SDK ObjectExample builds OK but tool does not appear in Workspace (VW 2025/2026, Windows)

[Kevin van setten 1999]

Hi all,

 

I’m trying to get the standard SDK ObjectExample running as a baseline before starting my own tools, but I’m stuck at the same point in both VW 2025 and 2026.

 

 

Setup

 

 

Windows 11

Vectorworks 2025 + 2026 (Spotlight)

Visual Studio 2022 (Desktop C++ workload)

SDK from GitHub: SDKExamples-master in
C:\VWSDK\SDKExamples-master\

 

 

 

What I did

 

 

Build (2026 example):

 

Opened:
C:\VWSDK\SDKExamples-master\Examples2026\ObjectExample\ObjectExample2026.sln

Retargeted toolset when prompted → Apply

Config: Debug | x64

Build → Build Solution → Build 1 succeeded, 0 failed

Output files are created in:
...\Output\2026\_Output\Debug\ObjectExample.vlb
...\Output\2026\_Output\Debug\ObjectExample.vwr

 

 

Install into VW:

 

Opened VW user Plug-Ins folder via Preferences → User Folders → Explore:
C:\Users\<me>\AppData\Roaming\Nemetschek\Vectorworks\2026\Plug-Ins\

Removed any old copies of ObjectExample.

Copied ObjectExample.vlb and ObjectExample.vwr directly into that Plug-Ins folder (no subfolder).

Restarted Vectorworks.

 

 

 

What I see

 

 

In Plug-in Manager → Developers / Unknown developers I see:

ObjectExample.vlb

Inside it:

Object: Advanced Complex Object

Tool: cExtTool

 

 

 

 

So VW clearly loads the library and sees both the object and the tool.

 

 

The problem

 

 

In Workspace Editor → Tools (All Tools, correct workspace):

 

I cannot find any tool called cExtTool, ObjectExample, Advanced Complex Object, etc.

There is nothing I can drag into a palette.

A VectorScript test SetToolByName('cExtTool'); also does nothing (as if the tool doesn’t exist).

 

 

Exactly the same behaviour happens if I repeat the process with Examples2025\ObjectExample and VW 2025.

 

 

Questions

 

 

For the ObjectExample sample, what tool name should appear in the Workspace editor?

Is copying only ObjectExample.vlb/.vwr into the user Plug-Ins folder correct, or should I link the whole _Output folder?

Has anyone recently built and used ObjectExample successfully on Windows with VW 2025/2026, and if so, what exact steps/names do you see?

 

 

I just want to get one stock SDK sample fully working to confirm my environment before starting my own Spotlight tools.

 

Thanks for any hints!

[Stefan Bender]

Maybe it is a protection issue. IIrc you need to add some protection stuff to the code telling VW which modules are supported. Unsupported plug-ins may not show up in workspace.

[Stefan Bender]

Check out macros 

 

DEFINE_VWProtection;
IMPLEMENT_VWProtection
IMPLEMENT_VWProtectionLDF

 

and their use, atm I don't know the details.

[Stefan Bender]

The name of the tool should be defined in the tool definition (SToolDef type) that is passed to the constructor of VWExtension tool. Same workflow for menu commands and PIOs.