Nemetschek Vectorworks and MAXON Computer seek entries for 2012 Rendering Competition

2012/04/18

Beginning today, professional and student designers can submit entries to the 2012 Inspired Visions Global Rendering Competition. This annual competition, which is sponsored by Nemetschek Vectorworks, Inc. and MAXON Computer GmbH, recognizes today’s top architects and designers from around the world, and their abilities to visually render Vectorworks models with Renderworks or CINEMA 4D. Submissions will be accepted from April 18 to August 16, 2012, in the following categories:

“We are excited to collaborate again with our sister company, MAXON Computer,” says Theresa Downs, communications director at Nemetschek Vectorworks. “It is evident that more and more designers are using both programs to create renderings, and we expect great things from the entries this year.”

The panel of judges includes Daniel Jansenson, principal at Daniel Jansenson Architect and author of Remarkable Renderworks, from Santa Monica, Ca.; Tyler Littman, principal designer and owner of Sholight, LLC, from New York; Nicholas Dunand, freelance designer and sculptor, from Melbourne, Australia; Erik Recke, freelance architectural visualizer at Datenland, from Hamburg, Germany; Alejandro Nogueira, CEO at DECC Arte 3D from Tecamachalco, Edo. de Mexico; and René Racz from Lichtmaschine Multimedia GmbH, Basel, Switzerland.

Each category winner chosen by these judges will receive $2,500 USD and will be featured in an official media release and on Planet Vectorworks. Winners will also be promoted on the Nemetschek Vectorworks and MAXON social media channels, such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

In addition, the public will select their “Fan Favorite” from all entries, which will be posted on the competition’s website. Voting will take place directly on the site.

To enter, vote or learn more please visit the competition website.  We can’t wait to see how you wow us with your entries!

To read the press release in full, please go here.

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Chinese-language version of Vectorworks 2012 is launched!

2012/04/12

It’s a happy day for designers in China! They will now be able to use Vectorworks software in their native language. And, this Chinese-language version will include the entire line of Vectorworks 2012 products: Vectorworks Designer, Architect, Landmark, Spotlight, Fundamentals, and Renderworks.

“We’re simply thrilled to see the Vectorworks 2012 software now available in Simplified Chinese,” says Cecil Fung, Managing Director of Mad Macs Technology Distributions, Ltd. “This release will open the door to 1.3 billion people in China and give them the opportunity to experience Vectorworks’ world-class AEC, landscaping, and entertainment design tools in their own language. So whether our Chinese users are looking for Building Information Modeling (BIM), Site Information Modeling (SIM), integrated rendering, or collaboration tools, the Chinese-language version will deliver.”

Many internationally operating Vectorworks customers who do projects in China will also appreciate the availability of a Chinese version of the software, as it will make it easier to cooperate with local designers and other stakeholders. “We’ve had a presence in China for quite some time, and we’re excited to provide a local-language version of the software for our customers in China and also to ease the workflow for designers around the world who do business there,” said Stewart Rom, Chief Marketing Officer at Nemetschek Vectorworks.

The Vectorworks Chinese launch events are scheduled for April 16 and 18 in Beijing and Shanghai, respectively. Nemetschek Vectorworks CEO Sean Flaherty will be the keynote speaker, and CTO Biplab Sarkar will give a preview of Vectorworks Cloud Services and third-party products. For more information and to register, please visit the event website.

To read the press release in full, please go here.

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CadFaster collaboration software now available for Vectorworks users

2012/04/10

We are thrilled to announce we have joined with CadFaster to offer CadFaster|Collaborate™ for users of Vectorworks software. Along with the recent launch of Vectorworks Cloud Services, this partnership will further broaden the ability for Vectorworks users to access their design files from any location.

The CadFaster|Collaborate for Vectorworks plug-in provides design and engineering professional teams with the power to distribute their 3D CAD and BIM models effortlessly and to invite others to view and mark them up remotely and in real time, even from a laptop or iPad.

CadFaster|Collaborate compresses the original data so that huge files can be shrunk to a size that can be emailed or downloaded from a link. Users do not need a desktop client to view the exported file; a simple double-click will launch the file, along with its own interface for viewing and annotation. Features such as turntable mode navigation, selection of rotation center, standard views and measurement/markup in section views all contribute to improved productivity and savings of valuable time and money.

“Collaborating closely with Vectorworks to offer our software as a plug-in will benefit many Vectorworks customers,” said Raimo Kuismin, chairman, CadFaster. “CadFaster|Collaborate for Vectorworks brings design and engineering professionals the ease of real-time multiuser collaboration with geographically dispersed teams; reduced engineering costs; increased productivity; and most importantly, the kind of functionality that can really drive revenue.”

