Creating a Spotting Plan in Vectorworks via FILE REFERENCING

There are many ways to approach file organization in Vectorworks.

This page outlines ONE method for creating Spotting Plans by referencing external files.

 
 

PART 1: Concepts & Initial Files

Individual Files for Construction Drawings

  • Let’s first outline the scenario and establish what files will exist prior to creating a spotting plan with this method.

  • The Set Designer(s) will be working on the design of each set in Vectorworks, with each set created in its own file.

    • Each set might be created in a hybrid 2D/3D fashion, or as purely 2D. Either is fine.

    • There are multiple possible approaches to how elevations might be created.

    • Regardless of the above two points, in each file the Groundplan should be isolated on its own Design Layer. Any extra sketches, elevations, or auxiliary objects should be on separate Design Layer(s).

      • Some folks might separate the Groundplan into multiple Design Layers, and this is fine, as long as non-groundplan objects are on other Design Layers.

    • On this page I’ll refer to these files as the “construction files” since they contain the drawings for the mill/shop.

    • The construction files do not have to be completely finished before starting the spotting plan; we will be able to update (or refresh) the file reference at any time.

  • We’ll work with two basic sets for this exercise: “INT Bedroom” and “INT Meeting Room.” Vectorworks files are available above.

Spotting Plan File

  • While it’s possible to create a Spotting Plan directly in a construction file, there are reasons why this may not be ideal, such as:

    • You want to create a Spotting Plan showing multiple sets all going on the same stage. The sets were built in separate files so the Spotting Plan needs to combine them somehow.

    • Different set designers are working within different set files, or perhaps the person creating the Spotting Plan isn’t the person who created the construction files. Having a separate file for the Spotting Plan helps keep everything distinct and organized.

    • Here’s the important one: If the elevations in a construction file have been created as sheet layer viewports looking at the 2D/3D model, you cannot move the set around in the Design Layer, otherwise it’ll break all the viewports.

  • The solution here is to have a separate Vectorworks file for the Spotting Plan, meaning in this exercise we’ll use the following files:

    • INT Bedroom set (construction file)

    • INT Meeting Room set (construction file)

    • Stage 34 Spotting Plan file

  • Remember that this exact scenario may not represent your personal needs, but the main goal of this exercise is to learn how File Referencing and Design Layer Viewports work. From there you can configure your particular workflow to suit the circumstances.

Referencing

  • Instead of copy and pasting groundplans between files, it’s best to Reference files, meaning File A can display things from File B, and when File B is changed, those changes are reflected in File A. Everything will always be cohesive.

    • References are the equivalent of Xrefs in AutoCAD.

  • There are two flavors of File Referencing in Vectorworks: “Design Layer Viewports” and “Layer Import.” We will use the Design Layer Viewport method, which is the default method within Vectorworks.

    • The downloadable exercise files are already set up to the correct method, but if you ever need to change a file’s referencing method, open the Organization window and on the References tab click the Settings button.

  • The Stage 34 DWG has already been imported into a Vectorworks file, and this file was referenced into the spotting plan file.

  • The goal for this exercise is to reference in the two set groundplans into the Spotting Plan file.

 
Example of how to create a spotting plan in Vectorworks with referenced files
 

PART 2: Bring in the Set Groundplans

Reference the First Set

  • Open the Spotting Plan exercise file in Vectorworks, as that’s where this entire process will take place. You can open the construction files to take a look at them, but they do not need to be open in order to Reference them.

  • In the Spotting Plan file, there is already a Design Layer with the studio architecture. Create a new Design Layer (names something like “INT BEDROOM Spotting”), leaving the studio architecture by itself.

  • With nothing selected, go to View > Create Viewport, and in the Create on Layer dropdown choose your new Design Layer as the destination.

    • When a Design Layer is chosen instead of a Sheet Layer, you are creating a Design Layer Viewport (DLVP).

  • The Select Source button becomes clickable, allowing you to choose the external document to reference. Navigate to the INT Bedroom working file on your hard drive and click OK.

