Nemetschek VECTORWORKS ARCHITECT GETTING STARTED GUIDE
2011 Getting Started Guide
The contents of this printed guide and
accompanying exercise CD were originally
created for Nemetschek Vectorworks, Inc.
by Steve Hader.
©1985–2010 Nemetschek Vectorworks, Inc.
Vectorworks and MiniCAD are registered trademarks of Nemetschek Vectorworks, Inc.
Renderworks is a trademark of Nemetschek Vectorworks, Inc.
Windows is a registered trademark of the Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries.
Macintosh is a registered trademark of Apple Inc.
Table of Contents
Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 3
Section 1: Program Installation and Setup
Installing the Vectorworks Architect Program
Exercise 1: Launching the Program and Opening the Starting File
Exercise 2: Adjusting Preference Settings
Section 2: Laying Out Room Areas
Exercise 3: Drawing Exterior Walls
Exercise 4: Drawing Interior Walls
Exercise 5: Drawing Second-Floor Walls and Adding a Stair
Section 3: Creating Architectural Elements
Exercise 6: Creating the First-Floor Plan
Exercise 7: Creating the Second-Floor Plan
Section 4: Working with Multiple Level
Exercise 8: Creating and Modifying the Roof
Exercise 9: Editing Architectural Elements
Section 5: Creating Construction Documents
Exercise 10: Generating Construction Drawings.
Exercise 11: Adding Annotations
Exercise 12: Printing Construction Drawings.
............................................................................ 9
.............................................................. 9
................................................................. 12
..................................................................................... 15
............................................................................ 16
.............................................................................25
......................................................................... 37
...................................................................38
..............................................................48
................................................................................55
.............................................................56
................................................................61
.....................................................................69
...................................................... 70
................................................................................ 81
............................................................84
........................... 10
....................................29
Introduction
Welcome to Vectorworks Architect! This tutorial will introduce you to key tools and techniques
for drawing and editing as well as provide a streamlined workflow to provide the proper
framework for exploring the full power of Vectorworks Architect on your own.
Important: For free tutorial updates, bonus content, and instructional videos from the
Architect Getting Started website, see www.nemetschek.net/training/2011/architect-
2011-getting-started-guide.php.
Overview of the Modeling Process
In this thematic tutorial, you use Vectorworks Architect to design a modern vacation home.
You begin with a pre-configured (but otherwise blank) starting file, and continue using this
single file for all design phases and documents. You complete the project by creating and
printing various construction documents:
Note: The house
design in this tutorial
was adapted from
the award-winning
Dwell Home design
by Resolution: 4
Architecture.
Vectorworks Architect 2011 Getting St arted Guide | 3
As you work through 11 continuing
exercises, you develop the house design
using a combination of standard Vectorworks and Vectorworks Architect tools to
complete the following design features and
documentation processes in order:
• Room layouts (walls)
• Architectural elements (floors, doors,
windows, and other symbols)
• Multiple level features (roof)
• Construction documents (commonly used)
• Annotations
• Batch Printing
Notes:
1) Starting with Exercise 3 (p. 16), you can
optionally open completed exercise files (from the
DVD’s Data Set folder or www.nemetschek.net/
training/2011/architect-2011-getting-started-
guide.php) to check your model or to skip ahead
to the beginning of the next exercise. For
example, open the GS -V WA x10.vwx file
(completed Exercise 10) to start at the beginning
of Exercise 11. See General Exercise Tips (p.
6) for more information.
2) This tutorial focuses on creating or setting
up only the most common construction
documents for a house design project.
4 | Vectorworks Architect 2011 Getting St arted Guide
How to Use This Tutorial
This tutorial is also provided as an e-Book in PDF format. You can view the PDF tutorial
on-screen for enhanced electronic benefits including navigation links and search features.
