I have been using Vectorworks for 20 years, for everything from construction docs to building and terrain modelling to creating spreadsheets linked to elevations to catalog the numerous different types of blocks in one of Wright's textile block houses. I have used it for projects ranging in scales from bathroom remodels to hospitals and transit systems. It is flexible and powerful, easy to use and relatively inexpensive. I have never understood why they don't have a greater foothold in the U.S. market.
I also have taught the production of construction documents for about 8 years. The students typically use AutoCad or ArchiCad, and lately, some of them have been trying to use Revit. The apparent complexity of these programs seems unconscionable to me. They seem to make it excruciatingly difficult to produce good, legible drawings. The AutoCad students can never figure out how to do simple things, like get the text to be a uniform size on a detail sheet or create a legible dashed line type that prints uniformly. The ArchiCad and Revit students have great difficulty editing their drawings re: what should be included or not and where the plane of section line weight occurs.
One thing that I know VW does beautifully but have not personally used is the lighting/rendering function. That is on my list of things to try.
Good luck!
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Kate Svoboda-Spanbock AIA
Principal
HERE Design and Architecture
Los Angeles CA
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