    • Only DLVPs can be referenced; Sheet Layer Viewports cannot be referenced.

  • After choosing the Source, click the Layers button to double check which layers will be visible in the viewport.

    • This is why it’s important that the groundplan in the construction file is isolated from other stuff, as it allows the Spotting Plan to have only the necessary layer(s) visible.

  • Click OK, and you should end up with a DLVP which the Object Info Palette (OIP) calls “Viewport - Referenced” also known as a Design Layer Viewport (DLVP). The source file is displayed at the bottom of the OIP.

    • Think of a DLVP just like another object type - it can be selected, deleted, rotated, and moved around freely. This allows you to spot the set as needed, completely independently of the original groundplan file, and independently from other sets.

    • Like all viewports, DLVPs store their own Class & Layer visibility separately from the Navigation Palette. This means you can click the Classes button in the OIP to turn certain classes on or off as necessary for that particular set/viewport.

    • This might be useful if you want to turn off the “SET-Labels” class from the source file and add different labels in the Spotting Plan, for example.

 
 

Reference the Second Set

  • Repeat the process of creating a new Design Layer and DLVP once again, but this time choose the INT Meeting Room file as the source.

    • Always double check that the “Create on Layer” dropdown is set to the intended Design Layer.

  • You’ll end up with two DLVPs in this exercise which can be moved around as needed till a placement on stage is determined.

  • You can add additional geometry in this Spotting Plan file as needed, such as labels, dimensions, tech areas, backings, etc.

  • Save the Spotting Plan file, if you haven’t already.

PART 3: Prepare Sheet Layer

Create Sheet Layer Viewport (SLVP)

  • So far we’ve only been working with Design Layers, but now we need put this Spotting Plan on a sheet with a Title Block.

  • Make sure all the Design Layers that you want to see are visible in the drawing window, then go to File > Create Viewport. This time, choose a Sheet Layer as the destination in the “Create on Layer” dropdown. There is already a Sheet Layer for you to use in the exercise file.

  • Click OK, and you will be taken to that Sheet Layer with the new SLVP selected. You can move this around on the sheet as needed, and the Scale can be changed in the OIP if needed (spotting plans are typically 1/4” = 1’-0”).

  • You can navigate back to the Design Layer to continue moving objects around, and the SLVP will always update accordingly.

Export PDF

  • When the Spotting Plan is ready, use File > Export > Export PDF, or File > Publish to export a PDF of the sheet.

  • Make sure to name PDFs descriptively (with dates) so that when future versions are exported it’s clear which is which.

    • Ex: Stg34_SpottingPlanEp104_36x48_REV5_240227_AEB.pdf

 
 

PART 4: How to Update a Reference

When Changes Happen

  • The last tab of the Navigation Palette (and of the Organization window) displays a list of all external files referenced into the current document.

  • If one of those files has been changed in any way, the reference name in this window will display in red, indicating that it is Out of Date.

  • To refresh a reference in the References tab, right click it and choose Update.

    • If there are multiple Out of Date references, you can use the Update All option.

  • It’s always good to double check that all file references are up to date before exporting a PDF of a Spotting Plan.

 
How to update one or multiple references in Vectorworks
 

Referencing Options

  • If you right-click a reference and choose the Edit option, you will see some settings that you might want to change depending on the circumstances, including:

    • whether the reference file location is an absolute or relative path. If working with other people or on Dropbox, relative is better.

    • whether Vectorworks should Save Referenced Cache to Disk, meaning it will save a copy of the referenced data within the Spotting Plan file so that if the external file can’t be found in the future, Vectorworks can still display the information. It’s more reliable to keep this checked, though it does add to file size.

    • whether Vectorworks automatically updates file references every time you open the file.

    • whether class definitions (meaning class attributes) are updated each time a reference is updated.

    • You can also click the Browse button to link to a different file instead (such as a new file with an updated version number).

  • It’s possible to reference other types of files into Vectorworks, including DWGs, PDFs, images, and individual Resources via the Resource Manager, though that’s outside the scope of this tutorial.

 
 

Questions & Comments