If you choose to view the tutorial on-screen, you can optionally enable Reflow viewing mode
(available from the View menu only in the Adobe Reader 7 or Adobe Acrobat 7 programs,
available from the View > Zoom menu in newer versions) to display the text with a wrapping
effect similar to a web browser. You can then adjust the Zoom level and resize both the
tutorial and Vectorworks windows to display them side-by-side as on p. 6.
Notes:
1) You can review workflow sequencing and
locate specific procedures by scanning the
process lists at the start of each section. The
process lists are also hyperlinked to facilitate
navigation.
2) If you view the tutorial on-screen, look for the
Previous View and Next View tools at
the bottom of the screen (or available in the Page
Navigation tool bar in newer versions). These useful
tools—available in Adobe Reader and Acrobat—let
you revert or repeat navigational changes by page
controls, bookmarks, and hyperlinks.
3) The Adobe Reader Search tool
provides more extensive options for searching
text than the Find command.
Vectorworks Architect 2011 Getting St arted Guide | 5
General Exercise Tips
Use the following tips to facilitate working with your exercise drawing files:
• Read each step carefully and make sure
your results match the figures. If your results
vary from the figures, stop immediately and
review the previous steps. If you can’t find
the problem quickly, start the exercise over
with the appropriate supplied file.
• Alternate methods are shown for acti-
vating many tools, commands, and modes.
Use the method that works best for you.
• In many cases, you must click in the
drawing area after using the Navigation
palette before continuing with the next step.
• Watch for SmartCursor cues that appear
when you hover your cursor over significant
drawing object geometry. Pause briefly over
snap points to display the red snap box, and
watch for the red confirmation dot displayed
temporarily after you complete the snap.
When too many red snap boxes are
displayed in congested areas, you can press
the Esc key once to clear the display, or you
can temporarily disable all snaps by holding
down the backquote key (`).
• For some operations, additional view
adjustments may be required. For these
cases, press the Z key for the Snap Loupe
shortcut, or use the Zoom, Pan, and Fit to
Objects tools as required. If you have a
mouse wheel, use it to zoom in and out.
• To pan across the drawing at any time
(even if a tool or command is active), hold
down the Space bar and drag the cursor.
• If you inadvertently cleared a selection
required for an active tool or command,
press Space bar + X temporarily, and then
select the object(s).
• Many tools have different operational
modes, which you can select in the Tool bar
(located above the drawing window).
• Keep the Object Info palette open. To
open it, select Window > Palettes > Object
Info. It displays valuable information and
provides access to key properties of
selected objects.
• Press the Esc key to cancel any
operation. If you are using a tool, it will still
be active, but you can then start drawing
again or choose another tool. Sometimes,
you must press the Esc key before you use a
keyboard shortcut to activate another tool.
• Use the Undo command in the Edit
menu to revert steps as necessary (both
drawing and view changes are reverted).
6 | Vectorworks Architect 2011 Getting St arted Guide
• For tools that create multiple segments
(such as the Wall tool), press the Delete key
once while the tool is active to revert a single
segment, or press it repeatedly to revert
additional segments.
• If multiple files are open, you may need
to click the Resource Browser’s Home
button
if your house file isn’t active.
• Object artifacts may remain in the
drawing area after some drawing and editing
operations. To refresh the screen and clear
the artifacts, double-click the Pan tool
(in the Basic tools palette).
• Save your files often to prevent data loss.
Important:
1) Exercise steps in this tutorial are based on
default preference settings from a new
installation of the Vectorworks Architect
program. Results for some steps may vary
from the figures if your preference settings
differ from the defaults.
2) Close any open files before you open a
completed exercise file (only if you plan on
using it to start the next exercise).
Using Metric Units with
Exercises
All exercise data set files for this tutorial are
set to use imperial units. If you want to use
metric values for the exercise steps, enter
the values exactly as shown in [square
brackets, with the unit mark], and Vectorworks will convert the values accordingly. If
you want to measure distances or drawing
objects for reference, use the appropriate
dimension tool and object snaps to create
temporary dimensions, which are set by
default to display alternate units in metric
values. Delete the temporary dimensions
when finished.
