VECTORWORKS 2025 THE BIM/CAD PRODUCT LINE has just been released, and the Nemetschek Group daughter company continues to deliver delightful new features year after year. The innovation definitely helps the company stave off competitors but, more than that, expands its solution into deeper market specialization.
For instance, although the company has been shy about this information, the global coffee chain Starbucks EMEA is a significant customer of Vectorworks. The software has made substantial progress in providing a BIM solution that is gaining popularity among interior architects and design professionals, supplementing its large base of architects. For instance, many architects in German-speaking countries in Europe (DACH regions) are enthusiastic users of Vectorworks.
While Vectorworks is a popular BIM solution around the world, the company contends that its most significant market opportunity still remains in North America, where it must challenge an entrenched Autodesk juggernaut. Lacking the network effects of Autodesk, the Nemetschek daughter company makes up for that with product-based innovations its larger competitor can’t deliver or prioritizes not to.
New in Vectorworks 2025
Take, for example, the need to save Revit BIM models back to an earlier version of Revit. Revit itself cannot do a Save-As back to an earlier version of Revit. So an architect working with the very latest version of Revit who wants to pass a Revit file to a general contractor working on an older version of Revit must export his BIM model to IFC en route to a multi-step process to get that BIM model into an earlier version of Revit.
As you are aware, a majority of our architectural uses are in Europe, and they have less interest in collaborating in their projects using Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) or BIM 360, so we don’t currently hear this request much, but that may change in the future.
On the other hand, with Vectorworks 2025, users can upload their Vectorworks BIM model to the Vectorworks Cloud, where it will, upon selection, create variant versions of that BIM model in multiple older Revit versions. This also means that architects and landscape architects are no longer locked into using the same version of software as their consultants; instead, they can use the most up-to-date software and innovations and still be able to collaborate with Revit consultants using older software.
Dr. Biplab Sarkar, CEO of Vectorworks, acknowledges that more of their customers are working with other AEC professionals using Revit, so the capability to streamline and automate the Revit export process is important. “We use the Vectorworks Cloud for the entire process, so an architect’s computer is not locked up for this time-consuming task,” he says. And exports can happen to multiple versions at the same time and can be automated on a schedule.
Perhaps the most exciting news in Vectorworks 2025 is the new cloud-based Vectorworks Cloud Documents Reviewer. This new cloud-based app provides users with their own common data environment (CDE), which they can extend to project stakeholders who can not just view but can measure and comment on drawings, worksheets, and object data.
Other interoperability capabilities that are new in version 2025 include saving predefined settings for Revit imports—to smooth a repeating process. For AutoCAD compatibility, version 2025 now processes viewport crops utilizing new technology from ODA libraries. “In the past, when exporting cropped viewports, it would sometimes not work correctly,” notes Dr. Sarkar. “But the ODA’s new libraries have fully solved this. It now converts all those geometries into lines, arcs, and normal elements and trims them against the crop object.”
There are also inbound DWG improvements that pertain to the way AutoCAD and Vectorworks both internally treat linework and fills differently. “It was an ‘either or thing’ before because Vectorworks always treated them separately,” adds Darick DeHart, Vectorworks Chief Product Officer. “Now, upon import, Vectorworks can treat AutoCAD linework and fills separately and offer better compatibility between our two different data structures.”
Next Page: The Big Stuff
The Big Stuff
While compatibility and interoperability with Autodesk tools are essential, Vectorworks users love the platform for its interesting innovations, which make work fun and efficient.
This gets us into the big stuff—the key new features of this release.
In Vectorworks 2025, some foundational changes were introduced to the software. The first of these is object-level visibility. Users can now select an individual object and hide it, ghost it, or isolate it, along with making it visible, of course.
The new object-based visibility features will allow architects and interior designers to do amazing 3D visualizations that combine various types of objects into various visibility states. The results, which can also be based on data rules, will be quite compelling and a unique feature in the industry.
Dr. Sarkar notes that users have long asked for this ability to isolate an object. “You could still do it, but not as efficiently,” he says. “You would convert it to a group object and then enter the group with the show-hide others set to hide, and that was the workaround for isolating that object.” Now, you select an object and choose to hide or show it using the menu or the visibility tool.
Isolating or hiding an object is just the tip of the iceberg. Another new state around visibility is “ghosting.” This option lets users select specific elements and ghost them so you can see through them to other non-ghosted elements. Imagine looking into the internals of a wall or roof by looking through the skin of those systems.
“Basically, it’s an AND operation between two visibility states,” adds Dr. Sarkar. One state of visibility in Vectorworks is connected to the visibility of objects associated with classes and layers. This dual-visibility system has always made Vectorworks more sophisticated in terms of what you can do with visibility compared to other CAD and BIM programs. The added second state Sarkar is noting is the new object-based visibility state. “An object is going to be visible if the layer and class visibility state is ‘on’ and the object visibility state is ‘on.’ If one of those things is ‘off,’ then the object will be invisible.”
