Dimensioning: manual, and automatic

External dimensions of a building can be done manually, or automatically. Here's how.

Move Grid bubbles away from the building

To make room for the external dimensioning of the building, make sure the grid bubbles are pushed back, say, about five bubbles'-width away from the building.
To do this, go to the Grid layer [1], and make sure to Shift-move them, so as not to move them out of alignment.
Do this at the top for the vertical gridlines set [2], then click the handle at the tail end [3] to move the bubbles at the other end.
Repeat the process for the left and right bubbles.

Dimension Exterior Walls – the manual method.

For this, used your Saved View of the Main Floor Plan to go to the Main Floor Plan on the Main Floor design layer, and use the Constrained Dimension tool [1], in Chain-dimension mode [2], then click at the outside corner of the building [3],
then at the Midpoint of the first window or door opening [4]
then pull away to indicate the offset that you wish for the entire chain [5].
NOTE: Make sure this is clear of the entire building, including projecting bits further along the wall, but leaving room between it and the grid bubbles.
After that, you need only to click consecutively at each of the relevant points: the Midpoint of the next window or door [6], the centreline of the interior wall meeting the exterior wall in a T-junction [7], or the outside corner of the building [8].
To finish the chain dimension, remember to double-click at the last point.
[With thanks to Kim Abbott/ID2B for the base drawing]

Change dimension font size to 9 or 10pt.

Dimension text should usually be 9 or 10pt in size (anything less risks being too small to read; anything more is wasteful of space). While the dimension chain is selected, change its font size to either of those sizes, through the Text menu.

Repeat the process within the Annotation part of the viewport.

To demonstrate why we should carry out all our dimensioning – and other annotation – strictly within the Annotation part of the viewport, now go to the Viewport of the Main Floor plan on the sheet where it is shown by itself, at a scale of 1:50, and repeat the process, positioning the new chain slightly above the previous one.

Now duplicate the viewport, change its scale to 1:100, and position it next to the original 1:50 viewport.

Change your Zoom to Normal View – i.e., the size simulating the size of objects were the drawing to be printed.
Note how to the dimension text that we created in the Annotation part of the Viewport has remained at the stipulated 9 or 10pt [1] – while the text of the dimensions we created on the Design Layer has shrunk to half its original size [2], following the change in display scale, and is now quite unreadable.
This is not the only reason why we should always dimension or annotate within the Annotations part of viewports, and not on the Design Layer – but it's probably the main reason.

Dimension Exterior Walls – the automated method.

Now that you've seen how exterior dimensioning is done manually, you might want to avail yourself of the automated method.
Go to the Main Floor Plan (either directly to the Design Layer, or by double-clicking its viewport on one of the sheets, and going to that design layer that way)
then choose AEC > Dimension Exterior Walls…
You get a dialog offering you this operation on any of the design layers applicable. Choose the one you want (say, Main Floor, for now), and note the other default settings, but don't change them. Then OK…

Result.

Within seconds, it will have completed a exterior dimensioning of the entire building at that level, in three separate chains: for openings; for interior-wall T-junctions; and for overall length of each exterior wall.
Because dimensions should not remain on a Design Layer, we now remove this dimension set from here, to paste into the annotations part of an appropriate viewport: while they are selected, immediately Group them (⌘G ; Windows: Ctrl+G), then Cut them to memory.
NOTE: Make sure the Group itself is in the None class, and not some obscure one that might be turned off in the destination viewport.

Paste into the Annotations part of the relevant Viewport

With the dimension group still on the Clipboard, go to the Sheet where this plan is shown in a viewport set to 1:50 (not 1:100 – too small), double-click that viewport, and enter its Annotation section. Then paste in the dimension group anywhere.
NOTE: Paste-in-Place won't work properly, because the coordinates at the Design Layer and within the Viewport are different.
The trick now is to match the dimension set with one of the building corners: move it approximately into position, then zoom in on that area.

Drag to the relevant corner

If you hover with your cursor over the point where the two corner witness lines would meet, a screen hint Point will appear: click and drag it to the corner in question, and you're done.

Make manual corrections, where necessary

The automatic dimensioning is not always faultless: things like window label bubbles can throw it off – so make corrections manually where needed.
NOTE: Consider not using window and door label bubbles in this case.

Fitting up a bathroom

In which we demonstrate the adding and customizing of various plumbing fixtures to a bathroom.

Introduce a door into the space.

Use a symbol of a suitable door from the Resource Browser, or Opt-drag (Windows: Ctrl-drag) a duplicate from another washroom, at a point to suit on the wall.

Create a Plumbing Fixtures Class

If you imported a kitchen sink earlier, you will already have a Plumbing Fixtures Class, which came with it [1].
Right-click it to change its name to edit it and change its name to A-Plumbing-Fixtures, to tie in with our other Classes, and while we're here, make sure its Use at Creation option is turned on [3].
Give it a Solid, white colour Fill [4], and a Pen that is a Solid line of a colour that is distinct from that of walls, millwork, etc. – e.g., purple [5]. Set the Line weight to 0.13 or similar [6].
NOTE: Other plumbing symbols that you import will like recreate the plain-vanilla Plumbing Fixtures Class, so will need to be reconciled with this new Class – which we will see later.

