Content request - Decks coffee break

[Cody Worthman]

I've seen quite a bit of material about hardscapes, which is quite a broad topic, but nothing specifically pertaining to decks. I would love to see a coffee break session or series of sessions about designing decks in landmark.  

`Quite a broad topic in itself, but it's a common element for landscape architects and designers, and I've seen a wide variety of recommendations involving a wide range of tools and commands depending on what you need:
-floors, slabs, hardscapes

-framing members, create joists, structural member (not available in landmark)
-railing tool
-stair tool
--curtain wall (not available in landmark?) for deck skirting
-wall tool for foundation walls + other stuff, columns for piers, drilled footing (not available in landmark

-roofs 
-extrudes (I feel like I rely too heavily on this tool, and end up missing out on some of the benefits of vwx

Is there a workflow we should be use if we need all of the following from the same file:
-an accurate model for 3d rendering in Vectorworks but also Twinmotion, lumion, etc 
-framing plans, cut lists, and material lists

 

Edited April 19, 2024 by Cody Worthman

[taoist]

At some point in the past Trex DeckWorks software was available as a plugin.

Do not know if it is still available.

 

Vectorworks could use some serious updates to it's framing tools.

Walls and floor framing especially.

[Cody Worthman]

49 minutes ago, taoist said:

At some point in the past Trex DeckWorks software was available as a plugin.

Do not know if it is still available.

 

Vectorworks could use some serious updates to it's framing tools.

Walls and floor framing especially.

As great as the deckworks plugin tool would be, I would be happy to know best practices using existing tools so I can represent a wide variety of situations including: steel/composite/aluminum framing, tile on pedestal decks, or even sleeper system decks.   
 

We clearly have the tools to create decking structures for unique situations, it would be great to see clarification for how others are working.

[Jeff Prince]

3 hours ago, Cody Worthman said:

As great as the deckworks plugin tool would be, I would be happy to know best practices using existing tools so I can represent a wide variety of situations including: steel/composite/aluminum framing, tile on pedestal decks, or even sleeper system decks.   
 

We clearly have the tools to create decking structures for unique situations, it would be great to see clarification for how others are working.

 

In your other thread, I mentioned I build decks just like any other architectural element and by using a variety of tools.

I don't think you are going to get anything beyond that from Vectorworks staff.

My advice is to learn the tools (wall, slab, stairs, railing, etc.) and put them into use.

Decks are basically just buildings without interior cladding and insulation 🙂

 

Also, don't be afraid to hack the tools we have and use them inappropriately.

Example: I use the site modeling tool for all kinds of deviant purposes to quickly generate irregular surfaces, and even building roofs on occassion.

 

Here's a fairly simple hack....

If you are doing simple rectangular decks, the stair tool is actually a very quick way to generate the basic finishes and railings.

You would have to add columns and structure to it, but that's pretty easy using the Columns and Framing or just simple Extrudes.

[VIRTUALENVIRONS]

On 4/19/2024 at 2:07 AM, Cody Worthman said:

an accurate model for 3d rendering in Vectorworks but also Twinmotion, lumion, etc 

Quick edit.  All the modelling done in Vectorworks, sent to C4D.

 

Although not an Architect, decks and docks are a different beast.  It is something I get involved in either at the home level or full Marina's.  Vectorworks is awesome for full Marinas.  

What my clients want though,  is to see it in place.  There are two images below.  One is existing, the other the new design.  This involves camera matching and was done in CINEMA 4D.  Some pshop work to prep the image.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 20, 2024 by VIRTUALENVIRONS

[VIRTUALENVIRONS]

On 4/19/2024 at 2:07 AM, Cody Worthman said:

an accurate model for 3d rendering in Vectorworks but also Twinmotion, lumion, etc 

Weekends are slow.  I am actually building docks this weekend.

 

Although Twin Motion offers some very cool features, there are some things that are beyond them.  This might be one.

What the video below shows is "Video" matching as opposed to camera matching.  All the modelling was done in Vectorworks and sent to C4D.

 

 

 

[Cody Worthman]

5 hours ago, Jeff Prince said:

 

In your other thread, I mentioned I build decks just like any other architectural element and by using a variety of tools.

I don't think you are going to get anything beyond that from Vectorworks staff.

My advice is to learn the tools (wall, slab, stairs, railing, etc.) and put them into use.

Decks are basically just buildings without interior cladding and insulation 🙂

 

Also, don't be afraid to hack the tools we have and use them inappropriately.

