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Well, Fall is almost here and hopefully it will be a welcome
reprieve after the scorcher we had this year. Luckily, our
air conditioning has been working just fine so our engineers
have stayed cool while they have been fine tuning VectorWorks
for you. We just released a public beta, 9.5.3, so as you can
see, we have been hard at work this summer.
Now that summer vacations are over, if you need to take a break
from the daily grind, you can put your feet up and take a look
at the review of VectorWorks Mechanical 9.5 in this month's
issue of Cadence, (www.cadenceweb.com/2002/0902/fr0902_vectorworks.html).
You can read for yourself why Joe Greco thinks "...VectorWorks
MECHANICAL is easier to learn and most of its commands require
fewer mouse clicks than those of AutoCAD Mechanical."
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Sincerely,
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Richard Diehl
CEO
Nemetschek North America
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| Tips & Tricks |
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Featured Architect
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François Lévy
Austin, TX
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Born in Paris, France and raised in
the United States, François Lévy received his Bachelor
of Arts in Liberal Arts from St. John's College in Santa
Fe, New Mexico in 1987. In 1989 he enrolled in the School
of Architecture at The University of Texas at Austin.
There he received a Master of Architecture degree in
1993.
Since completing his studies he has worked for noted
Austin architects Dick Clark and Mell Lawrence, as well
as having worked briefly in Paris in 1995 on the multi-million
dollar Météor Project, a new subway line for the Paris
Métro. He and Mark Winford founded the former Studio
Mosaic in 1997, and in 2002 François established his
own design practice.
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Moon Rise Ranch
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François Lévy and Mark Winford designed
the uniquely impressive Moonrise Ranch in Fischer, Texas
which was inspired by its natural environment. The Blanco
River, just in earshot of the house, and its tall cypresses
growing midstream together suggest the organic form of
the roof: both hull and barn.
The house is organized around a two-room cabin which
had been moved onto the site about ten years ago: a log
room built in the 1840's and a frame room added in the
1880's. They separated the cabins and moved them 500'
to their present site. Their design attitude, with respect
to these cabins, is not that of the historian; rather,
they treat them as found art to be reinterpreted within
the context of the larger architectural project. The
log cabin serves as the living room for the new house,
minus its original fireplace; a new masonry fireplace
has been built to replace it. The frame addition was
reinterpreted as the new kitchen. The dogrun becomes
a dining area. Two lofted decks- one screened and the
other open- sit over each of the cabin rooms.
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Moon Rise Ranch
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The rest of the program hinges around
the cabins in the sense that the new construction is
also "of the site," arranged to take maximum advantage
of landscape and light. Much like the cabins, each interior
space is articulated as a separate mass, so that the
experience of the house is of a village under one roof:
powder room and stone-lined, sky-lit shower, small bedroom
with a bath of its own, master bedroom and bath combined
in a common space. This arrangement is hung off the central
high gallery running parallel to and as high as the exposed
spine of the roof. The composition terminates in the
rounded double-wythe stone wall of the open master bath,
with its centrally drained floor, wall showers, organic
tub and hearth, and graveled outdoor shower. The insertion
of a four story tower with commanding views of river
valley and hills holds the composition together and asserts
an otherwise subdued composition held strictly below
the tree canopy. The experience of the project thus extends
far beyond the confines of the property.
François and Mark deliberately opened up all of the available
volume beneath the long spine of the roof. The resulting
interwoven volume forms a continuum, exposing the "bones"
of the whaleback roof from a variety of vantage points,
and allowing light to penetrate deep into the interior.
Functionally, the series of high spaces draws tempered
air from the deep shaded porches surrounding the interior
to be naturally vented by the tower. The project's sensitivity
and responsiveness to its climate and site creates a
bond between the old and new. The inhabitants are intimately
and phenomenologically linked to the natural world. Not
only does the house incorporate the toil of previous
generations, but its climactic response is inspired by
the past.
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Moon Rise Ranch
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A wide range of materials were brought
together to create the overall effect of a house spiritually
bound to its place without following a strict historical
narrative.
The DTM was to model the parabolic hyperbaloid roof,
as well as give an accurate model of the site topography;
essential for such a site-specific project. The resulting
volumes would have been tedious to draft in 2D, but by
building an accurate 3D model first and using it as the
basis for elevations, sections, and interior elevations,
they were able to design the entire project carefully,
thoroughly, and meticulously, all within a modest architectural
fee. Design fees undoubtedly would have been higher without
VectorWorks, and François is confident that unforeseen
problems would have cropped up.
To see François' work and additional pictures of the
Moonrise Ranch, visit www.francoislevy.com
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How do I use the Split Tool?
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The Split tool allows you to spit an object by selecting a
point or with a line. With the Split-by-Point mode, a
single click will cut an object at a specified (or specific)
point. While the Split-by-Line mode allows you to cut
multiple objects at one time, by drawing a line. Any object
the line passes over will be cut in two. The remaining
portions then become individual object and can be moved,
cut, copied, or simply deleted.
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Why is my rendering dark?
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The default Ambient light value in VectorWorks is set fairly
low, often resulting in renderings that appear unusually
dark. Bumping up the ambient light value will help lighten
up renderings, View>Lighting>Set Layer Ambient Light.
