Vectorworks Releases 2019 Version of Its Software
On September 12, Vectorworks released the 2019 version of its BIM software, including updates to add-ons Architect, Landmark, Spotlight, Fundamentals, Designer, Bracework, and Vision. The move comes less than six months after the company released its 2018 version of the software.
As usual, Vectorworks asked for user feedback on what changes it should make, then incorporated some of the top suggestions it received. “For this release, we listened closely to our customers and balanced new innovations with exceptional quality and performance improvements,” said CEO Biplab Sarkar in a company press release. “Specifically, in Vectorworks 2019 we concentrated on our customers’ most common workflows and usage patterns to increase their overall productivity with Vectorworks products across the board.”
One of the features of Vectorworks 2019 is the ability to make 2D drawings instantly from any 3D object. (Image courtesy of Vectorworks.)
One of the most frequently requested features that was incorporated in Vectorworks 2019 was the ability to use the Clip Cube option on sheet layer viewports. Clip Cube lets the user “clip” away part of a 3D model to look and work inside of it. Now, users can apply that feature on sheet layer viewports as well. A further improvement to 3D modeling involves the addition of a tool that enables designers to “contour” the land a building is on in a way that doesn’t require them to manually change the building.
Vectorworks also made some more general improvements to the product’s workflow. The new Data Tag tool in Vectorworks 2019 is meant to provide a consistent way of tagging and showing data on intelligent objects, enabling users to either tag objects individually or tag multiple objects simultaneously. Additionally, the layer and class list is now keyword-searchable, enabling designers to find layers without manually searching through the list.”Vectorworks 2019 is a release that will have a dramatic impact on productivity, allowing designers to make their day-to-day design work faster and easier,” Steve Johnson, vice president of product development, said in a company press release. Finally, according to Johnson, the process of opening files will be up to four times faster.
When it comes to 2D documentation, one of the biggest changes is the ability to instantly make 2D drawings from 3D and BIM models of hybrid objects. You can choose the view for an object (top down, front on, side view, etc.)For architects and engineers who frequently have to make presentations to shareholders, the most useful new feature is likely viewport image effects, which allows users to edit images right inside of Vectorworks. This means that they can prepare any presentation boards without having to use an external program like Photoshop.
As of publication, an English language version of the software is available. It will be followed by localized European, Australian and New Zealand editions, then Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Japanese and Chinese versions.