy a feature as say 3D modeling or rendering improvements, text capabilities do help users make better presentations and in this case, utilize text in ways you simply may not be able to do in other CAD or BIM programs. We have already talked about text in 3D in the unified 2D/3D environment but there is more.

Architects and CAD users routinely create paragraph-based text areas within their documents. In version 2011 it is now possible to justify text to both sides (left and right) for a more professional look. It is also now possible to make subscript and superscript text within the same text box as other text. Simply highlight the text and choose subscript or superscript checkboxes within the Object Info palette.

A really great new feature is the new TightFill option for text which you select from the Object Info palette. This will fill behind text in a text block but only hold the fill to just behind the letters and skip blank sentences (multiple paragraph returns, etc). This will make for more attractive presentations and even be very useful in working drawings. (see images 12-13) You can hold the shift and option keys (on Mac) to rotate text with the basic 2D selection tool. The data bar will appear and you can pop in a required angle. Spell check now can be applied to individual text words saving you time from having to apply that engine to an entire text box.

The new perfect preview text abilities in 2011 enable you to get exactly what you see text when you are creating it. In previous versions there was often a difference in layout and look between the text while creating it and after it was created. Not only that but you can get perfect preview text while working on text while it is rotated. There is also new text styles which can be applied to a text box instantly by dragging them from the Resource Browser. This is a great addition that makes appearance consistency easier within a firm because these text styles can be imported into a document.

New Productivity Tools

Nemetschek Vectorworks added a range of new productivity tools to the fundamental program. These include things like scalable symbols which you can create right from the Object Info palette. Furthermore, you can now make Vectorworks symbols page-based or world-based when created. So if you have an annotation symbol it will always display at the size you want no matter if viewports are scaled up or down.

A new Select Connected Objects Command enables you to select an object, say, a line, and every object that line is connected to and every object connected in series to it, will be selected. Think of a series of lines or polys that make up the perimeter of something like a roof or terrace. Using this new command you can select the entire perimeter quickly. The second in a series of new drafting tools is the new Triangle Tool. With this tool you can create accurate triangles based on three input methods, such as length of all three sides and combinations of fixed lengths and angles between sides. When dealing with lines there is a new Line from Center mode that is quite useful, plus you can utilize a new Scale Line by Factor such as drawing a line that is 50 percent as large as another line. In the image below I traced an existing black line from the center out using the new Line from Center mode and the Line by Factor (set to 50 percent) at the same time to create the thicker red lines. (see image 14). Finally there is a new Even Divide Command which does some neat stuff. Principally you use it to create evenly divided lines between two existing lines. You can use it radially and parallel.

Another great new addition is the New Tile Fills for 2D Objects. The new tiling functionality enables you to create repeatable 2D objects within the context of a fill, executed from the Object Info palette.

Renderworks now based on Cinema 4D Engine

New in Vectorworks with the extended Renderworks package is a brand new rendering engine by sister company Maxon. The Maxon Cinema 4D render engine has replaced the previous Lightworks rendering engine. The result for indirect lighted renders is a 5-7x rendering performance speed up. One can set several levels of rendering quality for custom Renderworks. (see sample images below, 15-16) So setting it at the lower levels helps those who have slower computers get a good rendering in a short time.

The new Rendering image options have been simplified. Now there is Fast and Final Quality Renderworks, Custom Renderworks and Artistic Renderworks. The artistic options have been replaced to reflect the Cinema 4D sketch and toon render options familiar to Maxon users. Another big change is that indirect rendering (global illumination based) has replaced radiosity-based rendering. Therefore Radiosity Renders are now gone. Instead, you set up indirect rendering from the Lighting Options dialog box, choosing one of the following settings: exterior, 1 bounce; Normal, 2 bounces; or Interior, 4 bounces.

Rendering options have also been altered in 2011. The amount of options with textures have been reduced but they have become more powerful. These Vectorworks shaders now match the shaders available in Cinema 4D. (see image 17)

Also in Renderworks 2011 the Attribute Mapping tool has been improved, enabling an easier process of mapping textures to planar, spherical and other shaped objects. For instance, when you alter the map on a spherical object you see the texture projected from the center of the sphere with its control handles for manipulating the texture. You can see and control all of this in 3D.

