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Scenic Design and Technical Direction


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I have read a few notes about upcoming releases for Vectorworks and one of the things I see is enhancements for Scenic Design. I am curious to what this may mean. I of course have a few thoughts and dreams of what may be coming but curious if there are any details. Also wondering if there will every be tools for the Technical Director workflow. I think this should be a focus because I find our industry breaks down in the idea of unified software when a TD uses AutoCAD. 

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Yes! It would be great to have a Flat Wall Style that would break into 4' sections or can then be combined if you want to wider wall. Also, make it easier to use add a door jam that sticks outside the wall because that what we do in theatre. 

 

The ability to freeze a wall width so that is move a wall tool wall it doesn't adjust walls you know you want to be stock. Capping walls as a butt joint rather than a miter. Have the ability for materials estimates. 

 

Scenic Linesets where you can model an object and apply a weight  and get weight calculation on the baton like with lighting. 

 

Marionette rigging hardware so you can attach a scenic piece to the line set and calculate the length of the aircraft cable. 

 

 

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1 minute ago, Kevin Allen said:

 

Not just 4' but stock dimensions. I'd like to be able to create a 'curved' wall out of 4' (or other) straight sections

Its a bit more work, but Using BIM with the wall tool and wall type is the direction I have been looking down. the idea of line sets and weight....I wonder if brace works has a solution? 

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7 minutes ago, Kevin Allen said:

 

Not just 4' but stock dimensions. I'd like to be able to create a 'curved' wall out of 4' (or other) straight sections

That would be great. I really have a fantasy of predictive framing that could be modified. The rules of construction are fairly straight forward and I I think that it could happen down the line. 

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17 minutes ago, StephenCJones said:

That's one of the things we have been looking at. Both Hollywood and theatre style.  We have also been looking at show deck construction, and basic framing for steal structures. I'd love to brainstorm with more people on this. 

 

The Platform tools in VWX currently have a lot of potential I just wish that when I applied texture to the face and top I didn't have the thickness of the facing. So I typically default to simple extrudes for the sake of rendering. 

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The platform tools are designed for events, so they make the most sense for hotel ballroom or touring shows; concerts. I would think they could be adapted for a more stage/screen need.

 

I *think* if you save a door as a symbol, the insertion options 'stick,' but I have to check that. To me that sometimes makes editing more difficult.

 

KIf it's any consolation, the wall framing tool for architects needs love. That love could also mean an update for entertainment. Ideally some kind of style implementation.

 

I think if a Material can be applied to a wall used as a flat, that would give the object weight. Attaching to a rigging object would add the weight in Braceworks calculations. In the meantime, pencil and paper and the load object...

 

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  • Vectorworks, Inc Employee

I don't know how useful this will be but there is a folder in the wall styles for stage flats made with different variations of steel, wood, muslin, and lauan. These can be brought into your drawing and applied to the wall tool.  Not sure if it lays out the framing members for construction drawings though. 

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38 minutes ago, JustinVH said:

Not sure if it lays out the framing members for construction drawings though. 

 

They do not, as I recall, address framing and weights. IIRC, they are simply wall thicknesses and heights.

 

On a more complex level, brought up earlier. If you bold a wall on site, for a building and it is 20' long, you build a 20' long wall. If one of us builds a 20' long wall, it is likely built somewhere else, put together, taken apart, trucked somewhere and put back together. It is most likely five 4' lengths.

 

If I am doing a film/commercial set, I might use last that exist on a sound stage, typically 4' 3' 2' or 1' and assemble them as needed. They are likely a 5/4 frame with a 1/4" fir plywood skin, but the overall wall is likely re-skinned with 3/16 Luaun.

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