Different classes in design layers/sheet layers

[michela]

Hi,

Very important preface, I might ask a stupid question but I just started using this software coming from AutoCAD and I am a bit disoriented :)

I am trying to set up a template for a design studio, for interiors. At the moment to overcome the issue of using different set of classes, there is a nested system of files where one file is used for the sheet layers and it is referencing the actual modeling file and the title block. It seems to me overly complicated, as we need simply to create layouts with the same informations hiding/showing different linetypes or lineweight the same object with different set of annotations. 

From my understanding of how design layers/sheet layers work, it would be just a matter of setting sheet layers with different classes. Am I getting it right or do I need to get to square 1?

Again sorry if the question might sound stupid, but I still have a VERY limited knowledge of the software.

Thanks

[Greta Jonsson]

Hi Michaela

It may be overly complicated if your project is small.

If it involves various colleagues working on different files (plans, elevations, sections, details, services) then they can all be referenced into the master file which is used to generate the drawing package. 

Sounds like you've got a big task to do if you are new to Vectorworks .. Good luck

Greta

[Boh]

Yes I think it depends how complicated your projects are. Using file referencing on a small one off project seems overly complicated to me.

 

If the template is for small projects then it is more straight forward to avoid referencing. You may need to get a system for managing multiple classes, otherwise it can be a bit confusing. My tips are:

Have a standardised class system for your templates.

Set up your template viewports with the preferred class visibility and override settings.

 

If you are importing third party files then a great little tip is to add a "z-" prefix to their classes. They will then drop to the bottom of your class list out of the way. (There is a script that does this.)

 

Note that classes are primarily used for setting visibilities of different types of objects as well as standardising their attributes (line type, weight etc).

 

Generally, for objects placed on sheet layers you want them to be seen, so setting class visibities isn't important. Most of my sheet layer objects are on the none class.

 

 

[Art V]

On 1/22/2019 at 6:01 PM, michela said:

From my understanding of how design layers/sheet layers work, it would be just a matter of setting sheet layers with different classes. Am I getting it right or do I need to get to square 1?

Vectorworks has a slightly different paradigm than AutoCAD.

Generally you could think of it like this classes are the equivalent of layers in Autocad and design layers are the equivalent of model space in AutoCAD

Classes are used for what things are

Design layers are used for where things are, e.g. location on a map, or first, second etc. floor in a building. However you can also use design layers to create multiple options/variants/configurations of the same thing instead of using classes or xrefs as you would have to do in AutoCAD.

 

E.g. use one or more design layers for the things that are the same for all options and then use additional designlayers for each different option/configuration. You can use the same class across multiple layers. In the sheet layer viewport you can then turn on/off classes and layers as needed.

 

E.g. you can use the same class for some interior elements on all layers but depending but have different configurations on different design layers, then simply turn design layers on or off depending on what you want to show and the entire option/configuration will then change. You can save these combinations of design layers as saved views if you want to switch more easily between various configrations and before creating a viewport of a configuration. Then you don't have a create multiple classes for different options/configurations. This could make things easier to handle.

 

I hope this clarifies things a little, if not feel free to ask what you would like to be clarified further.