MadXD

As it happens, I baked 2024's bread last year, but I just sliced it into an ICNS file for you today. Sorry they weren't ready; I don't even think about upgrading until January or SP2. Vectorworks icons 2024 New and 2023 Old are now available via the usual link: VW Icon Pack by MadXD™. Thanks for enjoying!! Cheers, Michael

Hello again! I've added this year's VW2023 New and VW2022 Old¹︎ icon files to the same shared Dropbox folder: VW Icon Pack by MadXD™. To fully replace your Vectorworks icons, please follow the instructions in my first post. Bonus for Lighting folk: I added a Lightwright 6 Beta icon—since the Beta is often more reliable than the public release. ¹︎As a visual aid, I age (yellow) the icon of the previous version, in case you keep both installed on your computer.

Notice to anyone following this thread... Unfortunately, the title of this thread is limited to 2019 and 2020 so I've created a new post where I will provide all future custom icons. PS: The new icon set looks great!

In late 2019, I grew tired of guessing between identical dock icons for previous & current Vectorworks releases. Instead, I now create versioned icons with a year badge for each release. As a visual aid, I also age (yellow) the icon of the previous version. If you want to eliminate this headache for yourself, download the .icns files via this link: VW Icon Pack by MadXD™. The files in this folder will be updated over time and I will try not to change the link. Please feel free to contact me with any questions. Enjoy!! On a Mac, changing the icon is easy. Steps below: Navigate to the app in your Applications folder [/Applications/Vectorworks 2020/Vectorworks 2020] or right-click on the icon in your dock, then select Options > Show In Finder. Right-click the app and choose Get Info Drag the appropriate .icns file and drop it on the small Vectorworks icon in the upper-left corner of the Get Info window. Delete the current VW alias in the dock by dragging it away and holding until it says "remove", then let go. From the application folder in Step 1, drag the updated Vectorworks app to the dock. Note: This a refresh of my original post, which only covers the old 2019 and new 2020 icon set. I will post any future updates here.

Not yet, unfortunately. Within 40 days I had lost all of my normal work for the year… can't say I've had much reason to poke around Vectorworks. Let's hope they fix it by SP4 in VW2021. This is actually one of the smallest problems I've encountered under VW2020—to the point I truly forgot about this post. I ended up much more concerned with repeated loss of data, corrupted files and the unreliability of simple concepts—like an undisturbed asset remaining at the coordinates where it was placed. My time off has helped me gain perspective enough to question why we pay so much every year for software that isn't stable or reliable for 6-8 months after the public release. Can you imagine if Microsoft had these problems with every new Excel feature? The financial world would lose its mind.

How is SP3 running now? I haven't opened a file since my last gig in March. Some torturous version of SP2 was live then—and it was a giant bag of hurt. Just like SP1. And the original 2020 release. And the original 2019 release. And 2018. And 2017. And 2016. 2015… wait, is this a pattern? The video shows the pain of simply trying to dock my toolbars in late February. On one hand, I regularly had design assets move 50-100' without reason, become invisible or entirely disappear from my canvas. On the other, toolbars would sporadically transition from being neatly docked to a random scatter around my workspace. Thankfully, it was always difficult to get them re-docked and organized. I love paying a generous annual subscription for professional software that carries major bugs six months after release. Not that I need the primary design tool for my design business to be reliable. You know what they say… always trust your most important tasks to beta software. With Vectorworks, every release should be considered beta until at least SP4. Losing a day (or more) worth of work on every other project is a rite of passage, designed to create a sense of frustration-based camaraderie within the Vectorworks community. Does anyone else feel the love? Bug Video - Vectorworks 2020 SP2 - Toolbar Docking 20201226.m4v

Thank you for the compliment! I like your version, too. I created the icons in Pixelmator, then used Image2icon which exports an .icns file containing 10 resolutions from 1024x1024 to 16x16. It can even supplant an input image onto a range of other icon backgrounds—USB drive, SD card, CD, vinyl cover, Polaroid, NES/SNES-style game cartridges or emboss it into a macOS folder image (just to name a few). Image2icon is one of many apps I've found because of my Setapp subscription. I don't think there's a way to hide the arrow for an alias (at least not without tinkering with high level Finder behaviors). Everything in the dock is technically an alias… but doesn't show an arrow. When you added Twinmotion, did you do so from an alias instead of the main app? If so, simply locate the alias target and drag the actual app icon into the dock. From the dock icon: • Right-click 'Twinmotion'>Options>'Show in Finder' • Right-click the resulting alias>'Show Original' • Drag original to dock

Touché. I actually didn't think of the layer import. I tend to think of these scenarios as a delicate rescue mission—wherein I sift and save one block of assets at a time. Since there was something wrong with the original file, I tested each layer after importing. To my knowledge, I imported an identical set of assets without incurring further corruptive behavior. Perhaps I should attempt the same, with a full layer import as suggested. I can share the file for discussion sake, if there's any interest (eh-hem, VW engineers?). Though I'd first need to remove any distinctive or proprietary client IP.