Note: For proper exercise operation—and to
validate your results with the imperial figures—do
not change the document’s units setting to metric.
Vectorworks Architect 2011 Getting St arted Guide | 7
Checking Your Work
The GS -V WAxCheck.vw x file is included
in the Data Set folder so you can verify the
accuracy of your file. If you want to use this
file to check your work:
1. Copy the Data Set folder on the DVD
to any location on your hard disk.
2. In step 3 of Exercise 1 (p. 10), open
the GS-V WAx01.vwx file in the Data Set
folder, and then save the file under the
name House.v wx in the Data Set folder
on your hard disk.
Notes:
1) Before you use any of the supplied files to
start any other exercise, save your current file
under a different name, and then open the
read-only file (from the Data Set folder on your
hard disk) and save it as House.vwx in the Data
Set folder.
2) You must name your file “House“ and
save it in the Data Set folder to ensure the
GS-VWAxCh eck.v wx file works properly.
3. After saving your House.vwx file at the
end of exercises 3 through 11, open the
GS-V WA xCheck.v wx file from the Data
Set folder on your hard disk, and then
follow the exercise-specific checking
instructions exactly as shown in the last
steps of the exercise.
Keyboard Shortcuts
All keyboard shortcuts included in this
guide are based on the Windows operating
system. If you’re using a Macintosh, use the
Option key instead of the Alt key, and use
the Cmd key instead of the Ctrl key. Refer
to the Vectorworks 2011 Shortcuts PDF
file (available from the Online Help) to print
a complete list of your own keyboard
shortcuts.
8 | Vectorworks Architect 2011 Getting St arted Guide
Section 1: Program
Installation and Setup
In this section, you start by installing the Vectorworks Architect program. Following installation, two exercises cover the following program setup and interface adjustment processes:
• Activating the Architect Workspace (p. 10)
•
Opening the Starting File (p. 11)
• Adjusting Vectorworks Preferences (p. 12)
• Adjusting Snapping Settings (p. 13)
• Adjusting Grid and Smart Point Settings (p. 13)
• Setting the Default Font (p. 14)
• Adjusting the Navigation Palette Display (p. 14)
• Adjusting Quick Prefs (p. 14)
In these exercises, you activate (or reset) the Vectorworks Architect interface, and then you
adjust program preference settings and adjust the interface.
Installing the Vectorworks
Architect Program
Note: If you have already installed Vectorworks Architect, start with step 2 below.
1. Follow the installation instructions in the
ReadMe le located in the root folder of your
installation DVD.
2. Start the program. You can do this by
selecting Programs > Vectorworks2011 >
Vectorworks2011 from the Windows
Start menu.
3. From the menu, select Help > Check for
Updates. If updating is necessary, follow
the on-screen instructions.
4. Close Vectorworks (if it’s still running) to
reset the program.
Vectorworks Architect 2011 Getting St arted Guide | 9
Exercise 1: Launching the Program
and Opening the Starting File
In this exercise, you launch the application and activate the Vectorworks Architect
workspace. After a brief orientation of the Architect interface, you then open the supplied
starting le.
Activating the Architect
Workspace
You start by launching the Vectorworks
program.
1. From the Windows Start menu, select
Programs > Vectorworks2011 >
Vectorworks2011.
10 | Vectorworks Architect 2011 Getting St arted Guide
2. From the menu, select Tools >
Workspaces > Architect. If the Architect
workspace is already active, select it again
to reset the interface. Position the
Navigation palette where shown, and
examine key areas of the interface identied
in the following gure.
Opening the Starting File
Next, you open the supplied starting le. To
save time, this starting le contains many
pre-congured resources, and is already
fully set up for creating a two-story structure
without a basement.
Note: Before you open the supplied starting file,
see Checking Your Work (p. 8).