Finally, a major new feature in Renderworks 2011 is the ability to link a Renderworks camera object to a viewport. From the Object Info palette you can now control a viewport linked to a camera using camera attribute settings.

Final Feature Tidbits

Nemetschek Vectorworks continues to put its faith in Adobe Air and uses it for its excellent help system. The context-sensitive help system is quick and nimble and completely separate from the main program, enabling you to setup side-by-side information while you learn and work.

We want to talk about some of the smaller features or changes in this release that people may enjoy. Veteran users will be pleased to know there is a new preference to control inadvertent copies of objects by accidently hitting the Option + click (Mac) keyboard combination. It is also now possible to replace existing classes in a drawing with imported classes of the same name. This will greatly help firms maintain office standards. And you can now snap to the printable area boundary on design layers and sheet layers.

Architects will also enjoy the ability to use core wall components to be the control lines for drawing walls. All dash line styles are based on the ISO international standard. These are your default set in this release.

Closing Comments and Recommendations

In this review we have covered both the Fundamentals and Architect versions of Vectorworks 2011. We have also touched on most of the updates to Renderworks 2011. However, we feel that a fuller and proper review of Renderworks 2011 is in order. We’ll get to that in the coming weeks.

Nemetschek Vectorworks Inc. not only changed its company name but changed its rendering engine in this release. For as long as we can remember LightWorks’ namesake rendering technology has been at the heart of this product. However, it was only a matter of time before its sister company, Maxon of Germany, was tapped for its award-winning technology. Now in version 2011 there is a deeper integration between the two programs as well, with the ability to go directly to the Cinema 4D file format. We think this was an excellent decision as the rendering performance is easily felt and the quality is better.

We cannot wrap up this review without some commentary on the new 2D/3D unified environment improvements and the new Push/Pull tool and face selection technology. Overall the ability to utilize 2D planar objects while in 3D is stellar. What is missing in our opinion is better overall 3D navigation. This becomes particularly important now that the Push/Pull tool is so much better than in the last version. One big improvement would be to have some kind of geometry reference object in the main working window that would enable to you manually rotate the view to set 3D views. This would help you to know where you are in the model–especially useful when zoomed far into buildings, for example.

This program continues to grow and improve at a rapid rate. We are stunned by the amount of improvement in the past three releases. Vectorworks 2011 is now a very good direct-modeling (explicit modeling) tool for architecture or other disciplines…at the schematic concept level. This will put pressure on dedicated modelers that are often used in conceptual level design stages. For architects this program continues to be a remarkably flexible and well-rounded tool suitable for BIM and non-BIM workflows. — ANTHONY FRAUSTO-ROBLEDO, LEED AP, EIC. (with contributions by JOHN HELM, NCARB)

Pros: New improved 2D/3D environment is excellent beating anything out there on the market in this area; Push/Pull modeling technology is vastly improved; Siemens Parasolid kernel now integrated throughout program, excepting the digital terrain modeling; integration of Cinema 4D rendering engine greatly improves rendering (Renderworks) performance, ease-of-use and flexibility, new Send to C4D command; superior text capabilities for a CAD program, text in 3D; better BIM objects in doors and windows and new offset features for components in walls; great new slab component.

Cons: 3D navigation needs to catch up to improvements in direct-modeling capabilities, better and faster user-orientation within model, it is sometimes hard to locate the working plane, needs better face highlighting; this is the best BIM version so far but BIM weaknesses include: no energy analysis features or module, no SE or MEP modules.

Advice: Vectorworks Architect 2011 is a full-BIM application now with some superb direct-modeling abilities–conceptual and final model stage, and best-in-class 2D/3D integration. It also has a fantastic rendering engine in Maxon’s Cinema 4D. Small and mid-sized firms in particular should short-list it as part of their CAD/BIM evaluations.

Cost: 2,645.USD new Vectorworks Architect with Renderworks, 529.USD upgrade for same / Mac OS X Intel and Windows. To learn more visit: www.nemetschek.net

To see other Architosh product reviews published prior to our new site, please visit this old Features page. We have an array of indepth product reviews across CAD and 3D industry spectrums.

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