eDispatch Mar 2009, Vol 84

The trade show and publication industry has been in a decline over the past few years, and the marketing team here has been looking at new ways to get the word out about Vectorworks. Social media, in particular, seems to offer us a new way to better communicate with customers. As an experiment, Nemetschek North America partnered with the New Jersey chapter of APLD, the Association of Professional Landscape Designers. Together, we "socialized" their March monthly membership meeting at which Eric Gilbey, a Landscape Industry Specialist at NNA, was giving a presentation titled, "CAD for Landscape Designers." Added to the event, were layers of social Web 2.0 tools – such as a podcast interview conducted with Eric to promote the event, Facebook and LinkedIn announcements, live Twitter updates, and a blog about APLD NJ and social media.

This opportunity was appealing to us from a number of perspectives. First, we were able to support APLD as an organization to strengthen its membership communication in using Web 2.0 tools. APLD members, as individuals, also benefited by witnessing how Web 2.0 tools can be used in their own business activities. For us, we were able to connect on a more individual level with both our customers and prospects.

In the community of Vectorworks users, we're excited to see more people creating content and publishing it to their networks. The range of activity and geography is noteworthy: long-standing and active customers, such as Pat Stanford and Dan Jansenson, have created podcasts about using Vectorworks; and Jonathan Pickup, in New Zealand, provides free online tutorials to a global audience of English-speaking users. There are also some emerging young leaders, such as Boston-based Jonathan Hicks, a student blogging about theater, lighting design, and, of course, Vectorworks; and on the other side of the globe in Cairo, Egypt, Ahmad Hishan blogs about Vectorworks and the professional work he does in his country.

It seems each week I'm discovering new and interesting activities our users are doing. I find myself encouraged to see our community creating and sharing information inside their own networks, and using Web 2.0 tools to share the information across networks that can span the globe. Supporting the APLD NJ event with some "socializing" help was one way we're getting involved and strengthening our customers' uses of these new tools. I, for one, am curious to see what will unfold.

Regards,
Sean Flaherty
Sean Flaherty
CEO, Nemetschek North America

Residential Garden Design with VW Landmark Tutorial Available

IN THIS ISSUE

•Vectorworks News
•Video Tech Tips
•Students' Corner
•Events
•Training
•Community
•Featured Firm
•Featured Partner
•Meet Our Staff


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CONTACT US

VECTORWORKS NEWS

Exchange Plug-in Updated for Vectorworks 2009 and CINEMA 4D R11: This plug-in supports direct file exchange for high-end visualization and allows Vectorworks users to transfer their models to CINEMA 4D for convincing visualizations and animations.
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Architectural Record's "House of the Month" highlights Vectorworks firm Webber + Studio: David Webber, AIA, of the Austin-based firm Webber + Studio bought a 1947 craftsman-style home with an average-sized lot (120 by 60 feet), and set about creating the house. "We never start a project knowing exactly what shape it's going to take," he says. "We knew a few things that we wanted, but mostly, as with everything I do, when you understand the history and geography, the things just design themselves."
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Vectorworks Landmark firm John Morgan Thomas Landscape Architects P.C. receives 2009 Merit Award from the New Jersey Chapter of the ASLA: John Morgan Thomas Landscape Architects P.C. worked on a 10 acre lakefront property for a private residence located in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. This included an impeccably restored stone farmhouse and newly renovated timber-frame bank barn. The firm has been fortunate to be able to work on this property for over 15 years, with two owners.
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Anthony Frausto-Robledo highlights Vectorworks Architect 2009 in Architosh.com: "As for the product today, Vectorworks Architect 2009 is easily the most robust version ever shipped. The improvements to the walls, new methods of placing openings in them, and substantial new improvements to file import/export and latest AutoCAD 2009 file support make this a worthwhile update."
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David K.H. Elliot reviews Vectorworks Spotlight 2009 in Live Design Online: "Vectorworks 2009, Nemetschek's most recent upgrade of its design, visualization, and rendering program might look a lot like last year's version, but under the hood are some substantial upgrades as well as helpful additions and bug fixes."
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VIDEO TECH TIPS

