Construction & Working Drawings - Discussion

bmike · 16 Mar 2012, 11:50

Wow, this is a very useful thread, some of the drawings posted are truly inspiring.

I am halfway through an engineering project and have been creating working drawings directly in SU (many, many layers), exporting as .jpg (I can get a high enough resolution that way), and then compiling the .jpgs into a .pdf

However, reading this thread has shown me I can do a much better job with layout if I will just take the time to learn it. I initially turned away from Layout as it seemed so unintuitive. Hopefully this will save me a heap of the re-working I am having to do when someone objects to something in a working drawing.

By the way, you all keep referring to working in raster mode in LO but I can't seem to get dimensions accurate enough in raster mode - I have to switch to vector to ensure the dimension is snapping to the point I think it is snapping to - has anyone else experienced this?

i work in vector for the most part. hybrid to show section cuts and various materials and 'sketchy' styles as needed.
i did a few projects in SketchUp with layers and views - a PITA compared to the control you'll have in LayOut.
yes, there are some un-intuitive bits to it - but once you settle in on a process, you will get faster with it.

sonder · 19 Mar 2012, 00:50

Just an update. These are how I am formatting my detail sheets. There are 6 exterior sheets and 3 interior sheets for this particular project. So far the speed is working out great.

sonder · 19 Mar 2012, 01:18

Lighting plan.

pbacot · 19 Mar 2012, 05:11

Beautiful, Sonder ! the details look great with the fog. 3d details something I'd like to do more of. Usually only end up doing 1-2 3d details if at all. Very useful for water proofing in particular They don't look that hard to model--a lot of push-pull, but I bet finding the right view for every one takes some work. Your cutaway technique is very effective and obviously well thought-out. Then finishing, sending all to LO and final tweaking must take some more time. I just think it would blow my hours budget...

Curious about your light switch depiction, but that's not a SU thing.

P.S. "Metal Ridge" looks like a valley to me.

sonder · 19 Mar 2012, 15:47

@pbacot said:

Beautiful, Sonder ! the details look great with the fog. 3d details something I'd like to do more of. Usually only end up doing 1-2 3d details if at all. Very useful for water proofing in particular They don't look that hard to model--a lot of push-pull, but I bet finding the right view for every one takes some work. Your cutaway technique is very effective and obviously well thought-out. Then finishing, sending all to LO and final tweaking must take some more time. I just think it would blow my hours budget...

Curious about your light switch depiction, but that's not a SU thing.

P.S. "Metal Ridge" looks like a valley to me.

Thanks for that catch. Yes it is a valley. I set the view centered in SU and save as a scene, so I don't actually do much adjusting in LO, other than resizing the reference box. These detail sheets really didn't take me long. I do have a huge library of details though, so editing them for individual jobs is pretty quick. Notation took me the longest because this is my first round of full details with Layout. The next jobs will get quicker.

The light switching and symbols are all done in LO. The switching looks a little different as this home will have a full lutron/savant system with lutron control panels and Ipad docking stations for various automated controls.

bmike · 19 Mar 2012, 18:07

wow, sonder, really nice details and electrical plan!
i'll have to mess around with fog... nice effect.

-mike

sonder · 19 Mar 2012, 18:12

Thanks.

Yes the fog really helps with depth and also lightens the model a little for crisper notes. I am using that affect on all drawings now including plans. The electrical plan above is without fog, but in my next round it will have a slight fog affect.

seasdes · 25 Mar 2012, 10:40

I do not know whether there is a answer to this. However, is it much slower to use Layout for construction drawings compared to CAD?
Sorry if I am pushing in here. But my question relates to construction drawings.
Walter

sonder · 27 Mar 2012, 16:13

@seasdes said:

I do not know whether there is a answer to this. However, is it much slower to use Layout for construction drawings compared to CAD?
Sorry if I am pushing in here. But my question relates to construction drawings.
Walter

For me it is faster, but I have developed my whole detail library in SU over the past 5 years. Once you get used to how LO works, I think it is faster. If you are just learning, then count on a learning curve which will be slower at first. The key is setting up all your scrapbooks for standard notation and graphics. Keep you SU models tight and maintain your scenes. I just finished producing 3 sets of construction documents for 3 different custom homes. All three were completed over the last 3-4 months with each set having between 45-55 sheets of architectural drawings. This was my first time utilizing LayOut, so there was some time involved in setting up standards / experimentation.

seasdes · 29 Mar 2012, 11:48

Thank you Sonder
I am working on a project that is a bit rough around the edges. I think that I used the wrong style.
I will pay more attention to your recommendations on the next project.
Walter

bmike · 9 May 2012, 14:21

Another small project for a workshop.

On deck are 2 small buildings - I'm taking the entire process through SU and LO, as well as another small timber frame workshop project (similar in scope to these drawings).

Here's hoping Trimble sees the value in LayOut and ups the development of it. It is my go to tool now for taking 3d to 2d.

pirun14 · 5 Jun 2012, 02:54

working drawing Layout sketchup for interior architecture http://www.facebook.com/pages/Layout-sketchup-Thailand/142833949164127

pirun14 · 5 Jun 2012, 03:10

build-in TV in Bedroom
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.233361276778060.50387.142833949164127&type=3

pbacot · 5 Jun 2012, 04:44

Pirun! that's wonderful crisp pictures and fresh format.

I don't know if I commented on your last project bmike. All your stuff is really great. What can I say? It gives me hope for LO (and the human race....for that matter)!

Pirun (or anyone). It would be great if you could comment:

What was difficult in presenting this project in LO? Did you learn anything new? Any good tips on dimensions or any other tools? Is this output in vector? to png?

THANKS for posting. Peter

mwm5053 · 5 Jun 2012, 12:39

This is really great stuff I've been getting to know LO in the past week or so reading Bonnie Roskes's ebook and looking for examples of layout in LO so I'm awe struck by these examples.

Thanks to all the contributors.

beginner · 5 Jun 2012, 15:30

I like the font...and symbols...

tim · 8 Jun 2012, 03:58

Pirun - lovely, stylish, clear drawings. Nice. I've made plenty of good, solid, descriptive drawings but - like Sonder - you've made something positively artistic as well.

I'm going to toot my own horn a little here because I've just released a plugin intended to help with getting things set up to make doing the LO pages for components easier. See http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=323&t=45790

sonder · 10 Jun 2012, 00:10

Beautiful drawings Pirun! Really like that style.

dale · 10 Jun 2012, 13:14

@tim said:

I'm going to toot my own horn a little here because I've just released a plugin intended to help with getting things set up to make doing the LO pages for components easier. See http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=323&t=45790

Tim this looks like a really helpful tool. Thanks

tim · 11 Jun 2012, 03:11

@dale said:

Tim this looks like a really helpful tool. Thanks

Thanks - do please add any problems or suggestions to the relevant thread -http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=323&t=45790&p=410067#p410067

Construction &amp; Working Drawings - Discussion

Construction & Working Drawings - Discussion