Vectorworks System Requirements
Prerequisite for the comfortable use of Vectorworks
Hardware Requirements
Here you will find the system requirements for the current version Vectorworks 2023. For other Vectorworks versions, please refer to the Vectorworks homepage .
Former: For small projects, simple models/drawings with a low level of detail, simple renderings (e.g. small residential projects, small theaters, small landscape design)
Advanced: For medium-sized projects, complex models/drawings with medium level of detail (e.g. small commercial projects, medium-sized entertainment facilities, modeling of residential areas)
Professional: For large projects, complex and very detailed models/drawings, complex renderings (e.g. large BIM projects, large entertainment facilities, commercial areas, GIS, high-quality landscaping, photorealistic renderings)
| Beginner | Advanced | Professional | |
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5, or better Apple M1 or later | > 2.0 GHz Intel Core i7 or AMD Ryzen 7 with 6 cores, or better Apple M1 Pro or higher | > 3.0 GHz Intel Core i7 or AMD Ryzen 7 with 8 cores, or better Apple M1 Max or higher |
RAM | > 8 GB | > 16 GB | > 32 GB |
Graphics card* | Dedicated graphics card with > 2GB VRAM and OpenGL 4.1 support. | Dedicated graphics card with > 3GB VRAM and OpenGL 4.1 support. | Dedicated graphics card with > 8GB VRAM and OpenGL 4.1 support. |
Screen resolution | Mind. 1440 x 900 pixels | Mind. 1920 x 1080 pixels | Mind. 1920 x 1080 pixels |
Hard disk | > 10 GB free space on HDD hard drive | > 10 GB free space on HDD hard drive | > 10 GB free space on SSD hard drive |
Several Vectorworks features have increased graphics hardware requirements. In addition, the performance and quality of the graphics provided by the Vectorworks graphics engine directly depend on the speed, memory, and supported extensions of the graphics card. These features have the potential to provide a very fast and fluid experience when used on powerful hardware, or a noticeably slower experience when used on older or incompatible hardware. Graphics cards should at least support the macOS Metal GPUFamily1 and Windows DirectX 11; Cards that do not meet this recommendation will not work. In general, the more powerful your graphics card is, the better your Vectorworks experience will be.
Operating system
Which Vectorworks version requires which operating system?
| Windows 11 Windows 10 64-bit | |
| macOS 13 (Ventura) macOS 12 (Monterey) macOS 11 (Big Sur) |
| Windows 11 Windows 10 64-bit | |
| macOS 12 (Monterey) macOS 11 (Big Sur) macOS 10.15 (Catalina) macOS 12.1 (Monterey) macOS 10.14 (Mojave) macOS 10.13 (High Sierra) macOS 10.12 (Sierra) |
| Windows 11 Windows 10 64-bit | |
| macOS 12 (Monterey) macOS 11 (Big Sur) macOS 10.15 (Catalina) macOS 10.14 (Mojave) macOS 10.13 (High Sierra) macOS 10.12 (Sierra) |
| Windows 10 64-bit Windows 8 64-bit Windows 7 SP1 64-bit | |
| macOS 11 (Big Sur) macOS 10.15 (Catalina) macOS 12.1 (Monterey) macOS 10.14 (Mojave) macOS 10.13 (High Sierra) macOS 10.12 (Sierra) |
| Windows 10 64-bit Windows 8.1 64-bit Windows 8 64-bit Windows 7 SP1 64-bit | |
| macOS 10.15 (Catalina) macOS 10.14 (Mojave) macOS 10.13 (High Sierra) macOS 10.12 (Sierra) Mac OS X 10.11 (El Capitan) Mac OS X 10.10 (Yosemite) |
| Windows 10 64-bit Windows 8.1 64-bit Windows 8 64-bit Windows 7 SP1 64-bit | |
| macOS 10.14 (Mojave) macOS 10.13 (High Sierra) macOS 10.12 (Sierra) Mac OS X 10.11 (El Capitan) Mac OS X 10.10 (Yosemite) |
| Windows 10 64-bit Windows 8.1 64-bit Windows 8 64-bit Windows 7 SP1 64-bit | |
| Mac OS X 10.11 (El Capitan) Mac OS X 10.10 (Yosemite) Mac OS 10.12 (Sierra) |
Changes, errors reserved. Source: https://www.vectorworks.net/sysreq
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