3. From the menu, select File > Open. In
the Open Vectorworks Drawing dialog box,
open the Data Set folder and open the
(read-only) GS-VWAx01.vwx
boundary is displayed, and it’s ready for
laying out the rst oor room areas.
4. From the menu, select File > Save
As
, and save the le under the name
House.vwx.
You can now skip ahead to Exercise 2 (p.
12), or you can use the Online Help
system to review the following commands
that were used to set up this le:
• Document Setup – Species layer
scale, drawing area (page setup), sheet
border, and title block settings used by the
Create Standards Viewports command.
• Model Setup – Creates basic design
layers, with appropriate height settings for
3D objects.
• Create Standard Viewports – Cre-
ates design layer, sheet layer, sheet layer
viewport, and class schemes appropriate for
selected construction documents. Also
creates matching “working” views, which
you use throughout the project to facilitate
le navigation.
le. The page
• Standard Naming – For enabling the
Auto-classing option to assign class names
and attributes to many of the objects you
create. Visibility of these classes is handled
automatically in sheet layer viewports and
saved views generated by the Create
Standard Viewports command.
Notes:
1) Design layers are used in architectural
projects as spatial containers for creating
drawing objects.
2) Sheet layers provide a 2D-only page layout
environment for printing.
3) Sheet layer viewports are individual 2D “live
camera view” objects that reside on sheet layers
but display 2D and 3D drawing objects on design
layers. When you modify drawing objects on a
design layer, the viewport itself doesn’t change,
but it displays the changes in the design layers.
4) Classes are used to control display
properties of drawing objects.
Important: As you start the tutorial, do not
be concerned if you don’t fully understand the
file structure and setup commands. As you
progress through the exercises, you will see
how the file structure works in context of a
design project. For step by step file setup
instructions from the Architect Getting Started
website, see www.nemetschek.net/
training/2011/architect-2011-getting-startedguide.php.
Vectorworks Architect 2011 Getting St arted Guide | 11
Exercise 2: Adjusting
Preference Settings
In this exercise, you verify and adjust program preferences.
Adjusting Vectorworks
Preferences
Next, you verify or adjust key application
preference settings to ensure proper
exercise operation, turn on scroll bars to
facilitate navigation, and increase the
maximum number of undos so you can
revert exercise steps if necessary.
1. Click
bar and select Vectorworks Preferences.
In the Vectorworks Preferences dialog box,
select the Edit tab, and then verify or adjust
settings as shown (keep the dialog box
open for the next three steps).
on the far right side of the Tool
2. Select the Display tab, and enable the
Scroll bars option, and then verify or adjust
other settings as shown.
3. Select the Session tab, and then enter
100 in the Maximum number of undos
eld. Verify or adjust other settings as shown.
12 | Vectorworks Architect 2011 Getting St arted Guide
4. Select the Interactive tab, and then
change the cursor’s Selection box size and
Snap box size, and verify or adjust other
settings as shown at right. Click OK to save
the settings and close the dialog box.
Adjusting Snapping Settings
5. Verify or adjust options in the Snapping
palette (as shown at right), and then click
the X in the palette’s upper right corner to
close it.
Adjusting Grid and Smart
Point Settings
6. Press Ctrl + 8 to display the SmartCursor Settings dialog box. If a tip is displayed,
click OK and then select Grid from the
Category list. Clear the Show Grid Lines
and Print Grid Lines checkboxes, and
verify or adjust other settings (.125”
[3.18mm], 1/2" [12.70mm]) as shown at left.
From the Category list, click Smart Point,
and verify or adjust settings as shown at
right. Click OK to close the dialog box and
save the changes.
Vectorworks Architect 2011 Getting St arted Guide | 13
Setting the Default Font
Next, you adjust the default font.
7. From the menu, select Text > Font >
Arial to set the default font (if it’s not set to
Arial already), and then select Text > Size >
12 to set the default font size to 12 point (if
it’s not set to 12 already).
