Normally, if you want to select several objects, you press Shift while clicking on them. But sometimes you need to select a whole category of objects of the same type, without anything else, and by Shift-selecting you might accidentally select other objects. For these situations, VectorWorks offers a special command called Custom Selection… It can be used on a one-off basis, or to create a customized command ("script") that you can use repeatedly in this file and in others in future. The procedure is simply, and this is how it's done.

Custom Selection…

Choose Custom Selection… from the Tools menu [1]. This brings up a dialog asking if you wish to Select, Select Only, or Deselect the items of your choosing. Choose Select Only: this ensures that if anything happens to be selected at the moment, it will be deselected in favour of the new items you're asking for [2]. As to whether to Execute Immediately (i.e., as a one-off) or to Create Script, click the latter option, because we want to make it a command that we can re-use in future [3].

Set the criteria for selection

Here's where you tell it what kind of items you wish to select. In the first popup list [1], you can choose items based on some two dozen or so variables, including Layer, Type, Class, Record, Font, Wall Style, Line Style, etc. To select all walls (i.e., walls made with the Wall tool), for example, choose Type, leave the second popup at the default setting of is (as opposed to is not), and from the third popup, choose Wall. And OK.

Give the script a name (for future use).

A dialog appears asking you to name the script for future reference. You're free to write whatever you like, but since you'll be making several such scripts over time, it makes sense to use a name that tells you what it does – e.g., Select all objs of type "Wall". And OK.

The Scripts palette

A new palette should appear, in which your newly-made script will be shown along with others that were made in the file or imported into it from elsewhere – in alphabetical order [1]. Double-click on the new script to execute it, and you should see the results in the drawing [2] – in this case, all walls (interior, exterior, pony, etc.), and only walls, are selected – as the Obj Info palette confirms. NOTE: This operation actually selects ALL walls on all Design Layers of the file – you won't see those selected on other layers until you go there, but they are selected. To limit the operation to a particular Layer, you need to add an additional criterion to the Custom Selection script – see below on how to.

If you close the Scripts palette…

You can recall it by going to Window menu, then to the Script Palettes just below the current filename, then across and down to Scripts.

To import a script from another file…

While within your current file (e.g., Behr House), use the Resource Browser to Browse a Document… – i.e., search your hard disk (or network) for the file with the required script [1]. When you find it [2], open the VectorScript Palettes section of its resources [3], and double-click on its Scripts folder [4]. Once within the Scripts folder, drag the script(s) you want into the drawing area of your current file to import it – or, if you prefer, right-click it and choose Import from the popdown list [6]…

Specify where you want the imported script

A dialog will appear, asking where (in which folder within your current file's resources) you want to place the imported script. You should select the Scripts one [1] – or if you prefer, click New Palette… to make your own special collection [2]. Then click Select to dismiss the dialog.

To edit an existing script…

Right-click it in the Resource Browser [1]. However, the Editor window requires you to use actual VectorScript language, which you may not wish to get involved with. In that case, the easiest method is to delete the script and make a new one.

To make a multi-criteria script

In which we add doors to the walls, create our first Classes, our first Saved Views, and our first symbol.

Place a door on the entrance wall.

Using the Door tool (Building Shell toolset), double-click on the Midpoint of the Entry's exterior wall. NOTE: In earlier versions of VectorWorks, the word Center is used.

The Door Settings dialog appears.

If this is the very first time you're placing a parametric door, the Door Settings dialog will appear, inviting you to tailor the door to your requirements – in terms of its width and height, its Top Shape and whether it has a Transom or not (and if so, the transom's Rise and Spring), and its Configuration – i.e., is it a Simple Swing, Bi-part Swing, Cased Opening, Slider, etc. And that's just under the General tab [1]. Most of these settings can be entered later, after placement, through the door's Obj Info palette, but we may as well explore the options while we're here. For now, leave the width and height at the default 3'0", 6'8" respectively, and turn on the Transom option [2], making it Square [3].

Door Settings: Parts

Next, click on the Parts tab, and from the pop-down menu, choose Lights – meaning sidelights.