Creating a 3D Painting: In this Video Tech Tip we demonstrate how to create a 3D painting with a frame.
Watch

Saving Palette Positions: In this Video Tech Tip we demonstrate how to save palette positions within a workspace.
Watch


STUDENTS' CORNER

Cruisin' Monrovia sponsored by Nemetschek North AmericaMcPherson High School Wins Construction Competition Using Vectorworks: McPherson High School's Construction Management team from Kansas won 2nd place at the 2009 International Builders Show in Las Vegas. A team of five students, lead by McPherson's carpentry teacher Arlan Penner, were instructed to create a set of house plans, cost estimates, and a detailed schedule for a home in San Antonio, TX. The students started working on the project in September and used class periods and after-school hours to complete their portions assigned to them. This win was a big improvement from last year's 4th place.
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EVENTS

Trade Shows
Mar 19-21: USITT 2009, Cincinnati, OH (Booth #365)
Mar 27: PLANET Student Career Days, Pomona, CA
Apr 01-02: Residential Design & Construction Show, Boston, MA (Booth #715)
Apr 17: NCASLA 2009 Spring Conference, Ashville, NC
Apr 30-May 02: AIA National 2009, San Francisco, CA (Booth #1651)
May 01-03: Museum Expo 2009, Philadelphia, PA (Booth #1306)
May 15: ASLA Central States, Omaha, NE
May 29: SEGD Expo, San Diego, CA (Booth #120)

All Trade Shows


TRAINING

Mar 11-12: Intermediate Classroom Training, Columbia, MD
Mar 23-24: Beginning Classroom Training, Columbia, MD
Mar 25-26: Intermediate Classroom Training, Columbia, MD
Mar 25-26: Vectorworks Landmark Training, Boston, MA
Apr 06-07: Advanced Classroom Training, Columbia, MD
Apr 20-21: Beginning Classroom Training, Columbia, MD
Apr 22-23: Intermediate Classroom Training, Columbia, MD
May 11-12: Beginning Classroom Training, Columbia, MD
May 13-14: Intermediate Classroom Training, Columbia, MD

To register for any of our training classes please call us at 877-202-8871.

All Training


COMMUNITY

User Group Meetings and Events
Mar 19: San Antonio Vectorworks User Group Meeting, San Antonio, TX
Mar 19: Cincinnati Vectorworks User Group Meeting, Cincinnati, OH
Mar 24: Northern California Vectorworks User Group Meeting, Oakland, CA
Mar 25: Chicago Vectorworks User Group Meeting, Chicago, IL
Mar 26: NYC Vectorworks User Group Meeting, New York, NY

All User Group Meetings & Events

Vectorworks Job Board
Check out our job board to find out about jobs wanted and offered by Vectorworks users around the world. You can even post your own listing--whether you're looking for a new job, or a new employee. Find out more here.


SPONSORED EVENT

Cruisin' Monrovia sponsored by Nemetschek North AmericaNNA was a proud sponsor of the "Cruisin' Monrovia" bus tour which traveled from Atlanta and Orlando to the Monrovia nursery in Cairo, Georgia. Nemetschekians Eric Gilbey and Kristin Bukovsky hopped on the Orlando bus at 5:30 am and mingled with landscaping folks by providing a "make a shirt out of paper" game—an experiment in how using inefficient tools can be quite frustrating. The game was a big hit, and everyone was quite proud of their creations. Upon arrival to the nursery, attendees were also given a Monrovia bag filled with various goodies including a Vectorworks calendar and brochure. See more photos of Cruisin' Monrovia bus tour.


FEATURED PARTNER

VectorWiki VectorWiki: Since going online in February of 2007, VectorWiki has rapidly become the largest independent inventory of Vectorworks®-related resources on the web. The value of VectorWiki is that it provides a framework into which everything can be placed, whether it's the content itself, in the form of a wiki article, or it's a reference to some other site that is doing a wonderful job of managing some different type of information. VectorWiki is a community-maintained site. For more information, visit http://www.vectorwiki.org.


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