VectorWorks Technology Update: Rosetta Compatibility

Nemetschek North America has been working hard toward its primary goal of having an Intel-Macintosh® native (Universal Binary) version of VectorWorks 12 ready as soon as possible.

In January, Apple surprised many, including their third-party software vendors, by releasing Intel-based Macintosh hardware a full six months ahead of its announced schedule. This pre-announcement opens the issue of how VectorWorks will run under "Rosetta," Apple’s emulation software that allows native PowerPC applications to run on Apple’s new Intel-hardware.

After weeks of testing VectorWorks 12 under Rosetta on newly released Intel-Macintosh hardware, we have discovered some failures, as well as substantial slow downs, that do not exist on PowerPC-based Macintosh machines.

These functional problems and speed issues prevent us from recommending that VectorWorks be used on Intel-Macintosh hardware in a professional environment. However, VectorWorks 12 is stable and robust enough under Rosetta emulation to be used in some limited evaluations or less demanding capacities.

Functional Concerns for Running VectorWorks 12 under Rosetta

Our main concern centers on geometry offsetting functionality. In VectorWorks 12.0.0, all attempts to offset geometry will crash the application. This includes the Offset tool and all operations listed below. In VectorWorks 12.0.1, we prevent the crashes, but any attempt to offset geometry will fail and leave the geometry in its original form. The offset tool will still work in some cases, but it uses an older and less sophisticated algorithm when running on Intel-Macintosh hardware.

Offset Failures:
Most, if not all, modes of the Linear Material tool will fail
The Repetitive Unit tool cannot be offset from its path
Most, if not all modes of the Roadway (NURBS) tool will fail
Some handrail configurations will fail on the Stair object
The Stipple tool will fail if it is set to "Fade from Edge"
The Create Walls from Spaces command will not align walls properly, especially at the outside wall
The Window and Door objects will not draw muntins properly (with thickness)
The Hardscape tool will fail in path configuration (and perhaps others), and will not create a border properly

Speed Problems Running VectorWorks under Rosetta

VectorWorks running under Rosetta on new Intel-Macintosh hardware is slower across the board than VectorWorks running on mainstream G5 hardware. The following comparisons were between a single processor 1.8 GHz G5 workstation and a 1.8 GHz Intel Core Duo iMac.

VectorWorks12 on the Intel machine under Rosetta emulation:
Takes 31% longer redrawing using Quartz
Takes 39% longer redrawing using QuickDraw
Takes 122% longer on average in a variety of rendering tasks
Takes 100% longer on average in a variety of solid modeling operations

The worst-case slowdown we measured is about 245%. That operation will take about three and a half times as long under Rosetta as on the reference G5 machine.

Nemetschek North America will continue to work through a variety of channels to find a resolution to the functional problems found running under Rosetta so our users can more easily integrate Apple’s new Intel-hardware into their existing PowerPC environments. However, the speed problems caused by Rosetta emulation will remain as an important user consideration.

About Nemetschek N.A.
Nemetschek North America is a wholly-owned subsidiary of European software giant Nemetschek AG. A global leader in design technologies, Nemetschek N.A. has been developing CAD software for the AEC, entertainment, landscape design and manufacturing fields since 1985. VectorWorks, its flagship product, is one of the world's best selling cross-platform CAD applications. It is available in more than 85 countries and is translated into seven languages. An all-in-one solution that’s easier to learn and use and more cost-effective than most other CAD programs, VectorWorks is ideal for firms that don’t have unlimited IT budgets.

For more information, visit http://www.nemetschek.net

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