You may not want to upgrade, you may not be able to afford to upgrade, but I still think you should read about what is new in Vectorworks 2011. There are some new ways what will change the way you think about creating your models.
If you are working on a refurbishment, renovation or remodel project, should you model the building, or just draw the building using really simple objects? You should really use walls, because then you can easily add doors and windows. This workshop will show you techniques for working with refurbishment projects….
I think that Rendering is one of the fun parts of VectorWorks, You can see you buildings coming to life. Getting the lighting right and setting the correct rendering can take you some time.
More of my clients are being asked for a 3D presentation of a plumbing schematic. If you create the building as a model, with the correct symbols, layers and classes, this can be straightforward to create.
Textures in Vectorworks can make you designs come to life. Stop presenting dull lifeless views of your projects. Textures can help your clients see what you really have in mind. You can use textures to make things reflect, make things see through, and so on. Image props allow you to…
There are several ways to create stairs in Vectorworks. There a a few tools you can use, some for simple stairs and some for more complex stairs. Then, you can ignore all the tools and use other methods. If you want.
Vectorworks comes with several irrigation tools. There is a tool for placing irrigation pipework, and there are two tools for placing sprinklers and drip emitters. When the pipework and emitters are placed, you can create a schedule of the parts.
Stacked layers and unified view allow you see al your layers together, so when you change views, all the layers change. But there are some things to watch for.
There is a trick you can use to try to save a corrupt file. It often works, but it does not always work. The technique uses Workgroup Referencing to grab all the Design Layers, but you can not get any of the sheet layers, or sheet layer viewports.
We often have to work with consultants and clients that do not use Vectorworks. DXF or DWG (AutoCAD) is usually the best way to do this. It will allow the you to use their information in Vectorworks, or it will allow them to import your work.