Hi Austin.

Not exactly in layout, but in sketchup, have you tried fredo's report areas plugin"? It does what you need, based on material area. It will export to xls, or even label each face based on it's area. Search for fredo6 tools. Report on area and report on label area.

Santiago

Hey all.

I've been watching this thread for a while, trying to develop my su/layout workflow based on what' i've seen here and elsewhere. I've produced 1 full set of cd and 2.5 set of permit drawings using su/lo so far. Getting better all the time. I have a scrapbook based on my drawing standards.

I write to tell others about the latest plugin I've found.
http://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=323%26amp;t=55072 rich sections

Some may be familiar with it, but for thoses who are not, please try it. It makes the process of creating section faces almost automatic, and hatch materials are based on layer or material. Please give it a look. The setup process may seem a bit cumbersome, but it is not, it's just a matter of creating some additional materials. It has improved my workflow immensely.

Btw, I'm not being payed by pgarmyn it is just that good!

Santiago

Perfect. It can be solved. So cut, and then paste in place will force a redraw.... Great! Thanks

@pgarmyn said:

• 1 scene : it's already in the settings

Hi Pgarmyn,

Sorry to ask, but how, I looked through the entire topic and could not find it?

Thanks for your time!

S

Edit:

Thanks for clarifying. Lots of settings to play with.....

Hi pgarmy

A couple of questions:

Is there a need to have a style created per scene? In the model I´m working on right now, I have 15 rich sections, and that creates 15 different styles. Maybe have a switch to create only two, when the first rich section is created?

I know it has been asked before, but an option to only create 1 scene instead of two. I kind of understand, from reading previous posts that it is necessary, but maybe an option to only create one.

There is a bug (i think). I renamed a couple of rich sections with the context menu. The layer was renamed accordingly, but only one of the two scenes was.

Also, some of the cut geometry will not create a face. I checked and they are solids (report a volume). What else should I look for when this happens?

Thanks

Santiago

@pgarmyn said:

@Caronte01
Thanks for testing on Mac. So it works on Mac

I don't know. I switched to windows recently.... I'll update my profile to reflect that.

S

Hi pgarmyn,

It now works perfectly with 2014!!! I love this plugin!!! It´s exactly what i needed for my sketchup/layout workflow.

I was playing with material by layer assignment (which works great), but wondered if there was a possibilty of implementing some kind of wildcard support for material assignment.

For example, in my construction models I normally have a very strict layer organization, and use prefixes to separate architectural elements from structural ones, furniture, etc. I use a- for architectural elements, es- for structure, etc. Usually, structural elements are concrete in my country, with some exeptions, and I normally use different layers for slabs and columns, yet they both are concrete, and should show the same hatch pattern. Right now, I have to create two identical materials for slabs (#es-placas), and for columns (#es-columnas).What if instead of this, I could create a material called #es-*, and that material would cover everything with the es- prefix. That could decrease the amount of materials per model significantly.

Edit, I´ll play with all the options of material assignment some more....

But, independent of this, it is a great plugin.

Keep it up.

Thanks a lot!!!!

HI pgarmyn

I watched your videos and was very impressed!!!

I installed it from the plugin store, and upon restarting got this:

Error: c:/users/s/appdata/roaming/sketchup/sketchup 2014/sketchup/plugins/piga_richsection/richsection.rbs:4164: invalid multibyte char (UTF-8)
c:/users/s/appdata/roaming/sketchup/sketchup 2014/sketchup/plugins/piga_richsection/richsection.rbs:4164: syntax error, unexpected $undefined, expecting keyword_end
s2="\é\è\à\ç"
^
c:/users/s/appdata/roaming/sketchup/sketchup 2014/sketchup/plugins/piga_richsection/richsection.rbs:4164: invalid multibyte char (UTF-8)
C:/Program Files (x86)/SketchUp/SketchUp 2014/Tools/extensions.rb:197:in eval' C:/Program Files (x86)/SketchUp/SketchUp 2014/Tools/extensions.rb:197:in require'
C:/Program Files (x86)/SketchUp/SketchUp 2014/Tools/extensions.rb:197:in load' C:/Users/S/AppData/Roaming/SketchUp/SketchUp 2014/SketchUp/Plugins/PiGa_RichSection.rb:32:in register_extension'
C:/Users/S/AppData/Roaming/SketchUp/SketchUp 2014/SketchUp/Plugins/PiGa_RichSection.rb:32:in <module:RSection>' C:/Users/S/AppData/Roaming/SketchUp/SketchUp 2014/SketchUp/Plugins/PiGa_RichSection.rb:14:in module:PiGa'
C:/Users/S/AppData/Roaming/SketchUp/SketchUp 2014/SketchUp/Plugins/PiGa_RichSection.rb:13:in <top (required)>' Error Loading File PiGa_RichSection.rb Error: #<NoMethodError: undefined method l_ctrl' for PiGa::RSection:Module>
C:/Users/S/AppData/Roaming/SketchUp/SketchUp 2014/SketchUp/Plugins/PiGa_RichSection.rb:33:in <module:RSection>' C:/Users/S/AppData/Roaming/SketchUp/SketchUp 2014/SketchUp/Plugins/PiGa_RichSection.rb:14:in module:PiGa'
C:/Users/S/AppData/Roaming/SketchUp/SketchUp 2014/SketchUp/Plugins/PiGa_RichSection.rb:13:in `<top (required)>'

Running 2014, windows 8

Thanks a lot

Solid sections when cutting solid elements!!!! (with an option to assign a material to the cut face

In layout, components, and better dwg export (with sketchup layers)

I use windows at the office, and osx at home. I like sketchup better on windows, the material editor is a lot better, and I can have antialiasing on, which can also be done on the mac, via a ruby command, but it is buggy. On windows it works great with my nvidia video card. If those two things were addressed on the mac, I would jump to osx.

