ShortSharp Training

Short Sharp Training is a way to deliver short training sessions. For the last 5 years I have been delivering these sessions to my subscribers on a monthly basis. Each month my subscribers get a new Short Sharp Training session. But what if you only want to attend one session? What if you are a subscriber and you want a session to repeat? Here is the answer. Here you will find my most popular short sessions.

These courses use a structured online training system, designed to teach you Vectorworks, delivered to your computer in bite-sized chunks. We use a high speed Internet connection so you can see my computer screen and you can ask questions. If we need to, your screen can be shown so I can watch you working and correct any mistakes. The courses are delivered in small chunks, so you can digest each session. Each session is about 60 mins long. You will receive a PDF manual for each ($24.50US value), giving you all the notes from the session.

The sessions will change form time to time, and many of the sessions will repeat each month.

All prices shown in $US.

001 Quickstart to Vectorworks 2011
$43.50

if you are really new to Vectorworks, this session will get you started. In 60 mins we will learn the most import parts and Vectorworks and find out what makes it tick.

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This session will show you the quick ways to get started and you will learn basic skills in Vectorworks 2011. We are going to work on a exercises to that will explain basic concepts, ways of working and how to draw quickly. When I have to learn a new computer program, I want to know what are the basic concepts, how do you select things and use the tools, how does this program work? Vectorworks 2011 is a powerful drawing program that you can use for a range of professions; from engineering and landscape through to set and lighting design and architecture. It uses a combination of tools and concepts to create sophisticated drawings and designs, and it includes a database/reporting component and a built-in scripting language that allows you to make your own custom tools.
002 Stacked Layers/Unified View and Setting Up Layers
$43.50

Setting up your layers correctly is essential is you want to use Vectorworks for BIM, and if you want to use Stacked Layer or Unified View.

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Stacked layers and unified view allow you see al your layers together, so when you change views, all the layers change. But there are some things to watch for. Setting up your layers correctly is essential is you want to use Vectorworks for BIM, and if you want to use Stacked Layer or Unified View.
003 Creating Drawings for a Building Project
$43.50

How do you use layers and classes to make a set of construction drawings? Should you use layers, or classes, or both? This manual will show you a strategy for using these concepts to make a set of drawings.

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I have created a drawing with enough information to create a set of contract documents for a simple building project. We will learn how to create the drawings from this information. We will use viewports and sheet layers to create our drawings. We will not cover drawing details. There is another short manual that deals with drawing details, importing details and creating a library of details.
004 Creating Construction Details
$43.50

I’ve seen a lot of tutorials about drawings, using viewports and so on, but very few tutorials about drawing your construction details, that is what this manual is about.

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This tutorial is about how to use Vectorworks to assemble your details.

Detailing in Vectorworks is quicker if you have some symbols already made - like flashings, timber objects (lumber), bolts, steel components and so on. I do not want to spend a lot of time on making these symbols, because that would take the whole manual. And there are other manuals that have covered creating symbols and making your library.

We will look at some of the Vectorworks settings to see how to make Vectorworks easier to detail.

We will look at a few different techniques for detailing: Using BIM for detailing, by using section viewports. Using 2D sections for creating details. Drawing 2D details separately. Importing details from a manufacturer. Saving details to a library. Using details from a library.

This tutorial is not going to teach you the construction aspects of detailing for your part of the world, so I will not be worrying too much about vapor barriers, cold bridges, building standards and so on.
005 Introduction to Worksheets
$43.50

Worksheets are so useful in Vectorworks, and you can do so much with them. You really need this manual if you want to count, schedule or report things in Vectorworks.

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Worksheets in Vectorworks are extremely important. They allow you to do so much with Vectorworks, such as counting and scheduling information, reporting areas, sizes and information attached to an object.

For example you can count all the trees in a site, schedule all the doors on a particular floor of a project, even find the weight of a bracket in a 3D model, you can count plants, car parking and so on. I often use worksheets to calculate things like fire egress, areas of the site, number of carparks required and so on. Once you have your worksheet set up, you can try different scenarios and the worksheet can report the results.

