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Tools to draw, model, bill, manage
by Deborah Snoonian, P.E.

VectorWorks ARCHITECT 10
Nemetschek N.A.
410/290-5114
www.nemetschek.net

VectorWorks ARCHITECT 10 has a suite of changes.

The latest version of Nemetschek’s architectural CAD package includes improvements in setup, productivity, presentation, and 3D tools. A new Standard Naming command allows users to select ARCHITECT’s layer and class names; the AIA/National CAD Standard names; or user-defined names based on firm conventions. A new 3D-modeling engine improves the speed and consistency of modeling operations, making them in some cases up to 10 times faster. Presentation improvements include the ability to fill 2D objects with images or gradient-blended colors. The 3D Power Pack includes tools and commands that were once separate from the software but are now fully integrated into VectorWorks. Users can create, connect, combine, and modify curves, contours, and complex surfaces.

Thumbprint
Cyntergy Technology
918/877-6000
www.cyntergytechnology.com

Thumbprint “remembers” the structure of old projects to create new ones.

Thumbprint is a project-management tool that captures and remembers patterns in projects (e.g., lists of team members, schedules, client information) that can be leveraged in future work to avoid duplication and streamline tasks. Managers respond to interviewlike questions when setting up new projects; based on their responses, the Web-based software automatically builds adaptable project plans, schedules, lists of team members, and other information necessary to complete the work. Real-time status tracking across suites of projects is possible, and users can search projects for things like deliverable status or people with specific skills or time available. Users can create customized reports based on the information they enter into the system. An automated e-mail archive helps keep track of communication and decision making. The primary interface is a simple one-page desktop from which a user can access all project information.

o2c_Interactive!
DataCAD
800/394-2231 or 860/677-4004
www.datacad.com

3D files are viewed faster on the Internet as o2c objects.

The presentation tool called o2c_Interactive! makes sharing 3D information on the Internet faster and easier. The product name is an acronym for “Objects to See,” the compressed 3D file format in which images are saved. Designers can edit materials and textures used in the 3D objects they create (such as a room’s interior) and publish the results as an HTML file for online viewing. The o2c files can be sent as e-mail attachments or embedded in other documents, such as PowerPoint and Word files. DataCAD versions 9.06 and later can export 3D models directly to o2c.

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