Vectorworks Architect 2013

Review posted July 14, 2006

I've been using Architect 12.0.1 for a couple of weeks now and have had the program crash on me several times. Usually it is with the wall tool or the roof tool. Often times I get errors with the roof tool where the program can't make the roof and these are really simple roofs (rectangular with a square gable pop-out on one side). So I've been disappointed with the stability since I used Mini-CAD a decade ago you'd think there would have been more improvements.

I haven't seen a lot of integration with commonly used products. It would be nice pull in standard Masonite doors for example. This functionality might exist but I haven't explored or come across it. Another example would be James Hardie siding products or just everyday things you might find available in most hardware stores.

Most other professions; truss manufacturers, structural engineers, surveyors etc all use AutoCAD. This makes some of the file sharing more difficult since I can't test how the file will translate (I will be working through those issues next week) to the dwg format. I think if you've used AutoCAD, are comfortable with it and the price is something you can bite off it will be the best option for you.

I've also noticed that the smart cursors don't always tend to work as expected and I tend to do a lot of zooming in and out to get more exact measurement. I used the auto-dimension and it unfortunately dimensions the outside of the siding not the stud walls which is impractical for construction drawings and framers in the field. I couldn't find a way to change this functionality and manually re-adjusted all the dimensions.

I guess in short there are still lots of opportunities to enhance this product. The symbol libraries could also use some updating and the rendering with RenderWorks is disappointing.