VectorWorks offers three very important features to help you organize your drawings. Classes, Layers, and Sheets work together in a number of ways, but you can use one without the others. All three will help you in presenting as well as organizing elements of your drawing. It's recommended that you create your layers, classes, and sheets when you set up your drawing.
VectorWorks gives you a wide range of options when creating layers. In VectorWorks, individual layers can be created with different scales, colors, and projections. You also can temporarily or permanently make each layer visible, invisible, or grayed.
When you create a new layer, you have two choices for naming that layer. You can select from a list of standard layer names, or you can enter a new layer name. This provides you with a way to maintain consistency in the naming of your layers.
Note: Classes import the attributes when you create a new class from a standard class.
To create a new layer when no standard layer names are available
The Layers Setup dialog box appears.
VectorWorks creates a new layer, gives it a default name, and places it in the Layer scroll list. You can rename the layer by clicking in the Name text box and entering a new name.
3. Select the status of the layer.
If you want this layer to be your working layer, select the Active Layer check box.
If you don't want this to be the active layer, make sure the box is not checked.
4. Select how the layer will be displayed when not the active layer.
If you want to see objects in this layer in a normal manner when another layer is the active layer, click the Normal check box.
If you want to see objects on this layer in a dimmed manner when another layer is the active layer, click on the Grayed check box.
If you want to view just the active layer and not objects on the new layer, click on the Invisible check box.
5. Set the Transfer Mode for the layer.
Note: Most printer devices do not support all of these modes, especially vector devices such as pen plotters, and some postscript printers.
Note: On the windows platform, the use or color in transfer modes may produce color blending.
6. Set the scale for the layer.
To set a scale for the layer that is different from other layers, click the Scale button. The Layer Scale dialog box appears. Select the desired criteria and click OK.
Note: When setting the scale of the layer that contains the title block, or any other layer where the scale you choose is arbitrary, you should select a scale that falls between the minimum and maximum scales that already exist in your drawing. This helps limit the range of numbers that VectorWorks needs to support, which in turn maximizes the precision available for your drawing.
Click the Scale Text check box to scale the text with the rest of the layer. Click the All Layers check box to apply these scale settings to all the layers of your drawing.
7. Set the pen and fill colors for the layer.
Click the Colors button and the Color Defaults for Layer dialog box appears. Set the Pen and Fill Foreground and Background colors by clicking in the text box, selecting a color from the palette that appears, and clicking OK. A sample of how the choices will appear is shown at the bottom of the dialog box.
Note: If you set the Use Layer Colors setting in the Document Preferences dialog box to set color settings for layers, objects that are placed on, moved to, or drawn on the layers will revert from their normal color settings to those set by the layer. Also, these settings are overridden by the Black and White Only option in the Preferences dialog box, even with the Use Layer Colors option set.
To create a new layer without using a standard layer
The Layers Setup dialog box appears.
The Layer Options dialog box appears.
3. Click and enter a name in the Name text box.
The Create New Layer radio button is automatically selected.
5. Continue as in the previous procedure beginning at Step 3.
To create a new layer using a standard layer
The Layers Setup dialog box appears.
The Create Layer dialog box appears.
3. Select a file from the Files field.
The Choose Layer from Standards radio button is automatically selected and the scrolling list of layers updates for the file selected. Each file contains standard layers specific to a particular discipline.
Note: If the name of a layer in the current document matches that of one in the Standards directory, it will not be included in this list.
4. Select a layer name from the scrolling list of layers.
You can select multiple layers from the list. All selected layers will be created in the document.
6. Continue as in the previous procedure beginning at Step 3.
Once you've created a layer, you can edit the layer, changing the properties as needed. You can change the scale of the layer, the height of the layer and the objects in it, its order in the layer stack, or how the layer is displayed. You can also remove a layer if you decide you no longer need it.
Note: If you remove a layer from your drawing, all objects in that layer are also removed.
To change the scale of a layer
The Layers Setup dialog box appears.
2. Select the layer to edit by clicking the name of the layer in the scroll list.
The Layer Scale dialog box appears.
5. Click the Scale Text check box to scale the text with t he rest of the layer.
Layers are viewed and printed in "stacking order", the top to bottom order in the Layers Setup dialog box. Initially, layers are "stacked" in the order in which they are created, but you can change their order at anytime. In addition, you can create layer link objects to automatically create a 3D model.
