What is fastest way to convert SU components to scrapbook?

bwerst

I've created a bunch of 2D components in Sketchup and would now like to turn them into Layout Scrapbook shapes. How do I quickly make each component an individual scrapbook shape?

If I import the drawing to layout and save as scrapbook I get one shape as the whole drawing. Having to create separate scenes for each component in Sketchup and then separate windows in layouts is extremely tedious. I'm also worried about preserving the scale throughout.

As an analogy, I'm basically want to create a scrapbook that works just like a Stencil in Visio, but if I have to do all of the steps mentioned above for each shape it would be faster to just create them in Layout directly.

Thoughts? Best Practices?

Dave R

What are the shapes? It may indeed be faster to create them in LO from the beginning. There isn't any automated way of doing it unfortunately.

bwerst

The shapes are basically 2D symbols for theatrical lighting fixtures. I have the room completely drawn in Sketchup in 3D. Unfortunately, the text labeling features of Sketchup leave a LOT to be desired therefore - Layout.

So I assume I need to use top view scenes in Layout. I guess my option is keep the fixture shapes in Sketchup and then do all of the labeling in layout which gets messy when you need to move fixtures around. The other option is for all of the fixtures and labels to be handled as a shape/group in Layout so it will be easier to move around. This second option kind of sucks in the sense that's a lot of "modeling" in the "presentation" program.

Ideally, I would love the label text to come from meta data in the Sketchup model automatically, but I don't know any way to accomplish that. I really hope Trimble will create a Ruby API for Layout that is consistent with the Sketchup API. I would love for labels to be able to execute a Ruby expression to pull the text out of the model(s) shown on the Layout page.

Any other ideas?

Dave R

It would be really nice if the labels in LayOut would use metadata from SketchUp. That would make my work a lot easier. If you move a component in SketchUp and update the reference in LayOut, the arrowhead connected to it for the label should move too. You'll have to move the text box but at least you'll know which one the text is for.

If you only need 2D symbols for the lights anyway, you might as well go ahead and make the symbols in LO including blank text labels. Then you can move the thing as a whole.

sonder

You simply open layout - reference the su file and save as a scrap book. If they are simple objects that you don't intend to edit in the future, simply copy and then paste into the layout file and again, save as a scrap book. Once you save and name that specific scrap book you can add to it anytime.

pbacot

@unknownuser said:

You simply open layout - reference the su file and save as a scrap book. If they are simple objects that you don't intend to edit in the future, simply copy and then paste into the layout file and again, save as a scrap book. Once you save and name that specific scrap book you can add to it anytime.

Sonder,

These give two very different results. The first gives a View as usual of whatever is in the scene with the current style. Acts pretty much like SU reference.

The second (I've never tried this before-I think!) gives just the selection with a transparent background, and textured faces with super fine edges. Thanks for pointing this out. Could be of use. You can change the style too.

It looks like if you want a scrapbook of several individual objects you bring them into a LO page, one at a time. (Is there a way to do this in one step I wonder?). You have to then resize and arrange on the page. Then you save the LO page as a scrapbook which will have all the individual objects.

Now another question. If you only ever want a flat 2d object in this scrapbook, would using a bitmap file (instead of SU model) be more efficient down the line when you use these in your drawings?

Peter

sonder

Hi Peter:

You are correct. For simple 2d symbols and such (heck even plan linework), I simply copy and paste them into Layout and set them to a vector render. Layout vector renders simple 2D line work instantly - no waiting time at all. If I were preparing something like an MPE legend in sketchup, I would copy them all at once into Layout. Then in Layout you ungroup them and it will set each entitiy as their own group. Then save as a scrap book and you have a legend. This goes very fast.

pbacot

??
I draw three shapes in SU,a circle and a couple polygons. Copy all. Paste into LO. What I get is a view (actually a very constricted view with super thin linework-not the view I had in SU). There's no option to ungroup. Explode makes it into a picture of 3 objects. If I make a scrapbook it is one picture of three objects. How can I do as you say? Thanks, Peter

sonder

Hi Peter - are you making the entities into components? Always make components and not just loose geometry..............for most everything.

Create symbols or whatever you are trying to create for scrapbook in SU
Make each symbol into a component
Select all components and copy
Paste into a blank LO file.
Select SU edit box and choose Vector render.
Explode, then ungroup.

You should then have individual symbols and can save as a scrap book. Sounds like a lot of steps, but it goes really fast.

pbacot

Sonder,

Thanks. 5 and 6: change to Vector and explode are key things I missed. Though I tried explode, but doesn't work with "raster".

Also another step you'd probably add (most often) is to adjust the style and line weight after changing to vector.

However I am still not happy with the results.

First Ungroup separates the faces from the edges in each component. So I have two groups: a group of all the faces and a group of all the edges in the scrapbook.

Second Ungroup will give separate shapes and faces. So If I made three components to start I end up with 6 scrapbook objects.

Thanks for the information. Getting there.

Peter

sonder

The quick fix for that last issue is to simply re group them. Once you have exploded them, you can edit all the entities just like you normally would in LO. This is better than simply using styles as you can make an individual symbol display more than one type of line thickness, color or transparency. One thing I have done with my window and door symbols that works well is setting the symbol so that it has a bold outline, with a semi-transparent back ground that is white. So if you place the window or door symbol slightly over a divided lite or hardware, you can still see the pattern or element.

pbacot

OK, Thanks Sonder!

Richard

I'd go this way if you don't need to edit their styles or line weights later.

Open an SU file drag in ALL your SU components and arrange to a rough grid.
Look down on the model with persective off and set with "ground" off to ensure no background in LO.
Drag and drop this file or reference into a layout doc and scale as needed.
Export the whole page at good resolution PNG so the transparency again sticks.
Delete the SU object from the doc, drag in the PNG, scale out to fit the page.
Then on a new layer draw an open square or circle over each item on the page.
Select back to the lower layer and do a CTRL+C of the PNG object, then select the image and the first square and "make clipping mask",
Ctrl+V to paste a new instance of the image and repeat with the next square till complete!

Looks like a long process but I've spelt it step by step (actually probably the quickest). Nice thing is you get nice clean non too sticky objects - if you use a circle as the clip you can position it so the centre matches what you want to be the insertion of the object so it snaps in place as desired.