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Apple M1 chip models compatible with VW18


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  • 2 months later...
6 hours ago, zoomer said:

Ahm, meanwhile we have 4 different M1 devices from Apple.

 

MacBook Air 13" M1

MacBook Pro 13" M1

Mac Mini M1

and in a few days,

iMac 24" M1


Nice going. All running VWs on OS 11.1, I presume? Sorry for insisting but my current setup is in need of upgrading and that means a big hit, VWs + Mac. 

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The OS compatibility list is below. Between Apple and VW, there is usually only a 2-3 year window of operating systems and VW versions that are compatible. 

 

You either have to keep up, or lock down on what you have and look for used equipment if something dies.. Budget about $150/month (very little for a work tool you use all the time) and you can get a new Mac every 2 years to make you more productive and get Service Select to keep your VW version up to date.

 

 

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I did notice Puerto Rico in your signature before I posted and considered that costs there are different from what I am used to.

 

But that does not change the equation. Apple continues to change the OS which continues to break VW and limit it's life. This has been going on for at least a decade. That is just reality. Not nice reality but reality.

 

There are only five options that I see:

1. Keep up to date computer/OS/VW.

2. Lock down on an OS and version of VW and do what is necessary (buy used hardware, etc) to be able to stay at that point.

3. Budget for a large expenditure (computer and VW) every 3 to 5 years when you decide you can't live with the old hardware any more.

4. Switch to Windows which has a longer VW shelf life.

5. Switch to a different program and hope you don't end up with the same OS compatibility issues.

 

As much as we like to think of computers as big-ticket items that should last a long time, in reality they are basically disposable after 2-3 years of use. Yes the computer might continue to run, but the newer machines will be much faster and more powerful. If you bill for your time (either by the hour or by the project) and there is more work you could do if you could work faster, then a computer that costs about $1/hour is almost always a good investment.

 

If anyone has other options I would love to hear them.

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And yes,

all M1 will only run on macOS 11.(3 now) and upwards.

Only VW 2020 upwards has macOS 11 support.

 

Maybe in late summer there will come more capable

MacBook Pros. Larger iMac and maybe a beefier Mac Mini

may take until the end of the year.

But I expect them to not be that cheap.

 

Therefore a M1 Mac may still be a good offer.

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11 hours ago, Pat Stanford said:

3. Budget for a large expenditure (computer and VW) every 3 to 5 years when you decide you can't live with the old hardware any more.

4. Switch to Windows which has a longer VW shelf life.

I'm doing options 3 and 4 🙂

 

Windows' longer shelf life when it comes to software programs is really useful if from time to time you have to use older software that is no longer updated and for which there is no equivalent software that can open the old files.

 

Regardless of what OS you are using at some point you will need to upgrade if you want to keep current with the software. Even the longer shelf life of Windows has become shorter when it comes to Windows versions supported by the most recent versions of software requiring you to update Windows. Fortunately Windows still supports 32-bit programs unlike Apple so most older software will continue to run under Windows 10 but not always anymore. Programs like VirtualBox may help to some extent.

 

Nowadays OS and hardware compatibility is often not a matter of OS changes but of software program changes supporting only the most recent OS version(s) and requiring increasingly more powerful hardware. 

 

Despite that I still think that there is too much code bloat because of less efficient code writing and/or code updating after installing updates. E.g. Adobe Acrobat CC on Windows is running some 20 processes in the background where other large software programs are using only 1 or 2 processes. This has to negatively affect your computer's performance when multiple software programs are doing similar things and I have heard from others that e.g. uninstalling Adobe software did improve performance in general. Taking a look at installed software and once in a while do a clean install of the OS and software you really use to remove bloat may help squeezing out another year of use for your system.

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On 4/28/2021 at 8:17 PM, Pat Stanford said:

The OS compatibility list is below...

 

 

 

This is really good info. Thank you. However, I have to report that VW 2017 was in fact running somewhat OK in Big Sur 11.3 and M1 Mac mini (Apple silicon) just a few days ago! My installation was migrated perpetually from an original installation in an old machine. It only had problems with 3D views not working and some other issues. I had been tapping into VW 2017 mostly for export to earlier file versions of VW for colleagues and clients who are still hanging on.

Now with only VW 2020 in a fresh re-install (works fine + the usual old little bugs), I thought of searching for installer files of older Vectorworks. No can do, I see.

Edited by KenAB94662
clarity
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10 hours ago, KenAB94662 said:

Now with only VW 2020 in a fresh re-install (working mostly fine + the usual old little bugs), I thought of searching for installer files of older Vectorworks. No can do, I see.

If you are on VSS you can still download older VW versions installer files from your VSS account. The best thing to do if possible is to keep a backup copy of installer files, once the latest service pack came out I download the installer file from my VSS account for backup purposes just in case I may need to install an older version.

 

Some software only have small installer programs that download the install files and then start installing, on Windows you can open the temporary files folder to try catching the install files for backup. Maybe this is possible on Mac as well.

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11 hours ago, Art V said:

If you are on VSS you can still download older VW versions installer files from your VSS account. The best thing to do if possible is to keep a backup copy of installer files, once the latest service pack came out I download the installer file from my VSS account for backup purposes just in case I may need to install an older version.

 

Some software only have small installer programs that download the install files and then start installing, on Windows you can open the temporary files folder to try catching the install files for backup. Maybe this is possible on Mac as well.

 

But does it install in an M1 Mac running Big Sur (MacOS 11.3)?

I believe that's the point of the chart posted by Pat and of the replies in this discussion — that it's not possible even if you find or have the VW 2017 installer file?
Please confirm either way since you have the VW 2017 installer files.

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13 hours ago, KenAB94662 said:

But does it install in an M1 Mac running Big Sur (MacOS 11.3)?

I believe that's the point of the chart posted by Pat and of the replies in this discussion — that it's not possible even if you find or have the VW 2017 installer file?
Please confirm either way since you have the VW 2017 installer files.

 

From what I have read only VW2020 and VW2021 are (officially) supported on M1 running MacOS 11.3. Because I am using Windows I can't test if it does work with older versions of Vectorworks.

 

This article does advise not to upgrade to Big Sur for versions older than VW2020 because they cannot guarantee it will work properly but it also doesn't state it can't work at all.

https://forum.vectorworks.net/index.php?/articles.html/articles/tech-bulletins/apple-macos-110big-sur-compatibility-r825/

 

If you have a license for VW2017 then you could contact your local VW support office and ask them if they can provide you with a download link for VW2017 and explain why you need it. I had a similar situation years back when switching from the localized language version to the US international English version and they were kind enough to provide the (then) previous US international English version as well as I already was on VSS for the localized version for a few years.

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