|
|
Cadalyst Labs Review: VectorWorks 12
1 May, 2006 By: Steven S. RossComprehensive, stable CAD—and works on a Mac, too
This major upgrade of an old standby from Nemetschek North America (formerly Diehl Graphsoft) comes in multiple-feature flavors for Windows 2000 SP 4 and newer and Macintosh (higher than OS X 10.2).
 |
The most confusing thing about the product seems to be the marketing. The software itself worked fine in my tests using Windows XP and Macintosh OS X 10.3. Although the VectorWorks interface has been simplified a bit since v11 (figure 1), it's highly customizable, and most users will quickly adapt to the shorter menu command chains. The Mac and Windows interfaces are almost identical.
 Figure 1. Default VectorWorks interface packs a lot of icons into a small space but doesn t cause confusion. The measurements at the top and left side of the drawing window are distances from the drawing s origin point, which can be recentered at will. |
I reviewed the Designer version, which used to be called the Industry Collection. It combines VectorWorks Architect, Landmark (for planners and landscape design), Spotlight (stage and movie set design) and Machine Design (formerly Mechanical, for designers and fabricators). The multiple-discipline package and a nifty multimedia CD of core VectorWorks functions carries a list price of $1,795. Individual disciplines are $400 less, and the base product (Fundamentals) costs $995. Street prices through independent dealers tend to be lower, of course. Upgrade of the complete package from v11 runs $500; individual upgrades start at $280.
 Vectorworks Designer 12 With Renderworks |
On the architectural side, v12 is ideal for small offices doing residential and commercial construction. Because these offices often handle landscaping or coordinate with landscape architects and planners, the Designer package could be a good choice.
For set design, VectorWorks has always been the best dedicated package available. V12 adds better control over lighting (actual contours can be passed on to the company's RenderWorks engine for spectacular accuracy in predicting lighting effects; see figure 2). Users can also export Spotlight models for real-time simulation with ESP Vision, lighting previsualization software from ZZYZX. ESP works with any lighting console, so you can visualize a show in VectorWorks Spotlight and run it in ESP Vision.
 Figure 2. This VectorWorks rendering was created using custom radiosity to set the triangle sizes. It includes one directional light and another area light in the window. |
You don't want to be building truly complex assemblies (say engines or candy-making machines) with the mechanical design package, but most part design tasks before and including the subassembly level are well within its capabilities.
File Exchange
Users in this target group often have to exchange files with others, often with bigger practices and corporations that use more sophisticated (and more expensive) CAD software. VectorWorks always had fairly good file-exchange features, and they have been enhanced.
1 2 3 4
|
|
AutoCAD Tips!
Autodesk Technical Evangelist Lynn Allen guides you through a different AutoCAD feature in every edition of her popular "Circles and Lines" tutorial series. For even more AutoCAD how-to, check out Lynn's quick tips in the Cadalyst Video Gallery. Subscribe to Cadalyst's Tips & Tricks Tuesdays free e-newsletter and we'll notify you every time a new video tip is available. All exclusively from Cadalyst! |
Poll not yet available. |