Another view of the new Object Visibility features in Vectorworks 2025. In this view the walls on the back of this residence are made invisible so one can see out to the rear garden and carport structure.
For sophisticated visualizations in Vectorworks, users set up data visualizations and save them. This workflow is an existing feature, but it gains object-based visibility now. Using classes, for example, a user can save data visualization settings that can show all elements of a building ghosted while only showing the structure or ductwork in regular rendered mode. Previously, graphic overrides were part of the data visualizations, and they still are. The difference is that new hide, ghost, and isolate features were added to them. “You can do complex data-based visualizations and apply them to viewports or design layers,” adds Hugues Tsafak, Vectorworks Vice President of Product Development. “Furthermore, these saved data visualization settings can be shared with other users and integrated into other files.”
We are starting with your sheets [drawing documents] and worksheets, but in the next few versions, Reviewer will become a full 2D/3D functioning environment. That is what we are working towards.
Another big new feature in Vectorworks 2025 is the new Two-Point Perspective mode. “The goal was very simple,” says Dr. Sarkar. “We wanted to conform to standard expectations of architects, and our previous perspective system never supported that.” While Vectorworks always had advanced perspective settings with camera-like settings, there was never a simple, direct way to generate a pure two-point perspective where all verticals are parallel.
“The great thing is we have created a persistent state for this,” adds Dr. Sarkar, “so you can work in that mode full time.” Architects who use SketchUp are familiar with the fact that even if you select the two-point perspective mode, it is not persistent, and you quickly exit it the moment you go to another saved view or orbit around a model. The ability to have a persistent state for two-point perspective working is going to make modeling in Vectorworks 2025 very attractive for architects and interior designers in particular.
The new Onscreen View Control 3D cube brings to users simplified 3D/2D navigation and its several features are optional to turn on or off.
Finally, the new Onscreen View Control in Vectorworks 2025 positions a three-dimensional cube in the lower corner of the screen, giving you an interactive way to navigate your model. Faceted corners allow the user to click on them and navigate the model to one of eight isometric views. A free-flow orbiting of the model will take you off preset views, but the cube is always there to help you get back to any view—front, back, right, left, top, bottom, or any of the eight isometric views.
The Onscreen View Control is optional to have displayed. You can hide the whole system if you want. You can also show or hide the three axes or the compass. When you are in the Top view, there is a toggle button on the cube that takes you to the Top/Plan view, which is synonymous with a 2D CAD view of both 2D and 3D BIM objects. Another neat feature is that when you change the active working plane, the X-Y-Z axes update in relation to the control cube. And what about the compass? If your project is geo-referenced, then you can quickly rely on the compass feature to indicate where your model sits in relation to north-south and east-west axes, as well as capture accurate sun shadows.
More Competitiveness
The big stuff just mentioned above includes some items without parallel in the top rival BIM solutions. In the last release, we saw Vectorworks 2024 add true bi-directional linkage between Vectorworks worksheets and Excel worksheets on both Mac and Windows platforms—an industry first and still exclusive. As already mentioned, the new ability to automate the export of BIM models to multiple older versions of Revit all at once is also an industry first. Two years ago, Vectorworks was the first BIM solution for Apple Silicon computers, another industry first.
And speaking of Apple Silicon! We have learned that Apple is planning to create custom chips to handle specific Apple Intelligence (AI) functions. While other AI technologies are developed to run across various flavors of CPUs and GPUs, an ASIC chip is hardware-engineered just for that specific function and tied into software. The tight integration enables unbeatable performance for that software function compared to running it through a CPU or GPU. We are not sure where Vectorworks will go with Apple Intelligence (AI) in the future, but we are sure silicon advantages will exist for it to avail itself of.
Next page: BIM Competitiveness
BIM Competitiveness
BIM tools were severely tested during the COVID-19 pandemic when users learned all about the challenges of remote work. Vectorworks Project Sharing technology reached industrial strength in terms of robustness last year, but Dr. Sarkar noted that they continued to find further ways to increase its robustness. The big news this year is the simplified setup processes for users, which will get all types of teams up and running faster for hybrid BIM workflows.
While distributed work is critical in the present post-pandemic context, it has also driven up the need for better collaboration capabilities. So this year, Vectorworks introduced Vectorworks Cloud Document Reviewer.
The cloud-based Document Reviewer allows users to share both documents and worksheets with anyone via a browser. Once shared, recipients can select areas or objects of interest and leave comments for collaboration. They can also scale objects using a tape measure tool. And for more detailed quantification, they can access an Object Info palette inside Documents Reviewer, where they can see area info for some objects and review the same object data available on the desktop application, including any custom records and ifc_pset used on BIM projects.
“We are starting with your sheets [drawing documents] and worksheets,” says Dr. Sarkar, “but in the next few versions, Reviewer will become a full 2D/3D functioning environment. That is what we are working towards.”