To change the stacking order of layers
The Layers Setup dialog box appears, displaying all of the layers currently in the drawing and their current position in the stack. The first layer listed is the top layer and the last layer listed is the bottom layer.
2. Select a layer that you want to move.
3. Reposition the layer as desired.
Choices here include Top, Up, Down, Bottom. Top moves the selected layer to the top, while Bottom moves it to the bottom. Up and Down move the layer as indicated one position at a time.
To change how a layer is displayed
1. Select Layers from the Organize menu.The Layers Setup dialog box appears.
3. Change the visibility state of the layer.
Click the desired radio button to make the objects in the layer appear either Normal, Grayed, or Invisible when viewed from another layer.
The Layer Options command lets you control how all of the layers in your drawing work together. Using it, you can tell VectorWorks to display only the active layer in your drawing, temporarily hiding all other layers and their objects, for example.
To change how layers work together
2. The current layer's behavior is changed accordingly.
These are the layer options you can choose from:
Note: With the Active Only option, only your active layer will print. Objects can not be snapped between 3D layers. All items will print in black, even if grayed on screen.
By default, the layers you create in VectorWorks are independent. Each has its own scale, view, and render status. You can create a layer link object, a new layer that consists of any or all of the existing layers of your drawing, and get an accurate depiction of the objects in the layers and how they work together. create a layer link object
The linked layer is the one that will show all other layers and any changes made to them. You can change the layer by clicking on the Layers text box on the Data Display Bar and selecting the desired layer from the menu.
2. Select Create Layer Link from the View menu.
The Create Layer Link dialog box appears.
3. Select the desired layers that will be linked from the list of existing layers.
4. Click the Project 2D Objects check box to display any 2D objects in the linked layer as well as any 3D objects.
The Align Layer Views command gives you a one-step way to change all the layers in your drawing file so that they have identical Standard View and Projection modes. VectorWorks will make them match the Standard View and Projection modes in your active layer.
These are set from the Standard View and Projection options under the View menu.
2. Select Align Layer Views from the View menu.
VectorWorks will change the Standard Views and Projection modes
for all of the layers in your drawing file.
It is recommended to set up your classes before you begin drawing. That way, you can place each object in the appropriate class as you create it.
When creating classes, VectorWorks provides you with a list of Standard classes. You can use these to create your own standard classes by saving your document and placing it in the Standards folder. Once placed in the Standards Folder your created standard classes become part of the Standard list.
The Classes dialog box appears.
The Assign Name dialog box appears.
3. Enter a name for the class.
Classes can be named anything you'd like as long as it's no more than 20 characters long. You can create classes with a hierarchical structure by placing a dash between levels in the name. For example, you can create a class called walls as the top level of the tree and have exterior and interior as sublevels. These would be named walls-interior and walls-exterior.
This will bring you back to the Classes dialog box.
5. Select the visibility state of the class.
Select whether you want the class to be Visible, Invisible, or Grayed by clicking in the column to the left of the class name and underneath the appropriate diamond symbol.
The Use column indicates whether the object will be set to the use the class initially. Accepted values are Y or N.
The new class's Fill, Pen, and Arrow attributes, or the Class Graphics Attributes, are set to the current values of the Global Graphics Attributes. If you want different settings for these attributes, you must edit the class. See "Editing Classes", for more information on editing a class.
The Attributes palette controls the settings for the Global Graphics Attributes. These settings are displayed and available for editing when no object in the drawing is selected. See "Default Object Attributes", for information on setting Global Graphics Attributes.
The Classes Setup dialog box appears.
The Create Class dialog box appears.
3. Select a file from the Files field.
The Choose Class from Standards radio button is automatically selected and the scrolling list of classes updates for the file selected. Each file contains standard classes specific to a particular discipline.
Note: If the name of a class in the current document matches that of one in the Standards directory, it will not be included in this list. If there are no new standard classes, a simpler dialog box will appear, which just allows typing in the name of a new class.
4. Select a class name from the scrolling list of classes.
You can select multiple classes from the list. All selected classes will be created in the document.
You can edit a class's properties and attributes at any point. You can rename a class if needed to resolve a conflict with names, change the colors used, pen and fill attributes, and line and arrowhead styles.
The Classes dialog box appears.
2. Select the class to edit from the scroll list.
The Edit Class dialog box appears.
