What have I done wrong

pbacot

I see that your links don't work in Firefox, but no matter. For one thing, If you are modelling with "jittery"lines and line extensions, it'll be easier to view the work if you choose a style of plain straight lines and no extensions, profiles off.

You can model each story in place. As you say, you can group them. If AFTER grouping you move each story to a different layer, you can hide them easily to work on other stories or see them all together--which is important when designing. Keep Layer0 active only. Always draw on Layer0 then group and move parts of the model to other layers. Do not make the other layers "active", just "visible". If you work inside the groups thereafter it will all work out in terms of visibility and layer control.

Try this tutorial:
http://www.sketchucation.com/forums/scf/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=723&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=%5BTutorial+%26gt%3B+Modeling%5D+How+a+Pro+Builds+a+House+in+SU#p4177 and other house tutorials.

Building a circular bay window will be quite advanced, but interesting. Most builders build bays in polygonal shapes (flat sides in plan). I would start by figuring out how many sides you want and how windows will fit in them. A common style is one larger center window facing straight out and two smaller windows at 45 deg. returning to the house. Or having three equal windows makes a small bay, as in some Victorian houses. Three large windows for a large bay may extend too far out from the house or may look awkward. You may want more sides in the case of equal-width windows. But you should be able to look at many styles on the web and choose your own.

A curved bay is quite possible, if not too small a radius. There are more involved construction issues. Note that the windows will not be curved unless you wish to pay a LOT of money for them, so there are many more considerations in a curved bay and placing windows in it.

[EDIT: I finally was able to view your picture. It looks like what some call a "bow" window. Look for bow windows at window manufacturer's sites to get a feel for how they work. You might just cut out a section of your curved wall and show a version of one of these bow windows in that area, with the curved wall still above and below. I would start by defining the size of the window then making a curved wall below, then copying the wall to above the window so you don't have to try to cut a hole in a curved face. If you need to cut a hole a in a curved face, perhaps the "Tools on Surface" ("TOS") ruby will help.]

I would model a polygonal bay by drawing the walls for each window, or side of the bay, and then placing the windows. These walls may or may not extend to the ground, depending on the style you want--but they will extend a ways below the window for the support structure of the bay. the roof may work with the main roof or be a separate roof, depending on the bay's position. In the end, the windows may meet at the joints of the sides, with no walls surface showing, just trim. Window manufacturers provide bay sets of windows that fit close together at the corners.

I do permit and construction drawings. Feel free to contact me with questions. I may be able to help you figure out how to make your ideas fit your building department requirements.

Peter

newbuyer17

Thanks Guys.
Dont know why the links aren't working as you expect. In firefox perhaps you need to 'save as' and then work on it locally?

Firstly, the bay thing isn't too much of an issue. We already have the bay windows - there wont be any new ones. I think I've worked out how to drag the drop and bottom, leaving a 'hold' for the window.

Thanks also for the floor thing. You were right, it didn't really have a floor and once I push/pulled that it seemed to work.

I started again drawing on top of a larger 'floor' square and all seemed to be going well but I've hit the same problem again. Its when I try to add the bit at the top of the front door. This is how it was before:

http://rfmisc.homeip.net/problem2/door1.jpg
http://rfmisc.homeip.net/problem2/door1.skp

goes a bit pear shaped when I try to add this bit. It seems to have lots of shading and lines joining other points that shouldn't be there. :

http://rfmisc.homeip.net/problem2/door2.jpg
http://rfmisc.homeip.net/problem2/door2.skp

It all seemed to be going so well too!
Thanks in advance

Gaieus

Hi Newbuyer,

I cannot see those irregularities. They would look like "z-fighting" in your image (when there are two faces on the same plane "fighting" for visibility) but that's not the case in your model.

There were a few back faces and missing faces though - I've cleaned up the model a bit now.

door2.skp

newbuyer17

Thanks. That looks great. Could you not see what I meant initially from the jpg captures?
Either way, it looks really clean now, but I'm struggling to work out/comprehend what you did?

I actually thought I was getting somewhere myself, in that I drew a line across the top and pulled it down, and I got a flat surface across the top of most of the model. Deleting that surface sort of allowed me to do what I wanted to do, but it looks nowhere near as neat as it does now.

Thanks a lot for tidying that up though. It looks much much better. If you are able to explain (in idiot's terms) to me what you did that would be even better, but I admit I'm starting to get a bit lost in termanology.

Gaieus

Okay, let's see.

First of all I got rid of profile lines (although they may be of some help with beginners), endpoints and extensions in the Window >Styles > In model > Edit > Edge settings. Now the whole thing looks a bit less jagged already.

Then I healed some missing faces around what I guess is supposed to be the staircase. Also, I deleted extra lines that you probably used for creating the "fills" and such above doors etc.

Then I reversed all back (blue) faces.

I waqs actually not going to do this to make the job instead of you but only to investigate if there was some major problems (most of which would turn around during such a cleanup) but then I found none and didn't want to revert what I'd done already.

As for the door openings and their tops; I'd've started differently in general, just with the windows. Build all the walls around and only cut all the openings (windows and doors) at the end. But certainly the result is all the same. And I'm not an architect myself either

newbuyer17

Thanks. I'll have a look at what you have said tomorrow when I have my other PC booted up.

