Exporting Architectural Plans at Full Size.

Helium Macaroni

Hi guys,

This is probably the most basic question in the world, but my search of the site didn't quite yield the answers I was hoping for. I have a very simple task to accomplish, take the various plan/elevation/etc views of a simple building and get them to an image format where they can be printed full size. Basically I'm just trying to get a 1:1 ratio between the measurements I've established in SketchUp and the measurements that will appear in Photoshop or wherever I end up printing the image from. Everything is pretty simple in the model. 1" = 1', so there's no crazy conversion. The final plans will end up being the templates to make the thing into a model.

Does anyone know the process which would be used to get these results? Despite every option i try from exporting as a Jpeg to PDF the image I bring up in Photoshop comes about 1/8 shy of the real dimensions.

Hope I explained this well enough, I'd greatly appreciate any answers, trying to get this bloody job done as soon as possible.

Thanks!

Anssi

Basically you should use a vector export format like DWG or PDF. You won't get textures or shadows, though. The basic rules:
http://www.sketchucation.com/forums/scf/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=9281

For raster exports it is different. Pixels do not have a scale. You can either print the images directly to paper or PDF using a PDF printer (still using a standard view, with Parallel Projection on), or do something in this line:

Draw an empty rectangle around your model with dimensions you know.
export the plan view with parallel projection to an image.
open the image in photoshop
trim away everything outside your "frame". Photoshop can do this automatically if you have an uniform background.
now you can resize the image to the dimensions the frame should have, with or without resampling.
if you need to you can now crop away the frame. Photoshop remembers your DPI setting so the image should remain at the correct scale.
when printing from any application, remember to turn off all page scaling in the application or your print driver. For instance, Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat default to fitting the page to available printing area, which produces extra margins and a slightly downsized image

Anssi