[Tutorial > Modeling] How a Pro Builds a House in SU pt 2
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@unknownuser said:
The tutorial is very good - I'm just a beginner.
Wondering where we find Part 1?
here ya go...
http://www.sketchucation.com/forums/scf/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=723
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Greetings all, my 1st post on these new forums. Well done to Coen setting this place up; a far superior environment and interface than the new google groups in my opinion.
Anyway back on topic. I've read through this how-to and felt that I should add my own thoughts on the advice given in a constructive manner that will hopefully provide some of the newer modellers with an alternate method of construction.
My main disagreement with the workflow provided is the procedure of the wall construction. There was good advice given regarding the tidyness of our drawings however I feel that one of the most important area of modelling/CAD housekeeping is to not create faces and edges that aren't required. If you follow the procedure of push-pulling rectangles to form the external walls in a series of panels as shown, you end up with 4 lines and 1 face between each panel junction that simply aren't required (note: only on panels which run parallel!). This method of modelling is akin to building blocks whereas my personal preference is to somewhat different.
Stage 1
My advice would be to trace the outline of the external wall to form a shape and offset the wall thickness inwards. This will leave you with 2 shapes (1 for the thickness of the external wall and another for the internal void) Of course the internal line of the external wall may have areas where it differs from the plane of the external but the line tool and eraser can quickly tidy this up as required.Stage 2
With the correct shapes now drawn, a simple push pull of the external wall face to the necessary height will extrude our entire wall in one operation instead of several and we will have the minimum amount of faces required. The top and bottom faces of the wall extrusion can also be deleted as they won't normally be seen unless in section. Internal walls follow the same procedure of tracing the outline to form one face and extrude as before.Stage 3
Window and door openings. My preference is to make components of these and I would locate the insertion point at the top center of the component. Once made I would create a guideline at 2.1m (sorry, child of the metric age here!) above internal finished floor level and place my door or window on this. A simple horizontal move will finish the required location of the component.Previously I would create components that would cut the external wall face however now I tend not to. As SketchUp is a suface and not a solids modeller my components wouldn't cut the internal face of the wall. to solve this I now draw a rectangle on the external wall face, tracing the opening of the already placed window/door. Push-pulling this new face inwards the depth of the wall thickness (either type the distance or switch to wireframe and snap to an internal face edge). This makes the soffit and jamb faces (internally and externally) in a quick clean operation and should not require any data cleanup.
I hope it all makes sense and as I recognise a few names from the former sketchup forums I know you guy's (and gal's!) will probably be aware of the workflow already but perhaps some newcomers will benefit from it.
Time for a coffee...
(DzineTech)
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there is a method to my madness...
the reason I want those extra faces... it prepare for autocad and drafting a house's construction documents. if this were just a 3D model I would agree... but it's for a pro to make a real house out of.... so we need to be able to cut sections at any poin where a window is and see the mullions...
thanks for you advice though.
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Sorry, but I don't understand what you mean by requiring the extra faces for autocad; perhaps you can explain or illustrate with a screenshot?
@unknownuser said:
but it's for a pro to make a real house out of.... so we need to be able to cut sections at any poin where a window is and see the mullions...
I assume when you mean pro you mean that you will produce construction drawings based on the model and these will be issued to a professional kit manufacturer (timber frame/metal frame) or to a contractor for his brick layers. Your requirement to see the window components (head, cill, transom, mullions, jambs etc..) works exactly the same for section cuts in my workflow as yours does; the important factor being that the window component would need to be detailed enough to reveal enough information wherever the section planes are located.
(DzineTech)
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Kris, this is probably the most germaine and most required tutorial for SketchUp. So good of you to go to such detail to do this. Great job.
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yes I need to buckle down and get part 3 done... the home is complete...
here are some screenshots
http://www.aboveallhouseplans.com/Clients/Wilson/Wilson_Forrest.htm
there are a few problems with it, but I never really complete anything... I'm always off to the next project
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DzineTech,
yes you are correct in your assumption, however if you were to cut a section above the window, most people have removed those faces, and thus the window only shows up if you cut the section directly through the area in which the window is located.
so we may both be right...
DzineTech points out that it is the proper way to model, to remove any faces which are not seen or used. which I agree with.
and as he or she points out, you can model the house and make construction docs from it using his method, if the all the windows and openings are at the same level, through out the home. however if some windows or openings are above others with in the same floor or plane, then you will not see them when you do a section cut at the nominal level.
am I being clear? I'm trying, I'll make some screenshots later like DzineTech suggested. and I'll try to get part three done.
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Kris, I understand the difficulties that varying window openings poses if you are trying to show a section through both at the one time. I'm hoping your screenshots will explain how your wall construction method achieves this.
Personally I wouldn't even consider taking a SketchUp model to create construction drawings. For me I keep use it for 3D only and use Microstation for all technical work. The workflow I use gives me speed and keeps file sizes to a minimum. If your method works for you then good. I'm certainly not egotistic and insisting that what I do is the only way to do it and all other methods are wrong.
PS I'm Male
(DzineTech)
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oh of course not... there is more than one way to skin a ______...
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Krisidious,
I was wondering how your plans for Part 3 were coming along? I'm sure I'm not alone in saying that I very much enjoyed part 1 & 2, and I'm eagerly awaiting part 3 to this excellent series!
Keep up the good work!
Steve
(stvjacques)
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Great thread!
I just got into SketchUp a few weeks ago, and did a mock-up of my home renovation plans. It came out pretty good, but I sure wish I had seen this tutorial first. I learned a lot of what you're advising the hard way-- through making lots of stupid mistakes.
I'm fortunate in that I'm starting with a .dwg file, so I don't need to trace anything. I look forward to rebuilding my house using your instructions.
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This is a very cool post Krisidious, but where is part One? please. NEVER MIND just found the link.
Larry
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Larry, here.
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Thanks Gaieus, got it.
I have a question though, forgive me if it has been explained already. Why make the floorplan a texture? I import my plans as a picture file, then line it up on the x,y,z axis.
Krisidious, I think building this way will solve a problem I have been having, trying to pushpull window cutouts in a wall that is not 90 degrees to the axis. Just have not been able to do it. YOur way looks like it should work.
This is a great tut. Got anything on using the sandbox tools?
Larry
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Very good tutorial - I'm very new to SU, so please excuse this question, but i got lost in step 4 - how can i extrude another face on top of the door volume? tried drawing a new face on top of the door, but i always pull the original volume.
thx a lot
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Hi M(arc?),
Try to hit the Ctr key first to create a new face while using the Push/Pull tool (if I understand your question well)
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thx a lot - that's it.
Marc -
That's what? The "Marc" or the Ctrl!Push/Pull?
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is part 1 of "how a pro....a house in su" still available?
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