CadFaster|Collaborate is available in English worldwide for all users of Vectorworks 2012 software. For more information or to make a purchase, please visit the Add Ons page of our website.

To read the full press release, please click here.


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Congrats to Karyn Lawrence, Winner of the 2012 Student Lighting Design Competition!

2012/04/06

Congratulations to Karyn Lawrence, winner of the 2nd Annual iSquint.net and Stage Directions Magazine Student Lighting Design Competition! Lawrence is a student at University of California, Irvine completing an MFA in Lighting Design. Her entry of “Abraham and Isaac in Jerusalem” was a realized design, performed at the UC, Irvine Claire Trevor Theater in September of 2010 under the direction of Dr. Robert Cohen. She will receive a prize package including a professional license of Vectorworks 2012 with Renderworks software, a personal license of Lightwright™ 5 and a single license of Field Template™ SoftSymbols V3. She will also receive copies of Light Plot Deconstructed by Gregg Hillmar and Entertainment and Lighting Design with Vectorworks Spotlight by Kevin Lee Allen.

“I am so grateful for this opportunity!” said Lawrence. “I cannot express to you how essential Vectorworks and Lightwright are to my design process, any lighting designer’s process for that matter. I can honestly say that I am not sure how I would go about designing without both of these invaluable programs.”

To see her winning design, please visit iSquint.net. To read the full press release, please click here.

 

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Vectorworks Cloud Services now available in the U.S. and Canada

2012/04/02

You’ve seen the teaser. You’ve read the interviews in Architosh and upFront.eZine. And now, we’re excited to announce the launch of Vectorworks Cloud Services!

Exclusively available for Vectorworks Service Select members, Vectorworks Cloud Services will provide greater convenience, collaboration, and freedom for users to access their designs from any location, at any time.

“The cloud offers important benefits in efficiency and collaboration to the design workflow, enhancing the value that Vectorworks products already offer on the desktop,” said Sean Flaherty, CEO of Nemetschek Vectorworks. “Vectorworks Cloud Services will provide the freedom and flexibility designers need to successfully meet the challenges of working in today’s mobile world. In particular, the ability to perform calculations in the cloud will be a significant advantage to our users.”

Vectorworks Cloud Services is initially available as a free trial until April 30, 2012 to Vectorworks Service Select members in the U.S. and Canada, and it will be available to customers in other countries later this year. To read the full press release, please click here.

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Acton Ostry Architects: boldly reinventing British Columbia

2012/03/28

Acton Ostry Architects Inc. has built an excellent reputation over the years with its clean, powerful designs. Using a West Coast Modernist approach, the firm focuses on new high-density urban projects, as well as the rehabilitation, renovation, and re-use of existing buildings. Their work includes community and recreation centers, places of worship, schools, university buildings, and mixed-use multifamily residences.

One of the firm’s recent renovation projects was the expansion and renewal of the Sauder School of Business. The original 1960s Modernist concrete building had served its purpose but did little to serve the burgeoning reputation of a premier international business school at the University of British Columbia’s Point Grey Campus. Acton Ostry Architects designed a state-of-the-art, $85 million CAD facility with a 30,000-square-meter renovation and 5,100-square-meter addition–which if certified, would be anticipated to achieve a LEED Gold standard.

Large-scale images of the donors overlook the atrium where the students gather.

 

The firm also wrapped the existing building with glass for a cost-effective, dramatic update, aligning the new structural module with the original for a harmonious transition between old and new. Light and color now fill the once darkened space. Stunning glazed windows in shades of greens and blues meet sleek steel and glass to create a “corporate cool” effect. Within the main building, a new concourse lounge, conference and breakout rooms, a business career center, the Robert H. Lee Graduate School, and a café provide ample space for the exchange of knowledge. The five-story expansion includes a light-filled atrium hub that connects classrooms, lecture theaters, breakout rooms, social areas, and an undergraduate center. The results are stunning.

Principals Russell Acton and Mark Ostry selected Vectorworks Architect software as their design tool of choice. Acton recounts, “It’s very important to us that design drawings and working drawings read clearly with a strong graphic presence because they embody and communicate the architectural concept. We’ve been complimented many times on the clarity of our drawings and the completeness of the packages and that’s due in part to the use of Vectorworks.”

To read the complete profile, please visit the Success Stories section of our website. To view more pictures of this project, please visit Acton Ostry Architects’ website.

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Creative Minds Monthly Design Competition is launched!

2012/03/23

We are excited to announce the start of the Creative Minds Monthly Design Competition in the U.S. This “charette style” competition introduces a new concept every month to be answered with any kind of design response—architectural design, product design, landscape design, entertainment design and others. It challenges designers to explore multiple options for documenting and presenting a response to a design concept.