Adjusting the Navigation
Palette Display
8. If your Navigation palette is not already
displayed, from the menu, select Window >
Palettes > Navigation. If necessary,
expand the Navigation palette by dragging
the lower right corner to resize it.
9. In the Attributes and Navigation palettes,
turn on Auto Hide
(Windows only).
Adjusting Quick Prefs
Next, you display appropriate Quick Prefs
on the Tool bar for instant access at all
times when any le is open.
10. Click on the far right side of the Tool
bar, and then from the Quick Prefs menu:
• Select Auto Join Walls to display the
Auto Join Walls
• Select Hide Details to display the
Hide Details
button on the Tool bar.
button on the Tool bar.
Section 2: Laying Out
Room Areas
In three exercises, this section covers the following processes in the home design project:
• Drawing Connected Walls (p. 16)
• Applying Geometric Constraints to Walls (p. 18)
• Adjusting Dimension Preferences (p. 19)
• Dimensioning Walls (p. 20)
• Dynamically Adjusting the Layout (p. 20)
• Precisely Adjusting the Layout (p. 21)
• Drawing the Functional Area Walls (p. 25)
• Drawing the Pantry Wall (p. 26)
• Completing a Wall Y-Join with a Geometric Constraint (p. 26)
• Dimensioning Walls (p. 27)
•
Copying Walls for the Second Floor Plan (p. 29)
• Joining Walls (p. 30)
• Drawing Remaining Walls (p. 31)
• Dimensioning Walls (p. 31)
• Inserting a Stair Object (p. 32)
• Modifying the Stairwell, Foyer, and Deck Walls (p. 33)
In these exercises, you work on design
layers as you start the design by drawing
wall objects (using unique wall styles for
maximum exibility) in approximate
proportions. You then:
• Place geometric constraints on
related walls.
• Automatically create associative
dimensions for all walls.
• Use a combination of dynamic and
precise methods to progressively tighten the
accuracy and dene basic spatial relationships of the rooms.
Note: Although you can also use space planning
tools and massing models, this tutorial covers
tools for drawing walls directly.
Vectorworks Architect 2011 Getting St arted Guide | 15
Exercise 3: Drawing Exterior Walls
In this exercise, you draw the exterior walls to dene the rst oor envelope. The completed
exercise is shown in the following gure.
Drawing Connected Walls
You start the exercise by setting an
appropriate zoom level, and then you draw
four walls using the 6.5" [165.1mm] Generic
Ext style to represent the storage room. You
use this wall style as a unique placeholder
for exterior walls until you replace it with the
nal conguration in Exercise 9 (p. 60). To
create this wall style, a default content wall
style was duplicated and renamed (the
original style was not modied) to avoid:
• Conicts for other users who may
already be familiar with the properties of the
default content style.
• Unintentionally replacing other walls in
a project that may have the default content
style property.
1. If you did not complete Exercise 2—or
you are unsure of your le’s accuracy—
open the GS-VWAx02.v w x le.
16 | Vectorworks Architect 2011 Getting St arted Guide
2. From the View bar, click Fit to Page
Area
click Wall
[165.1mm] Generic Ext from the Wall Style
drop-down list (if it’s not already active).
Note: Before you continue, view the animation of
steps 3 through 9 (AGSx03_03-09.mov file from
the DVD’s Movies folder or www.nemetschek.
net/training/2011/architect-2011-getting-started-
guide.php).
3. Draw four connected walls in clockwise
order, starting at the lower left corner,
approximately where shown at left (use the
page border for approximate positional
reference): Draw the rst two segments, and
then use angle snaps and acquire a Smart
Point (see Note 2 on p. 17) at the starting
vertex to control the length of the third
segment to keep the walls square.
. From the Building/Shell tool set,
. In the Tool bar, select 6.5"
Notes:
1) Drawing exterior connected walls in a
clockwise direction ensures that the interior and
exterior sides are oriented correctly.
2) Before you draw the last segment, pause the
cursor briefly over the starting vertex until the
Smart Point is acquired (red box displayed). Pause
the cursor one time to acquire a Smart Point; pause
the cursor a second time to clear a smart point.
