Drag A Copy. This is a very fast way to copy objects. I know you can use the Duplicate command, or you can use the keyboard shortcut, but with this method you create the copy and drag the object to the correct location. With the Duplicate command you will still have…
Selection tool. It may seem strange to have this one in the list. After all, don’t we all use the Selection tool? Well, we do, but do we use it correctly, or do we know what you can do with it?
Set the Tool Preferences. Nearly every tool as preferences for the tools. If you select a tool, say a door, then edit the preferences for the door, every door you place in the drawing will be the same. This can save you a lot of aggravation, it will save you a…
Set Your Preferences. The preferences in Vectorworks can be set to suit you the user. Some people find it faster to click and drag to draw an object. I find it easier to click to start, then click to finish. This is a preference we can choose.
Tool Bar Shortcuts. There are keyboard shortcuts, hot keys really, to change the Tool bar options. The hot keys are controlled in the Workspace Editor. You can change these, but I don’t recommend it.
Learn Hot Keys. Hot keys are for tools and tool bar icons. Hot keys do not need the command or control keys, just the key for the tool.
Learn Keyboard shortcuts. The keyboard shortcuts are the way to quickly access menu commands. For example, if you look at the File menu, it has all the common commands, then on the right side are the keyboard shortcuts.
Use The Right Mouse Button. If you have a one button mouse, throw it away. A two button mouse with a scroll wheel is the way to go. There are so many commands and setting you can access with the right mouse click. Start using it now.
Customize Vectorworks – Edit the Workspace. Editing the workspace is the first step in customizing Vectorworks. This is where you can remove tools and commands you do not use, and make other tools and commands easier to find.
Draw With Objects. If you draw with objects (rectangles, polygons circles and so on) you will be quicker. For example to draw a rectangle with 4 lines will 8 clicks. To create the same shape with the rectangle tools will take 2 clicks. This may not sound like much but very…