Add a bathtub

The Bath-Shower is a parametric/plug-in tool in the Furn/Fixtures toolset [1]. With A-Plumbing-Fixtures as your current Active Class (so it gets assigned to it automatically), drag one into the drawing [1].

View in 3D to customize

Switch to a Right Isometric view to appreciate the various options available through the Obj Info palette.
NOTE: To gain an unobstructed view, turn off the Wall-Exterior Class to make the exterior walls disappear.
As you can see, the tub's Depth (in effect, horizontal width), and Width can changed from default 2'8 Config. can be changed from Oval to Dee, Hexagonal, Bullnose (as shown), Shower and Corner Shower [1].
Note that the unit has a Surround by default [2], measuring 6'8" high, and it can also have a Back Ledge [4] (turned off by default), in which case it will have certain default dimensions [5], which you can change.
Last but not least, make sure Show 3D Details is turned on (it is, by default) to ensure it is seen in 3D views [6].

(Compartment Sink not applicable).

The next tool in the Furn/Fixtures toolset is the Compartment Sink – useful for commercial kitchens, but irrelevant to our purposes at the moment.

Insert a toilet.

The toilet is a plug-in immediately after the Compartment Sink. In reality, it is an entire Toilet Stall…

View it in 3D.

Switch to an isometric view to gain a better appreciation of what it looks like. As you can see, it comes complete with left, right, and front partitions, and a door. It also has, by default, a Dividing Partition, in case you choose to have more than 1 stall [1] (e.g., in a public washroom). You can vary the stall width, depth, partition, thickness, etc. The Partition Type can also be various types: by default, it's Floor Mtd w/ Head (Floor Mounted with Head bars) [2], but you can choose another type.
Since we're using it in a private residence, turn off all of the checkbox options.

Add a fixture.

What we really need – and isn't provided by default – is a toilet fixture. To this end, scroll down the Obj Info palette and turn on Show Fixture [1], then click Choose Fixture… [2].
You're given the choice between a default set of fixtures or the Top Level of your file's own Symbol Library. Choose Defaults [3], then click on the popdown button on the right [4], and choose a fixture of your liking.

Place where required.

With no partitions, you're left with just the fixture and four Locus points, which are useful as they show recommended distance from the fixture to walls or other fixtures. Drag the object by one of its rear locus points to a suitable corner [1] – as always, making sure that Wall Insertion Mode is turned off [2], so the fixture is not "swallowed up" by one of the walls.

Place a vanity unit.

For this purpose, use a standard Base Cabinet of the sort that we used in the kitchen [1] – in a Sink Front configuration [2].
NOTE: As in the kitchen, make sure that its own Countertop is removed [3].
Measure the distance between the toilet locus point and the wall to establish its required length, and enter that figure in its Obj Info palette [4]. When it's ready, drag it by the corner to the relevant position [5].

Fetch a lavatory sink.

For the sink – since there is no bathroom sink plug-in object – fetch a ready-made symbol, as we did in the kitchen – from the VectorWorks Libraries. In this occasion, a good source would be from Object Building Services > Sanitary-Kohler Lavatory Sinks.vwx.

Import it into the current file.

In VectorWorks 2009 and above, you can do this by drag-and-dropping them into your workspace, or by right-clicking and choosing Import (all versions).

Add countertop and position sink to suit.

As we did with the kitchen sink, insert a Countertop [1], resize it to fit the base cabinet underneath [2], and set its Sink Shape to Oval or Rectangular, to suit your chosen sink.
Then Group (⌘G ; Windows: Ctrl+G) the sink, note its dimensions, and set the Countertop Sink Width and Sink Depth to slightly smaller than that [4], to make a hole big enough for the sink basin but small enough for its lip to overlap all around. Position the sink over the hole, then adjust it in elevation, too.

Garden Shed: setting up a presentation

Changing between plans, elevations, isometric etc. can become laborious, especially if there are layers that need turning off and on.
To switch quickly and easily between different views, one uses VectorWorks' Saved Views facility.
To make it easier to present these views simultaneously on a sheet, e.g. to a client, one uses Viewports.

Creating a Garden Shed (walls, foundations, roof)

In which we design a 10'x10' garden shed, using Building Shell tools – a kind of one-stop summary introduction to the application for new users.

Create a new file and do a basic setup

Follow the procedures set out in the lesson Creating a new file in VectorWorks, or use the template that you made from it.

Line lights, Area Lights

A few other tricks you can use to spruce up your interior design.

Make a Line Light

This is good for creating effect lighting such as produced by a fluorescent light above a coving, or under a display cabinet.

Make a 3D retail sign

VectorWorks's "Text to Truetype" facility makes it possible to create 3D versions of logos for placement above shop windows, on walls, etc. Here's how it works.

Start by creating the text at a suitable size in a suitable projection

Make a coving

Import, paste in, or draw a profile for a coving

You can find these online, or just sketch one yourself, and import it or cut-and-paste it in.