Gene - Dylan is correct that doing full construction drawings in SketchUp is not common. Most of us haven't attempted it. That isn't to say you can't -- whatever turns your crank. If you wanted to do your electrical plan in SketchUp you could create the various symbols as components that you could place on your plan as required. If you are a SketchUp Pro user you could alternately add your symbols and annotations using the LayOut program that comes with SketchUp Pro. In it you could more easily produce a SketchUp based set of construction drawings -- more easily than just using SketchUp. Regards, Ross

Thanks to everyone. It seems not so easy to do, so I just keep on useing colors to create differences in the drawing. Ultimate I use autocad, but I would just like to keep it in the same drawing. I will have a look at Thicklines.rb. I simply don't like Layout, to slow and to complicated (a fundamental thing like updating views/layouts is a pain). What is possible inside Layout, should be a intern part of SU, like model- / paperspace in AutoCad. But thats a nother story I like the combination of SU and Indesign - but SU is a bit of a pain to print from, but I get hold of it now using PDF995 Thanks all. Jorgensen

Or some nasty domestic disputes. "What do you mean you used the milk to feed the baby, Honey what were you thinking?"

thx for repling

Jorgensen - generally speaking if you want a watermark (or line style) in an export to appear as you see it on screen, then a screen capture instead of an export might be the best way to go. That's what I do. Alternately, you could try exporting at the screen resolution or doing what the Google folk recommend if you are a SketchUp Pro user - inserting the model into LayOut and setting the resolution there as it offers more control. Regards, Ross

Oh well sorry for scaring u guys like that he he

It works a treat ! Thanks again for the advice. In Illustrator, after adding plenty more nodes (Object menu) one goes back th the same menu for "Simplify" then choose "straight lines" (in fact I use a French set up, I assume those are the English terms used in the menus). Once in Sketchup, the Makefaces plug-in is essential to enable push-pull extrusion. All this enables one to convert vectorized texte or logos into 3D forms. Cool.

Yes, I know that one

Where did you try? At the sketchup.google.com site or elsewhere? You may try it in the Ruby Library Depot - I believe Didier has collected all "freebies" from the web.

Sometimes you just simply cannot draw coplanar roof faces on certain buildings if they are not rectangular (or your roof ptch won't be at the same height). So also have a look at the plan of the building.

Another way would be to draw a line or construction line parallel to and at the appropriate distance from the object you're viewing, snap the camera to the end points, and set a scene at each location. You can adjust field of view and height at each camera position. There's a ruby at Smustard that shows you the position and view of your camera if you think that might help too. Wyatt

The DWG export uses exactly the same units you are using to model with. The units can be changed on the fly from the Window>Model Info>Units pane. No need to export, copy over etc. Your model and the "real world" stay in sync. Anssi

hey there kabbayan,i am from phil. too. . i am also a sketch up user but only a starter, wud u giv me hand when i need some help? thanks!!!!

Thanks Wyatt. Appreciate the input. Tom

Yeah, definitely, this can now only be done by editing the component but then it scales all entities. A workaround could be to use subcomponents which you can scale from outside of their entities while leaving others the original size. Of course you'd need to make the parent component unique but the inside geometry could remain the same.

G here is a screen shot with the "list" button open. [image: WaSl_Picture2.png] are there are any mac su users out there to share any thoughts? i think something is wrong. it just "feels" like the material panel looks different in my memory but i cant be sure.... hmmmmm.... anybody? thinkbuild.

Hi Matt, I don't know if this is what you have, but... Sometimes when you use the tape measure tool and move it while holding the left mouse button SU draws guide lines. If that's what's happening, you can get rid of them in the Edit Menu - Delete Guides. Tom

It's not that the images are pngs, per se, that is the problem. It's something about the way they have been produced. They all have a white traingle at the bottom corner in the materials browser, indicating that there is a degree of transparency...but there isn't. They are all on Layer0 in Photoshop instead of being flattened onto the Background layer but Layer0 is itself 100% opaque so there shouldn't be a problem. You actually don't need to save in another format; all you need do is flatten the image to the background layer...or even just open in it PS and immediately save it again, then reload into SU for the problem to just go away. I'm not sure what problem there is in the png files themselves. Technically, just opening a file and resaving it shouldn't have any effect, but it does. I'm just posting this in case anyone gets the idea that imported png files don't receive shadows....they do.

Indeed, VrayforSU (latest service release) seems to screw up the 'Subdivide 'nd Smooth' pugin as well on some PC's.

Dear Plot-Paris, Yes, that all makes sense. What is confusing is that after using the off-set tool one can click on individual areas and see that they all separated by circle entities. So intuitively, one assumes that on the next push-pull the circle entity will divide the cylinder, which it doesn't. Pulling the the outer annular area first solves this problem, or doing what Alan suggests, intersecting before deleting Another mystery solved. Many thanks, Bob