Include Side Lights

Turn on the Include Side Lights option, and leave the Left Width and Right Width at their default setting of 1'0". NOTE how the results of your settings is shown in the illustration on the left as you go along.

Add a trim, inside and out.

Set Part: to Trim, and Include Interior and Exterior Trims. The default settings are 4" and 6" respectively – you can change these if you like to something else.

Include a Threshold.

Next, choose a Threshold from the Part pop-down, and turn on the Include Threshold option, leaving its dimensions at the default setting.

Door Settings: Data

Finally – for now – click the Data tab [1]. This is where you enter detailed information relevant to the Door Schedule that VectorWorks can generate for you automatically, later. For now, just confirm the default setting for its ID, D-01, and remember to turn on the On Schedule checkbox [2]: this places the label on the drawing. If you want the label always to display in horizontal mode, turn on the option Keep ID Horizontal, too [3]. Click the OK button to confirm all the settings we've chosen and place the door in the wall.

Resulting door.

When you

View in Left Isometric.

To appreciate what we've done so far in 3D, why not switch to an isometric view at this point? Choose Left Isometric from the Current View popdown in the Mode Bar.

Changing views – pre v.2008

NOTE: In versions prior to v.2008, this popdown does not exist: use the menu item View > Standard Views > Left Isometric instead.

The door and walls in isometric

The walls that we created earlier and the door are now revealed to be 3D objects. NOTE: The exterior walls may have no height at this point – this is because by default, their height is linked to the ∆Z or height of the Design Layer they are in, which by default is nil. We'll attend to this later. While the door is still selected, you'll see many of the settings that we applied within the Door Settings dialog shown in the Obj Info palette. Plus a few besides. For example, if you turn on Show 3D Open, it will show the door leaf swung open, at the Open Angle specified (default: 90°, but could be something else, e.g. 75°).

Save View…

This is a useful view to return to from time to time, so choose Save View… from the Saved Views popdown at the top of the window.

Save View… (pre v.2008)

In versions prior to v.2008, the Save View… option is available from the dog-eared icon at the bottom left of the window.

The Save View dialog.

The Save View dialog tells you the various aspects that are being saved: the Orientation, the Zoom, Page Location, etc. For now, keep all the defaults as is, and just name the View for what it is, for easy reference later – e.g., Main Floor - Left Isometric.

Switch back to drafting view.

Using the same Saved Views popdown (or Standard Views menu), switch back to the drafting view now. VectorWorks refers to this as Top/Plan.

Top/Plan view: the keyboard shortcut.

The alternative (old-fashioned) way to do this is through the View > Standard Views menu. NOTE: this is not the same as Top, which means the top view of the 3D model. Top/Plan shows things such as windows, doors, etc. according to their standard drafting convention, which is not the same thing. If you're looking at a plan and it doesn't look or behave quite right, check to see that you are in fact in Top/Plan view and not Top. As the menu item reveals, the shortcut to switching back to Top/Plan view is Command-5 (Mac), or Ctrl+5 (Windows).

Save the plan view, too.

Although the Top/Plan view has its own keyboard shortcut, it may not take you back exactly to the level of zoom or pan that you want. So save this view, too, and name it something appropriate such as Main Floor - Plan.

Door Label On Schedule – and Horizontal

Note where on the Obj Info palette you can specify the ID label, and whether to display it ("On Schedule") and whether to Keep ID Horizontal.

Drag duplicate another door to the opposite wall.

Using the drag-duplicate method (drag while pressing Opt [Mac] or Ctrl [Windows]), make a duplicate of the door to the inner wall of the Vestibule. Ensure that the screen cue Center confirms its placement in the centre of this wall segment.

Make suitable changes through the door's Settings…

Specifically: keep the transom, but remove the sidelights & threshold. In the Data section, change change its ID Label from 01 to 02.

Door's jambs adapt to the new wall depth.

Note how the Use Wall Depth option, which is on by default, ensures that the new door's jambs shrink to match the different thickness of the inner wall automatically.

Make a door for the WC.

