New scenic and lighting design tutorial now available from Kevin Lee Allen

2012/01/26

Kevin Lee Allen

We’re thrilled to announce the publication of a new Vectorworks training guide: Entertainment and Lighting Design with Vectorworks Spotlight, First Edition. The manual was written by Kevin Lee Allen, an award-winning lighting and scenic designer whose work includes theater, film, television, museums, and corporate environments.

This book explores the use of the Vectorworks Spotlight with Renderworks program for use in the entertainment industries. While the methods and techniques described are applicable to film, television, concerts, exhibits, and themed architecture or interiors, this tutorial focuses on a project that creates lights and a set for the stage, the root of entertainment design. The exercises in the tutorial will teach users the steps to create designs ranging from a simple 3D form to a Broadway-scale production of Romeo and Juliet.

“It is definitely going to be my course textbook for this semester because, despite my students having different needs than entertainment designers, it specifically lists the most important tools, commands, and workflows and talks a little about each one,” said Cris Dopher, Entertainment Designer and Instructor at FIT.

The book will be part of the prize package for this year’s iSquint.net and Stage Directions Student Lighting Design Competition, sponsored by Nemetschek Vectorworks, City Theatrical and Field Template. Allen serves on the competition’s panel of judges.

To learn more about this and other tutorials, please visit the Training Guides page of our website. To read the full press release, please click here.

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Nationwide caravan through Japan creates excitement for Vectorworks 2012

2012/01/24

On January 13 our Japanese distributor, A&A Co., Ltd., set off on a nationwide caravan to introduce the Japanese-language version of Vectorworks 2012.

Our CEO, Sean Flaherty, and our CTO, Biplab Sarkar, were guest presenters at the Tokyo and Fukuoka events and had the opportunity to talk to designers about building information modeling (BIM) and 3D design.

Sean Flaherty stands next to a Vectorworks ad at Ochanomizu Station.

“We have organized Vectorworks practical seminars at our caravan, and the attendees have been impressed by the versatility and 3D aspects of Vectorworks software,” explains Kazuko Uchida, President of A&A.

The nationwide caravan will end on January 28 in Osaka, so be sure to check out these exciting events.

 

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Monthly Tech Roundup: January 2012

2012/01/19

The Specifiers’ Properties information exchange (SPie) is a volunteer research effort aimed at standardizing (using open-BIM standards) and improving the distribution of construction product data. Our very own Robert Anderson participated in the first-round effort as “the geometry guy” which gave him the chance to show off Vectorworks’ excellent general-purpose geometry tools and how they could be used to create IFC-based product data.

Our tech support team has created two new tech tips which are sure to help our users be more efficient with Vectorworks software. The first one covers the basics of the Drape Surface tool, an often underused part of the Vectorworks 3D Power Pack set of commands and tools.

The second tech tip discusses the functionality of the Data Stamp tool and shows how it automates version tracking of exported or printed documents.

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Swiss Vectorworks firms win several awards at Die Besten 2011

2012/01/17

Last month the Swiss Architect and Designer Awards Ceremony “Die Besten 2011 in Architektur, Landschaftsarchitektur und Design” took place in Zürich. Three projects in architecture, landscape architecture, and design were awarded a wooden trophy of a hare in gold, silver and bronze. We are pleased to announce that several Swiss Vectorworks firms took home honors.

The Gold Award for landscape was awarded to Lukas Schweingruber und Rainer Zulauf  from Schweingruber Zulauf Landschaftsarchitekten for their transformation of an old train viaduct area into a path and park  for pedestrians and cyclists. A video about the project can be viewed on art-tv.ch.

Knapkiewicz & Fickert won the Silver Award in architecture for their residential development in Zürich. The jury described the project as “timeless, unique and surprisingly ‘unswiss’ with its 360 apartments built for two communities connected by a green courtyard.”

Architects Kaschka Knapkiewicz and Axel Fickert receive the Silver Award from Hannes Hug.

This awards ceremony is organized by one of the most renown and widely-read architectural magazines, the “Hochparterre“, as well as the Zürich Museum of Design and art-tv.ch, a cultural Internet TV broadcaster.

We congratulate the winners!

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Vectorworks 2012 software is now available in Japan

2012/01/13

We’re excited to announce that our Tokyo-based distributor, A&A Co., Ltd., has released the Japanese-language version of the Vectorworks 2012 line of design software, including: Vectorworks Designer, Architect, Fundamentals, and Renderworks.

“We are excited to ship the long-awaited Japanese version of Vectorworks 2012 software,” said Kazuko Uchida, President of A&A. “In Japan, we say ‘HATSUNISHIKI’—first shipment party—to celebrate the release of the new software at the beginning of the year.”

The A&A team at HATSUNISHIKI for Vectorworks 2012.

Click here to read the full press release. More photos from A&A’s HATSUNISHIKI are available on our Flickr page. To find a distributor of a localized version, please visit our international page.

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New book on BIM and sustainable design now available

2012/01/12

We are pleased to announce that a new book, BIM in Small-Scale Sustainable Design, is now available on Amazon.com.

