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  • 1.  Sketch Up versus VectorWorks

    Posted 10-17-2017 13:39
    I am new to teaching a Technical Theatre class this year and would like to have students measure the stage, draft a model on the computer and then create a mini-model of our stage.  We would then further this assignment by creating a ground plan for a set design of a play scene.  

    My question is which is better for this assignment-- Sketch Up or Vectorworks?  I know some of my students have experience with Sketch Up at the middle school and it is also free.  

    Thoughts from the hive?

    Julie Estrada, MEd.
    Theatre Director
    Windsor High School Theatre
    1100 West Main Street
    Windsor, CO 80550


  • 2.  RE: Sketch Up versus VectorWorks

    Posted 10-17-2017 14:36
    I  like Vectorworks since it is an industry standard. SketchUp is nice but it can get a bit "wonky" sometimes. Both are free for students and teachers.
    Either one you use, here are some good YouTube video tutorial:

    Sean O'Skea
    YouTube remove preview
    Sean O'Skea
    View this on YouTube >


    sean oskea, sketchup

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    John Perry
    Drama Instructor
    Atherton High School
    Louisville KY
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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Sketch Up versus VectorWorks

    Posted 10-17-2017 14:40
    Someone else can probably answer this better than I can as I've never used SketchUp in the classroom. However, we've used Vectorworks for the past five years. My two reasons for sticking with Vectorworks are:

    1. It's also free! Your school can get a donated lab license and/or your students can download free individual copies of Vectorworks on their computers at home. (Your students will need to provide evidence of their student status, such as a letter from the school [on official letterhead] or a scan of their student ID card.) 

    2. Most of the designers that I know use Vectorworks. Most of our pre-professional design students (the ones graduating on to CMU and Northwestern, etc.) come into our program with Vectorworks already installed on their laptops. When I bring in professionals from the local theatre community to mentor our students, they more often than not use Vectorworks. It's beneficial when everyone's speaking the same language.

    That said, I have heard wonderful things about SketchUp -- specifically its ease-of-use. If the students already know how to use SketchUp from middle school, I might be tempted to go with that software instead. It would give you more time to focus on other critical elements of technical theatre that students might be less familiar with.

    ------------------------------
    Victoria Chatfield
    Executive Director
    National Theatre for Student Artists
    www.nationalstudenttheatre.org
    vchatfield@nationalstudenttheatre.org
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Sketch Up versus VectorWorks

    Posted 10-18-2017 09:04
    For an initial skills project, (and my directing students), I use Sketch up, old school pen and paper, and Pinterest for examplary details and/or color pallette.  For any level beyond that, Vectorworks because it requires more of a time investment to learn how to clearly and accurately represent your ideas in the program but, as mentioned before, there's a pay off for that because it's an industry standard.  I still like old school pen and paper---in interviewing collegiate level Technical Theater professors, across the board, their complaint about technical students exiting high school programs was they lacked the basic quick sketch techniques to quickly express their ideas visually and that because of their lack of sketching literacy much was lost in the translation of ideas to paper.

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    Hope Love
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    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Sketch Up versus VectorWorks

    Posted 10-18-2017 09:33
    If you are interested:

    Colorado Shakespeare Festival 2017 Webcast On Oct 18 | Live Design
    Livedesignonline remove preview
    Colorado Shakespeare Festival 2017 Webcast On Oct 18 | Live Design
    Stephen Jones, USA 829 designer, and Assistant Professor at Vassar College, discusses his workflow for the 2017 Colorado Shakespeare Festival's repertory season
    View this on Livedesignonline >


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    John Perry
    Drama Instructor
    Atherton High School
    Louisville KY
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    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Sketch Up versus VectorWorks

    Posted 10-18-2017 12:22

    Drafty is the new kid on the block.

    After researching CAD programs, I'm just about to get Drafty myself. https://drafty-app.com/. I've been a hand drafter all my life (I'm old!) – time to get with the times! However, I do agree that all students should learn to draft by hand first.

    Drafty was developed by two guys with over 20 years each of design and drafting experience, specifically for theatrical lighting, sound and projection applications (I don't know about set design). Their website says it's "…so simple that any novice can start drafting immediately" and it supports PDF import from other CAD programs.

    As for what students already know and/or what they will need to know in the professional world, like learning a language, once you learn one CAD program it's easy to catch onto another. Whichever you pick, they may have already learned, or will need to later learn, another. So at the end of the day I'd say pick the program that you are comfortable with learning and teaching – your familiarity with the program is what's going to give them their best start.

    Regarding price – I don't know if Drafty has a free package for educators, but they're cheaper than other programs. 

    I'm not endorsing the program per se – ask me in a few weeks once I'm more familiar with it – but I just wanted to share the option with you.



    ------------------------------
    Beth Rand, EBMS
    High School Theatre Operations Coach

    Next HS Theatre Management Training for Drama Teachers online course: Winter Session starts Jan. 15 (limited to 8 students).

    Author of "High School Theatre Operations" and "High School Theatre Signs and Documentsl" and several more books on Amazon and also at http://www.presett.org/helpful-books-for-you.html.

    www.PRESETT.org
    Westminster, CO
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Sketch Up versus VectorWorks

    Posted 10-19-2017 07:49
    Lots of good feedback here.

    I've usually had a problem with having a machine to effectively run VectorWorks, and I've been using sketch up for 10 or so years.  My kids have rarely picked up a drafting program.  Most actually preferred to do it via paper and pencil, despite many challenges with their ability to draw in perspective.

    I will have to give VectorWorks another shot, looking at what everyone is saying.  Maybe that's why I got the condescending looks when talking to real designers about sketch up... ;)

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    DavidWard
    Mt. HollyNC
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    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: Sketch Up versus VectorWorks

    Posted 10-19-2017 12:55
    A few of you mentioned "real designers" above, so I thought I'd chip in from the viewpoint of one.

    When it comes right down to it, this is like asking, "DeWalt jig saw vs Bosch jig saw." Both tools are just that: tools. They both do exactly the same thing: cut stuff. Neither one will stay on the cut line for you, or make accurate curves, or cut thicker materials than it can handle. They both need fresh blades or a little adjusting now and then, and don't like being dropped or mishandled. And you have to learn to use them properly and safely. There's a learning curve for both, and there are tricks and techniques for both.

    And you're going to find that some people swear by one and don't like the other, and vice versa.

    VectorWorks and SketchUp (and many other programs) are the same way. They're just tools, not short-cuts. Neither one will create a compelling set for your story or create a usable set of construction drawings for you. The user needs to know how to design a set and how to draft it, and neither of these skills has anything to do with the software itself; we did it all by hand for many years.

    Both are heavily used in the entertainment industry as well as in architecture and other fields. I would suggest investing a couple of hours going through their websites to see how they work and what they can do. They both have sections on entertainment design and show how designers use them in their work.

    As far as workflow (which is a good point), neither software will walk you through it, but both can help keep it organized. You may want to check out my own workflow (which is very common in the industry) at https://setdesignandtech.wordpress.com/2015/04/02/a-design-from-start-to-finish/

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    George F. Ledo
    Set designer
    www.setdesignandtech.wordpress.com
    www.georgefledo.net
    http://astore.amazon.com/sdtbookstore-20
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


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