4. From the Basic tools palette, cclick the
Selection Tool
. In the Tool bar, make
sure the Enable Connected Walls Mode
option is enabled. Drag two of the walls
to verify the connections, as shown at right.
Next, you draw the L-shaped exterior walls
that dene the perimeter of the functional
area and living room.
5. Press the 9 key for the Wall tool shortcut.
Use the same drawing technique to draw six
connected walls in clockwise order, starting
at the lower left, approximately where shown.
6. Press the X key for the Selection Tool
shortcut. Drag various walls from the
L-shaped room to verify the connections,
as shown.
Vectorworks Architect 2011 Getting St arted Guide | 17
Applying Geometric
Constraints to Walls
Next, you apply colinear constraints to four
walls to maintain the distance between them
and their alignment.
7. Press the X key
twice to clear the
current selection.
click the Zoom tool
. In the Tool bar,
make sure Marquee Zoom Mode is
active, and then draw a marquee around the
area shown (at left) to zoom in. From the
Dims/Notes tool set, hold down the left mouse
button on the Constrain Coincident tool
to open the yout palette, and then click
Constrain Colinear , as shown below.
8. Click the midpoints of the wall segments
in order, (shown below) to place colinear
constraints between the midpoints and
constrain the walls along their centerlines
(notice the horizontal colinear constraint
indicators
either constraint fails, zoom in and try again.
), shown in the next gure. If
18 | Vectorworks Architect 2011 Getting St arted Guide
9. Press the X key and then drag one of the
upper and one of the lower constrained
walls to verify the constraints (both
constrained walls move together), as shown
at left. Press the X key twice to clear the
current selection. From the View bar, click
Fit to Page Area
to adjust the display.
Adjusting Dimension
Preferences
Next, you verify or adjust dimension
creation and precision preferences.
10. Right-click a blank area and select
Document Preferences. In the Document
Preferences dialog box, select the
Dimensions tab. Verify or adjust settings
(8 Mils [.2032mm]) as shown, and then
click OK.
11. From the menu, select File > Document
Settings > Units. In the Units dialog box,
select the General Display and Dimensions
tab. Verify or adjust settings, as shown at
left. Select the Dual Dimensions tab, and
then verify or adjust settings as shown at
right. Click OK to save the settings.
Dimension Notes:
1) Associative dimensions “attach”
themselves to drawing objects by placing
parametric constraints on vertices of selected
geometry. Parametric constraints let dimensions
move and update values when you move or
resize associated geometry, or (for linear and
chain dimensions only) modify associated
geometry if you change the Length parameter.
2) To turn off display of the parametric
constraints, select Tools > Options >
Vectorworks Preferences from the menu, and
then select the Display tab and turn off the Show
Parametric Constraints option (leave the
display on for these exercises).
3) If the Associative Dimensions option is
disabled, any dimensions you create will not be
attached to—or control— geometry you snap to.
4) The Dimension Exterior Walls command
optionally creates associative dimensions, but it
cannot create them for all objects.
5) Refer to the Online Help’s Associative
Dimensioning topic for more information.
6) In your own files, you can create or import
custom dimension standards and use them
individually or replace default standards (in the
active drawing only) if you need to adjust any
parameters such as Offset Text size. Refer to the
Online Help’s Using Custom Dimension
Standards topic for more information.
7) For your own drawings with dimensions
based on multiple standards, you can set the
current dimension standard from the Tool bar
when any dimension tool is active.
Vectorworks Architect 2011 Getting St arted Guide | 19
Dimensioning Walls
Next, you use the Dimension Exterior
Walls command to automatically dimension
the rst-oor exterior walls.
12. From the menu, select AEC >
Dimension Exterior Walls. In the
Dimension Exterior Walls dialog box, adjust
settings as shown at right, and then click
OK to create the dimensions. Press the X
key twice to clear the current selection.
