Advanced 3D invigorates leading AEC software product

04 November 2019

Since its inception more than 30 years ago, Vectorworks, Inc. (formerly Nemetschek Vectorworks) has been a leader in incorporating advanced modeling functionality into its architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) software.

The company’s Vectorworks product line, for example, has long been aimed at letting design professionals model anything they can imagine – which obviously isn’t restricted to 2D elements or items with straight lines. An architect’s design is a holistic solution that ranges from the overall shape of the building, down to custom pieces of furniture for a specific space.

Designs often include shapes that are difficult or impossible to represent in 2D, such as curvilinear roofs, custom windows with unusually shaped borders cut into curved walls, or perhaps a double-skin façade for a non-orthogonal building. There may also be compound-curved furniture elements, plumbing fixtures, accent lighting fixtures and door hardware.

With more than half of its user base incorporating 3D into daily workflows, it was important to Vectorworks to provide fast and accurate 3D modelling functionality in its product line. The company’s strategy for doing this was to take advantage of the advanced software technology that is available to the manufacturing industry.

Read the full article in the November issue of DPA