When you think of BIM (Building Information Models), one of the important aspects is the ability to get reports and information attached to objects. This is the function of worksheets, to get this information off the objects and onto a report that can be analyzed and printed.

So, worksheets are an important part of Vectorworks and they are often not used when they should be. Tutorial will start you using worksheets and will explain the basic steps to creating and editing a worksheet.
007 Best Practice for importing DXF/DWG
$43.50

We often have to work with consultants and clients that do not use Vectorworks. DXF or DWG (AutoCAD) is usually the best way to do this. It will allow the you to use their information in Vectorworks, or it will allow them to import your work.

There are several things you need to consider, so get this manuals to get the best advice.

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When you work with other consultants, that are not using Vectorworks, you need a way to open their files and
010 Dealing With Complex Roofs in Vectorworks v12-2010
$43.50

I often find that the standard Vectorworks roof will not make the roof I want. So, in this tutorial we will look at a couple of roofs, and see if we can make the standard Vectorworks roof do want we want.

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Roofs can really slow users down if they do not understand how flexible the standard Vectorworks roof is, there is so much you can do with it.

In this tutorial we will look at a couple of roofs, and see if we can make the standard Vectorworks roof do want we want. Then we will look at using the roof face command an how we can use this to make the roof we want. I will show you a technique for making it faster, and we will look at roof framing and creating a truss roof.

This manual comes as a PDF and is 29 A4 pages.
015 Site Modeling Tutorial
$43.50

Site modeling can be relatively easy, and a site model can be edited in several ways. For this tutorial we will create a site model using two different methods.

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A site model is a way of looking at 3D data (spot levels or contours) in a way that allows you to see complex 3D models and 2D representations. VectorWorks uses the 3D information to create the models based on the data to help you understand the 2D and 3D nature of your site.

We will edit our site model to make it suit the existing site better, then we will change the site using site modifiers, 3D loci and landscape walls.
017 Creating a Solar Study
$48.50

When you are designing a building or landscape feature, you may be concerned about the affect of your structure on the surrounding buildings and landscape. This manual will show you how to create a solar study to see the affects of your design.

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When you are designing a building or landscape feature, you may be concerned about the affect of your structure on the surrounding buildings and landscape. Some of my clients have been asked to provide evidence that the building design does not adversely affect the neighboring properties.

What is a solar study? In basic terms, it is where we use to VectorWorks to show where the sun is coming from and where shadows fall. In architectural terms, we would use the solar study to check the shadows from our building and how they affect neighbors.

I worked on one project several years ago, where the client was worried about shadows from surrounding buildings affecting their tennis tournament. We had to model the surrounding site and apartment buildings to make sure that during June, there were no shadows on the Number 1 Court at Wimbledon.

Solar studies are common with large buildings, and I hear from several clients now that solar studies are expected from by some councils for domestic projects.

This manual comes as a PDF and is 16 A4 pages.
030 Drawing a Paving Plan (Hatching, Gradients, Images and Tiles)
$48.50

This manual will be looking at drawing a paving plan. But before we do that, we also need to look at graphics on planar objects such as colors, line weights, dash syles, hatches, gradients, images and tiles. These concepts can be applied to planar objects and hardscapes, so even if you are not a landscaper, you will learn how to control your graphic presentation.

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It is easy enough to create a drawing with lines, but that does not make the drawing easy to read. Using colors and graphics will help others to read your drawings. In many cases, making your drawings easier to read will help your clients to understand the drawings, it will help the builders to understand your drawings and details, and it will help local authorities to understand and approve your drawings.

These techniques can be used by all Vectorworks uses. So, if you are an architect, landscaper, resource management consultant, urban designer, and so on, you can make use of this manual.

We are going to use a paving plan to show how to use and apply the techniques. We have a small site that needs some paving areas, and we want the paving areas to be easy to read, and graphically rich.

Contents
Attributes Palette
Colors
Lines
Hatches
Images
Gradients
Tiles
Hardscapes

This manual comes as a PDF and is 98 A5 pages.
031 Simple Guide to Stairs
$48.50

There are several ways to create stairs in Vectorworks. There a a few tools you can use, some for simple stairs and some for more complex stairs. Which stair tool should you use?

