In this article, Dr. Biplab Sarkar, CEO of Vectorworks, explores the latest launch of Vectorworks 2023, and how designers and architects will save time with the new update
How will Vectorworks’ latest product launch help designers and architects to save time?
Designers everywhere are looking for time, so with Vectorworks 2023, one of our main goals was to give some of this valuable resource back to our users. In our continued effort to empower our users to design without limits, our latest release includes upgrades to essential tools that will decrease manual work so designers can focus on creating exciting, high-quality designs.
All of these upgrades we’ve worked to deliver are tools and workflows used throughout the design and documentation process from start to project export. These time-saving benefits — in all areas no matter how big or small the efficiency — add up to a more productive, fluid workflow that significantly frees up the designer to be more creative.
Some key features of Vectorworks 2023 include the new and smart Graphic Legends tool. It completely removes the manual process of creating graphic legends and automatically coordinates with the resources you’ve used, providing an easy editing and customization process to ensure the accuracy of legends and drawing keys for documentation.
New folding door and window configurations are another time-saving benefit designers will enjoy. This feature now accommodates a custom number of leaves and sashes. These additions will save you time and help you quickly create and manage common multiple folding door and window configurations without needing to custom model them yourself.
With direct modeling and editing for doors and windows, you can now easily create and edit doors and windows by simply drawing a rectangle on the face of the wall in 3D or a line spanning the opening in 2D. Plus, you can edit doors and windows using the same process as the familiar reshape tool.
What kinds of time savings do you expect to see?
Users will also be able to save time with faster generation of Section Viewports that will streamline documentation workflows. These will now take advantage of the Vectorworks Graphics Module, moving calculations and processing to the background.
I’m very proud of this feature because the viewport updates are up to six times faster and you’ll be able to continue working on other tasks at the same time. This is yet another example of our continuous development and modernization efforts to produce exceptional benefits for customers.
How has overall user experience improved in Vectorworks 2023?
The user experience has been upgraded to set designers up for success from the start, speed up common tasks, and be less disruptive in version 2023. We wanted to give our users a more seamless experience, so they have more time to design.
A prime example of this is the new Home Screen addition. This feature is particularly special because it’s the result of several of our team members from various departments working together to bring this idea to fruition during our Innovation Expo at Vectorworks. The idea of the Home Screen is to serve as a single source for getting started, learning, training, product updates and other growth opportunities for everyone using the software.
Additionally, a new Offset Edge tool has been created to focus on giving a streamlined and smooth 3D modeling process. It’s amazing because it lets you offset edges and push/pull faces from both planar and non-planar surfaces for faster modeling and efficient design exploration. You wouldn’t be able to do this so simply in other popular 3D modeling tools.
We’ve also updated our Shaded Render Mode to support an unlimited number of light sources, environmental lighting and reflections, and object reflections to provide designers with a powerful and realistic working rendering mode so they can make more informed decisions with better-quality renderings as they are still creating and modifying their designs.
What can you tell us about the updated BIM Workflows and Interoperability features?
BIM workflows have been significantly updated in Vectorworks 2023 and designers will be able to make even better use of data and resources for more precise BIM models.
For example, core architectural objects have been re-engineered and modernized to be more intuitive through all phases of a project reducing the amount of manual work needed to create and edit day-to-day documentation. This can be illustrated with our wall re-engineering capabilities and specifically how it can easily handle complex details of wall component interactions with doors and windows.
The new Graphic Legends tool is another feature that will accelerate BIM workflows, save time and reduce errors. This smart tool completely removes the manual process of creating graphic legends. It automatically coordinates with the resources you’ve used, giving you an easy editing and customization process to ensure accurate legends and drawing keys for documentation.
Elevation Benchmarks updates will also improve BIM workflows. Users will see better change management of BIM models and faster drawing creation with these improvements. The latest version includes elevation benchmarks that now connect to Story Levels and are automatically created in Section and Elevations viewports. The new elevation benchmarks are symbol-based, making graphics more customizable to every designer’s needs.
With improved BIM issue management features, users will experience better, faster and more accurate BIM collaboration using BIM Collaboration Format (BCF) files. The BCF Manager in Vectorworks is now a web palette that can be kept open so you can seamlessly and efficiently manage model changes with cloud-based collaboration tools.
Users will also experience several powerful data reporting additions and updates in this version. Vectorworks 2023 makes it easier to manage data, and designers can use this to their advantage for more precise documentation. These new additions will simplify the process of creating detailed reports and quantity takeoffs for building objects, allowing for highly accurate reports for walls, slabs, roofs and railing/fence objects and their defining components.
Specifically, the Data Manager’s capabilities have expanded, making it more predictable and easier to use when creating and managing all data types. Users can now search, filter, and select multiple data sets, copy and paste information and apply it to other data sets. Vectorworks 2023 also offers more control of creating and customizing data tags. Users can intuitively find and change data tag object associations, display varying units per instance as needed and define a scale for use in sheet or design layers.
In terms of interoperability features, new Revit file import options will give more flexibility when collaborating with consultants and clients using Vectorworks. Version 2023 will now support the translation of more Revit object types and provide better organization of the imported file data making it easier to design a project within the context of existing information and reference a Revit file directly for a more collaborative workflow.
The IFC Import improvements will allow designers to experience faster, more reliable results when working with IFC files. They will be able to collaborate more effectively with faster imports and the ability to import from more applications. Plus, they will have greater control of imported files with new options to filter objects upon import in addition to access to class, story and criteria-based mapping for alignment with Vectorworks file organization.
What makes Vectorworks different than other providers?
Software is the last thing that should limit you when it comes to designing. One of our key focuses is to ensure designers aren’t slowed down by technology, but instead are given efficiencies to help them design without limits.
We’re constantly focused on creating design-centered software with tools that offer the freedom to follow your imagination wherever it leads you so designers can be imaginative, effective and efficient.
When can customers expect to see the newly released product line?
We’re excited to rollout this latest version soon, and users can expect the English-language editions of the 2023 product line this month. They can also visit vectorworks.net for the latest on the release. The localized language versions will be available in October and continue to be released throughout the first quarter of 2023.
Our international customers should reach out to their local distributor for information on when Vectorworks 2023 will be available in their market.
