Too often, in the build-up to a show, once the designers and riggers have completed their tasks, the audio team will then go about remodelling CAD drawings to start their audio simulations. However, with Vectorworks 2024 Update 4, this process is going to be simplified thanks to a new collaboration with the team at L-Acoustics. With the Export to Soundvision feature, users can transport their models straight into Soundvision from Vectorworks in the latest version of the software.
Talking through this latest offering was Vectorworks Senior Solutions Specialist, Tom White. “We’ve been speaking to several audio manufacturers for a long time to look at this type of integration with Vectorworks,” began White. “L-Acoustics was the first company that began working on this and after just a few months had a working version.”
White went into a bit more detail about what this collaboration means for end users. “Once you’ve got a full design within Vectorworks, you can export both simplified and extremely complex plots straight into Soundvision. This includes exact geometry, which leads to more exact calculations. ‘Listening planes’ enable you to assign where the audience at a show will be. You will soon be able to assign objects with a specific ‘class’.”
The linking of the two workflows also has a major benefit for the designers using Vectorworks. “You can show the pictural renditions of the SPL (sound pressure level) calculations that have been done in Soundvision, which is beneficial for show designers when determining where audience members will be in a venue,” White noted.
Although this collaboration has been done with L-Acoustics, White explained that integration with other audio brands is very much on the horizon. “With many audio brands starting to uniformly use MVR, it’s going to make integration with Vectorworks even easier.” The team at Vectorworks have received very positive feedback from audio rental houses who have benefited from this collaboration.
White was also keen to highlight some of its other latest developments, specifically with Vectorworks Odyssey – the company’s virtual reality viewer app that allows users to utilise a headset to experience models and stage designs in immersive VR with bird’s-eye view and walkthrough modes. “Admittedly, I thought VR headsets might be a bit of a fad, but the perspective you can experience when you’re dropped into a design is really impactful and a great way to solve problems before setting foot into a venue,” stated White.
Words: Stew Hume