My last laptop was a 2017 15" MBP with mid-level specs. This 16" MBP is maxed on everything except the SSD. The power boost is almost mind-blowing. The cost was a small price to pay for the increase in processing and productivity. I haven't done much in final-quality rendering. My last project required a ton of moving in and out of 3D views during the design process. This was handled flawlessly, even though most of the 3D assets were based on a DWG import.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/afy1q9ifdd9lwau/AAC7jGFSloeTxx8wPCZWjNZAa?dl=0 Two .icns files are available at the link above.

I quickly grew tired of seeing the same two icons for 2019 and 2020 in my dock. So I yellowed the 2019 icon and added year badges to both. I'll post a Dropbox link with the .icns files in case anyone is interested in using them. I'm not sure if the forum will let me post said link but I'll try in the next comment...

Batch convert is how I got through the transition. Colleagues of mine were presented with the option to choose their favorites folder directly in the migration manager. They chose and it was converted without issue. My case could have been related to the fact that I don't use the standard User Folder location. Just a theory. I moved my User Folders to Dropbox after losing 2017 user files [my backup at the time didn't cover the ~/Library or /Applications folders]. This also helps me move between computers while maintaining core assets.

BTW... thank you both!

I can't seem to figure out how to reorder class filters. I assumed they would be listed alphabetically, but that was quickly debunked when new items did not automatically sort. The Class Filters Manager [Organization>Class Tab>Manage Filters...] allows you to edit classes, but not manually re-order them You can sort this list alphabetically by clicking the column header. However, this does not affect the filter list in the Navigation Palette. Restarting Vectorworks does not affect the filter order. I've found little to know info on filter ordering in VW help or these forums. Hopefully I'm just missing it and would love if someone could point it out. Thanks! FYI... I haven't looked for any videos on the topic. They're great for tutorials or new concepts, not as technical references. Write it down, make it a searchable... I don't have time to watch a video in the hope that it might answer a simple question.

I'm not sure I understand this question. Filters are created based on criteria you select... name, tags or current visibility. I suppose if you want specific classes that don't share name characteristics, then tags would be the only method. That still seems easier then manually adding classes to a filter by choosing them from a list. Create a filter based on the tag "Filter-A". Select the classes, add the "filter-A" tag. In this manner, you can easily remove and add classes to that filter by adding and removing that tag. As a software engineer, this would be a much easier feature to implement—and more beneficial.

I've had a lot of issues working with 2019 files in 2020. I've had structural items¹ move 20 ft because I selected something near them... object info fields² produce unrecognizable data and reject any corrections... tools³ I need for my workflow just cease to work. My solution was to create a new file in 2020 (based on my starting template imported from 2019). Then I copied and pasted-in-place each layer, one at a time, from the converted 2019 file to the new 2020 file. Thankfully, I had only 7 active layers. For the record, the new working file had an identical list of assets since I copied every single symbol, texture, record and other element. The 2019 "corrupt" file also worked without any issues if I opened it in VW2019. This is definitely a 2020 problem. I don't understand how Vectorworks continues to ship half-baked products year after year. It's not like we don't pay them hefty sums to make a usable product. Perhaps SP3 will fix this. Perhaps new VW releases should remain an internal beta from September to January, only becoming public GM candidates when they reach the SP3 level of stability. I generalized above for all users. Specifics I encountered are for Spotlight/Entertainment users: ¹Truss symbols moved 20+ feet on the x axis without direct interaction—with another layer selected and Show/Snap Others active. Not all truss symbols (which are all not he same layer), only the ones near the lighting fixtures I was manipulating. The manipulations included no movement on the x or y axis. ²The Focus [point] field displayed degrees instead of the focus point name. This is also true for User Field 6, which should be blank by default. I was only able to change the focus point using the Edit Lighting Device window. ³The Draw Beam tool ceased to function at all, most likely due to corruption in the Focus field.

The 2020 migration manager is not listing my 2019 Favorites files, despite the fact that they're in my 2019 user folder. I even tried putting my Favorites file into the Default folder but it still didn't show up... All other items seem to have migrated fairly well, through it took more than one attempt. Any suggestions? 2020 Migration Manager—does not show Favorites: 2019 User folder—Favorites listed directly under defaults:

After saving a custom Lighting Device Parameters list, where is it saved on my hard drive (macOS)? I need to perform a clean install due to VW performance issues but don't want to lose my custom sorting and field names. Thank you!

