New Features
This release includes many new features and significant enhancements to VectorWorks Architect, Landmark, Spotlight, Machine Design, and the standard workspaces, as described in the following sections.
The VectorWorks help system reflects the most up-to-date information; it may, therefore, be more current than the printed manuals.
The following table contains a list of new and improved features for this release, and indicates the section where the functionality is documented and the product to which the feature applies.
 
The VectorWorks help system has been updated to reflect version 2008 functionality.
Architect, Landmark, Spotlight, Machine Design
New Custom Modification command
A new command allows objects to be selected regardless of layer, class, scale, visibility, or selection status. Once selected, the object properties and attributes can be simultaneously modified. The operation can be saved as a VectorScript.
Architect, Landmark, Spotlight, Machine Design
The Resource Browser can now export one or more selected resources to another file without having to open or save the file
Architect, Landmark, Spotlight, Machine Design
Users can now designate one or more folders where VectorWorks will look for additional content, such as shared project files and workgroup reference files.
Architect, Landmark, Spotlight, Machine Design
The Space tool now has three modes to create spaces: click an area that is bounded by existing walls, draw a rectangular object, or draw a polyline object. New options can automatically update space objects when the walls surrounding the spaces are changed. Much more of the data associated with a space can be selected to display on the space label. IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) data can now be attached to spaces, including extended properties used by the U.S. Government Services Administration (GSA); use the new Export IFC Data command to save the drawing in IFC format.
The Create Walls from Spaces command has a new option to offset the exterior walls as determined by the selected exterior wall style.
When creating spaces from walls, a new option allows a space to be created from the gross wall area
Wall components can now be classed, and observe class attribute and visibility settings. With class overrides, different configurations of the same wall can be shown in viewports. Wall components can also be displayed in section viewports.
When replacing wall styles, the wall height, class, and/or texture can also be replaced
Both the 2D Selection and 3D Selection tools now contain an Enable Connected Walls mode, for moving connected walls in 2D as well as 3D
Architect, Landmark, Spotlight
A new option allows stairs to be drawn with dashed lines above or below a stair break
Architect, Landmark, Spotlight, Machine Design
Plants now behave like symbols, and are easier to create, edit, and manage
The new plant database is a stand-alone application that is much easier to use for locating and creating botanical data for use in VectorWorks
The association between lighting instruments and lighting positions has been strengthened. If a lighting instrument is moved to a new position, its position data automatically updates based on the new lighting position. Lighting instruments now move along with the lighting position.
Label legends allow scaling of the label locations on the sides of the instrument so they are placed relative to the instrument size
Non-rotated label legends are easier to adjust on the lighting plot
The draw beam function now includes elliptical light sources, and the beam can be projected beyond the focus point, as well as horizontally or at an upward angle. A light beam can be drawn as a 3D solid. Shutter cuts can now be specified for lighting instruments, and are reflected in the drawn or rendered light.
If in-depth control over lighting instrument parameters is required, the embedded light source can now be edited. A distribution file can now be associated with a lighting instrument.
Configuration dialog box for screw and nut object
A new configuration dialog box is available from the Object Info palette for screw and nut objects; it allows selection of only those screw/bolt, washer, and nut types that are valid for a specified size
Machine Design
Machine Design
Machine Design
Updated Shaft tool
The updated tool allows the creation and modification of a shaft composed of various segments
Machine Design
Marker attributes that used to be modified in the Object Info palette are now modified in the Attributes palette for detail bubbles, datum feature symbols, datum target symbols, feature control frames, geometric dimensioning and tolerancing notes, and welding symbols, where they can take advantage of the new marker functionality
Machine Design
Machine Design
The exterior wall dimensioner can now dimension to visible wall components (such as framing components), dimension exterior walls by outside edge or center line, dimension doors and windows to center line or rough opening, dimension to intersecting walls, and associate dimensions with walls
Record field and plug-in object information can now be edited from the database rows of a worksheet, and automatically update the associated drawing objects
Architect, Landmark, Spotlight, Machine Design
Tile command improvement
