HELP!!!!!!!!! whats the real difference between VWA & VW?

[MC2]

i have been using arhicad since 7.0 came out. i want to know if VW or VWA works similar to it. i need to know if when you are drawing in 3d is VW building in2d and if you are drafting in 2d can you make simultaneous changes in 3d. my question also is important for 2d as well as 3d section and elevation views.

unlike most current architectural students, i was taught design and drafting by hand. this is why i decided to use archicad when i decided to go back to school. the problem with archicad is if you have a small graphics card (8mb) you have better ready to wait. sometimes i think that i could draft it by hand in the time it takes to redraw. but this paragraph is a mute point now.

another question i have is there a batch plot utility in VW.

VWA & VW would any of you recommend my VW should ship 070502, considering this, i have 90 days to return it.

i am under the gun right now if any of you cant tell by the time of this post.

[Matthew Giampapa]

VectorWorks Architect has additional tools, utilities, libraries and objects that are specifically designed to make AEC type drafting faster and easier.

While I can't speak for how the Academic resellers operate. I know that if you buy the regular VW and want to go to VWA later, you can upgrade for just the difference in price regardless of 90 days.

If the reseller gives you a problem, just let our customer service department know and we will work something out.

Matthew GiampapaNNA Technical Support

[Robert Anderson]

I'll try to address some of these issues:

1. VectorWorks and VWA have what is called 'hybrid' objects. These objects (including but not limited to walls, roofs, slabs, doors, windows, etc.) are both 2D and 3D. Creation, changes, edits, etc. made in 2D views are simultaneously reflected in 3D views. Editing in 3D views, while somewhat more limited that editing in 2D views, also reflects in those 2D views. Certain kinds of editing (such as altering the profile shape of a wall) can be done only in 3D view. However if you move a window or door in a wall from a 3D view, that change will also be reflected in the 2D view.

2. VectorWorks and its product line currently support live elevation and perspective views using its "layer link" feature, but not live sections. Sections (2D or 3D) may be made automatically, but they are not updated.

3. VectorWorks has extensive 2D drafting capabilities that go beyond the 2D representation of the model, so you can create virtually anything in VW that you would do by hand-drafting. The "look" of the drawings produced in VW is one of our strong points. In addition, VW may be used as a simple graphics or sketching or 3D-massing program, allowing you to attack your design problem from any direction you desire.

I hope these comments are helpful.

[MC2]

thanks mr anderson you have given me the first clear answer to this question i have been asking your company for a week. you answered my question perfectly.

[jnr]

I have spent a fair amount of time evaluating Archicad 7.0. I've been using Vectorworks for about four years. One of Archicad's biggest advantages over Vectorworks is its ability to dynamically upgrade sections as you work. However this is alleged to be changing in the not too distant future. Another advantage of Archicad is plotmaker. You can link it to not only your archicad files but to Excel, Word and Autocad files. Update those files, and plotmaker updates them automatically. Vectorworks does not have this capabilty, is missing the point and claims to not have any interest in including this functionality. The wall tool in archicad is better. The stair too in Archicad blows vectorworks tool away. On the otherhand, vecotorworks has a customizble desktop that archicad does not currently have. However they claim they will have one in version 8. Vectorworks does other things easier that are clunky in Archicad. Drawing a simple line for example is a two step process in Archicad, one in Vectorworks. Dimenisioning in Archicad is a nightmare and takes getting use to. In sum the two programs, vieing for the same market share (cross-platform compatibilty) are very similar, one does somethings better than the other. The diffence is the price tag. Archicad is at least $1000 US more expensive and does not include an intuitive rendering engine (although artlantis will be added to the desktop in version 8 of archicad) that vectorworks already has. Archicad is designed solely for architects, Vectorworks is not. This message board is one of the best of any program out there, the tech support staff always ready to help (which accounts for a lot in my book). I'v probably done more to confuse you than help, but at least you will be better informed. Good luck

[MC2]

jnr,

you hit the nail on the head when you spoke of nemetschek's reluctance to add some archicad features. i have been talking with 5 friends of mine in school and they would buy it in a second: now, they dwell in autocad land.

i have been in and out of architecture school for 8 years now and this has been the biggest problem with c.a.d. a program with dynamic views is so intensive on video ram you could draw a change by hand faster if you dont have have a really expensive machine. the programs that are fast tend to be based on a 2d drafting enviornment. this 2d enviornment looks great but does little to help a person who has the intention of publishing and updating what is in reality is a book.

the economist in me says that the wage rate and quality of an architect and a c.a.d. firm would would increase exponnentially these problems were solved. this software company could lower the price and maintain MR=MC with the increased consumers shifting the demand for their program. what would each subdivision look like if each house was uniquely designed. i know, i know, "a tale told by a fool, full of the sound and the fury and signifing nothing."

i had hoped that VWA was quark express of the c.a.d. world. i quess the newbee is schooled again.

having ranted, i have to say all this advice is great. i love it. i just finished the training cd's and started to play with VWA. it appears to work just like the last few posts describe.

you have described my frustration with archicad and reluctance to get rid of it. i am buying BOA this week and starting my first project on vectorworks. i hope it goes well. i got to see a demo of BOA this week and it looks promising.

[skoorbb]

How does VWA fare versus regular VW for 2D construction document production work?

The VWA product literature showcases items (like WGR) which are available in VW9.5.

[jnr]

Bruce:

The short answer: much better. VYA set-up assistant automates much of the set-up work that goes into a document set. However you have to be willing to accept the CAD standard title blocks, sheet formats etc. that VYA uses. Note that NNA is following industry convention to move all A+E to standardized format. It will also script 3-d views and all the sheets you need for a document set. Archicad 7.0 does not do this. (8 might, well see). If you are concerned about the additional cost, VYA will easily save you the difference in time saved on the front end.

[skoorbb]

jnr, Thanks.....

But, not knowing what those sheets look like, we're hesitant to count on that as a time saving measure. We have templates established for flr plans, rcp, elevs, etc. with classes/layers defined and don't really need a set-up assitant, unless it's really different.....?

We dislike not being able to customize some features, like reference markers, so we use our own.