Dotted lines
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That's an interesting idea. I just made a quickie to see what it looks like but it isn't good enough to be used for the sort of application the OP was thinking about.
I guess one could be made. I'd still just do it in LayOut and have better control over the line appearance.
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I did a quick style builder too, just to see how it looks like.
Yes, it is not the best result, but could be used with drawings that will change.I attach it, just in case someone could find it useful.
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@dave r said:
That's an interesting idea. I just made a quickie to see what it looks like but it isn't good enough to be used for the sort of application the OP was thinking about.
I'd still just do it in LayOut and have better control over the line appearance.
Thanks Dave for trying that out in SB. But just doing it in LO... you mean tracing over every line you want dotted? This would fly in the face of CAD advances in saving time (+ tedium + error), and the interaction of the output to the model (which would seem to be the point of LO). For that matter one can export to a CAD program and have it done in a few clicks.
In the style tab of LO "SU Model" window, there's a little box for setting line weight. Should be another little menu there for color and dash.
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Peter, I didn't mean tracing all the lines. I'd still just do it the way I described before. It's pretty quick and yes, you'd lose the direct connection to SU for that part of the LO document but replacing it wouldn't be hard either.
There is a dashed line plugin available from Smustard. It works but creates some issues in some cases because it divides a line into shorter segments and hides every other line segment.
It would be nice to be able to draw with dashed lines in SketchUp especially for only some lines.
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OK then.
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@dave r said:
In LO, I would create two, overlapping view ports one for each of those scenes. I would render as vector or and then explode the one showing the demolition. After that, the lines can be turned into dashed/dotted lines using the Shape inspector box.
Hi Dave, thanks so much for your suggestions on the Dave Method. Ive been trying to put it into action and managed the easy bits in SU but Im struggling a bit with everything that came after "in LO". Drawing new dotted lines in LO seems easy enough but I wonder if you could elaborate a bit on your comment. What I would like to know is: How do I render as vector? And how do I explode and change the lines to dashed? I spent quite a bit of time trying to figure it out and the only thing that exploded was my tiny mind lol.
It seems quite an interesting method, and any suggestions you have would be much appreciated
Mal
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Mal, let's see if this helps.
With a SketchUp viewport selected, click on the button in the SketchUp Model inspector labeled "Raster" and choose "Vector".
After rendering as Vector, right click on the viewport and choose Explode. Note: it will no longer be tied to the SketchUp model.
After exploding the viewport, the lines themselves will be highlighted. In the Shape Style inspector, choose the desired dashed line style, set the thickness and dash scale as desired.
Finished.
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Dave!!
That is amazing, and so easy! Thanks for the seamless instructions. Just what I needed.
Much appreciated!
Mal
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By the way, I had a go at the Sonder Method, thanks Nick
, and it was just a breeze. Just push pull and poche, and thats it. The jobs done. Maybe if Im going to use SU, I should use its strongest attribute (3D graphics), rather than trying to bang it into shape to suit my old technique.I did the door swings in layout using the arc tool but they turned out like potato wedges... Any tips on avoiding that?
Cheers
Mal
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Mal,
Thanks for asking the right questions. I think the Dave and Sonder "methods" should be codified. I'm going to have to review them as well.I think the potato wedges come from the arc objects having a white fill. Remove the fill by toggle /clicking the "Fill" button in the Shape Style window (at least that's how it works on Mac--when I see the Windows screenshots it looks so different to me I'm not sure).
Peter
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@dave r said:
explode the one showing the demolition. After that, the lines can be turned into dashed/dotted lines using the Shape inspector box.
Ahhh! I didn't know LO could do that! Thanks!
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Thanks Peter pbacot, the wedges are gone. I even have some dotted arcs showing doors to be removed.. Happy Days
Mal
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@mal said:
I did the door swings in layout using the arc tool but they turned out like potato wedges... Any tips on avoiding that?
Cheers
Mal
of course, you can do it later in LO but then you would have to it once for each door. my own way of doing this is: when I model a door component in SU I always create a hidden layer named 2D and place the door swing there. when saving a scene that shows a plan for exporting to LO I switch it on and save. thus you do it only once for each door. that is it.
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Thanks for the tip Edson. Sounds like a good plan. Cheers
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Here is another idea. I draw lines in the model and use xline from smusterd.com to change them into guide lines which are dashed. Its crude but at least you can coordinate them right on your model. So if you’re not to persnickety about line type it works and you can place them on layers or hide then as you see fit.
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Good idea CC, I may well use that method. I would also like to reserve the right to use the word "persnickerty" on all of my sketchup drawings.
Thanks for the tips
Mal
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I just though I'd add a better example of dotted lines in LayOut. The part indicated was originally lines in the model.
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This thread is a good example of why I love the SU / LO combination. It is so customizable graphically. Really brings the fun back into what used to be the most miserable aspect of architecture. I love seeing all these different methods. Looking forward to basecamp!
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There is another way still...
Make a scene with only the demo walls shown. Draw a plane that sits above your walls and is large enough to cover the extents of the scene. Put that plane on your demo layer.
Create a style with BACK EDGES turned on. Set that scene to raster in layout, align a vector scene above it with the non-demo layers turned on.
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Interesting approach Gabewill. To make the box clearer you gotta think outside the box
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