Concept: Templates
Difficulty level: Beginner
Use templates to set up new files quickly and consistently. A template can provide the standard structure and formatting needed for all projects in your practice, such as class/layer structure, saved views, defined paper sizes, and colors. You might also include some basic resources that you use in all projects, such as line types, hatches, title blocks, worksheets, and scripts.
Vectorworks ships with templates for each product installed, which have basic structure and formatting such as layers and classes. Edit these, or create your own templates. To access all the templates available in your Vectorworks version, open the Templates tab on the Home screen (see The Home screen).
Vectorworks uses a "blank" template when you select File > New, and select Create blank document, or click Blank Document from the Home screen's side bar. You may adjust the layer scale and units in this template, but it's recommended to leave it empty, as it's the only way to open a blank file.
Creating templates
|
Command |
Path |
|
Save as Template |
File |
To create a template:
Start with a new, blank file.
Alternatively, you can begin with an existing template or other file that already has some of the desired settings, and edit it. Delete all elements that should not be in the template.
Set up the file with all of the desired elements.
Select the command.
Enter the name of the template (.sta) file and place it in an appropriate Templates folder. The .sta extension is required for Windows. It is recommended for use on the Mac if the file will be shared with Windows users.
To save the template for personal use, place it in the Templates subfolder in your user folder: [User]\Libraries\Defaults\Templates.
To save the template for use by others in a company or design team, plate it in the Templates subfolder in your workgroup or project folder: [Workgroup]\Libraries\Defaults\Templates. See Vectorworks preferences: User Folders pane for details about how to specify workgroup folders.
If Vectorworks Design Suite 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 in a shared location: [Workgroup]\Libraries\Defaults\Templates. To make the template available only for users with a specific Design Suite product license, place the template in that product's folder. Any user who specifies the workgroup folder in the Vectorworks preferences will have access to the template.
To customize the template used to create a blank document, name the file Blank (Metric).sta or Blank (Imperial).sta, depending on the measurement units set for your operating system.
Click Save.
To use the template do one of the following:
Click the template in the Templates tab on the Home screen's Home pane to immediately create a .vwx file that uses the selected template.
Select File > New to open the Create Document dialog box. Select Use document template, and then select the new template from the list.
Opening a template automatically
To create a .vwx file based on a specific template automatically whenever you launch Vectorworks:
In the Vectorworks preferences, click the Session pane, and select Create a new document on startup.
Set up a template file with your desired settings, and name it Default.sta. Place the file in your user or workgroup Templates folder, as described in Creating templates.
