Jump to content

Drawing Setup


hans0

Recommended Posts

Hi,

I am a landscape architect and project manager at a small firm that works on pretty big projects.  I've been exploring whether Vectorworks Landmark would be a good addition to our software suite.  So far my answer is yes, so I downloaded a free trial and played around a bit.  

The biggest initial question I have is how to setup an initial file.  When I get a new project, (our firm typically uses AutoCAD), my general first steps are to reference in a georeferenced Aerial (usually a SID file), a survey file (DWG) and an architectural file (DWG or IFC).  After doing all that I can typically print it out and start drawing or initial site studies.    

 

The tutorials don't seem to cover how to do this.  Is there any tutorial someone can point me to that shows best practices for file management and how a typical workflow managing other files would work?  Or can someone who is in a similar situation help? 

Thanks for your help!  

Link to comment
  • Vectorworks, Inc Employee

Hi Hans, 

Welcome to the Vectorworks community!

Regarding your setup of an initial file.  All of the file formats you describe (except SID) are able to be brought into Vectorworks. We just aired a presentation yesterday by a fellow landscape architect, Robert Anderson, on importing and managing DWG files. This will help with some of those questions you may have about using DWG files. Though we do not import SID files, you can bring in georeferenced image files such as GeoTIFF, JGW, BPW, TFW, etc.. If the aerail imagery you import is not georeferenced, you can bring them in and modify their scale to the appropriate size and begin working over top. Those background files (DWG and image files) should be put in a Design Layer of their own for quick turning on and off when you want to see them and dont. Many of these layer and class usage aspects are covered in the Getting Started Guides on our webpage and YouTube. We typically cover the file set-up in our online Landmark trainings (Quick Start Seminar or Landmark Virtual Training part 1. The latter has not been scheduled yet, but expected to start in January. Once these have been established, we can let you know.

Best regards,

Eric

  • Like 3
Link to comment

Thank you Eric.  I appreciate this big time.  Do you have the link to the presentation by Robert Anderson on importing and managing?  I'll go re-review the layer and class usage aspects in the getting started guides.  Also, if I could hear about the online trainings that would be great.

Best,
Hans

Link to comment

@hans0 One other thing to add. If you are doing planning on large scale projects you can also take advantage of Shape Files exported from GIS to create your backgrounds, topo and building massing studies.

 

As for the MrSiD format. I remember using these with Autodesk Map2001i or something like that and they have a great compression ratio but as it has a patent it is proprietary. Depending on your Operating system you can find ways to convert these to other formats. You may loose the coordinates but at the very least you will be able to use them with Vectorworks.

 

Best of luck and contact me if you have other questions about switching to Vectorworks.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
  • 3 weeks later...

Thanks Robert.  I appreciate that info on GIS.  We do a lot of work in a specific county where the MrSID file is what that county generates their aerial using.  I hadn't heard of the file type until I started working here.  I've never tried to convert it, but am concerned the file could get really large. 

Link to comment
  • 3 weeks later...

Hans,

I have a checklist that we use to outsource the creation of our Vectorworks base file to freelancers. Email me at greg@plansforthefuture.net and I'll send you a link that breaks it down step by step with screenshots of all the settings etc. Use the parts that work for you, adapt the rest.

Cheers,

 

 

 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
  • 3 weeks later...

For dealing specific georeferenced files that Vectorworks does not support (yet), e.g. MrSID, you may want to get a GIS program (e.g. QGIS, GlobalMapper or even ArcGIS if you want to spend the money on that one) to convert those files into a different georeferenced format. QGIS is free but can be (quite) slow or failing depending on the content so I also use GlobalMapper which can handle a lot of formats quite well and often a lot faster than QGIS if that is slow/failing with a file.

  • Like 1
Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...