Most LayOut objects will snap to their original position during a resize - which can be very annoying, or very useful, depending on your situation.

@errror404 said:

MY WORK-FLOW from Layout to AutoCAD

Once Schematic Design is done and the client agrees to move into Design Development I export my elevations and roof plan from skecthup

IN LAYOUT:
I create a custom size paper in layout big enough to fit all my Elevations and roof plan in one sheet at 1/8" = 1'-0".(It doesn't matter the size of the paper actually, if your drawings are outside the paper space they still get exported just fine).

Make all the views Vectors.

I export them as DWG with Output Space set to "[b]Model Space[/b]" Scale: "[b]Custom = 96[/b]"
(If your views are at another scale, you will need to figure out what would your custom scale be.... example 1/4" scale = 48, 1/16" scale =192.... you get the idea).

IN AUTOCAD:

As soon as I open the drawing, I can't see anything! (that is because my default background color in autoCAD is black). I also don't care about Layout's layer system, because I'm planing to redo them in AutoCAD anyway and add all the required details. All I want is the basic shape to get started.

So, I make a line on layer 0 and use the command "MATCHPROP" (also known as "MA") select the line that I just made and then select the whole drawing! All of the sudden all the black lines become white and I can see them :bounce:

Unfortunately (and I don't know why) There are many repeated lines on top of each other. Maybe they were in different layers and now they all are in layer 0... I don't know and I don't really care. To take care of this issue, I select everything and use my favorite command in AutoCAD: "overkill".

After that, the model is pretty much ready for one of my drafters/designers to take over. I write in Defpoints notes of things to watch-out and a warning that my exported elevation is for reference purpose only to verify [u]everything[/u]

If for some reason the client goes crazy and wants to change things and see them on sketchup... then it's going to cost them extra 😉

Errror404: believe I've reviewed all of your recent advice/responses to exporting Layout files to Acad and have a few questions for clarification -- if you don't mind:

We're using the most current versions of Sk_up & Layout and attempting to export a couple of 'paperspace' Layout files in DWG format to the engineer who complains that our files 'are empty' & too small at 30kb.

Based on forum feedback -- am wondering if we've been exporting raster images vs. vector images -- thus the problem...? If this is the case, can we go back and make this change without re-creating an entire file...? (I haven't come across anything in Layout that allows me to save to raster vs vector -- so assume that's gotta be handled in Sk_up)...?

I also understand that certain (Acad) settings need to be in place on his end -- in terms of paper vs model space -- but we instructed 'paperspace' with no results on that end.

Also read where there can be an issue with Acad's black background... Anything we might advise him if that's still an issue with exporting Layout files...?

Thanks for any/all assist with this issue. Really enjoy Sk_up -- but gotta be able to communicate with Consultants.

C Fraulino

[/i][/i]

In cross-platform file naming...
You cannot use : / \ * ? " < > | characters in file names [ : is precluded in OSX]...
Also avoid any character typed using the Ctrl/Cmd key etc...
Also avoid allowed, but potentially problematic/confusing { } ' \ = + @
Also avoid starting/ending a file/folder-name with a <space> or a .
Or starting with a . unless it's to be a hidden file [but also disallowed under OSX].
The ^ is also best avoided for files to be used on a FAT Window systems...
The file names com1, com2, com3, com4, com5, com6, com7, com8, com9, lpt1, lpt2, lpt3, lpt4, lpt5, lpt6, lpt7, lpt8, lpt9, con, nul, and prn all are reserved names under Windows systems...

Of course the link Kaas supplied refers to LayOut 2014. By your profile it looks like you're still using LayOut 3 (it says you are using SketchUp 8, still) so Auto Text won't be available. In that case, you'll just put in page numbers manually with text boxes like any other text.

Thanks Kaas

It would be easier to give you a definitive answer if the LO file was available but we'll try without it and do the best we can. The typical reason is that the viewport has been modified from the original SketchUp scene. This happens with you open the viewport and orbit or zoom the view of the model. You can tell the viewport has been modified by the addition of [Modified] in the scene name displayed in the SketchUp inspector when the viewport is selected. Select the unmodified version of the scene from the list and it should update. Best practice is to avoid creating modified scenes in LO.

Another possibility is that your SU file is not linked to the LO file any longer. You can determine that under File>Document SetUp.

I found out that its exporting 4 different images. The way I discovered this is exporting to PDF then pulling into adobe illustrator, releasing clipping mask and then I see there are 4 images for one image. I rearranged my camera to make the shot fill the entire Sketchup window, then I made the layout frame less than the size of the page in LayOut - this made it all one image. This is a major pain because I have over 100 scenes that exported this way now I have to re-set them up and re-export.

The units and tolerances were set to the same precession in both programs? You've tested that the model is indeed precise to unit?

I've been having issue with magically changed scale. I complete a set and know I did it in 3/16" and come back later it's 1/8"

Make a temporary group of the lines you want to keep independent

Also, bounding box margins for text objects does not scale proportionally with font size. Small text boxes have a proportionally bigger size, compared to a bigger text box. Esp. Evident with text with background color/outline.

I try not to use text smaller than 8 pt, for that reason. It would be nice if that was fixed though...

Holla !

http://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=79%26amp;t=42747

http://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=79%26amp;t=36845

Shape Bender could help you bend the text the way you want. If you need a better effect intersect the text with the object and the extrude the text with Joint Pushpull .

Good on you, Frank.

Just as in SketchUp, you have to purge out the unused stuff once in awhile.

Create a Template with prefered settings??

thanks Dave!

I came accross a very interesting website with more info on this product: http://www.archiexpo.com/architecture-design-manufacturer/spanish-roof-tile-1342.html

I'm glad it's sorted. As to the duplicate scene names, I guess I think of some cases where it could be handy but not many. It would at least be nice to get some sort of prompt that there's already a scene with the name you've just typed.

Kris, Dave R is correct when he said Adobe Acrobatmight be worth a look as it also lets you add Watermarks to pdf files which can be useful for client previews- or add a password to restrict users from opening, printing, and editing PDFs. You can also embed video files with the Pro version- so you can embed an SU animation within the pdf file created with Layout to further enhance your presentation.

Thanks Dave R & jiminy-billy-bob

"You must save the scene, or update, with "shadow settings" set to be saved."

That was the problem—I'd done everything but.

Thanks!

Dave's tips for efficient model building are spot on. If you still find yourself chugging a bit too much, don't forget the document setup options for editing and output.

layout2013docsetup.JPG