Thankyou for the brilliant detailed reply Gaieus.

I'm just back in action after a stinking rotten rather exotic (well it is Thailand) mycoplasma http://www.rain-tree.com/myco.htm infection.

I shall get back on the case and let you know what happens.

cheers John

Thx for the excellent reply Gaius.....above and beyond!

I'll work on it and let you know my progress (or lack of it)

cheers Cheeryble

Actually Gaius
I include a drawing to give you the idea. It's not perfect and columns A and C should be shown as rectangualr and outside the bounds of the apartment....still good to give you a visualization....

Let me try to describe better and do it right first time.

1. I want to lay a floorplan of permanent unmovable features....columns, party walls, utility ducts.

2. I need a 3D of the present layout similar to what I have attached. This will be No1 plus some dividing walls which are not necessarily permanent (though I will keep some of them.)

3. I need a 3D of the proposed layout. This will have removed some of 2, some of the non-permanent features like a partition wall near the bathroom door area, and added walls or sliding doors in new places.

Hopefully in layers....

Now if I lay down No1 in layer0, I don't see how I isolate that for further use as the basis for both 2 and 3. If I "make group" of No1 I cannot pull the floorplan upwards for 2 or 3.

Perhaps we could start with that.

Thx
Cheeryble

for Sketchucation.skp

@gaieus said:

So where is that file?

I'm going to create 3 super simple example drawings....

floorplan
present 3D
future 3D

which should cover the principles of what I'm trying to do.......and present them to get advice exactly how to use groups and layers in that context....
(if I may )

Coming Soon....

Cheeryble

@jean lemire said:

Hi Cheeryble, hi folks.

Post your file using the "Upload attachment" button.

Just ideas.

Oh sorry better open my eyes next time

@gaieus said:

.........it would be even better to have the option to move from one version to the other within the same file. You could solve everything by using layers and scenes.

I'm thinking you're right Gaius and I'll definitely work on it.

Whilst I'm here I was just about to raise the walls from the floorplan on my "as it will be" copy, but can't seem to be able to pull the walls upwards. Nor can I select anything to pull, either a wall or a room. Now one room could have a bit of unconnected geometry, but not all of them. I even tried just making a rectangle on the floor and selecting it to push/pull and it wouldn't get the dotted pattern selection thing.......any ideas?

thanx again
Cheeryble

BTW for future reference is it possible to present a SU file such as the one I'm working on here to show problems?

Thankyou all for your kind replies.....

I shall try to understand them better later....
I found a sort of solution. I made the original "base" floorplan, saved it, then made a copy of it to make the "as is" drawing from. I was thinking of doing the same for the "to be#1","to be #2" and so on. In other words make separate drawings but saving repeat work by using a copy.

Hmmm
please stay tuned as I don't yet have my head round this properly....not sure about groups and layers....but I'll get there with your help!

Cheeryble

Hi there

I am going to renovate an apartment I have in Chiangmai Thailand. I intend to change the layout considerably.

I would like to first form a basic floorplan of permanent features such as support columns, service columns, shared walls, and not-to-be-touched walls.
I would like this basic plan to be available to refer back to and "start again" or try other arrangements.

Then I would like to form a 3D plan as is NOW

and the NEW 3D layout (and possible other alternative layouts)

So I would like to end up with three or more SU drawings.....

I am quite capable of using Sketchup I think, but unsure the best way to use layers/components/groups/whatever to do as I wish.

What would be smartest way??

thanx v much
Cheeryble