Furniture and Fixtures

Creating Custom Cabinets

The Custom Cabinet tool provides flexibility in the design of a variety of casework, such as shelves, cupboards, and wardrobes.

The Vectorworks software also provides tools to insert base, wall, and utility cabinets and shelving units that require less customization; see Inserting Cabinets and Inserting Shelving Units.

To create a custom cabinet object:

1. Click the Custom Cabinet tool from the Furn/Fixtures tool set.

2. Do one of the following:

●    To use an existing object from the resource libraries, click Active Def on the Tool bar. From the Resource Selector, double-click a resource to activate it. Click on the drawing or wall to place the object, and click again to set the rotation.

●    To create a custom plug-in object, click Preferences from the Tool bar. The Custom Cabinet Settings dialog box opens. The settings are grouped into several panes of related parameters, which are listed on the left side of the dialog box. Select each pane and specify the parameters. Click OK to set the parameters and close the dialog box. These parameters can be edited for placed cabinets by clicking Settings from the Object Info palette.

Custom Cabinet Settings

►    Click to show/hide the parameters.

Parameter	Description
3D Preview	Dynamically displays a 3D preview of the custom cabinet with the currently selected parameters; on the Details pane, the preview becomes interactive and is used to set parameters
View (Base and Attributes panes only)	Select the standard view for the 3D preview
Mode (Base and Attributes panes only)	Select the render mode for the 3D preview

Custom Cabinet Settings: Base Pane

►    Click to show/hide the parameters.

Parameter	Description
Symbol	There are two methods to specify the custom cabinet to use as a template for the new cabinet: ●    Access the dialog box by clicking Preferences on the Tool bar, with no custom cabinet selected. Select whether to base the new custom cabinet on a template from the current document or from the Custom Defaults or Vectorworks Defaults library folder, and then select the template. The preview updates to reflect the selected template. ●    Access the dialog box by clicking Settings from the Object Info palette of a selected custom cabinet object. Transfer the desired settings from the selected cabinet to use as a template for the new cabinet, as described in Creating a New Custom Cabinet from an Existing Custom Cabinet.
Save as Symbol	Saves the current cabinet as a symbol; see Saving a Custom Cabinet as a Symbol
General Geometry
Class	To control appearance and visibility, select a class from the list of classes present in the drawing, or create a new class
Height/Width/Depth	Sets the overall height/width/depth of the cabinet
Type	Specifies whether the custom cabinet is a 2D, 3D, or 2D/3D hybrid object
Show Diagonals in Top/Plan view	Select to show diagonal markers across the top of the object in Top/Plan view

Custom Cabinet Settings: Details Pane

The custom cabinet preview changes to a front view and becomes interactive to specify the cabinet’s details. Click on the preview in order to activate and set the parameters on this pane; many parameters are enabled only when the preview is clicked. When you click on a column, box, or vertical divider of the preview, it becomes highlighted to indicate which section you are editing. Hold the Shift key to select multiple columns or multiple boxes within the same column; edits apply to all selected sections.

 

►    Click to show/hide the parameters.

Parameter	Description
Section
Columns	Sets the number of columns in the cabinet. When you click in this field, all columns become deselected; if the number of columns is changed, columns are added to or deleted from the right side of the cabinet.
Column Width	If there are multiple columns, click on a column and set its width, or select Equal columns to make all columns in the cabinet the same width. As you change the width of the selected column, the widths of the other columns adjust automatically to fill the space allotted; columns that cannot fit within the overall width of the cabinet are automatically deleted.
Boxes	Sets the number of boxes in the selected column
Box Height	If there are multiple boxes, click on a box and set its height, or select Equal boxes to make all boxes in that column the same height. As you change the height of the selected box, the heights of the other boxes adjust automatically to fill the space allotted; boxes that cannot fit within the overall height of the cabinet are automatically deleted. The first click in a column selects the entire column, and the second click selects a specific box, as indicated by the highlighted section of the object.
Side/Stile	For selected cabinet sides and vertical partitions, sets whether it is a solid Side, a Stile, or, for end sides only, has no partition (None)
Front
Door/Drawer	Specify the door/drawer type for the selected columns or boxes, or select No Box Item to have no doors or drawers
Handle	For doors and drawers, specifies the handle resource from the current document or library default content
Handle Position	For doors and drawers with a handle, specifies the handle position Top and Bottom settings position the handle two inches from the upper/lower edge of the door/drawer
Scribe	Select to add a scribe
Height/Offset	Set the scribe’s height and offset
Plinth	Select to add a plinth and select whether it is continuous or has legs
Legs	For a plinth with legs, select the leg type resource from the current document or library default content. Legs and casters are created without a plinth board; their height is a fixed four inches and they are placed two inches from the edges of the cabinet.
Height/Offset	For a continuous plinth, set the plinth’s height and offset
Has Back	Select to add a back to the cabinet

Custom Cabinet Settings: Attributes Pane

To control appearance and visibility, attributes and textures can be applied separately to different parts of the custom cabinet (called construction groups).

►    Click to show/hide the parameters.

Parameter	Description
Construction groups	Select a part of the cabinet to apply attributes
Class	To control appearance and visibility, select a class from the list of classes present in the drawing, or create a new class. Select <Custom Cabinet Class> to place the cabinet part in the same class as the custom cabinet object.
Fill/Pen/Texture	Specify the attributes and/or texture for each cabinet part; see The Attributes Palette and Applying a Texture to an Object

3. Click on the drawing or wall to place the object, and click again to set the rotation.

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Editing Custom Cabinets

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