This is fantastic... a solid upgrade from the Vectorworks team!! 20180817 Vectorworks Launch Test 2018 vs. 2019.m4v

@Grethe Connerth I know at least the sheet layer processes has not yet seen the VGM upgrade. I'm not sure about wireframe. These are slow and buggy for everyone and will remain that way until the engineers catch up with themselves. I would love to see an upgrade soon, maybe in SP4. I fear we will still have issues when VW2019 drops.

For more background on VWs work to improve responsiveness and the switch to VGM*, visit the thread below. *From what I have gathered, VGM is the new Vectorworks Graphic Module. It moves processes like drawing in Top/Plan to your graphics card instead of using the slower CPU route. While many processes have been moved to VGM, some very important ones have not. Neither sheet layers nor selection highlighting are using VGM yet. Due to complexities in the VW code, it's taking engineers a long time to get all systems working on the same level.

@zoomer I must admit, I was heated and rushed posting this. Afterwards, I did some reading around the forum and have since lost all hope that VW will ever support Metal. From what I've gathered, Vectorworks is as incredibly bloated and inefficient as Microsoft Office. It uses far more resources and lines of code to complete tasks than necessary in today's modern operating systems. Much of this code is probably very old—which is why it is taking the engineering team so long to switch all tasks to the new VGM (which utilizes graphics cards and Direct X over slower CPU processing). While I don't think they will use Metal (or fast DirectX on Windows) soon, coding for the lowest common denominator a big mistake. This is why I choose iWork apps over MS Office, Pixelmator over Photoshop and so on... Eventually, another company will take the day's current APIs and create an app that matches or surpasses while using far less resources and making users much more happy. Unfortunately, this is a long way off for something as complex as Vectorworks. Hopefully the day will come when they throw out their aging code base and reinvent the program from the ground up, a-la Final Cut Pro X. Computers will continue to progress and eventually, developers won't be able to disregard technologies like Metal. These advances are key as processors become smaller and more mobile. Over time, doing more with less becomes a requirement, not a hope. As of now, the biggest push to do more with less is coming from Apple—in both hardware and software. It has already afforded them a sizable processing and graphics lead in the mobile space. There is no doubt these ways of thinking (headlined by their use of custom CPU designs) will make their way to laptops and then to desktops. Computers, as they are now, will be relics in 10-20 years... and this VW code that has been slowly siphoning time from our short lives will be stone-aged. I definitely see where Apple lost their way with professionals for a time, but I already see that course being reversed. In my profession, Macs still outnumber PCs 5-to-1 because even though they could have been better at supporting pro workflows, there is still no question that they remained the best. The few people I've seen switch spend their days wanting to throw their PC laptops off a balcony. I know that one could take a Windows desktop, throw 500W of graphic card power at it and nearly rule the world. That may be great for anyone whose workflow keeps them at a desk, in an office. For my needs, programs like Vectorworks need to be fast, reliable and powerful while on the road—sitting in an airport lounge, a hotel room, on an airplane or a live production set. If VW wants their product to kill it in the office and on the go, they need to think about supporting the technologies that can make that happen. I'm not holding my breath, but I'm also not wrong in asking. Vectorworks should support the top technologies of every OS. They should make their product the best it can be everywhere it is used because this is what we pay them to do.

@grant_PD I wish it was this simple; I disabled my integrated graphics almost immediately after installing Vectorworks. A note for macOS users: This is done in System Preferences>Energy Saver, then by toggling off "Automatic Graphics Switching".

It’s shocking how slow Vectorworks 2018 often runs on my MacBook Pro¹. Navigation and screen processing easily increases drawing time by 20-40%—even on simple 2D plans in wireframe view. It can take up to 5 seconds to simply select an object and for the object info window to load. Click–wait–manipulate object–wait–see results... repeat 500 times². There is no question, something in VW 2018 has made it run slower than 2017 and 2016. Considering I set up VW 2018 on a fresh MBP and macOS installation, this doesn’t make sense. Open GL is already implemented, though it doesn’t seem to be helping. Metal³ has the ability to increase graphics performance up to 10x by reducing CPU loads with efficiencies in programming and APIs. It also adds support for external GPUs. is Metal already implemented in VW? Is it on the roadmap? Either way, something needs to be done to boost the efficiency of VW. If it’s not a graphics bottleneck, then what is it—and is it an issue I can resolve? ¹Specs: MBP 15” 2017 / 2.9 GHz i7 / 500 GB SSD / 16 GB Ram / Radeon Pro 560 4 GB • macOS 10.13.4 ²Note: Slowdowns occur on every level of VW graphic performance settings and when VW is the only non-system app in use. ³Current version: Metal 2