Authored by Vectorworks user François Lévy, this work is the leading guide to architectural design within a building information modeling (BIM) workflow, giving the practitioner a clear procedure when designing climate-load dominated buildings. As described on Amazon, “The book incorporates new information related to BIM, integrated practice, and sustainable design, as well information on how designers can incorporate the latest technological tools. Each chapter addresses specific topics, such as natural ventilation for cooling, passive solar heating, rainwater harvesting and building hydrology, optimizing material use and reducing construction waste, and collaborating with consultants or other building professionals such as engineers and energy modelers.”

If you happen to live in Austin, Texas, you can meet the author in person. François Lévy will be signing books on January 17th from 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm at the Austin Center for Architecture. Please register here for this special event.

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Something exciting is on the horizon…

2012/01/10

 

Check back here in the coming weeks for more updates!

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The new Toni-Areal in Zürich West

2012/01/05

EM2N’s principals Mathias Müller and Daniel Niggli aim to produce architecture that is powerful and personal, architecture with the capability of developing its own character. With their project, the new Toni-Areal in Zürich West, they are accomplishing just that.

One of the largest construction projects in Switzerland, the new Toni-Areal is a crucial part of the plan to breathe new urban life into Zürich West. It features spaces for cultural events, as well as apartments for the Zürich University of the Arts and the Zürich University of Applied Sciences. The gigantic industrial complex first opened in 1977 as Europe’s largest and most modern milk processing facility and was closed in 2000 after only 23 years. During the interim period, the Areal was used by clubs for cultural and sporting events. In 2006, a contracted study pursued the possibility of its architectural rebirth as an educational and cultural center.

In a project with a building volume of 520,500 m3 (c. 18,381,284 ft3) and a 125,000 m2 (c. 1,345,489 ft2) gross floor space that approximates the size of an entire city quarter, the sheer volume of data represents a formidable challenge. Thanks to Vectorworks Architect software’s simple and flexible data model, EM2N was able to efficiently manage this enormous amount of data. Depending upon the need at hand, EM2N could store one plan in a single document, assemble several plans in one CAD/BIM document, or reference certain components in other plans, like the Toni-Areal’s inventory.

“A plan composition with layout, profile, and detail views must happen quickly, and Vectorworks does a very good job with it,” says Christof Zollinger, one of the two general project managers for the Toni-Areal and an associate at EM2N. “Vectorworks is a CAD program which creates the perfect balance between the expectations that typically exist for a contest competition plan and those that exist for an implementation plan. This CAD software accomplishes both tasks without any problem,” explains Zollinger.

To read the case study in full, please visit the Case Studies Section of our website.

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LRSLAstudio forges new paths in university settings

2012/01/03

The award-winning team at LRSLAstudio (fomerly Lager Raabe Skafte Landscape Architects) was founded by Anita Lager and the late Peta Raabe in 1991. Together with principals Karen Skafte and Julie Bush, the firm is now made up of eight design professionals. Using CAD software to create beautiful, sustainable spaces, LRSLAstudio has transformed dozens of playgrounds, campus sites, and many other public and private spaces of various sizes in and around Philadelphia.

One of the firm’s notable projects is The University of Pennsylvania’s Woodland Walk. In 2006, the university enlisted LRSLAstudio to propose a solution for the 3700 block of Woodland Walk that would replace crumbling pavement and reduce storm water runoff from the site. The design included granite curbing, permeable brick paving, an ornamental fence, and shrub and perennial planting. While excavating the walk, the contractor discovered that under many layers of asphalt, some fill, and even a sidewalk, lay the old city roadbed that had been covered in the 1960s. This discovery led to the need to make detailing changes in a short period of time in order to maintain the construction schedule.

The site plan for the Woodland Walk project.

Landscape architect Emma Johnson used design software to carefully document the project. “We prepare both construction and design sketches, which can include details, sections, elevations, plans, or perspectives, using the Vectorworks application,” she explains. “Vectorworks software was a good tool for us on this project. The fact that we could easily and quickly issue construction sketches—revisions to the original drawings—to the contractor was important.”

The firm also relied on the Vectorworks program to save time throughout the design process. Johnson streamlined interactions with the engineer on the Woodland Walk project by collaborating through software. “It was great that we could send them a DWG file and export it so that the line weights would come in correctly. It saved them a lot of time and there was less going back and forth and making sure everything read correctly.”

Woodland Walk looking west.

To read more about the work of LRSLAstudio, please visit the Case Studies section of our website.

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CESYAM launches Vectorworks 2012 tour across France

2011/12/22

Last month throughout many cities in France, designers were treated to a series of presentations on Vectorworks 2012 software by CESYAM, our French distributor.

Thierry Beurey gives a presentation in front of an audience in Montpellier, France.

One of the most successful events took place in Montpellier in a theater just in front of a gigantic aquarium. “It was organized by our partner MacSI in Montpellier, says Thierry Beurey, owner of CESYAM.  “The audience was impressed by the integration of 2D tools in the 3D environment, and the magic of the new X-Ray mode left many people speechless.” The presentation was followed by a cocktail reception at which designers could network and exchange information.

For more information on the French version of Vectorworks, please visit CESYAM’s website.

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