Vector Sketch Celebrates 1 Year Anniversary

Vector Sketch today celebrates its first anniversary in operation. Started one year ago today, Vector Sketch changed the audio visual industry landscape with its Computer-aided design (CAD), documentation, and engineering services.

“It’s been an exciting year so far,” said Adrian Boyd Vector Sketch’s President. “From our debut, to our presence at InfoComm it has been non-stop. Growing this new concept of skilled outsourced design and engineering services to the audio visual industry has been a rewarding adventure.”

“We would like to thank our existing customers for their support and business throughout this year,” said Boyd. “Our partnerships with these firms have enabled both parties to grow and take on new projects. We look forward to continuing our relationships and developing new ones as the year’s progress.”

To kick off its second year Vector Sketch is offering a 10% discount for new customers during the month of November. Vector Sketch also plans to further educate the industry with blog content and directed CAD tips and tricks.

Official press release

The Cult of 3D

Recently I attended an Autodesk User Group International (AUGI) conference, which highlighted Autodesk’s new Inventor suite. I was struck by how many individuals from different industries, are activity using 3D design as a major portion of their design work. What got me was why the Audio Visual Industry was not actively embracing this form of CAD design. I realize that many on the acoustical side use 3D as a reliable tool to lessen design and installation costs, but what about the rest of us?

For a few years I’ve actively lobbied manufactures to provide accurate 1:1 scale CAD based drawings in 2D or even better 3D, to speed up the design and documentation process. Much of it to some success, however many manufactures just don’t get it. Instead they offer CAD drawings with no scale reference, or PDF’s which are very incompatible with CAD. I can’t tell you the hours spent making a usable CAD file from a non 1:1 scale CAD or PDF.

My ranting aside the CAD Industry is making a shift to more 3D based design software. No longer is 3D design relegated to awkward programs, functions, and the realms of movies and video games. Autodesk’s latest version of AutoCAD 2007 shows how far 3D has become by incorporating a new workspace specifically designed around 3D, as well as pulling many design elements from it’s other family of 3D products.

It’s not all too uncommon to find in a project, a room, the building, or even the furniture designed in 3D. This gives a customer a visual representation of what they are paying for. I see on the horizon entire projects designed in 3D. Many factors will lead to this, but I see cost savings and convenience of the software driving this form of design.

So how does the A/V industry meet this challenge, head on of course. I’ve always been fond of the saying “Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome”. This industry will need to choose this methodology in order to join the cult of 3D.

Eureka with VidCAD

At Vector Sketch we use VidCAD as part of our CAD and documentation work. As much as I love using it, but like all software there are always things you wish it did better or differently. One of the things that drive’s me nuts is the way VidCAD deals with crossing lines especially how it is displayed on the screen. In the average CAD program when two lines cross over each other, one sits on top of the other. See Example 1.

I’ve always wanted to have the lines display an Arc when they cross like you’d see in a manual draft or in an electrical drawing See Example 2.

Normally that would be an easy task if VidCAD didn’t use polylines that have a database connected to them. My easy course of action was to trim or if I was lazy explode the polylines and then add the arc for the crossing paths. The only problem with that was the polyline lost its database relationship, and would not transmutate. Then I had that "eureka" moment. Why don’t I just trim the polyline, put in the arc and then use the pedit command to join the two. Now all I needed was to test my theory.

• Draw an arc


• Trim the line that the arc needs to attach too


• Edit the polyline and use the join command


• Select the line and segment then close the command


• Transmutate the cable.

Then the moment of truth did it work. To my amazement, yes it did. It was one of those man, I love making stuff do something it’s not supposed to. See Example 3.