The new Reviewer won’t remain a 2D-only environment for too long. The Maryland, US-based BIM giant intends to bring in full 3D model viewing in the next few releases.
This new cloud tool is going to become Vectorworks’ own CDE (common data environment) tool with an API system that will enable it to talk to other cloud tools. “This will become more meaningful when we have tighter integration with Bluebeam, for example,” adds Dr. Sarkar. “We will be able to get Bluebeam information into Reviewer and can pass that information back and forth between the cloud systems.” In other words, this is the two-way cloud-to-cloud API world that is the future direction for AEC software and, very specifically for Nemetschek, the pathway to gaining more cross-synergies and benefits between Nemetsheck Group products.
For those who don’t follow Bluebeam’s developments closely, the sister company is en route to taking the bulk of its Revu and Studio Sessions capabilities to the cloud. In fact, Studio Sessions are now a part of Bluebeam Cloud, so we can imagine multiple ways in which Vectorworks Document Reviewer can begin to tie in and leverage Bluebeam’s popular collaboration technologies. Stepping back, the new Reviewer is a surprising development but an extremely positive one.
Other New Features
Other new features for AEC professionals include more advancements in managing room finishes for your project. Using the Room Finishes Manager, users have much more flexibility and power in managing finishes inside rooms.
“The ‘space object’ used to be the method for applying this material data, but it was limited to north, south, east, and west walls,” says Darick DeHart. “Now, there are no limits. And we can also support multiple finishes per wall and track ceiling and floor finishes.” One thing that the system does is allow you to input percentages for multiple materials per wall. The tools are data-based, not visual-based, but the system and interface are very visual in how they work.
Complimenting last year’s new intelligent cabinetry tools, this year Vectorworks Architect 2025 introduces a new countertop tool that can intelligently place countertops over the new intelligent cabinet elements. You can also manually define where countertops go, even if they are not over cabinets. The new tool gives the user complete control over the edge design of a counter. It can automatically help users create backsplashes and waterfall edges, plus automatic holes based on interfaces with plumbing fixture objects like sinks and faucets.
The new Countertop Tool follows up on last year’s excellent new intelligent Cabinetry Tool. The tools work hand-in-glove with each other, but users can use the Countertop Tool without relying on a cabinet below it as well.
Other interesting new features and improvements include BIM classification support, including support for international and national standards and sub-classification, plus data tags that dovetail with the new room finishes features. Veteran users will appreciate the new Clip Cube support for hidden line render mode as well as dashed hidden line mode. They will also enjoy the Workspace Editor updates and the Migration Manager to help smooth transitions from one version of Vectorworks to another.
Additionally, there are a host of new features in the industry’s vertical products, including Landmark and entertainment industry solutions. However, in this article, we will stick to just core technologies and those for BIM in architecture and interior design. [You can learn more about the new 2025 release for Vectorworks Landmark and Vectorworks Spotlight here.]
Final Comments
We began this article by noting how Vectorworks 2025 can export out BIM models to multiple older versions of Revit and how useful that actually is in the day-to-day of AEC projects. Items like this are actually pain points that AEC professionals confront every day.
Clearly, the North American AEC market and foreign equivalents like the EU have different sets of industry challenges. The reason I mention this is it serves to address a question posed to Dr. Sarkar about the landmark Autodesk and Nemetschek Group API sharing agreement announced earlier this year. A question that emerged was why the ODA libraries would continue to hold value in light of the API sharing agreement.
Dr. Sarkar tells me that the ODA and the API agreement are parallel paths to the same thing—namely, better industry interoperability. Both have their place and role in the ongoing development of Vectorworks, and interestingly, having Autodesk APIs to work with won’t be a magic pill.
“The API is fine, but you still have to translate a Revit wall into a Vectorworks wall, and that is where the main work lies,” he notes. “Whether you use the API or the ODA library or both, the work is still there on the translation side.”
The most exciting aspect of Vectorworks 2025 is its transformative approach to the design process… Vectorworks is putting more emphasis on the user experience as we advance.
Noting that I have already heard that part of the push for the API agreement was to provide access to Autodesk Construction Cloud from Nemetschek BIM tools, Dr. Sarkar clearly stated: “As you are aware, a majority of our architectural uses are in Europe, and they have less interest in collaborating in their projects using Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) or BIM 360, so we don’t currently hear this request much but that may change in the future.”
And speaking of the future, I asked Dr. Sarkar what impressed him about this latest Vectorworks version. “The most exciting aspect of Vectorworks 2025 is its transformative approach to the design process,” he says, something that is evident in the new visibility options taken down to the object level as well as the new onscreen controls that boost efficiency working in 3D models. Dr. Sarkar says that this release strikes an “impressive balance between simplifying tasks and deepening existing functionalities.”
More than that, the improvements provide flexibility at the individual user optimization level and the group collaborative optimization level. Dr. Sarkar simply notes, “In other words, Vectorworks is putting more emphasis on the user experience as we advance.”