Manuals:Installation manual

From VectorMEP
Revision as of 06:00, 16 November 2020 by Admin (talk | contribs)
Jump to navigation Jump to search

This manual guides you through installing the VectorMEP module and workspace on Vectorworks® software.

From VectorMEP 2021 and beyond

VectorMEP can be installed directly from Vectorworks.

Activate the "Install Partner Products" menu
Select our product from the left categories
Install, update or uninstall VectorMEP
Relaunch Vectorworks
Install the Workspace


Up to VectorMEP 2020

Migration

Migration of the toolsets from older versions will not work. It is advised to remove any existing VectorMEP menu's and tools and to re-add them using the installer script.

Manual installation

The described workflow can be used for a new installation or an upgrade of a previous installed VectorMEP module.

The VectorMEP module and library need to be installed in the user’s library folder.

The user’s library folder exists in a platform-specific location:

  • Windows: C:\Users\//Username//\AppData\Roaming\Nemetschek\Vectorworks\2019\
  • Mac: /Users///Username///Library/Application Support/Vectorworks/2019/

The last number describes the Vectorworks version, for 2018, 2019... We will continue to call this folder USER_LIB

More info about the location of this folder can be found in the Vectorworks help under the section "Scripted Plug-ins".

The described folders/files to copy can be found in the "InstallMeUsingThePluginManager.zip" file found in the download folder.

Uninstalling the VectorMEP module

  • Windows: Remove "VectorMEP.vwr", "VectorMEP.vlb" In: USER_LIB/Plug-ins/
  • Mac: Remove "VectorMEP.vwlibrary" In: USER_LIB/Plug-ins/

Installing the VectorMEP module

  • Windows: Copy "VectorMEP.vwr", "VectorMEP.vlb" Into: USER_LIB/Plug-ins/
  • Mac: Copy "VectorMEP.vwlibrary" Into: USER_LIB/Plug-ins/

Installing the VectorMEP library

Copy the folder "VectorMEP"

Into: USER_LIB/Library/Defaults/

Note that the folders "Plug-ins", "Library" and "Defaults" are localised based on your local Vectorworks language thus might differ.

Automatic installation

If you are upgrading from a previous VectorMEP installation on Windows it is important to manually uninstall the plug-in prior to installing the update.

Uninstalling the plug-in is described under the Manual (un)installation chapter.

Installing VectorMEP

  1. Open Vectorworks.
  2. Select Tools > Plug-ins > Plug-in Manager. The Plug-in Manager dialog box opens.
  3. Select the Third-party Plug-ins pane.
  4. Click the Install button and select the "InstallMeUsingThePluginManager.zip" file in
  5. the VectorMEP download folder.
  6. Restart Vectorworks.
  7. Modify the workspace to include all VectorMEP tools and menu commands.

If the installer failed you will need to install VectorMEP manually.

In case of an upgrade where changes were made to the VectorMEP library, the installer will back-up the old VectorMEP library with the current date as file name suffix.

You will need to manually copy over the custom content you created for them to become available again.

Installing the VectorMEP workspace

We have provided an automated script to modify the active workspace to include all VectorMEP tools and menu commands. This script requires VectorMEP to be installed.

If Vectorworks presents an error --that the new workspace can't be loaded-- it's an issue with access permissions. Make sure the original workspace file/folder has full access and is not read-only.

1. Open Vectorworks.

2. Select Tools > Third-Party > VectorMEP > Generate VectorMEP Basic/Premium workspace.

This command is available in any workspace, active on Vectorworks launch. If you manually switch workspace before running this command it will not be visible. In this case you need to restart for it to appear.