Vectorworks 2012 - Symbols for newer lights

[carllib]

Hello All,

We have recently purchased 22 - ETC Desire D40 Lustr+ lights and 4 - VL1100s w/ shutters. I do the majority of the CAD drawing for the theater and have started to try and update the plots to show the locations of these new fixtures. I am using Vectorworks 2012 and have been unable to locate symbols for these.

I have been looking through the Forum and all over the internet to find some, but to no avail. The only option that I have found so far was SoftSymbols from Steve Shelley. My only concern is paying for the large package deal, and only utilizing two symbols...

Does anyone know of another solution? I know that you can create your own symbols, but I do not know if that is the best option.

If anyone can offer help, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you.

 

[sk8rsdad]

ETC has .dwg files for most (maybe all) of their fixtures. Vectorworks website has a how-to on importing DWG files. No guarantees if the import will be easy or successful since I don't use Vectorworks.

Here's the link to the D40 CAD drawings. Poke around for other fixtures:
http://www.etcconnect.com/docs/docs_downloads/miscdocs/Desire-D40-views.dwg

 

[SteveB]

Hello All,

We have recently purchased 22 - ETC Desire D40 Lustr+ lights and 4 - VL1100s w/ shutters. I do the majority of the CAD drawing for the theater and have started to try and update the plots to show the locations of these new fixtures. I am using Vectorworks 2012 and have been unable to locate symbols for these.

I have been looking through the Forum and all over the internet to find some, but to no avail. The only option that I have found so far was SoftSymbols from Steve Shelley. My only concern is paying for the large package deal, and only utilizing two symbols.

Does anyone know of another solution? I know that you can create your own symbols, but I do not know if that is the best option.

If anyone can offer help, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you.

I got really tired of VW never (or rarely) updating their symbol libraries and finally purchased the Field Templates VW symbols. It was money well spent. You can purchase a complete symbol set for $120 or just get the ETC updated set for $30. It includes the complete Selador symbol set. The complete set has all sorts of additional stuff like c-clamps, bases, scales, headsets, littlelights, and all sorts of jems.

http://www.fieldtemplate.com/soft/softcopy.html

 

[jglodeklights]

As Steve pointed out, the Field Templates are a good resource. The other option is to simply import a S4 PAR, rename it and do a quick edit to it to add some form of gradient or other signifier of being an LED fixture. Also make sure to alter the record data. You can do similar things for the VL. Not perfect, but a quick and dirty way to get it done.

 

[RickR]

A few months ago there was a major update to the ETC and Varilite libraries. Perhaps the Strand and Lycan if I recall well. I believe it was only offered to the subscription service. Now it's integrated into v2014. That said they didn't correct the lighting parameters of all the various types, mostly all beam angles had the same CBCP.

If you log-in to the MyETC you can get their complete library of symbols in DWG format but it doesn't have the VW data, but it's not hard to add it. Free of course!

Joe is quite right that copying the PAR symbol is the fast way. It's also essentially what the new VW library did and standard practice in the CAD business. Then I came from pencil days when I only had a few stencils to work with.

Anyway here are a few symbols and a spreadsheet on photometrics. Note that I'm not done correcting all the lens variations, particularly the oblong lenses, since I mostly use the round lenses.