VIDEO | Data-Driven Event Design with Vectorworks Spotlight

As important as aesthetics are, they’re not the only thing you need to consider when putting on successful live events. Without effectively managing data, your beautiful project can fall victim to disorganization.

From time and budget planning to seating assignments, being able to document your event’s pertinent data is invaluable for your own efficiency and for the purposes of collaborating with clients.

Check out the video below to see a gala-style dinner as an example of how you benefit from using Vectorworks Spotlight’s data management and analysis tools in your design and planning processes. There’s also a summary below, which you can use to pass your learnings along to your colleagues.

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Once your 3D model is more or less complete, you can use Vectorworks Spotlight’s planning and data management features to great effect.

The main tool discussed in the video above is the Seating Section tool and how to adapt its workflow for data-driven design. The seating sections used in Vectorworks Spotlight with this feature are known as parametric objects.

All objects in your file have data, whether parametric objects or simple symbols from the library. Your data can be generated in multiple ways, for example, from its location and attribute data inherently embedded as part of the object's parameters or custom, attached records.

No matter how this data is generated, you can edit it to aid your design process.

“Data-Driven Event Design with Vectorworks” then goes into using pre-prepared Seating Section styles (which — it’s worth mentioning — can be tremendous time-savers) and custom table symbols.

In the example, the chairs are cut out of the table symbols and converted into chair groups using the Convert to Symbol command. By doing this, you get the best of both worlds: quick table layouts and the capability to add additional data to the individual chairs.

The video then dives into how to assign data to chairs and save them to your library, saving you time when using chairs from the same vendors for future events.

Ungrouping chairs and adding data like seating assignments, meal choices, and other event-specific data can be inserted manually. But for larger events, as the video mentions, you can use worksheets.

Click here for a complete overview of worksheets in Vectorworks.

As “Data-Driven Event Design with Vectorworks Spotlight” continues, it goes into how data visualization locates open seats, data tags can label objects, and even how you can use geometry to visualize spacing between seating sections.

If you want to learn more about the other event planning tools and features — or anything else related to Vectorworks Spotlight's design power — check out the webinars and courses on Vectorworks University.