How Vectorworks Is Helping Customers During COVID-19

We’re living in uncertain times, and the culprit is clear—the coronavirus (COVID-19) and the resulting global pandemic have transmuted our standards of work into a shell of what they once were. For many, it’s worse than that.

At Vectorworks, our top priorities are the health and safety of both our employees and our customers. Most employees are remote, with some returning to the office under strict guidelines to keep safe.

To that end, this blog post compiles all of our resources related to COVID-19 support for you.

Click a bullet below to learn more.

coronavirus-working-from-home

 

Free Training Opportunities

We’re offering both self-paced and instructor-led training opportunities until the end of 2021. You can take advantage of our Getting Started, Hidden Treasures, and Essentials Seminars completely free of charge. See below which best fits your needs. Or take them all and learn something new!

  • Our Getting Started Seminars are aimed at getting you up to speed with the software as quickly as possible, covering fundamental knowledge such as user interface, document setup, 3D modeling, and more.
  • Hidden Treasures Seminars are all about going deeper. The instructors explore some of the lesser-known gems in Vectorworks that will help make your design process more efficient.
  • Essentials Seminars explore some of the most common workflows, tools, and commands in Vectorworks software. These courses provide all the fundamentals you need to be successful with the software. 
  • We've also made our full core and intermediate training courses available for all. Register for access here.

SEE THE SCHEDULE

Flexibility in Vectorworks Service Select

Vectorworks Service Select is our maintenance agreement that provides users additional benefits, like automatic access to new releases, priority technical support, member-specific access to Vectorworks Cloud Services features, and the latest symbol libraries.

However, considering the economic plight brought on by the lockdown, it’s apparent that some may not be able to maintain their contract.

If this is the case for you, please note that when you purchase a Vectorworks license, it’s yours forever—the status of your Service Select contract doesn’t change that. You will continue to have access to your license and files as you always have. If you’re having trouble paying your renewal, please reach out to your local Service Select renewal team to discuss extended payment terms or cancellation options.

Resources for Working Remotely with Vectorworks

We’ve automatically increased the number of E Series license activations by one to better accommodate our customers’ ability to work from home.

If you’re running into issues accessing your network license remotely, don’t hesitate to reach out to your local Vectorworks partner to access 30-day temporary licenses for your users.

And, if you’re working in project teams, the Vectorworks Project Sharing feature works with cloud-based applications such as Dropbox. Learn more about setting up Project Sharing with Dropbox.

François Lévy of François Lévy Architecture + Interiors put together a few video tutorials on key Vectorworks features to consider when working remotely. Watch them on our blog or on our YouTube.

For more information and tips on working from home with Vectorworks, please visit this forum article.

Design Summit Coming to You Virtually

We put so much into planning our Design Summit, which had a lineup of fantastic training events, inspiring keynotes, top-of-the-line guest speakers, and first-class partners who were all set to invigorate the wonderful Vectorworks community.

However, in times like this, your health, our health, and the well-being of everyone around us takes precedence. With this in mind, we made the difficult decision to cancel the Vectorworks Design Summit that was scheduled for April 22-24 in San Diego. Full refunds were automatically processed for attendees.

Yet, there is some good news. We’ve added some of the great content we were planning to deliver live as on-demand content. Check out the keynote from Vectorworks CEO, Dr. Biplab Sarkar, and view recorded learning sessions as we post them. Visit the Design Summit page to learn more.

Vectorworks & Industry Support

We know that our customers are suffering losses, especially in the entertainment design community. The cancellation of all public events means these customers in particular are losing the entire lifeforce of their daily work. We’re thrilled about Congress adding displaced entertainment workers to the relief package in response to IATSE’s petition, which prompted 107,000 letters to Congress. Read about the relief package here. See what additional legislative measures IATSE recommends to Congress here.

The events industry will continue to be impacted by the public health crisis even post-COVID-19. That’s why Freeman, a live events and brand experience company, launched the “Go LIVE Together” coalition, whose aim is to support legislation to help the industry’s recovery from the coronavirus. “The live events industry is a diverse, valuable, and vibrant ecosystem that contributes nearly $1 trillion to the U.S. economy and employs millions of workers,” according to an article on the topic in Exhibitor Online.

We support AIA’s statement that calls upon the architectural community to contact Congress about temporary relief support. A majority of architecture firms are classified as small businesses, and their payrolls have taken a hit from the global pandemic; in uncertain times, lay-offs are the last thing anyone wants to see.

“As Congress considers additional legislation to stimulate the economy, the AIA urges you to include significant investment in 21st century infrastructure and temporary relief measures for business owners. Both will provide necessary relief in the short term, reassure global markets, and help prepare the country for the challenges ahead,” AIA’s statement reads.

We'll update this article as new information becomes available.

Topics: News & Events

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