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Vectorworks 2010 introduced a completely new stair tool because the previous stair tool had received so many complaints. The old stair tool is still available, but it has been renamed the Custom Stair. I have heard some complaints about the new stair tool in Vectorworks 2010. I think a lot of these complaints arise because the tools are complex and need to be understood. That’s what this manual is all about.

Contents
Simple Guide to Stairs
Stair Tool - Straight Stair
Stair Tool - Stair with Landing
Stair Tool - U-Stair (Dog-leg Stair)
Circular Stairs
Custom Stair
Simple Stair
Stair with Landing
Landing Left
Double Back Stair (Dog-leg Stairs)

This manual comes as a PDF and is 67 A5 pages long.
032-2011 Creating a Swimming Pool
$48.50

If you would like to create a 3D swimming pool, this is the manual.

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This is a case study on creating a 3D model of a swimming pool, and using the model to create plans, sections, and details. We will model the swimming pool, in 3D. You could use the model to create planes, sections and details (but this isn’t in the notes). We will be looking at using the pool to modify a site model, to see if the swimming pool can be used to create site modifiers or cut and fill calculations.

Contents
Creating a Swimming Pool - Introduction
Getting Started With the Plan
Extruding the Base Shape
Cut the Pool to a Slope
Radius The Pool Corners
Building the Pool Edge
Rounding the Bottom of the Pool
Cutting Out the Pool
Creating the Steps
Creating the Site Modifiers

This manual comes as a PDF and is 58 A5 pages long.
036 Terrific Textures in Vectorworks 2011

Textures can be a lot of fun, and they can be very powerful. This manual will get you started.

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Textures are the things that make you drawing stand out and have a bit of zing. They can be created inside VectorWorks and can be created from digital images, or from shaders (built in mathematical descriptions of textures).

Stop presenting dull lifeless views of your projects. Textures can help your clients see what you really have in mind. You can use textures to make things reflect, make things see through, and so on. Image props allow you to make things that look like complex 3D objects from a photo or scan.
037 Lighting and Rendering in Vectorworks 2011

Rendering is one the really fun parts of Vectorworks. It can really look like your building is coming to life, but without good lighting, all your work can be wasted. Good lighting can even make a dull model come to life.

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I think that Rendering is one of the fun parts of VectorWorks, You can see you buildings coming to life. Getting the lighting right and setting the correct rendering can take you some time.

I think rendering is one the really fun parts of Vectorworks. It can really look like your building is coming to life, but without good lighting, all your work can be wasted. Good lighting can even make a dull model come to life.

This manual will work though the rendering options and show you when each one should be used. Then we will look at the lighting options and see when we should be using each type. Finally we will look at a couple models and look at applying the lighting and rendering to get the best results.
041 Site Area Analysis (quick concept)

Can you use Vectorworks to analyze a building site, to calculate the building coverage, cost, and the solar impact of the neighbors?

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We will start with a site with a building on it. We need to make sure that our current site complies with the the site coverage. Then we will split the site in to two sites, one with the existing building, and one with a new building. We need to find out how much building can be placed on the new site, while still complying with the site coverage requirements. My belief is that you should be able to do this quickly, say within 30 mins. If the building does not comply, you are wasting all you time on the project. It would be better to phone the client after 30 minutes and tell them that unless they change the size of the house, the number of stories, or their requirements, the project can not proceed.

Vectorworks has the capability to to this analysis easily, using worksheets. We will be learning to set these up correctly, so we can make any adjustments and check the calculations. We will be able to add extra buildings, like garages and sheds, edit the floor plan of the proposed building and so on. We can check our calculations almost instantly to see if we are still complying.

That is all pretty cool, but it gets better. After playing with the layout, we can quickly jump to a 3D view of the proposal to change the solar animation for different times of the year. So, after getting our areas right, we will be getting our design right, taking into account the adjoining properties and sun.

I think that Vectorworks makes all this so easy. The presentation to this point takes about sixty minutes, but if you practices this, it could be less, maybe thirty minutes. If you learn these techniques, you could be calling the client within half an hour to report the coverage on site that would comply, the cost of the project and issues with the sun and shading. That is powerful stuff.

archoncad

making Vectorworks easy!

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