Arches Plugin for Vectorworks®

This plugin creates a a parametric opening (in a wall) where you can choose the kind of vault (arch) from many available types

Simply select the plugin icon from the tool's panel you have put it (see installation notes) and place your initial Arch on your drawing (usually in a wall).

Note: you can control wall insertion in the usual way, setting Z value and wall offset (+/-).
The Arch 2D representation will reflect the offset value and in 3D views you will see the elevation from the ground (Z=0).
When the opening is a "window" (Z>0), you can check the Close Base parameter ON in order to create a sill when the opening is adorned with bricks or trims (see Customising the aspect, here below).

Choosing the type:

32 types of arches are possible, see interactive representations here below.

You can choose the type directly from the popup menu in the OIP, taht is, as you can see, very crowded.

To facilitate this task, click on the "instruction" button, in the OIP.
The following dialog appears

The main image shows the parameters used for the selected type
Below, you have the pop up menu with all the types and, at left, an icon popup where to choose visually the type,

Of course, the main figure changes accordingly with the selected arch.
Once you are ready, click OK and complete the fields to shape the arch.

Note: it may happen that changing between types, or even setting certain values, you could get a geometrically impossible arch. The program is able to catch any incongruent value, send a warning and, at the same time, set the appropriate values for the arch type.

Each type has controls for height, width and depth (if not in a wall) plus other parameters (L0, H0, R) that are activated when needed to control that particular type.

Customising the aspect:

In the "style" popup you can choose the decoration of your arch.
Currently there are two options (other than the None option).

Bricks: let you surround your arch with bricks (or stones), controlled by the various parameters that appears consequently:

1. Smooth corner checkbox
2. Keystone checkbox
3. Brick height
4. Brick width
5. Bricks interspace
6. Bricks ledge
7. Bricks start offset

Trims: let you surround your arch with a solid corniche, controlled by the following parameters:

1. Smooth corner checkbox
2. Inner trim
3. Trim width
4. Trim thickness

Note: both Bricks and Trims styles add solid objects to the opening, so you can choose a class or a material (whose controls are enabled when you select a style) to control the decoration attributes.

Unpacking the downloaded zip file, you'll get a folder named Arches 20YY, where [20YY] is the Vectorworks® version.

Move the folder "as is" inside your Vectorworks Plug-ins folder (app or user folder).

Restart Vectorworks.

Edit your workspace adding the tool Arches to an existing palette (you'll find it in AEC category)

Usually you'll add it in the Architecture or Walls palettes.

Save the workspace.

In the end you should get a new tool item Arches in the chosen palette.

Here the official instructions (from help.vectorworks.net) for editing the workspaces:

And here instructions to add a menu command:

A limited version of the plugin is available for download.
In this version width and height settings are disabled, so the Arches openings are limited to preset values.
All other features are there for you to experiment all the possibilities.

• DEMO Arches Plugin for Vectorworks®

To unlock width and height parameters, just buy the plugin (with licence) from Gumroad® or Payhip®, see below.

I'm moving my plugins to PayHip, as Gumroad no longer offers PayPal as a payment option.
The plugins currently available on Gumroad will still be available for purchase with a credit card on my Gumroad® shop page.