“Vectorworks software is a powerful design solution that allows freedom of expression, so it is ideally suited for creative problem solving in a flexible and open manner,” explains Rubina Siddiqui, Assoc. AIA, NOMA, organizer of the competition and Architectural Product Specialist at Nemetschek Vectorworks. “Highlighting this unique ability of the software within the forum of a design competition will help us connect with both professionals and students involved in creative thinking.”

The competition is open to anyone within the U.S. and submissions can come from an individual or a group of up to four people. Each month’s winner will receive a $150 Visa gift card along with the opportunity to be showcased in Vectorworks’ traveling exhibit, which will be featured at venues such as the AIA National Convention and Design Exposition. All winning entries will also be showcased in the online “Creative Minds” publication.

For monthly concepts, more information, and to submit your entry, please visit the competition website.

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Monthly Tech Roundup: March 2012

2012/03/22

Spring has sprung, and there’s no better time to get a Vectorworks tune-up.

This month our tech team has created two new tech tips.

The first one demonstrates how to use the Visibility tool to control layer and class visibilities. The Visibility tool can quickly turn off gray layers and classes, making it easier to work on large projects in Vectorworks software.

 

The second video tech tip highlights a few quick viewport tips and tricks. You will learn how to speed up viewport creation and increase the quality of your renders.

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Benelux Vectorworks User Days a great success

2012/03/20

Design Express, our Vectorworks distributor for the Benelux countries, had great success recently with its Vectorworks User Days. The events in Utrecht (the Netherlands) and Mechelen (Belgium) attracted over 600 participants.

Both events offered the same impressive schedule: 20 workshops, three user presentations, and one technology keynote–combined with a full time help desk. As attendee Medelon Neefkes says, “I simply have to say that the user day was very interesting and very well-organized. I was glued to my chair for almost eight hours, without getting bored even once. Interesting workshops, interesting speakers! Plus, I had the opportunity to talk to fellow Vectorworks users. As far as I’m concerned, it was a big success. You’ll do this again next year, right?”

Please visit the Design Express Flickr page for pictures of the Utrecht user event (March 6th) and the Mechelen user event (March 8th).

All user presentations by i29, IMOSS, Fris in het landschap, PUUR interieurarchitecten and Bogdan & Van Broeck were recorded and will be published on the Design Express YouTube channel.

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The Nisga’a Museum: an odyssey fulfilled

2012/03/15

The Nisga’a Museum in British Columbia, Canada, is a celebration of the culture and history of the Nisga’a Nation. The design of the building was a true collaboration, and the architect, exhibit designer, and landscape design consultant all used Vectorworks software to bring their visions to life.

For 113 years, the Nisga’a Nation in Canada fought for a treaty that would empower its people to form their own government and reclaim their land. They hoped to build a home for their sacred artifacts, a forum to share traditions and ideas, and a showcase for their unique culture.

While it was a landmark event in Nisga’a history, the opportunity to build this museum was remarkable for the team of designers as well. “It’s very uncommon in Canada to work on a museum project from the ground up, because most museums across North America already exist—to design a museum from scratch, this is an exceptionally rare privilege,” says Peter Hardcastle of Hillel Architecture. “So to also have an opportunity to work closely with the exhibit designer and the curator and interpreter, that makes it an even stronger project.” He teamed up with Donald Luxton, project manager; Alan Graves, exhibit designer; Duane Ensing, landscape design consultant; Kevin Neary, curator and interpreter; Fran Johnson, manager of Ayuukhl Nisga’a Department who is responsible for language and culture portfolio; and many other talented people to bring this historic project to fruition.

Ensing has been a Vectorworks user since 2001, and he used the Vectorworks Landmark program to accurately communicate his designs to the Nisga’a. He was able to reference Hardcastle’s architectural design files, saving time in the process. “It actually worked really well,” he says. “Every time I got a new drawing from Peter Hardcastle, I could just import it into his own file again and update it. All my layers and classes and visibilities stayed the way I wanted them to, and I didn’t have to change it in the new document anymore. That was awesome for me.”

Graves, a Vectorworks user since 1997, says, “Luckily, Vectorworks does everything I ever want it to do and more; probably 1,000 times more than what I would ever need it to do. The fact that it is so flexible, and I can share it with so many people so easily—is very powerful. If you can’t communicate, you’re nowhere. I categorically could not do my job without Vectorworks. Absolutely.”

This is an amazing story, and we thank the designers for sharing it with us. Please visit the Case Studies section of our website to read more.

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