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How do I change the font the text uses in my worksheets?
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First open a worksheet. To change the fonts in an individual
cell or group of cells in a worksheet, click on the
Worksheet Preference button. The Worksheet Preference button
is a small arrow near the upper left corner of the
worksheet. Clicking this button open a dialog that give you
access to all your worksheet preferences.
To change the fonts of a cell simply select the Select Format
Text preference. This will bring up the Format Text Dialog.
From here you can specify a font, size, style and alignment.
Once you have made your desired changes, click OK see the changes.
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Can I perform simple math in a numerical field,
including those involving mixed units?
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Just about every area of the program that is
expecting a number can take a simple mathematical expression.
You can use +, -, *, and / to add, subtract, multiply, and
divide numbers as you enter them.
This means that you can enter simple mathematic equations such
as 1 1/4" + 2 3/16"; the results display as 3 1/2".
Mixed unit equations can also be used, such as 4" - 4
cm. If the units set for the file are fractional Feet &
Inches, the results will display as 2 3/8".
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| News |
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VectorWorks
MECHANICAL 9.5 Reviewed in CADENCE
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Reviewer Joe Greco says "With the recent addition of 3D Power Pack, VectorWorks MECHANICAL now has robust surface-modeling tools to go along with its solid-modeling tools, whereas AutoCAD Mechanical has minimal 3D tools. In addition, I feel VectorWorks MECHANICAL is easier to learn and most of its commands require fewer mouse clicks than those of AutoCAD Mechanical."
To read the complete review, click here.
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Nemetschek North America Offers Monthly VectorWorks
Training in Maryland
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In an effort to meet customer demand, Nemetschek
North America announced today that it would be hosting monthly
VectorWorks training seminars at its corporate headquarters,
in Columbia, Maryland. These seminars are in addition to its
regional Professional Learning Series training sessions.
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New User Groups
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Chris Everist from Tucson, Arizona is starting
a new user group in his area. If you are from the Tucson area,
or know someone who is, and would like to network with other
VW users, here is your chance. Check out www.taylordesignbuild.com/pages/vwls.htm
for more information or to contact Chris.
Also, Randy Yerzyck, AIA has created a Boston User Group. If
you'd like more information, please contact him at 978-582-6737
or drop him a note at WRY@post.harvard.edu
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| User Group Info |
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Northern California Meeting
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This month's meeting will be held Wednesday,
September 18, at 6:30 PM.
The meeting will be held at Oakland, CA's East Bay Chapter
of the AIA Offices in the State of California Building near
City Hall. Topics for discussion include a review of the VectorWorks
Learning Series CDs. E-mail Steve Ogburn at ogdesign@pacbell.net
for more information.
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Maryland Meeting
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This month's meeting will be held Thursday,
September 26th, from 7:00 to 9:00 PM.
The meeting will be held at Nemetschek North America Headquarters
in Columbia, MD. You can get driving directions from the Nemetschek
NA website. For more information, please contact Frank
Brault at 410-795-9390 or by e-mail at fbrault@aol.com.
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| Help Wanted |
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If you are interested in posting an open position
or position wanted, please forward your ad to the webmaster
at: webmaster@nemetschek.net.
We reserve the right to modify for clarity or shorten the length
of your ad if necessary.
Positions
Offered By Our Users
Positions
Wanted By Our Users
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| Upcoming Events |
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Trade Shows
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Date
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Location
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JLC Live
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Sep 28 - 30
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Las Vegas, NV
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LDI
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Oct 18 - 20
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Las Vegas, NV
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ASLA
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Oct 18 - 22
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San Jose, CA
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Build Boston
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Nov 12 - 14
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Boston, MA (Booth #250)
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GIE
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Nov 14 - 16
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Nashville, TN
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JLC Live '02
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Dec 6 - 7
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Portland, OR
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Training Seminars
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Date
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Location
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| VectorWorks
Fundamentals |
Sep 12 - 13
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Columbia, MD
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| VectorWorks
Fundamentals |
Sep 18 - 19
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Boston, MA
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| VectorWorks
Hands-on 3D |
Sep 20
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Boston, MA
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| VectorWorks
Fundamentals |
Oct 10 - 11
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Columbia, MD
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| VectorWorks
Fundamentals |
Oct 21 - 22
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Chicago, IL
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| VectorWorks
Hands-on 3D |
Oct 23
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Chicago, IL
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AIA Accreditation
NNA is pleased to offer AIA Continuing Education credit
for our seminars. Architects can earn 16 learning units
by attending the VectorWorks Fundamentals course, and
8 learning units by attending the VectorWorks Hands-on
3D course. For additional information, contact marketing@nemetschek.net
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| Contact Us |
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Call us at 410-290-5114 to speak to Customer
Service or Technical Support.
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Fax us at 410-290-7266. Visit us on the web
at www.nemetschek.net
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For ordering and pricing information, call
1-888-646-4223, or e-mail sales@nemetschek.net
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E-mail questions about upcoming shows, User
Group events, or any marketing concerns to marketing@nemetschek.net
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E-mail your technical questions, solutions,
and wish list items to Technical Support at tech@nemetschek.net
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