4. Enter a new name for the class by clicking in the text box and typing a name.
5. Set the Use at Creation option.
Check Use at Creation if you want the attributes displayed in this dialog to be used when you create an object assigned o this class.
If this box is not checked, these attributes can only be applied by assigning the class attributes to an object after its creation.
Note: Global Graphics Attributes settings can be seen on the Attributes Palette when no object is selected. The Global Attributes can also be set from this palette.
Click in the text box and select either None, Solid, Pattern, or Hatch from the pulldown menu.
Click in the text box and select either None, Solid, Pattern, or Dash. Solid and Pattern are the same as for Fill type. For Dash, click in the sample text box and select a predefined line thickness and a dash style from the lists.
Click the sample text box and select a style from the list of predefined styles. You can create a new style by selecting Edit. The Set Arrow Attributes dialog box appears, allowing you to change the criteria as desired.
9. Click OK to return to the Classes dialog box.
10. Click OK to return to your drawing.
If you select and try to edit more than one class at a time and some are set to apply the graphic attributes while others are not, the Use at Creation check box will be grayed, indicating an unknown setting. Additionally, if some or all of the attribute values (Pen, Fill, Line, and Arrow styles) are different for the different classes selected, then the text boxes for those values will also indicate that the value is unknown. When the OK button is clicked, the settings for the information will be applied to all of the selected classes. Any information with an unknown setting will not be applied.
VectorWorks now allows you to duplicate the attributes for a class when creating a new class. This can save time if you need classes with similar attributes.
To duplicate attributes for a class
The Classes dialog box appears.
2. Select the name of the class you want to duplicate from the scroll list.
The Assign Name dialog box appears.
4. Enter a name for the duplicate class.
This returns you to the Classes dialog box.
6. Select a visibility state for the class.
Click in the appropriate column to the left of the class name.
You can change an object's attributes after it's created and assigned to a class, even if the object currently has Class Information assigned. The attributes for an object that uses Class Information are listed in the Attributes palette as being controlled by the class. For example, if the Fill style is controlled by the class, the textbox in the Attributes palette for the Fill will list "Class" for that attribute. Furthermore, if the fill colors are set as Class Information, then the color palette control shows the class color and displays a class icon.
To change an object's attributes
2. Set the Fill style as desired.
These choices are the same as for the Edit Class dialog box, with the exception of the Class Style option, which is explained in "Editing Classes" . The one addition is a Class option, which assigns the Fill style selected in the Class definition to the object.
3. Set the Pen style as desired.
These choices are the same as for the Edit Class dialog box, with the exception of the Class Colors option, which is explained in "Editing Classes" . The one addition is a Class option, which assigns the Pen style selected in the Class definition to the object.
4. Set the Line style as desired.
Click on the Line style textbox and choose a line style from the pulldown menu. You can select from a list of predefined line weights or specify a special line weight. Also, the Class Thickness setting changes the thickness to the weight set in the Class Information. You can also specify a dash pattern for a dash line.
5. Set the Arrowhead style as desired.
These choices are the same as for the Edit Classes dialog box with the exception of the Class Style, which sets the arrowhead style to that chosen for the class.
VectorWorks automatically makes the changes to the selected object.
If an attribute is set to a "Class" setting when no object is selected, the Class Information setting for that attribute will apply to any newly created object.
Note: If you paste an object with class attributes into another drawing, it will take on the visibility settings for the new drawing. A hidden object may become visible.
At times, it may become necessary to delete a class from the drawing. VectorWorks makes this a very simple procedure.
The Classes dialog box appears.
2. Select the name of the class you want to delete.
Note: The Dimension and None classes cannot be deleted. These are default classes that every drawing has.
A confirmation box will appear to confirm that you really want to remove this class from your drawing.
This returns you to the Classes dialog box.
This returns you to your drawing. VectorWorks automatically moves all objects in the deleted class to your None (default) class.
You can control how all of the classes in your drawing work together with the Class Options command. Using it, you can tell VectorWorks to display only the active class in your drawing, temporarily hiding all other classes and their objects, for example.
2. The current class's behavior is changed accordingly.
Here are the class options you can choose from:
Note: With the Active Only option, only your active class will print.
Copying and Pasting Class Objects
You can copy and paste objects in a class from one drawing to another, even if the destination drawing doesn't have the same class as the drawing that the object came from. VectorWorks simply creates a new class in the destination drawing and transfers all of the Class Information from the source drawing. If the destination drawing does have a class with the same name as the source drawing, then only the Object Information is pasted. All of the Class Information for the destination drawing's class remains unchanged.