Example: I use the site modeling tool for all kinds of deviant purposes to quickly generate irregular surfaces, and even building roofs on occassion.

 

Here's a fairly simple hack....

If you are doing simple rectangular decks, the stair tool is actually a very quick way to generate the basic finishes and railings.

You would have to add columns and structure to it, but that's pretty easy using the Columns and Framing or just simple Extrudes.

Thanks, those are the hacks and outside the box tips that I’m looking for.

 

I guess part of the problem is the sheer amount of tools and commands available inside the program compared to the educational material available: I don’t what I don’t know. Sometimes you have to discover that a command/tool exists.  

In particular, I had never noticed the framing member nor seen in mentioned in any form until I watched a video from the Austin community group.   I watched halfway through the intermediate concepts videos (almost 8 hours of the 16 total hours) and it went over doors/windows/walls/stories/slabs/roofs but never mentioned the framing member or create joists.

Maybe they go over it in the back half of the intermediate concepts during the documentation phase instead of the modeling phase.  
 

I’ve been extruding beams and a lot of other things, which isn’t hard, but it’s frustrating to know that there are tools capable of creating exactly what I need and have modeled in the past. 
 

That’s why I’d love a coffee break session about this.  Sometimes another’s insight or experience provides a faster or better way of doing things. Just like your stair tool “trick”. That’s a highly useful tip that I can put into practice.

 

You’d think having more in depth tutorials online would be good for marketing and helpful for converting users from structure studios or Sketchup to Vectorworks.  At times, I wish had gone with Revit for the amount of applicable in-depth tutorial material available, both from Autodesk and their users. A quick search for building decks in revit comes up with written processes for structural floors, placing beams, and changing the profile on composite boards. There are several user produced video tutorials on YouTube. Try the same with Vectorworks and its 90% stagedecks (for spotlight) and a handful of forum posts spread out from 2008-now that are pertaining to decks with few replies. The image you shared on Hollister Design’s thread was the most helpful thing I’ve seen so far pertaining to decks.  Unfortunately, a llot of the important files on this forum disappear over time: making the threads useless unless there was written details.

 

We may never get any instructional material like this from Vectorworks, but it would certainly be more helpful than another video about changes to the hardscape tool.

[Jeff Prince]

 

If you post specific design problems here on the forum, you'll get plenty of people here to help you get on the correct path to making things like decks.  You will have a couple that will lead you astray too 🙂. Those coffee breaks are good for scratching the surface and making you aware of things, but there's no way they can cover everything for every industry.  You have to watch some of the architecture ones and then apply what you have learned to your specific design problem, like decks.

 

 

1 hour ago, Cody Worthman said:

I guess part of the problem is the sheer amount of tools and commands available inside the program compared to the educational material available: I don’t what I don’t know. Sometimes you have to discover that a command/tool exists.  

 

All of these big BIM and CAD packages take a long time to become good at.  If you are also learning your profession on top of it, that's a lot of brain exercise.  You'll get there, just keep plugging away.  You can always hire a trainer to teach you advanced workflows too.

 

 

1 hour ago, Cody Worthman said:

You’d think having more in depth tutorials online would be good for marketing and helpful for converting users from structure studios or Sketchup to Vectorworks.

 

As a longtime Autodesk client, I can say they did nothing for landscape architects for over 20 years.  It was one of the reasons I left the platform.  I'm pretty impressed by what Vectorworks has done with the University offerings.  While there aren't many good VWX Youtube channels that are able to keep up with this constantly changing program, the Uni and the Forum do a pretty strong job of making people into experts.  It just take time like any other program.  The best way to get results out of the forum is to post specific design problems you need help with.  Sketch something by hand and say "help me make this _______" and you'll get a ton of help.  On the flip side, I see a lot of people post questions about how to make things without providing any context, a design sketch, an image, or a rudimentary VWX file.... those folks tend not to get much help because most of us aren't good at reading minds... yet.

 

1 hour ago, Cody Worthman said:

At times, I wish had gone with Revit

 

No, no you don't 🙂

Maybe if you were an architect, building services engineer, or fabricator.

Landscape Architecture in Revit is still a bit of a joke.  Maybe one day it will be useful and affordable, but it would have to be through a 3rd party.

 

For those of us in landscape, we really only have a handful of productive 3D + CAD tools.  I'm not allowed to mention them here...