What is the best way to share a Vectorworks 2023 Model file with clients who don't have Vectorworks?

[LB007]

Hi

 

I would like to share a 3d model with our clients to pan through at their leisure.

I presented using Nomad on my iPad which worked pretty well although slightly tricky to navigate. 

I know in previous versions you could export as a web view but can't see that option in exports anymore.

Do I have to get my client to download Nomad?

 

Any help would be great.

 

Thanks

 

Laurence 

[Christiaan]

You can still export to web view. They call it VGX now, because it handles both Nomad and web views.

[LB007]

49 minutes ago, Christiaan said:

You can still export to web view. They call it VGX now, because it handles both Nomad and web views.

I have the .vgx file but how would my client view this without Nomad or Vectorworks view this?

Edited December 16, 2022 by LB007

[TomKen]

@LB007,

 

If you don't see the "Export Web View" command under the File menu you may need to edit your work space to add it to your menu.

 

Also if you use Twinmotion their 3D Cloud sharing is far superior IMO to the VW web view.

Your signature doesn't say what VW version you are using.

 

Edited December 16, 2022 by TomKen

[bcd]

VW implemented export 3d PDF several years ago. It might be worth a go but last time I tested it it was too clunky to be useful.

[Christiaan]

You should see something like this now when you export to VGX. Note that it's exporting it to our Cloud Services folder. You can then grab a link for the web view from the cloud service web portal once it's uploaded and processed.

 

[Christiaan]

Note that people can create free Vectorworks Cloud Services accounts now too, so they could access the Nomad version that way.

 

[Dave Donley]

Adding export web view to workspaces will give you the old legacy web view which is not as good as the new one. 

 

The new one (Export VGX) uses Unity for the rendering and there have been improvements over the last year in every area with the new 3D viewing.  Export VGX will give you the best exported model and can be viewed using web browser and/or with Nomad.

 

To share the VGX you can click to get a link to share with them either as a text link or QR code.

 

https://cloud.vectorworks.net/portal/help/pages/generate-3d-models-from-vwx-files/?app=VECTORWORKS# 

 

 

 

[TomKen]

@Dave DonleyThanks for the info, I was wondering why I had to add web view to my menu.

[Christiaan]

12 hours ago, TomKen said:

@Dave DonleyThanks for the info, I was wondering why I had to add web view to my menu.

@TomKen, I'm curious, why do you want to use the legacy web view?

[TomKen]

@Christiaan I don't want to use the legacy web view but I didn't know about the new one.   When did they add this feature,  it's not listed in the what's new of the help menu.

[Christiaan]

Okay, I thought so. It was earlier this year. See here:

 

[drfoulk@gmail.com]

All of that is nifty and more than most of our clients can deal with. We just export  VW to fbx, then open it in Microsoft's free 3D viewer and save it. Email them the file and they can open it on any laptop, desktop or phone and fly through it or around it. We also open it in Hololens 2 on site or in a restaurant, and they can also fly through it using 3d viewer in Hololens. Paint 3D also will open it. Again, freewares bundled in normal computers and phones, no need to enter a pile of personal data, download and install and so on. 

 

Doc

 

Dual Xeon 24 core (48 total) SuperMicro, 1024 GB DDR4 on the mainboard, NVidia Titan 24GB GPU, 2x 1TB SSD. VW Arch 2023

 

 

[jmcewen]

On 12/16/2022 at 10:59 AM, bcd said:

VW implemented export 3d PDF several years ago. It might be worth a go but last time I tested it it was too clunky to be useful.

This works great for people who know what they are doing, but tends to go horribly when the receiver doesn't know how to use it, and that includes a surprising number of people.  I have had recipients tell me that it didn't work, but really they just couldn't figure out how to navigate.  It can be a great solution, but consider your audience  and be prepared to do a tutorial of how to change views and flyover.  I would avoid for use with a typical homeowner or theater director.  At this point i primarily use it with people who have access to a modeling program, but are in places where they cannot use it.  

[Vitute]

Exporting VGX to VW cloud and link to 3D model view works great! May be somebody knows how to make it that Site Model contours would be also visible if this is possible overall.

In SM settings they are set to be visible, but in the exported VGX 3D model they are not.

 

[Bruce Kieffer]

Isn't this the reason Vectorworks Viewer exists?

[Vitute]

On 6/18/2024 at 6:31 AM, Bruce Kieffer said:

Isn't this the reason Vectorworks Viewer exists?

May be 🙂 Using VGX exprot file is very easy to share with clients - just providing a link and it's easy to navigate. To use viewer software should be downloaded, right? 🙂

[BartHays]

On 6/17/2024 at 8:31 PM, Bruce Kieffer said:

Isn't this the reason Vectorworks Viewer exists?

I see that an updated VW viewer is on the list for the next update. I'm looking forward to that.

The current VW Viewer is a super reduced version of VW so the user interface is geared towards people who know VW. It is terrible for people who don't do CAD or design work. 

 

VGX files shared via the VW Cloud seem to work fairly well but the graphics or pretty poor. Also, I have found that the navigation is a bit clunky too, it is easy for novices to get lost in the 3D space.

 

Frankly our clients react best to the Panospheres and a VW "Presentation." it's not a "Fly-through"  but It gives them a great sense of the space with a very easy interface. 
Example(https://cloud.vectorworks.net/presentations/11ee540be8324e318f890a222fb0a2eb/196542/?next=/11ee540be8324e318f890a222fb0a2eb/)

[Vitute]

On 6/20/2024 at 8:12 PM, BartHays said:

 

 

VGX files shared via the VW Cloud seem to work fairly well but the graphics or pretty poor. Also, I have found that the navigation is a bit clunky too, it is easy for novices to get lost in the 3D space.

 

 

In contrary, I found it very easy 🙂 Use not only left mouse button, but also the right and of course scroll wheel to zoom.

[inikolova]

On 6/20/2024 at 1:12 PM, BartHays said:

Also, I have found that the navigation is a bit clunky too, it is easy for novices to get lost in the 3D space.

To bring some good news, we are currently working on adding the ability to save views in the 3D viewer so that you can pre-define the views you want your client to look through. They would be able to navigate your model just by clicking on the list of views or going into presentation mode and just clicking on "Back" and "Forward" buttons to move through the model. 

[caml_gmbh]

But what, if I do not want my model to be on your cloud?

I want my data to stay on my server and I can host it myself.

Is there a way to achieve this or is the new webview allways on the VW Cloud?

[inikolova]

@caml_gmbh,

Storing files on our cloud is secure. We offer two ways of sharing - via public link, which can be accessed by anyone that has the link, or via Vectorworks account, which requires a sign-in by the recipient. If you have any specific concerns, please let us know and we can try to address them.

Our servers host the web viewer, so there is no way currently for you to store the file on your server and use our viewer. In the future, we may be able to provide a desktop version of the viewer, so you can view the .vgx file locally.

 

Best regards,

Iskra Nikolova