Sheets are another method VectorWorks provides for viewing
elements of your drawing arranged in various configurations.
Sheets can be thought of as a capture of your drawing. For
example, you could save two 2D Top/Plan views of your design,
a sheet showing the entire drawing and another sheet that shows
a close-up of one individual section of the 2D plan. Then,
during a design presentation, you can use the Sheets button on
the View Bar to flip back and forth between the two sheets and
any others you have created. You could also print out any of
these saved sheets. A sheet is a combination of visible layers and
classes that can be printed.
The View Bar, located in the lower left corner of the Drawing Window, provides shortcuts for viewing the current sheet or layer of your drawing. The Sheets button is the last one in this bar, next to the left button for the horizontal scroll bar. Clicking this button brings up a menu allowing you to save a sheet, edit a saved sheet, and switch between the current drawing and any previously saved sheets. Think of saving a sheet as saving a series of settings for displaying a drawing or a portion of a drawing.
Saving a sheet allows you to return to captures of various stages of development to see the progression of the design or see combinations of different aspects of your drawing. You can choose to display certain classes or layers while not displaying others, set the sheet at a certain zoom setting, and pick a desired view for the sheet. All of these settings are controlled by you when you create the sheet. Like many other things in VectorWorks, you can execute this command through two methods: the Page menu and the View Bar.
Note: If you add layers after the creation of a sheet and want the new layer in the sheet, you must edit the sheet. Layers are not automatically added to existing sheets.
2. Select Save Sheets from the View Bar.
The Save Sheets dialog box appears.
3. Enter a name for the sheet in the Name text box.
4. Click the Save View check box.
If the Save View check box is checked, the current zoom, projection, and perspective settings are saved as a part of the sheet.
If the Save View check box is not checked, then these settings will not be saved and the sheet will be restored with these elements set as they are for the drawing that's displayed when the sheet is restored.
5. Click the Save Class Visibility check box.
If this box is checked, you can change the visibility options for the classes for each class.
If this box is not checked, then the list of classes and the visibility settings are grayed. Once the sheet is restored, the visibility states for the classes are determined by the settings for the current drawing.
6. Set the desired visibility states for the classes.
There are four options here: Visible, Invisible, Grayed, and Don't Save. Click in the appropriate column for the class to set the visibility state. Choosing Don't Save is the same as not checking the Save Class Visibility check box for that class, meaning that the setting for that class will be the same in the saved sheet as for the drawing that's displayed when the sheet is restored.
7. Set an Active Class for the sheet.
8. Set the Class Options for the classes in the sheet.
These options, the same as for the class options in a drawing, are Active Only, Gray Others, and Show/Snap/Modify Others.
9. Click the Save Layer Visibility check box.
This is the same as for the Save Class Visibility check box.
10. Set the Layer Options for the sheet.
These settings, the same as for Layers in a drawing, are Active Only, Gray Others, Show Others, Show/Snap Others, and Show/Snap/Modify Others.
11. Select the Active Layer for the sheet.
If this is set to a layer, then that layer will be the default active layer when the sheet is restored.
If this is set to Don't Save, then no active layer will be set for the sheet and it will be restored with the active layer of the drawing that is displayed when the sheet is restored.
The new sheet you just created is now stored on your system and can be accessed by the Sheets button on the View Bar at the bottom of your Drawing Window.
Once a sheet has been created you can edit it. The Edit Sheet command is used to change the settings you assigned when originally creating a sheet.
The Edit Saved View dialog box appears.
2. Select a sheet to edit by clicking the name in the scroll list.
The Edit Saved Sheet dialog box appears.
4. Change the desired criteria.
The new view you just created is now stored on the View Bar at the bottom of your Drawing Window.
Note: An alternative method of editing a saved sheet is through the Resources palette. Open the Saved Sheets palette, select the desired sheet, and click Edit. If you press the Option (Macintosh) or Control (Windows) key while clicking you can edit the sheet.
Deleting a saved sheet is an easy task in VectorWorks and is also handled from the View Bar.
The Edit Saved Sheet dialog box appears.
2. Select a sheet to delete by clicking the name in the scroll list.
Finding Hidden Layers, Classes, and Objects
It is possible to create an object, assign it to a class and/or layer, and have that object become difficult to find. This is due to the capabilities VectorWorks gives you for making Classes and Layers invisible. If this does happen, follow these steps to find your hidden or invisible objects and change their properties so they can be seen.
