Save a drawing file as a template to use it as a foundation for new files. Templates save layers, classes, title blocks, sheet borders, resources, and the current settings for attributes and units.
When opening a new file with File > New, you can select whether to open a new, blank file or a template file. Changes to the template file do not affect the blank file, which opens as an empty file with the default program settings. See Creating a New File.
When a template is opened, the Vectorworks program automatically opens a copy of the file. When the new drawing is saved the first time, the program prompts for a new file name. This makes it impossible to accidentally replace the master template with the new drawing file.
To create a template:
Start with a new, empty file.
Set up the file with all of the desired elements.
Select File > Save As Template.
Enter the name of the template (.sta) file and place it in an appropriate Templates folder. (See User Folders Preferences for details about how to specify the folder for your user data.)
● To save the template for personal use, place it in the Templates subfolder in your user data folder: [User]\Libraries\Defaults\Templates.
● If Vectorworks Design Series products are installed, you can share the template with other users in a workgroup. To do so, place it in the Templates subfolder of a workgroup folder on a network drive; other users can then specify that workgroup folder in their Vectorworks preferences: [Workgroup]\Libraries\Defaults\Templates.
The .sta extension is required for Windows. It is recommended for use on the Mac if the file will be shared with Windows users.
Click Save.
When the Vectorworks preference Create a new document on startup is selected, at launch, the program opens an empty drawing file, in 1:1 scale. To launch the program with a file containing different settings, name the template file Default.sta and save it in the Templates subfolder in your user data folder: [User]\Libraries\Defaults\Templates.
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