The Tile command can now convert tile symbols to a group
Architect, Landmark
The five default sketch styles are now included among the default content files
Architect, Landmark, Spotlight, Machine Design
Drawings can now be rotated, creating a rotated top/plan view for drawing at an angle (orthogonal to the screen). A rotated plan view can be saved and restored. The Constrain Angle constraint can snap to the rotated plan angle. (The new VectorWorks Fundamentals rotation modes of rectangular objects and text facilitate their creation while in a rotated view.)
Architect, Landmark, Spotlight, Machine Design
Viewports can now be created on design layers, in addition to sheet layers. Design layer viewports can display design layers in the current file, or they can reference layers in other files. These viewports can exist on a design layer with other 2D and 3D objects, and they have the same scale, view, and render mode as the rest of the layer.
Architect, Landmark, Spotlight, Machine Design
Section viewport enhancements
A new Display tab for section viewports advanced properties sets the 3D conversion resolution of curved surfaces separately from VectorWorks preferences
Architect, Landmark, Spotlight, Machine Design
Added a button on the View bar for access to the Stack Layers command
New stack layer options are now available with the Stack Layers Options command. Also, the stack layer status can now be saved and restored with a saved view.
Most referencing improvements are described in the VectorWorks Fundamentals Guide. The Design Series has additional new features. Image files and PDF files can now be referenced. Also, one or more design layers from a source file can now be referenced into a viewport on a design layer. The referenced design layers and resources are truly referenced, rather than imported into the target file. For backward compatibility, the old method of referencing by layer import is still supported.
Architect, Landmark, Spotlight, Machine Design
Each saved view and sheet layer that is exported to a PDF file with the Export PDF (Batch) command now has a bookmark for easy navigation
Architect, Landmark, Spotlight, Machine Design
VectorWorks supports Building Information Model (BIM) interoperability using the IFC file format
Georeferenced raster images with associated world files are automatically translated and scaled upon import
New British and Japanese Standard structural shapes
Structural shapes have been consolidated into nine plug-in objects for AISC (inch and metric), British Standard (BSI), and Japanese Standard (JIS) structural shapes; the new consolidated shapes are: angle, bulb flat, channel, I-beam, rectangular tubing, round tubing, square tubing, tee, and wide flange
Architect, Landmark, Spotlight, Machine Design
Furnishings and scenic elements libraries
Libraries include an assortment of 47 generic furniture symbols for stage and general use
Architect, Spotlight
New Herman Miller® furniture libraries
Libraries include a variety of furniture from Herman Miller Modern Classics and systems furniture Typicals
New arcitex® wood textures and image fills library
Libraries include 111 wood textures and 76 image fills from arcitex
New Sub-Zero® and Wolf® appliance symbol libraries
Libraries include 25 Sub-Zero refrigerators and 55 Wolf appliances
Wall Styles Imperial and Wall Styles Metric libraries contain a new virtual wall style
Updated Xfrog® plant symbols libraries
Libraries include 652 new color images, including 84 new plant species and 166 of these images are stylized watercolor versions
Libraries include 185 new paver hatch patterns in both the hatches libraries and default hardscape hatches library
New Spotlight imperial and metric libraries include generic audio-related symbols
Seven default PANTONE color palettes are now available for use
Architect, Landmark, Spotlight
Architect, Landmark, Spotlight
Benjamin Moore® and Sherwin Williams® paint color palettes
Default paint color palettes from Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams are now available for use
Architect, Landmark, Spotlight
Default architectural finish color palettes from PPG are now available for use
Architect, Landmark, Spotlight
Default Japanese Industrial Standard (color specification) color palettes are now available for use
Architect, Landmark, Spotlight
Dynamic Spotlight paperwork schedules
Sample worksheets which approximate the output of the Generate Paperwork command have been added to Libraries\Defaults\Reports ~Schedules. They contain editable database rows which allow direct changes to the drawing.
Remove Create Editable Worksheets command from Spotlight
Now that worksheets include editing capabilities in VectorWorks, this Spotlight command is no longer needed. Sample worksheets for Spotlight have been added to the Libraries\Defaults\Reports ~Schedules folder
Two alert dialog boxes demoted to minor alerts
Spotlight instrument numbering and creating a key to instrumentation now generate a minor alert instead of displaying an alert dialog box
Create Layer Link command removed
Since viewports can now be created on design layers, this command was removed from the Design Series workspaces
Architect, Landmark, Spotlight, Machine Design

Preface : New Features

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