Architect Special Interest Group July 2017 (pm)

In this session, we looked at the Resource Manager in more detail and covered what things can be stored in a personal library file and what things should be saved in a template file.

Topics Covered:

• 00:16    Except for the Vectorworks Library and Vectorworks Subscription Libraries, we started with a Resource Manager cleared of any files. I’ve been accumulating my favorite Vectorworks resources for many years. With the release of Vectorworks 2017, it is once again possible for me to keep all of these resources in one file. If your Resource Manager seems too crowded and busy to you, you can simply turn off the Vectorworks and Subscription Libraries, leaving you with only the resources in open files and those in your Favorites folder. If, at any point during your work, you want to regain access to the other resources in the Resource Manager, you can easily turn them back on. When you perform a search in the main Resource Manager window, remember that Vectorworks doesn’t have to search through “All Resources”; you can limit your search by selecting a category (e.g., Hatches, Wall Styles) from the pull-down menu. An advantage to using wall styles that you’ve used on previous projects is that, when you import those styles into your current project, they’ll bring all of your preferred graphic attributes and classes with them. We went over what settings are best to use in your wall styles. When you have a wall style with all the settings how you like them, you should save it in your library file and add it to the Favorites folder in the Resource Manager. In addition, I showed how to quickly add these styles to your library file without even opening the file.
• 16:50    The settings of some Vectorworks tools (Eyedropper Tool, Scale Bar) are changed when you go to the Tool bar and select their settings through the Preferences dialog box; changing their settings in Preferences and closing that dialog box sets those as your default settings. The challenge is how to transfer these settings to other files. Using the example of the Scale Bar, we discussed several work-arounds for accomplishing this. One thing to be aware of is that some tool preferences (e.g., those for the North Arrow and Elevation Benchmark) must be saved in a template file if you want easy access to them. Other Vectorworks tools and objects, such as dimension standards, are equally difficult to store in a library. How do you work around this? In addition, Vectorworks 2017 does not open a mini Resource Manager window for each tool set; some objects, such as framing members, still use the old Resource Browser windows, which don’t include any resources stored in the Favorites folder. We discussed ways of finding your preferred resources in spite of these challenges.
• 28:06      Another thing to be aware of when searching for something through the Resource Manager is where Vectorworks is looking. Is Vectorworks looking in the Selected File, in Enabled Libraries Only, or Everywhere? We discussed where to find these settings and how to modify a search to meet your current search needs. Searching in the Resource Manager for a Tizio lamp symbol that I had created showed the importance of Refresh Libraries, the History Back button, and other features of the Resource Manager and how they affect a search. There’s a lot of power in the Resource Manager. Including a personal library file with all your Vectorworks “stuff” in the Favorites folder can make it even more powerful!

Architect July 2017 pm
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