US-based BIM software provider Vectorworks has added project phasing, expanded embodied carbon analysis, and live rendering with Maxon Redshift to its Vectorworks 2026 design software.
Update 4 introduces native controls for managing the various stages of a building or site project within the BIM model. It also extends the Vectorworks Embodied Carbon Calculator and integrates the software with Maxon Redshift for Archviz, a rendering tool for architectural visualisation. Maxon and Vectorworks are both part of the Nemetschek Group.
The changes cover demolition and construction documentation, assessment of the carbon associated with building materials, and architectural visualisation.
New phasing system targets renovation projects
The Phasing system is intended for renovation and other projects carried out in stages. Objects in the model can be marked as existing, new, demolished, relocated or temporary, allowing their status to be represented at different points in a project.
Before the native system, Vectorworks users organised renovation drawings using classes and design layers, which structure objects and information within a project file. In the 2022 guidance, the company presented separate classes for Wall-Demo, Wall-New, and Wall-Existing. For a two-phase renovation example, it also suggested using one design layer per construction phase. Doors and windows might require duplicate objects when replacing existing components.
Vectorworks later demonstrated another method using Record Formats, which attach data to objects, alongside its Data Visualization feature. In a phased parish hall project, objects within a single file were assigned values for existing, demolition, Phase 1 and Phase 2 work. Data Visualization then used those values to determine which objects appeared and how they were shown across different drawings.
Update 4 makes phasing a native project function. Phase information can be assigned to drawing objects and used across design layers, viewports and Data Visualization. A dedicated Demolition tool supports elements scheduled for removal.
Embodied carbon tools get new reporting features
The update also expands the Vectorworks Embodied Carbon Calculator (VECC) within the Sustainability Dashboard. Embodied carbon comprises emissions associated with materials and construction throughout a building’s lifecycle.
VECC is older than Vectorworks 2026. In 2022, Vectorworks explained it as a pre-designed worksheet that includes formulas to estimate embodied carbon based on project data. It accounts for lifecycle stages such as manufacturing, transportation, construction, replacements, demolition, recovery, and disposal.
Vectorworks 2026 incorporated embodied carbon into the Sustainability Dashboard alongside Urban Greening Factor, Biomass Density and Biodiversity Net Gain. The dashboard uses data from the design model to calculate sustainability metrics as a project evolves.
Update 4 aligns predefined Concept and Planning categories with recognised frameworks, including guidelines from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). It also introduces automated quantity aggregation and improves calculations across different measurement units.
VECC can use material-based carbon information as well as product-specific Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) data. An EPD is a standardised document that provides information on a product’s environmental impacts. The calculator can identify objects with EPD data and account for them separately from material quantities to avoid double-counting.
Redshift integration keeps design changes linked to renderings
The Redshift integration gives Vectorworks users with a separate Redshift licence access to the renderer as part of their Vectorworks workflow.
An active Vectorworks project can be loaded into Redshift for Archviz, with automatic synchronisation between the design model and the rendering environment. Changes to the Vectorworks camera perspective can also be passed directly to Redshift.
This removes the need to export a separate scene each time the Vectorworks model is revised. However, the connection has some limitations. Maxon’s documentation states that camera changes made in Redshift do not update the Vectorworks perspective, and some environment settings are transferred only during the initial scene synchronisation.
Redshift for Vectorworks is a separate Maxon product that requires a Redshift subscription and a Maxon account.
Other changes span architecture, landscape and entertainment
Update 4 includes several minor changes across Vectorworks’ architecture, landscape and entertainment tools.
Class and Layer search has been revised for complex project files. The Linear Material tool now includes stucco and plaster parameters that relate dimensions to the model’s real-world scale, with controls for variation in length and thickness. These can be used to produce scale-accurate surface details in sections.
For landscape work, the Landscape Area tool gains a Hedgerow mode for creating staggered planting rows and displaying individual plants. Planting information can be retained in predefined styled objects and schedules.
Vectorworks Spotlight, the company’s entertainment design software, also receives updates to numbering and device management. Directional previews and an Exclude field help identify labelling issues before documentation is finalised. A unified Device tool combines placement, editing and tagging, while new Cable tool insertion modes allow users to switch cable types during show design.
Vectorworks 2026 Update 4 was made available to subscription and Vectorworks Service Select customers for all currently released English-language versions of the software.
