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Worst things in VW 2010


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It's not just the help section which is becoming problematic - Vectorworks is trying too hard to become 'all things to all men' and dangerously close in my view to overcomplicating the programme.

We originally chose vectorworks because it was intuitive with a relatively simple and straightforward interface which didn't require months to learn. This is no longer the case and Vectorworks now is overconfigured and requires a degree of knowledge of the interface in order to understand.

It needs to return to its roots of simplicity of use!

Dongles are a pain - we use laptops and the dongles have to be removed when moving the laptops around. As a result the programme quits and there is no option to insert the dongle before it quits. The dongles need to be replaced with something else urgently!!

GD DO

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Me closes me MacBook lid and removes the dongle after that, then puts it back before raising me lid. Works more often than not. Not perfect, but acceptable.

(I hear that the EU-region sales went up by 10s of %s after the introduction of dongles, so now we have the pleasure to subsidise the pirate-infested lands of the Americas and Oceania even more than we used to.)

You're not totally wrong in the interface issue, either. Fun-damentals and a custom workspace? Get rid of redundant stuff and reorganise menus and tools.

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We originally chose vectorworks because it was intuitive with a relatively simple and straightforward interface which didn't require months to learn. This is no longer the case and Vectorworks now is overconfigured and requires a degree of knowledge of the interface in order to understand.

GD DO

Depends on what you use it for........if you are using all Design Modules it's not strange it takes a while to learn (this is so for any complex program) if you just draw in 2D, is it not just a question of simplifying your workspace? The Architect Module has a similar learning curve compared to ArchiCAD and (I assume) Revit.

Having said this, it is time for VW

a) to start to integrate/simplify the different 'parts', ie. there should be only one set of (editing)tools for both 3D, 2D, symbols etc.

b) keep on developing it's UI so that it is simple, understandable and easy to access. With BIM becoming ever more important large amounts of info are contained in one 3Dmodel, this means that the navigation window needs a serious upgrade! for example it would be great to see extended override info in VPs and Referenced files, as would it be usefull to have a better overall view of the relation between references/VPs (ie. when VPs contain other VPs etc.) especially now that VW has chosen the path of multi-file teamwork and managing files has become a complex and important part of the process.

Edited by Vincent C
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We do only use Vectorworks Architect and I agree that it may not be any more difficult to learn than say ArchiCAD but the reason for choosing Vectorworks in the 1st instance was the fact that it was so much easier to learn than equivalent programmes. ArchiCAD is in any case much closer to full BIM than VectorWorks and therefore would appeal far more to us than Vectorworks if we wanted to go fully in that direction. However I believe that in essence you agree with me that Vectorworks' UI requires rationalising and simplifying!

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Have you had a serious look at ArchiCAD lately?

Anyway, you seem to want to have & eat you cake, too. There's no way an object-oriented BIM-system, closer or further away, could be quite as simple as a drafting program.

However and very unfortunately NNA has decided to rely on dialogs that look good in demos and trade shows, but are a pain in the real world.

In my ?VW Architect Llareggub, North Pole & Nordic Countries, possibly including the UK of Great Britain and Northern Ireland? there's only the Obj Info for design desicions. So in essence only one UI.

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Hi folks,

The help/Air system is definitely as awful and as awkward as it gets. It appeared to me like someone got sold an idea, and then it was just plugged into the release. Adobe represents the very worst of useless feature creep in software today. They make Microsoft look good.

I appreciate Alexandra's candid response though. Its refreshing to hear NNA actually explain something.

All the features in 2010 seem like a work in progress that have been packaged to keep the revenue cycle fresh. This platform has become so widespread with features and needs, that I dont think we'll get a roundly solid version until the Maya Long Count calendar expires.

To my practice its all about interoperability. Exchange, collaborate, export, re-work.

From AutoCAD to C4D, pull in some 3DMax, do a bit in Sketchup and send it out in Acrobat. Stuff that just works. Spreadsheets that make sense. Symbol libraries that are quick and easy to use and create and exchange. Lots of different folks working towards the same communication and design/detailing goals.

Vectorworks 2010? eh. Still working with vectors, I guess. Maybe adobe is going to release the next Photoshop as Rasterworks 2011.

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