One thing the mac does, that windows does not is multiple document windows, on windows you have to launch a separate instance per file. You get used to doing this, but I prefer single app, multiple windows. Also, osx can export png's with transparent background.

The people that develop twilight render helped me with a license for windows, and a learning license for my mac, for the same price.

Layout works great on both platforms, but I prefer to use it on osx, and this is just my opinion, but for example, the colors palette that works terribly on sketchup as a material selector/editor, works great with layout. Also, the mac version supports importing pdf files (also in sketchup if I remember correctly), windows does not. I also like the font selector on the mac more.

I would also advice against running sketchup virtualized. I use autocad, for some 2d stuff, that program seems to work ok virtualized, but sketchup would not run well, esp, open gl.

One thing I wish would improve on osx is more related to hardware, better entry level machines. Apple has moved away from discrete graphics for all entry level hardware, and only offers it on 15" macbooks, and some imacs, but not on their line of macbook air, or mac minis, or even on their 13" retina macbook. Intel graphics are imo inferior to even entry level nvidia cards, esp. for sketchup work.

Aerilius

Thanks, that fixed the issue. One thing is that behavior preferences are not saved between sessions, or even between closing and opening the launchup window

Spanish strings, revised and corrected.

Santiago
LaunchUp_es.rar

Nice plugin!

I like having as few toolbars visible as it is possible. Also, many times, one or two functions of any plugin is all I use, but I have to keep the entire toolbar visible. This plugin solves the problem.

One question:
Is there a way to switch between icons and text. Not all of the plugins I use have toolbars/icons. It would be nice to have text instead of icons, as an option. And, can the text be a bit smaller and not in bold.

Thanks a lot!!!!

Santiago

Hi Thomas,

Installed the new version. It now works, no conflicts or errors!

Thanks a lot!

Santiago

I really like this one. Very useful.

Tig, thanks a lot!!!

Santiago

Great simple tool, perfect for stairs. Will try it as soon as I have a chance!

Thanks!

santiago

I like sketchup for it's simple straightforward tools. One thing I really dislike about modelling stuff in bim software (archicad in my experience) are all the workaround methods used to build stuff even slightly off the catalog. I mean, using slabs to create stairs, empty doors for hollow spaces, beams for trellises, roofs for ramps, etc. One of the premises of bim is modelling with real world equivalents, but they often are very limiting, and when methods like the ones described above, not so useful when generating quantity takeoffs.

Sketchup generic tools allow you to create any kind of real world equivalent structure, without bim specific limitations; for example, a box can be a slab, a wall, a door, etc, and each of these can be as simple or as complex as one needs. Not so in bim.

If sketchup was to compete with bim, i personally would not invest a second of trimble's time in creating arch specific tools, (door makers, stairs, etc.), but would focus in core capabilities such as solid elements (stuff that not only gives out volume, but when sectioned show as filled, not hollow, better qty takeoff tools (improvements to component reporter) (fredo's area takeoff tool is a wonderful example), speed, and LAYOUT!!!! I remember waaaay back, there was some talk about "fat faces". This, if all technical limitations were solved, would be a very versatile addition to sketchup's core tools. Modelling in Bim is horrible!!

Text bounding box margins on the mac are usually bigger than on windows. This is an issue esp. with small text, dimensions, etc., since this margin is fixed, and not proportional to the text size. If you plan to work cross platform, try and keep text boxes not too "tight" on windows.

I believe it has to do with layout mac using several os native tools for text rendering, not available on windows.

As said before, It has a lot to do with how "rich or poor" a country is. For people in developed countries, $500 to $4000 may be a sum easily recouped with a few jobs: not so on developing nations.

As an example, in Colombia, were I write from (55% piracy according to the chart), minimum wage is about $340 a month, an architect with 1 to 2 years experience should expect to earn about $700 to $800 a month. I'm not trying to justify piracy, just trying to give some perspective. It is not as if all software pirates are doing their thing out of greed, but more out of necessity. It is common practice here on many architectural offices to use pirated software. There are punishments for doing so, but not many have the will or the $$$ to buy software at its current price.

I remember a former boss of mine telling me about the software he started using waaay back (late 80's i believe) I believe it was datacad, or arris, and telling me how good it was then. (He had all the licenses for that particular software) He explained how autocad took over, not because it was better or faster or cheaper, but simply because it was a lot simpler to pirate than it's competition.

Try this plugin:

Plugin: Add Hidden Layer

Update Apr 2014 - Version 1.0.1 Add a Layer to your SketchUp model and control its visibility on existing and new Scenes. Use Activa...

(sketchuptips.blogspot.com)

or this one, seems to be an evolution on the first plugin

http://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=36583&p=322249&hilit=+add+hidden+layer+#p322249