The Vectorworks 2025 product line is now available for new and existing users. The new version boasts exciting new visualization and user control features as part of its core technologies, along with updates to cloud technologies and specific new features and updates for its “industry series” products.
Vectorworks 2025
The product lineup includes Vectorworks Architect 2025 (for architects, urban designers, interior design professionals, etc.), Vectorworks Landmark 2025 (for landscape architects, landscape designers, and urban planning professionals, etc.), Vectorworks Spotlight2025, Vision 2025, and Braceworks 2025 (for entertainment design professionals), and ConnectCAD 2025 (for entertainment industry professionals and AV (audio-visual) professionals, etc).
“Vectorworks 2025 represents a major step forward in how our users can approach design and visualization, opening a whole new world of visual understanding, communication, and limitless potential,” said Vectorworks Chief Product Officer Darick DeHart. “We have carefully listened to our customers’ feedback and are proud to have incorporated their voices, suggestions, and requests into many of the exceptional features in this latest version. We believe that this thoughtfully curated version will enhance workflow efficiency and empower designers to push the boundaries of their creativity.”
Core Technology Updates
It looks like the Maryland-based US subsidiary of the Nemetschek Group has gone all in developing a sophisticated “object-level” visibility technology inside version 2025. Users can now show, ghost, hide, and isolate specific objects with their own visibility controls while also doing more similar types of view controls on specific types of objects based on class and layer and as part of viewports and data visualization schemes.
The new Two-Point Perspective feature in Vectorworks 2025.
In addition, other updates that fall in the visualization category include a new onscreen view control UI update. The new capabilities feature a 3D cube in the lower left corner of the main window and provide the user with an alternative method for moving around a 3D model or scene (a scene in Vectorworks could contain both 2D and 3D elements). This new one-click UI device enables a faster way to access all your model views—including straight-on flat 2D views and not just all 3D views. The user can select to display XYZ axes, compass direction, and working planes if so desired.
Also related to this update is a new two-point perspective mode as part of the View menu and general navigation around a 3D model. Veteran Vectorworks users are familiar with the orbit tools and moving around a model in such a way that three-point perspectives are the norm. Now, architects will appreciate all their verticals being truly vertical in their 3D scene views.
Other core updates include pushing Revit file exports up into the Vectorworks Cloud to offload that work, in addition to scheduled automation of this task. Project Sharing has a new and more straightforward setup process, and there are new automatic backups and save options for offline files. There are also new DXF/DWG collaboration capabilities, which Architosh will delve into in an upcoming feature report on Vectorworks Architect 2025.
Cloud Updates
While we have just mentioned a few new cloud-based updates, the big new cloud technology is the brand-new Vectorworks Cloud Document Reviewer.
Vectorworks Architect 2025 delivers innovative new object visibility options for users along with Revit, DWG and data management improvements useful to architects’ general workflows. There is also a new Vectorworks Cloud Documents Reviewer marking the beginning of a CDE solution just for the platform.
The new offering allows project participants to view and comment on documents and can do so from any web-enabled device (computer, iPad, smartphone). When participants select certain objects in documents in the cloud, they can view data in worksheets and obtain data on specific objects. It means that a general contractor could view and select a light fixture in a plan and obtain detailed specification data.
The commentary field enables anybody with a sharable URL link to comment. The larger goal with the new Reviewer application in the Vectorworks Cloud is to work towards a full CDE (common data environment). Architosh will delve deeper into the Vectorworks Cloud Document Reviewer in an upcoming feature article.
Vectorworks Architect 2025
This year’s release is heavy on core technology updates and lighter on industry-specific new features for Architect 2025. However, there are three major new updates in the form of BIM Construction Classification, Room Finishes, and the new Countertops tools.
The first of these lets users assign classifications to Vectorworks objects and sub-parts and manage them centrally via rules and criteria. With Room Finishes tools, the user can select multiple walls and apply surfaces to them with a single click. This rapid process can be repeated through the building’s many surfaces, and then the user can manage, annotate, and create reports and customizable data visualizations.
New Room Finishes features streamline annotation and documentation workflows for users.
The new countertop tool marries the big cabinetry tools that were updated in the previous year’s update. It balances automation with flexible customization so users can achieve the exacting overhang edge conditions and backsplashes. The tools also feature efficient and automatic hole cuts for plumbing penetrations, etc.
Industry Versions
The other industry versions are also chock full of updates and improvements. A key item for Landmark 2025 is the new Curbs, Edges, and Borders tools. These will allow designers to better create accurate curbs and edge conditions based on specific user-controlled profile extrusions or individual placement. You can read about other Landmark 2025 updates here.
For the entertainment industry products, users will now have the ability to run real-time previsualizations directly inside Vectorworks with intuitive, live control of light fixtures and the ability to run test runs inside the software. This will give users the ability to explore and experiment with lighting scenes and then set, adjust, and edit to get their scenes just right.
There are over a half dozen major new capabilities and improvements across the suite of entertainment industry software from Vectorworks. You can learn more here.
To learn more about Vectorworks 2025 products, click here.