Palettes and tool sets
Each workspace contains various palettes for creating and editing objects. Some of the most frequently used palettes, such as the Basic and Tool Sets palettes and Object Info palette, are open by default when Vectorworks is first launched, placed to the left or right of the drawing area; others are closed but docked to the edges of the drawing area for easy access, while less commonly used palettes are closed by default. Most palettes can be opened from the Window > Palettes menu. You can customize which palettes display and where they're placed for each workspace (see Palette features); Vectorworks remembers where the palettes are located each time you close the program, and opens with them in the same position.
For some workflows, such as editing the 2D or 3D components of a symbol or plug-in object, using the Camera Match feature to set the 3D view of a model to match the perspective view of a photograph, sculpting or editing the contours of a site model, and others, an additional palette or tool set displays at the point of use to provide specialized tools and capabilities. These context-specific palettes and tool sets are described in the appropriate sections of the Vectorworks help system.
The palettes available depend on the licensed products. Vectorworks palettes include:
|
Palette |
Purpose |
|
Object Info |
Lists context-sensitive object information for viewing and editing; see The Object Info palette |
|
Navigation (Design Suite product required) |
Provides access to classes, design layers, sheet layers, viewports, and saved views, while the drawing area remains accessible; see The Navigation palette |
|
Phasing (Design Suite product required) |
Manages relocation and removal of objects in a phased project; see Tracking removed objects in the Phasing palette |
|
Showcase (Spotlight required) |
Contains controls for a Showcase session; see The Showcase palette |
|
Visualization |
Accesses all lights and cameras in the file; see Managing lights and cameras with the Visualization palette |
|
Attributes |
Contains a selection of colors, fills, pens, and other object attributes; see The Attributes palette |
|
Working Planes |
Contains controls for adding and modifying working planes; see The Working Planes palette |
|
Resource Manager |
Accesses and manages the resources available for use in drawings, such as hatches, record formats, worksheets, scripts, symbols, textures, and more. See Resource Manager. |
|
AI Assistant |
The Vectorworks AI Assistant is a chatbot that uses the Vectorworks help system, Vectorworks University, and other sources to develop its responses; see AI Assistant |
|
AI Visualizer |
Creates AI-generated images based on Vectorworks drawings and/or text/image prompts; see Generating AI images |
|
ConnectCAD Status (ConnectCAD required) |
Continuously runs checks in the background to monitor the drawing for ConnectCAD errors and errors with Spotlight lighting devices and distributors; see Continuous error checking |
|
BCF Manager (Design Suite product required) |
Facilitates file-based BIM collaboration, as well as collaboration using online services; see The BCF Manager palette |
|
Classification Standard Setup (Architect or Landmark required) |
Manages classification standards important to BIM and construction workflows; see The Classification Standard Setup palette |
|
The Exchange |
Enables users to download and share partner-provided and user-created resources; see Sharing resources on The Exchange |
|
Shared Document Comments |
Shares selected sheet layers and worksheets with clients and collaborators on Vectorworks Cloud services, where they can participate in a commenting workflow to identify and resolve issues; see Sharing files in the Vectorworks Cloud Document Reviewer |
|
Script Palettes |
Contains palettes with script resources; see Creating and editing script palettes and scripts. These palettes are listed at the bottom of the Window menu, not under Window > Palettes with the other palettes. |
|
Basic palette |
Contains a set of basic object creation and editing tools; the Basic palette contains different tools in different workspaces |
|
Tool Sets palette |
Depending on the workspace, this palette includes tool sets (listed below), whose tools are grouped by similar functionality; the palette and its tool sets can be customized through the Workspace Editor. The Tool Sets palette has special functionality; see Tool palette features. |
Tool sets
The tool sets available in the Tool Sets palette depend on the licensed products, and vary by workspace. Each tool set may contain different tools in different workspaces. Tools sets can be customized in the Workspace Editor; see Modifying commands and tools in a workspace.
|
Tool set |
Purpose |
|
Site Planning (Architect or Landmark required) |
Contains tools for site planning and landscape architecture |
|
Irrigation (Landmark required) |
Contains tools for irrigation system design |
|
GIS (Design Suite product required) |
Contains tools for geolocation and adding geographic imagery |
|
Space Planning (Architect or Landmark required) |
Contains tools for space planning and programming buildings |
|
Building Shell (Design Suite product required) |
Contains tools for creating building shell elements |
|
Audio/Video (Spotlight required) |
Contains tools for audio/video design |
|
Lighting (Spotlight required) |
Contains tools for lighting design |
|
Cable/Power Planning (Spotlight required) |
Contains tools for cable and power planning and design |
|
Rigging/Braceworks (Spotlight required) |
Contains tools for rigging |
|
Event (Spotlight required) |
Contains tools for event design |
|
Schematics (ConnectCAD required) |
Contains tools for creating schematic network diagrams |
|
Layout (ConnectCAD required) |
Contains tools for creating equipment layouts |
|
Cable Route (ConnectCAD required) |
Contains tools for cable route design |
|
3D Modeling |
Contains tools for creating and editing 3D objects, including solids and NURBS |
|
Visualization |
Contains tools for changing the drawing view in different ways |
|
Furn/Fixtures (Design Suite product required) |
Contains tools for creating common furniture and fixtures |
|
Dims/Notes |
Contains tools for adding dimension and label objects |
|
Detailing |
Contains tools for adding architectural detail objects, such as tubing |
|
MEP (Architect required) |
Contains tools for mechanical, electrical, and plumbing design |
|
Fasteners (Design Suite product required) |
Contains tools for inserting a variety of fasteners such as nuts, bolts, pins, and screws |
|
Machine Components (Design Suite product required) |
Contains tools for inserting machine components such as gears, bearings, and springs |
|
Softscape (Landmark required) |
Contains tools for planting design |