To find hidden classes, layers, and objects
The Layers Setup dialog box appears.
2. Find the names of any hidden layers from the list of Layers.
Scroll down through the list and determine its visibility state by the location of the icon in the three columns.
3. Change Invisible layers to Normal or Gray.
When an Invisible layer is found, click the radio button next to Normal or Gray to make it visible.
4. Select either Show Others, Show/Snap Others, or Show/Snap/Modify Others from the Layer Options option on the Organize menu.
5. Select Classes from the Organize menu.
The Classes dialog box appears.
6. Find the names of any hidden classes from the list of Classes.
Scroll down through the list and determine its visibility state by the location of the icon in the three columns.
7. Change the visibility state to Visible or Gray.
Click in the appropriate column.
8. Select either Show Others or Show/Snap/Modify Others from the Class Options option on the Organize menu.
9. Set the Zoom to see any objects outside the grid area.
To be sure you can see everything, zoom out as far as you can by using the Zoom Out tool on either the 2D Tools palette or the View Bar.
Referencing is the ability to link your current document (the target document) to a document that contains these standards (the master document). Referenced standards are updated in the master document and these changes are reflected in the target document. In VectorWorks, the capability of referencing master documents is called Workgroup Referencing.
You can have a multitude of master resource documents for any given drawing file.
When you create a new reference the file you are referencing can not be open. If you are on a network VectorWorks will detect if someone else has the file that you are adding open.
2. Select Workgroup References from the Organize menu.
The Workgroup References dialog box appears.
4. Select the desired VectorWorks file.
Note: The file must be in the format of the version of VectorWorks that you are running.
The References dialog box appears.
To automatically update every time you open the target file, click the first radio button. You can also update manually on command when clicking this feature.
To update only upon command, click Manually by command.
7. Click the desired layers to import.
This step is optional. If you do not want a layer, do not select one. The resources in the entire document will be referenced if a layer is not selected. The names of the layers are listed in the box and can be clicked. An Option-click (Macintosh) or Control-click (Windows) will select multiple layers.
The selected layers will be added to your target document and the resources added to the Resources palette. You are returned to the References dialog box.
When you have more than one referenced document, you can establish a priority for importing. The first document listed in the References dialog box has the highest priority. It will be the first place VectorWorks looks when it updates your referenced resources. If a resource is not found there, VectorWorks will search each referenced document in the order it is listed in the dialog box. If symbols have the same name, VectorWorks will take the symbol from the most recent VectorWorks document.
To establish referenced document priority
The Workgroup References dialog box appears.
2. Highlight the desired document.
The higher button will move the document up one level of priority (and location) in the list.
The lower button will move the document down one level of priority (and location) in the list.
If you wish to continue to reference a master resource document but to change the layers imported, you can change this through the References dialog box.
To edit references information
The Workgroup References dialog box appears.
2. Highlight the desired document.
The Edit Reference dialog box appears.
4. Change your reference parameters.
To automatically update from this resource document every time you open the target document click the first radio button. You can still update manually on command when this option is chosen.
To update only upon command click manually by command.
The names of the master resource document's layers are listed in the box. Referenced layers are checked. A click will deselect the layers. To reference other layers, click them.
Note: When you stop referencing a layer, it is removed from the target drawing file but remains unchanged in the master file.
If you wish to completely stop referencing a document, you can.
To remove a reference to a document
The Workgroup References dialog box appears.
2. Highlight the desired document.
The document is removed from the reference list and all of its layers and resources are removed from the document.
Referenced layers and resources are updated either automatically upon opening a file or manually upon command. These preferences are set in the New References dialog box when adding references (or later in the Edit References dialog box). Even if you select automatic updating, you can also update manually.
The Workgroup References dialog box appears.
2. Highlight the desired document(s) to update from.
This step is only necessary if you only want the target document updated from the documents selected.
3. Click Update from Selected or Update from All.
Update from All will update your target document from all the referenced documents in the list. Update from Selected only updates from those documents highlighted in the list.
All referenced items are updated with their most recent versions (depending on reference priority).
Note: If your referenced item was not available in the first document, VectorWorks will search other referenced documents in priority order. It is possible to be updated with a less recent version of a resource if the resource has been deleted from a higher priority document.