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INTRODUCING SERVICE PACK 3: WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU

Quality and performance are tremendously important to us. Each year we release a new version of Vectorworks, and each year we release a number of Service Pack updates to supplement the major version change. R&D is a non-stop process. We’re constantly updating the software to make it run as smoothly and as effectively as possible. This mindset is highlighted by our Vectorworks 2020 Service Pack 3 (SP3) release, which is now available for download directly in the Vectorworks interface. The central theme of this release is quality and performance improvements, as well as championing supporting connections to numerous partner applications, some of which have been introduced for the first time in SP3. vectorworks 2020 sp3 You can get SP3 as a downloadable updater on all English-based versions of Vectorworks 2020. Click “Check for Updates” within the Vectorworks menu on Mac (Help menu on Windows) or follow the link below.

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Here’s what the release means for you.
Improved Performance and Quality Fixes in Spotlight
SP3 introduces a re-engineering of lighting devices and Schematic Views. These updates will substantially improve file open time and performance. “Vectorworks Spotlight users will notice file opening and Schematic View creation/manipulation are up to two times faster, and that duplicating lighting devices for large projects can be five to 10 times faster,” said Darick DeHart, vice president of product management at Vectorworks.
Improved GDTF and MVR Support
You can now import GDTF files directly into Vectorworks Spotlight. The data from the files can be applied to any lighting device and can be fully managed within the Resource Manager. More importantly, you can send these devices to any previz or console that supports GDTF, including Vision, which now recognizes GDTF when using the MVR import. The update offers a fully connected workflow between Spotlight, Vision, and consoles that support these file formats.
Enscape for Vectorworks: Free Beta
Enscape provides a real-time rendering application whose beta is now available in SP3. Vectorworks users who work on Windows platforms can use the link with Enscape to produce high-quality renderings in no time at all. The renderings are live, so any design changes you make automatically reflect in the rendering. It offers an iterative workflow between design and rendering. “Traditionally, high-quality rendering can be difficult and time-consuming, reserved for specialists and relegated to design reviews and presentations,” said Moritz Luck, CEO and co-founder of Enscape. “With Enscape, models can be rendered with one click and design changes are immediately reflected — there's no uploading to the cloud, importing files or syncing models. Enscape is the perfect companion to the designer's workflow. Users can have Vectorworks open on one monitor and Enscape open on a second to see the impact of their design changes as they happen.” enscape

In addition, Enscape offers immersive, lifelike virtual reality capabilities.

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NBS Chorus Integration for BIM Specifications
Integrating NBS Chorus to Vectorworks is another step towards making Vectorworks a holistic BIM environment. With NBS Chorus, you can open a web palette in Vectorworks and link your model directly with NBS’s online database. This allows your model to become the primary source of project information. Any information updated in NBS Chorus will automatically update in in the model’s data record, and anything changed in NBS Chorus will automatically update in the model’s data record. It’s a two-way street. NBS Chorus is available to users of the Vectorworks Design Series with an active membership in Vectorworks Service Select.
Smoother BIM Workflows with BCF Improvements
The BIM Collaboration Format (BCF) is used for communicating clash detection, coordination, and quality control issues in BIM workflows. Vectorworks now supports BCF 2.1, and the BCF Manager underwent changes to reflect this update. BCF 2.1 support will translate to a more robust BIM workflow.
Stylize Images with Machine Learning
Have you ever struggled creating a rendering due to time constraints or unfamiliarity? Machine learning is now here to help. Through Vectorworks Cloud Services, users can now transfer one image’s “style” to another, so that rendering styles can be derived from images and applied to Vectorworks renderings.

vectorworks rendering Rendering by Vectorworks, Inc.

All in all, this will make artistic presentations more accessible and customizable.