I understand what you say about putting doors and windows in last. The reason I did them at this stage is I need both 2D plans and 3D models of the house. I produced the 2D models showing where the doors were, saved/copied it, then pulled the walls up on the original for the 3D model. If I had left it until last I would have had to open up the doors on both the 2D and 3D drawings separately.
Hope that made sense. This was a dillemma at the time as to whether to do the doors before or after I pulled the walls up. Knowing this, is it still better to leave doors and windows until last?

Thanks again for your assistance - you have been a great help on this.

Gaieus

SketchUp would be a stupid toy if you couldn't generate 2D floorplan / elevation views from your 3D model. That's what section cuts are for. With a properly placed (somewhere 3-4' above the floor level) section cut you can display all the doors and (most of) the windows while some built in furniture (kitchen for instance) can (or cannot) already be seen.

So there's no need for double or not consistent work. See (modified) attached.
Camera > Parallel projection | View > Standard views > Top.

door2.skp

linea

Newbuyer

Are you in the UK? I'm guessing you are as you refer to "building regs". A big part of my job is planning applications. You can definately do all the drawing in SU, the level of annotation needed though is a tall order for Layout. It can be done, but if you use a cad program that has a layout function it might be easier. You can import all the views from SU as dwg files. You could try Progecad-Smart it's free. See example.

newbuyer17

Hi linea,
Yes, I am in the UK. It was only my intention to get outline permission - not to do the second part myself.
The only info I found was on this site

http://www.diydata.com/planning/planning/planning_drawings.php

Hope I'm not breaking any forums rules posting that. I'm hoping that I can do drawings to the same level as the examples on this using sketchup. My plan is to do what I can then get the council to look over them and let me know what further detail is required. I'm hoping it will be enough.

If you have any further info on requirements for outline planning permission then I'd be very grateful/interested. Thanks for suggesting that package. I'll no doubt look at it at some point but after doing battle with sketchup for a few days I'm hoping I don't need to learn another new package!

Gaieus,
Thanks again for your continued input. I'd even seen a tutorial video on that and clean forgot about it! Just so much to learn I can only take so much in.

linea

@unknownuser said:

I'm hoping that I can do drawings ... using sketchup. My plan is to do what I can then get the council to look over them and let me know what further detail is required. I'm hoping it will be enough.

Yes that is a good start. You do need to provide them with a location plan though - thisis the ordnance survey street plan of where the property is. The first option would be to buy one as a jpeg from the UK government planning portal for £19.95 or if you want one that you can import as lines in Sketchup, you can buy a dxf version from Blackwells, to get a decent sized area normally costs around £45. Ordnance survey is a rip off! The free option is to really carefully trace over a google earth import in SU or cad and mark on the surrounding house numbers and street names. I have done this a few times, the results have been accepted by planning but it can be more hassle than its worth so I usually buy them.

The planning portal is the best resorce for you but if you need any help let me know.

http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/england/genpub/en/1115315884635.html
http://maps.blackwell.co.uk/lsm/bmo.html

newbuyer17

Hi,
Thanks again. I have two O/S type location plans of 1:500 and 1:2500 on hard copy. I am fortunate to work for a utilities company with access to GIS data.
However, I'm not going to be able to import them into any CAD packages. From that website I was under the impression they were just standalone requirements.

Next door is a straight wall so I was just going to measure the distance from our property and draw it onto sketchup to show proximity.

I'd appreciate feedback if you think that will work? I know I should run it by the council but thought it easier to draw something for them to look at first, rather than trying to explain all this over the phone. As I said, I'm confident (well hopeful anyway) I can meet the requirements on that other forum with Sketchup.

Thanks again to all who have helped me on this - never expected even half as much helpful advice as I've recieved.

linea

Yes always best to draw up something to show the council first and yes it is fine to supply the o.s. map on a different sheet, just mark in red pen where the development is.

Gaieus

@newbuyer17 said:

...I am fortunate to work for a utilities company with access to GIS data...

You should be able to export dxf content from GIS (at least AFAIK - that's how I have all the siteplan of my home town from the council I currently work for)

newbuyer17

I will make some enquiries. I dont work with the system myself, I just asked someone (who I dont even know) to do me a favour and print them off for me. If I need electronic copies I'll see if I can get them exported.

newbuyer17

Gaieus,
Have managed to recreate what you did all except

@unknownuser said:

Then I reversed all back (blue) faces.

Could you please explain this step to me. Is it a global setting, or are you colouring each individual face?

Thanks

remus

In su all faces have front and back faces: if you draw a rectangle you will see one face is blue and the other white. White is the front face, blue is the back face. You can reverse the direction of the face by right clicking it->reverse face.

Gaieus

Or when you have bunch of back faces, you can select them all (Shift + select = toggle selecion, Ctrl + Select = add to selection, Shift + Ctrl + Select = Deselect) then right click on any of the selected faces and do the reverse operation per Remus' method above.

If you have a neatly and cleanly made model and it's not too complex yet, right clicking on a front face and choosing "Orient faces" may work as well since it should turn all back faces to front faces. There are a lot of factors that influence this however and often unwanted results may occur.