Make a door for the coats closet.

Opt-drag (Windows: Ctrl+drag) a duplicate to the Midpoint of the opposite wall (1), and change it to 60" wide (2). Since the door swing would interfere with the front door's door swing, change the Configuration to Bi-fold Bi-part instead (3). Click the Flip button (4) to get them to orient outwards, and in the Angle field after Show 3D Open change the angle from 90° to 60 (5).

Move the door label, if necessary

If you look closely while the door is selected, you'll see that the door label has its own selection handle: click on it, and you can move it to another position – say, closer to the door opening. NOTE: It's not a good idea to move directly over the centre of the door opening, as that would get in the way of selecting the door itself.

Beware of the plain "Door"

Sometimes it looks as though you've placed a door in a wall, but it doesn't look or act right: it doesn't make an opening in the wall, for example This is a sign that the door has NOT been placed properly. The proof is in the Obj Info palette: it should say Door in Wall, and there should be a Flip button above Settings… If it only says Door – that means it's not properly inserted. The solution is to pull it out and drag it back in – preferably by the centre of its door opening.

Symbolize doors you know will occur several times.

Place it in the Symbol Library

A dialog will appear asking you which folder to put this symbol in. In due course, to put some order into your symbol library, you will indeed create folders for doors, windows, and other categories – but for now, turn on the checkbox Don't show this dialog when the current file has no symbol folders, and click OK.

Name the symbol for future reference.

(1) Use the door label name, plus a shorthand code for basic information about the door, e.g. 3680-SS, meaning it's 36" wide, 80" high, and Swing Simple configuration. NOTE: Outside North America, you would probably use equivalent metric numbers. (2) Leave Instance In-Place to keep this particular instance of this door symbol on the drawing where you created it. (3) The Insertion Point is the point by which it will place future instances of this symbol into the drawing: in the case of doors (which are considered plug-in objects in VectorWorks), the default insertion point is the centre of the door opening in the wall, which is the point to which one measures the distance of a door from other objects. So leave that as it is.

Drag a duplicate instance of the symbolized door to opposite wall.

Press and hold Opt (Windows: Ctrl) before dragging to duplicate; press Shift to constrain your movement to the horizontal while you do so. The opposite wall should turn red to indicate that it is receiving the door.

Door symbols are instances.

Create another duplicate in the wall on the other side of the wall between the Family and Living Rm as shown. Note how these three doors are noted in the Obj. Info palette as Symbols in Walls, not as plain Doors in Wall.

Distribute other instances of D-05 in the plan.

Using the same technique, quickly place other instances of D-05 in the plan, as shown. Clearly, this door type is not appropriate in all these locations, but that's OK: we'll see how we can use the fact that they're symbol instances to replace them quickly with instances of other symbols.

Making a new door type from an existing door symbol.

For the two doors into the Passage, we want to change the door into a plain cased opening. We could create a door from scratch, of course – but to save us the trouble of recreating the trim and the size and other attributes, it's simpler to use the D-05, and modify it. Since this is a symbol instance, however, we can't modify on the drawing like an ordinary door object – and if we edited the symbol itself it would change all the other D-05 instances, which we don't want. So what we do in this situation is "de-symbolize" it – that is, "demote" it down from a symbol back to a plain door object (which, in VectorWorks parlance, is a "plug-in object", because you plug in numbers and other settings to customize its appearance). To do this, we select the instance, and choose Modify > Convert > Convert to Plug-in Object.

Accept the default options for conversion.

Basically, the default here is that if there are groups or symbols within the symbol, they shouldn't be converted. Which in this case is irrelevant, anyway,

Change door to a Cased Opening.

Using the Obj Info palette: Configuration

Make a symbol out of the cased opening doorway.

Name it D-06-3680-CO, leaving the other defaults as is.

Replace other Passage D-05 with D-06

To replace the other Passage door with an instance of the new cased opening door, click on it, then on the Replace… button in the Obj Info palette, then on the Symbols popdown in the dialog that appears, and double-click the D-06 symbol.

Repeat process for double doors…