Examine the completed dimensions, shown
below (your values will vary; you remove
duplicate dimensions later in this exercise).
Dynamically Adjusting
the Layout
Next, you use different methods to
dynamically resize and reposition the
exterior walls as you continue to rene the
building envelope.
13. From the Basic tools palette, click the
Selection Tool . In the Tool bar, make
sure the Enable Connected Walls Mode
option is active. Drag individual
connected wall segments, starting with the
vertical walls from right to left, and then the
horizontal walls from top to bottom, approximately as shown at left. As you would when
you dynamically rene spatial relationships
in your own designs, try to get within ±1’-0”
[.305m] of the dimensions shown (do not
reposition dimensions until later in this
exercise). Notice that the dimensions update
to reect changes and provide instant
positional and size feedback as you adjust
the layout (leave the Selection Tool active
for the next four steps).
20 | Vectorworks Architect 2011 Getting St arted Guide
14. In the Tool bar, click the click the
Enable Connected Walls Mode
option
to disable it, and then make sure the Enable
2D Cursor Rectangular Selection Mode
option is enabled. Draw a marquee
selection as shown at left. Move the entire
selection by dragging any selected wall to
the right until the distance between the
rooms is between 27’-0” [8.230m] and
29’-0” [8.839m], as shown at right (notice
that all selected walls and dimensions move
together). Now that the “closed loop” move
operation is complete, reset the default
status of the Enable Connected Walls
Mode option by pressing the P key to toggle
(enable) it.
Warning: Drag closed loops with the Enable
Connected Walls Mode option disabled
only when all connected walls are selected.
Partial selections will be disconnected from
unselected walls.
Tip: You can use the 2D Reshape tool to
resize subsets of selected walls. For step by step
instructions from the Architect Getting Started
website, see www.nemetschek.net/training/
2011/architect-2011-getting-started-guide.php.
Precisely Adjusting the Layout
Next, you edit the length parameter of key
dimensions to precisely adjust the size and
position of all walls.
15. Double-click the vertical dimension text
to activate editing mode, as shown at the far
left. Click the bottom x point (circled for
clarity) to select it, or press the Tab key
repeatedly to toggle x points until the
bottom x point is selected. Enter a new
value of 15’9” [4.801m], and then press
Enter to accept the new value. The
dimension and walls update to reect the
change, as shown in the next image.
Vectorworks Architect 2011 Getting St arted Guide | 21
16. Repeat the length parameter editing
process for the other ve key dimensions in
the order shown. Click or use the Tab key to
control the xed positions (circled, with
corresponding key dimension numbers) as
required (see Note below ).
• Dimension 1: 26'1" [7.950m]
• Dimension 2: 21'9" [6.629m]
• Dimension 3: 28'9" [8.763m]
• Dimension 4: 15'9" [4.801m]
• Dimension 5: 9'9" [2.972m]
Note: Your initial dimensions may vary. If a
dimension edit causes an unintentional change to
another dimension, press Ctrl + Z for the Undo
command shortcut to revert the change, and try
again with a different fix point.
Next, you use the Selection Tool and the
oating data bar to index the house position
with the le's origin.
Note: You move the layout to ensure proper
operation with the supplied exercise checking
file. In your own designs, you may find it helpful
to index the design with the origin for more
meaningful world coordinates (because the entire
design resides in the positive XY quadrant for
Cartesian coordinates), and for more predictable
results when referencing files.
17. From the Basic
tools palette,click the
Select Similar tool
. Click one of
the walls (away from
the dimensions), and
then conrm that all
10 walls are selected
in the Object Info
palette, as shown at
right. Press the X key, and then press the P
key to toggle off Enable Connected Walls
Mode. Start dragging the lower left corner
endpoint (shown below at left; if necessary,
press the Z key and make sure you drag the
endpoint, as shown below at right).
