Building area and mass calculations to Excel

[robinganser]

We are considering buying Vectorworks to assist on a major redevelopment planning study. What we need is a tool that allows us to create basic 3D masses divided into various uses by layers, or components, or something (note: I have not used Vectorworks, I appologize for the ACAD/Sketchup lingo) that can be calculated and automatically exported to a spreadsheet. Example: a four story mass with 10000 sf per floor. 5000 sf retail on the ground floor, 5000 sf residential. 5000 sf residential on floors 2&3. 5000 sf office on floors 2&3. Residential only on floors 4&5. Area is then exported to Excel and we get calculations on parking requirements, utility usage, etc. (from assumptions plugged into Excel).

Is Landmark the best for this or Architect? Can you create terrain models in Architect?

[islandmon]

Industry Series>Architect>Space Planning >Worksheet ( area , perim, LWH, volume, Naming, etc.) >Export >Excel

[robinganser]

What does that mean? I don't use Vectorworks, I'm trying to decide whether or not to buy it.

[bclydeb]

I use the built in Spreadsheet & Space Planning features of vectorworks all the time to develop smaller project data (e.g. a mixed use parcel development) similar to what you are desiring to do. What islandmon is showing you is the command path to export such data from the Space Planning built in function spreadsheet.

My advice - buy Vectorworks - it is the only CAD program I am aware of with this space planning feature! This feature allows you to do just what you want.

To elaborate:

The VectorWorks space planning tool allows you to define the entities you mention as areas with specific properties and identities. e.g. Area, perimeter, Length-Width-Height, volume, name (say "Retail"), and even occupancy type among other information. This is automatically related to a space planning matrix spreadsheet within Vectorworks. You can further develop other VW spreadsheets which access that data from the SF-Useage-Floor Level space objects to make the calculations you desire within vectorworks. For presentation purposes these spreadsheets can be displayed on the drawing sheets and printed out. Or they can be sent to a regular size printer from within the spreadsheet edit feature or exported to Excel for more sophisticated analysis than is built into VectorWorks.

Again my advice - buy Vectorworks - it is the only CAD program I am aware of with this space planning feature!

[bclydeb]

Oh - right! I forgot - this Space Planning feature is in Architect and the Design series and in Landmark too (I think).

and yes Architect or Land mark or Design does terrain models. With lots of features to make 3D terrain models.

We use the Design series and Architect in my office.

[dspearman]

I don't think it's in Landmark. I know it's in Designer and Architect.

[Niblick]

Rob,

I don't know much about the Space Planning side but I do use the terrain modelling in Landmark and it is very, very limited and in my opinion should not even be advertised in any brochure by Nemetschek.

You cannot adjust the terrain with just contour adjustments and the cut and fill calculations are unstable.

You can create terrain models in Architect the same as Landmark.

Brian Phillips.