Vectorworks Architect 2016 wins ‘One to Watch’ honor at Annual Construction Computing Awards

For the sixth year in a row, global design software developer Vectorworks, Inc. was honored at the annual Construction Computing Awards, receiving the “One to Watch” Product Award for its Vectorworks Architect 2016 BIM software. Architect delivers a suite of robust capabilities for a streamlined workflow that enables great design to materialize from inspiration, exploration and discovery. The software also offers great documentation and the intelligent tools needed to advance and communicate ideas in 2D or 3D.

“With over 70 percent of the updates to Vectorworks 2016 coming from customer feedback, like Project Sharing, Point Cloud support and a built-in energy analysis module called Energos, we’ve developed a competitive software package that fulfills our users’ architectural BIM authoring needs,” said Darick DeHart, architectural features manager of Vectorworks. “It’s rewarding to see that these major improvements to our software are resonating with the AEC industry.”

01 – The new point cloud support in the new Vectorworks 2016 produces some stunning graphics.

As DeHart explained, Vectorworks Architect 2016 enables designers to create the best experiences in the built environment with new features, including the following:

• Project Sharing enables architects and interior designers to streamline their workflows by allowing their project teams to work on the same Vectorworks file concurrently.
• Using your preferred 3D scanning device, you can capture any location and import a 3D point cloud object to Vectorworks Architect using PTS, E57, LAS and XYZ file formats with new Point Cloud Support.
• Based on the Passive House calculation method, the Energos module gives you—and your clients—a dynamic, intelligent gauge of a building’s energy performance, enabling you to make critical decisions as your design evolves—all from within your Vectorworks Architect file.

There were many other features in the product’s September 2015 release that stemmed from customer feedback, including these well-received tools and upgrades:

• Roof Components and Styles now interact to improve accuracy in 2D documentation. Roof faces and roof objects have the same component representation as walls and slabs, further extending the power of BIM.
• Horizontal Sections from the Clip Cube allows users to isolate horizontal segments of models to create conceptual views, giving clients a deeper understanding of designs throughout the development process.
• With MacOS X Palette Docking, palettes can now be easily grouped, modified and docked to the application window.
• Several improvements in our Renderworks module, including Ambient Occlusion that adds depth to designs with more realistic shadowing and the New Grass Shader, as well as new camera effects, such as depth of field, exposure, vignette and bloom, allow for more realistic and striking visualizations and animations.

“Every day, AEC professionals choose Vectorworks products because they want a solution that supports their creative endeavors and helps them to realize the powerful organizational framework that BIM workflows provide,” said the company’s Chief Marketing Officer Stewart Rom. “We’re honored to be recognized with a ‘One to Watch’ Construction Computing Award for delivering an exciting suite of BIM capabilities to the global marketplace that enhance workflows and help our users manage the tasks associated with creative design and building efficient structures.”

The Construction Computing Awards celebrate the technology, tools and solutions that aid in the effective design, construction, maintenance and modification of commercial buildings, residential and social housing, as well as civil engineering projects of all sizes. Now in its tenth year, the UK program is better known as “The Hammers.”

Award nominees were identified following a popular vote based on reader feedback collected by Construction Computing magazine, and a panel of industry judges chose the winners. Computers Unlimited, the authorized Vectorworks distributor in the UK, as well as several of Vectorworks’ UK resellers, such as Cadventure, JR Architecture and CADschool, attended the November 19 awards ceremony at the Hotel Russell in London.

Learn more about the award-winning Vectorworks Architect design software at http://www.vectorworks.net/architect.

Architosh Analysis

We are not surprised that Vectorworks Architect 2016 received this specific honor after seeing the massive and impressive update back in the spring at its unveiling. Many features years in the making came up to fruition at the same time, conspiring for a particularly large update on the popular CAD/BIM package.

It is interesting that in this press release the focus is on Energos, the new built-in energy analysis package and other new features, without a single word about Marionette. It is likely that this feature, algorithmic modeling via visual scripting, is not of high importance to the crowd following the Construction Computing magazine over in the United Kingdom. Instead, a focus on 3D scanner support, point cloud support and the new Project Sharing are likely much more vital.

About Vectorworks

Vectorworks, Inc. is a global design software developer serving the architecture, landscape and entertainment industries. Since 1985, we have been committed to helping designers capture inspiration, nurture innovation, communicate effectively and bring their visions to life. We’ve developed the best CAD and BIM software for Mac and Windows that puts BIM at the heart of the design process, enabling the flexibility needed for efficient iteration throughout the design life-cycle. Headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, Vectorworks, Inc. is a part of The Nemetschek Group. Learn more about how we empower more than half a million designers to create experiences that transform the world at www.vectorworks.net.