Managing Resources and Libraries in Vectorworks Spotlight

Whether you work as part of a team or alone on entertainment design projects, your design resources are essential. 

Correctly organizing your resources, such as custom symbol libraries, title blocks, images, or template documentation, greatly impacts your workflow speed and can make or break your ability to meet project deadlines.

First, let's look at Vectorworks Spotlight’s resource management features and how you can leverage them to support your and your colleagues' design processes.

Managing resources in Vectorworks Spotlight starts with libraries; these are Vectorworks Spotlight files used to store and organize your resources.

Vectorworks Spotlight libraries can be stored locally on your computer, on a network drive, or in the Cloud like default libraries.

 Anytime you create a new resource, such as a symbol, add it to your libraries so you can reuse it in the future. For example, if you use the Vectorworks AI Visualizer to edit or create images for textures, make sure to import and save them in a library.

When you start creating your own libraries, there are several things that you should consider.

First up is the size of the library file; keeping it small and focused helps with performance and organization. Try to keep the library file as clean as possible; avoid having anything in design or sheet layers; everything should be stored in the file resources. Remove any modeling history from your symbol geometry by converting it to generic solids. A good practice is keeping a separate modeling or creation file to prepare your resources.

Your library files should always be saved with the Vectorworks Graphic Module (VGM) cache turned off. This keeps your file size slim for maximum efficiency.

Next is the organizational and naming structure of your libraries. Always use resource folders; these will be visible in the Resource Manager and make the library more manageable.

When creating your resources, pay attention to classing. The classes used in your library will be imported into your design files when you use your symbols and styles. Make sure your resource names are clear and concise. This helps make sure that your resources are easy to find in the Resource Manager.

Once you have created a library file, how do you access its resources?

Your primary tool for accessing your libraries is the aforementioned Resource Manager, which you can access with the Ctrl-R shortcut. The Resource Manager gives you an overview of all your available resources, including those in your active file, our default libraries, Open Files, Favorite Files, User Files, and Workgroup Folders. 

Remember that only your active and favorite files will be checked for changes whenever you open the Resource Manager. Use the Refresh Libraries command to update the manager whenever you change your user or Workgroup Folder libraries.

If you find that libraries are missing, for example, from the normal Vectorworks defaults, try deleting the Resource Manager cache found in your User Folder. This will force Vectorworks Spotlight to create a new cache and make any missing libraries available again. 

The Resource Manager has several context-based menu commands to help you manage and edit resources in your active file. These can be accessed by right-clicking or control clicking on the resource. Whenever you create or edit your resources this way, make sure that you save a copy to a library or Favorites File in case you need it again in the future.

It's well worth investing a bit of time learning all the Resource Manager's features, filter options, and display functions. You can find out more about it in the Vectorworks Help webpage by clicking on the question mark icon in the upper right-hand corner.

Another way to access resources is through Tools and the Resource Selector dialog. A resource selector looks like the standard Resource Manager but behaves slightly differently.

It’s important for you to understand that the resource selector only looks for resources related to the specific tool or dialogue it is part of. This means that if you do not save your library in the correct location in the library folder structure, the selector will not find it.

The other key difference is that the selector doesn’t have any resource editing and management features.

Are your resources just for you, or do you want to share them with colleagues and project partners? Do you intend to use them with any Vectorworks tools or features?

Answering these questions can help you decide how and where you store your resources.

Three main options are available to you: Favorites Files, your User Folder, and Workgroup Folders.

Favorites Files: Favorites are easy to set up in the Resource Manager without requiring a specific save location. However, they can be accidentally deleted and may slow down performance if there are too many or if the files are large, as they are checked for changes each time the Resource Manager opens.

User Folder: The User Folder is automatically created upon installing Vectorworks Spotlight and follows the standard library structure, making it easy to store libraries correctly for specific tools. It has less impact on Resource Manager performance since files are indexed rather than constantly checked for changes.

Changes, though, require a manual refresh, and the folder isn't as shareable as a Workgroup Folder.

Workgroup Folders: Workgroup Folders function like User Folders but allow you to choose their location, enabling easy sharing via a network drive or cloud storage, such as Vectorworks Cloud Services. These files require manual setup, as Vectorworks Spotlight needs to be directed to their location.

As you can see, managing resources in Vectorworks Spotlight improves efficiency and collaboration. Organizing libraries, optimizing file sizes, and choosing the right storage method ensure quick access and better performance for all your entertainment design needs.