22 | Vectorworks Architect 2011 Getting St arted Guide
Move your cursor slightly (do not release the
left mouse button) and then press the Tab
key ve times to highlight the X value in the
oating data bar. Enter 0 (zero) for the value,
and then press the Tab key and enter 0
(zero) for the Y value. Press Enter twice to
move the selected walls. Press the P key to
toggle Enable Connected Walls Mode on,
and press the X key twice to clear the
selection. Press Ctr l + 6 for the Fit to
Objects shortcut to see the entire layout.
Notice that the rulers conrm the lower left
corner is on the origin (0,0), as shown below.
Tip: Use the Snap Loupe whenever you need to
temporarily zoom in and select a point. For best
Snap Loupe performance, press Ctrl + 8, select
the General Category, and then disable the
Zoom Line Thickness in Snap Loupe option.
Next, you delete duplicate dimensions, and
then you reposition the remaining dimensions to clean up the drawing.
18. Right-click the text of the dimensions
circled at left (one at a time), and select
Delete Dimension
from the context menu
to remove them from the drawing. Drag the
remaining dimensions (by dimension lines;
not text) into place, approximately where
shown at top below.
Vectorworks Architect 2011 Getting St arted Guide | 23
Next, you lock all dimensions to prevent
inadvertent changes.
20. Press the X key twice to clear the selec-
tion, and then press Ctrl + S to save the le.
Note: The walls won’t change position or resize
when you lock all associated dimensions, but you
can still modify wall properties and insert objects
into them.
19. From the menu, select Window >
Script Palettes > Scripts. Drag the Scripts
palette to the left of the Navigation palette,
and then double-click the Custom Select
All Dims script. All dimensions are now
selected. Right-click the text of one of the
dimensions, and select Lock from the
context menu. The selection highlight color
turns gray (and the Object Info palette
updates) to indicate all selected objects are
locked, as below.
If you set up your les as instructed in the
Checking Your Work section (p. 8), you
can now optionally check the accuracy of
your le.
21. Open the (read-only) GS-VWAxCheck.
vwx
le. In the Navigation palette,
double-click the 01 Floor Plan-1 saved view
to activate it, and then double-click the
Check EX03 saved view to activate it.
22. Use the Zoom
and Pan
tools (in the Basic tools palette), and the
Previous View tool
(in the View bar) as
necessary to examine the drawing. Your
drawing objects are displayed in red, and
the master le’s drawing objects are
displayed in their default colors. You should
see your red drawing objects overlaid
directly on top of the master le’s drawing
objects (check dimensions for completeness; ignore dimension alignment).
23.
After checking your le’s accuracy,
close the active le (your House.vwx le
should now be active). If your drawing is
inaccurate, close your le and continue with
the next exercise by starting with the
supplied le.
24 | Vectorworks Architect 2011 Getting St arted Guide
Exercise 4: Drawing Interior Walls
In this exercise, you draw and dimension the internal walls. The completed exercise is
shown in the following gure.
Drawing the Functional
Area Walls
You start the exercise by drawing walls
using the 4.5" [114.3mm] Generic Int
placeholder (see p. 16) wall style.
1. If you did not complete Exercise 3—or
you are unsure of your le’s accuracy—
open the GS-VWAx03.v wx le.
2. Press the 9 key for the Wall tool
shortcut. In the Tool bar, select the 4.5”
[114.3mm] Generic Int wall style. To start
the rst segment, move your cursor over the
left vertical wall, and then click the wall
(when it’s highlighted), approximately where
point 1 is shown at left. Complete the rst
segment by holding down the Shift key and
clicking approximately where point 2 is
shown at left. Complete the second
segment by holding down the Shift key to
vertically constrain the cursor, and then
snap to the existing wall approximately
where point 3 is shown at left (when the
exterior wall is highlighted). Notice that the
internal walls were automatically joined at
the corner, and to the existing walls on both
exterior ends, as shown at right (leave the
Wall tool active for the next two steps).
Vectorworks Architect 2011 Getting St arted Guide | 25
Loading...