Nemetschek unveils new Vectorworks 2015 CAD/BIM tool publicly

Nemetschek Vectorworks, Inc., a subsidiary of Nemetschek of Germany, has publicly unveiled and showcased its new Vectorworks 2015 product line up.

MORE: Nemetschek Vectorworks, Inc., announces upcoming Vectorworks 2015 Product Line

“With every new release, we concentrate on giving customers the enhancements and features they want, and, more importantly, what they need to make their visions come to reality faster, easier and with more precision than ever before,” said Dr. Biplab Sarkar, CTO, Nemetschek Vectorworks, Inc. “Vectorworks 2015 builds upon the functionality that is important to designers today, providing an experience that connects the dots between vision and realization in the most intuitive way possible.”

The Vectorworks 2015 software contains more than 100 updates and new features in the areas of architecture, BIM, urban planning and entertainment design. In previous versions, the power of 64-bit was only available in the platform’s photorealistic rendering engine, Renderworks, but has now been integrated throughout the entire Vectorworks 2015 product line, providing designers with the ability to handle larger projects, as well as better performance and stability. In addition, designers will observe a revolutionary graphical experience from advances made to the Vectorworks Graphics Module (VGM), which was introduced last year.

“We’re are at a turning point where designers are discovering new ways to imagine and construct their projects,” said Sean Flaherty, CEO, Nemetschek Vectorworks, Inc. “Every day, designers choose Vectorworks because of our multidisciplinary approach and because they want a solution that supports their creative process instead of replacing it. We allow great design to materialize from inspiration, exploration and discovery.”

The English-language version of Vectorworks 2015 software is available to Vectorworks Service Select customers today by download. Shipping of the English-language version to all customers will begin September 23, 2014.

Additional information about Vectorworks 2015 is available online. Visit www.vectorworks2015.net to learn more.

A Focus on the VGM

Additional information previously not visible to the press include more information about its advancements to its proprietary Vectorworks Graphics Module (VGM) architecture for OpenGL and other render modes. The improvements in this release for the VGM add numerous strong features to the software in the areas of 3D navigation and visualization. Not only will OpenGL performance be better, but there are specific improvements to the Hidden Line render mode, planar graphics and wireframe mode and much nicer messes in 3D as well.

However, a feature that we think users many users will be especially impressed with is the new view transition animation. While the website implies that animations in OpenGL take place between various standard 3D views, in truth they also take place between any “saved 3D views” as well, as noted in a video on the website.

This feature will be much appreciated by users for two reasons. Firstly, the ability to save views is easy and now with the auto-animated transitions one can explore a sequenced, ‘fly-by’ animation experience. Secondly, because setting up a full-on rendering of an animation requires saved views which are chosen as key frames for such an animation, this view transition feature can serve as a ‘pre-visualization’ check prior to sending such an animation through the full rendering process.

01 – The new 3D hatches support in Vectorworks 2015 shown here. A hatch is associated with an OpenGL textures. (image courtesy of Nemetschek Vectorworks. Inc., All rights reserved).

02 – A Renderworks view showing the actual texture rather than the 3D hatch that corresponds to the image at left. (image courtesy of Nemetschek Vectorworks, Inc., All rights reserved.)

But the improvements to 3D visualization aspects to Vectorworks 2015 doesn’t stop there. Nemetschek Vectorworks has improved the styling and control capabilities to OpenGL within the Draw Edges functionality and the ability to use or not use colors. Lastly, hatches can now be applied to 3D objects directly without the need to create additional geometry or annotations. And the company has updated a large majority of the default textures in Renderworks to include a hatch that matches each image-based texture.

To learn more and see all the new features visit here: http://www.vectorworks.net/2015/