Vectorworks is a full featured product development firm serving all aspects of the composites industry since 1991. In conjunction with Vectorworks Engineering, Vectorworks provides design development from a back of the napkin sketch all the way through to detail designs and build books. Vectorworks is a versatile, on-premise application that provides extensive 2D drafting, 3D modeling, BIM and rendering capabilities for your architectural and landscape design needs. Vectorworks is equipped with designer-focused tools and features, allowing your workflows to have great freedom, ease of use and flexibility. Please note that for the duration of the current Covid crisis, in accordance with CDC guidelines, Vectorworks is discouraging non-essential visits to our facility. All visitors will have their temperature checked when they sign in, and masks are required throughout the facility.
.Python|Python..VS:Function Reference|Function Reference..VS:Function_Reference_Appendix|Appendix..Python Debugging|Debugging with Python
What is Python
Python is a programming language that lets you work more quickly and integrate your systems more effectively. You can learn to use Python and see almost immediate gains in productivity and lower maintenance costs.[1]
Also, here is the article about Python in wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Python_(programming_language)
More about Python can be found on the http://www.python.org/ website.
Python Version
Python has two public versions Python 2.7 and Python 3.x.
Vectorworks uses Python 3 language. This is very important when learning about the language and when writing code.
! Vectorworks uses Python 3.3 at the moment, which is for VW2015. Keep this in mind, as python adds new stuff in minor releases like enums in 3.4.
How to start with Python
First of all you must learn the Python 3 language. The best place to start is the Python documentation page(http://www.python.org/doc/).
The fastest way to learn the language is to read through Python Tutorial pages: http://docs.python.org/3/tutorial/
A very good guide at writing good code and perform common tasks can be found at The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Python!
Python 3 and Vectorworks
Scripting in Vectorworks with Python is very similar to the way VectorScript works in the software. All the existing APIs are available in the Python scripts inside the 'vs' namespace. Of course, all of the power of the Python engine is available, so that Python style type inference, classes, iterators, libraries, dictionaries, modules, packages sequence types like lists, tuples and ranges are available in the Vectorworks environment.
To get started, here is a simple script in Python that displays an alert dialog looks like this:
- Right-click on the resource browser and create a new script
- Choose language for the script to be 'Python'
- Type the script
When executed with a double-click on the script label in the resource browser, the alert dialog will be displayed.
Python API
Full functional reference to the Python Vectorworks API can be found on this page VS:Function_Reference.
Samples
These are some introductory samples that demonstrate plug-ins for Vectorworks written in Python. They are with increasing difficulty and demonstrate different aspects in the plug-in development under Vectorworks:
- Sample menu command: Python Sample Menu Command
- Sample point object: Python Sample Point Object
- Sample more complex point object: Python Sample Point Object (complex)
- Sample 2D path object: Python Sample 2D Path Object
- An object that display an image from the web: Python Sample WebLinkImage
- Sample of a menu and two objects: Python Sample Menu with Two Objects
- Sample that imports a folder of .png images as symbols: Python Sample Import Images as Symbols
- Sample scripts to elevation information of VW objects: Python sample to Import elevation
IDE and Debugging Python Scripts
Often users would use external IDE to edit the Python scripts that Vectorworks executes. Modern IDEs provide intelli-sense information (information about the semantics of the code while typing). To help intelli-sense for Vectorworks Python script APIs, you can point your IDE to the file File:Vs.zip (download, unzip, and place it appropriately so the IDE could find it). This way the IDE will know all Vectorworks Python functions and it would provide some information on the parameters and the behavior of the function. Note that those functions are empty and will not do anything if executed.
It is possible to debug Python scripts in Vectorworks using a third-party application.
See Python Debugging for more information.
List of some good IDE's:
- Aptana Studio 3 (Free)
- PyCharm (Free community edition, Paid full version)
See Also
Notes
- ↑As described on the Python official website: http://www.python.org
Our Product:
Vectorworks 2020
Vectorworks is a full featured product development firm serving all aspects of the composites industry since 1991. In conjunction with Vectorworks Engineering, Vectorworks provides design development from a back of the napkin sketch all the way through to detail designs and build books. Our CNC Machining capabilities, and advanced infusion processes, integrate seamlessly with the engineering and allow for fast, extremely accurate plug, mold, and Limited Production Tooling fabrication. While specializing in Marine Composites, Vectorworks successfully avoids the impact of the usual ups and downs of single industry production on our Team Members families through diversification into other markets including Heavy Industry, Military, Aerospace, Infrastructure, and more.
Our Team:
Vectorworks is proud to have structured our business such that we are able to provide stable, long-term opportunities for motivated, experienced, and hard-working individuals in our community. In response to our efforts, our Team Members have rewarded us with their continued support of Vectorworks through their great attitudes, hard work, and their length of service. The bulk of Vectorworks Team Members are long term employees who contribute their considerable expertise toward the development of new Team Members and to providing a superior product to our valued customers. At Vectorworks, we achieve our goals together.
Our Environment:
Vectorworks strives to achieve a high performance work environment through the active involvement of all Team Members. To develop and maintain this environment we work to promote open and candid communications, friendly and productive work relationships, opportunities for personal development, and fair treatment for everyone. It is our policy to treat all our Team Members in a fair and impartial manner. Our work environment is based on mutual respect and dignity because it is our belief that it is the right thing to do and the right way to treat people. Vectorworks also offers competitive pay and a mix of benefit packages to suit the needs of our Team Member families.
Vectorworks 2021
Our Ownership and Management:
Vectorworks
Individually owned and operated for over 20 years, all decisions regarding Vectorworks vision, operations, growth and expansion, affecting our company and the lives of our Team Members and their families are made locally by our actively participating owner and our experienced management team.