Sometimes I wouldn't trade my job for anything!

I've just completed this townhouse job in Australia, it was the complete stack of work: Designing, planning, rendering and developing the marketing brochures! Other designers considered for the project could only achieve 6 units maximum, the client eventually gave me a call. Whilst doing all his brochure works I rarely get invited to complete designs as I only provide concepts (I couldn't be stuffed documenting).

While the units are relatively small (100-130m2), there are 7 units (5 x 3 bed, 2 x 2 bed) each with 3 bathrooms and generally, all bedrooms are king sized. Each unit also has two courtyard areas, many facing alternative aspects.

The client is rather stoked, he hasn't seen a development like this where all internal access is by pedestrians only.

Tools used: SketchUp, Maxwell Render, Photoshop, Layout (producing plans), Indesign (compiling brochure).

@pbacot said:

Very clear and eye-catching presentation. Very professional and hip. Maybe a little more variation in hue would make it a little more "restful".

Thank you kind sir!!! I't will have a lot more contrast if I can convince we get rid of the plane runway!

@dave r said:

Very nice work, jellies not withstanding.

Thank you Dave, always the gentleman!

@pbacot said:

Wait a minute! I went snorkeling in the Whitsundays. No wonder no one else did!

And lived to tell the tail!

Between May and November are supposedly relatively safe, even if at the beach! If out on the reef you are generally safe year round. Mate I've done it too, not so sure now, Ikurangandies (sp?) are making their way south. People have been stung as far down south as Frazer Island whichis half way to brisbane!

I've been asked to prepare a design for an Island Tourist Development in Whitsundays of Australia's North.

All buildings (except the orginal 1800's homestead) are to be removed (no great loss) and replaced with a common guest facility, 9 smallish tourist units and a manager's residence.

Water Supply: Rainwater Collection
Potable Water Supply: Desalination Unit
Sewerage: Aerobic Treatment Unit / Onsite Disposal
Energy: PV Panels | Battery Storage | Generator

Arrivals will be by boat from a nearby port at Bowen or direct by light plane.

We are also considering a 6 hole chip and putt golf course that will need to play across the flight runway.

Though the water around the island are pristine and looks awesome for swimming, the waters in Australia's north and close to the coast is subject to Box Jellyfish and Irukandji.

I found an interest page about these stingers, and from other reseach: stings to greater than half a limb are considered lethal. Many deaths in Australia's most northern beaches occur before the victim makes shore:

How dangerous are box jellyfish and Irukandji compared to other venomous animals?

"They kick everything else's butt," says jellyfish expert Dr Lisa-ann Gershwin. "The box jellyfish, Chironex fleckeri, has long been considered the world's most venomous animal, it kills people very, very quickly. It is an incredibly lethal species." Dr Gershwin, the director of Australian Marine Stinger Advisory Services, says while Irukandji are more toxic, the box jellyfish are far greater killers. "Drop for drop it takes a lot less Irukandji toxin to actually knock someone down than box jelly toxin, but the box jelly toxin is more likely to kill very, very rapidly."

The layout is all via LayOut exepting the final shadowing effects added with InDesign.

SITE STUDY AND ANALYSIS:

SITE PROPOSAL:

Technical images for a manual.

I rarely have ever been asked to prepare technical style drawings for clients (they know I avoid them). These are for a technical manual for the use of their panelised building system.

Wall section exported from Layout:

Another typical page of artwork exported from sketchup and rendered with maxwell:

@gspess said:

The issue I'm running into is that drafting in Arch D, all of the scrapbook items come out much smaller than would ever be useful on such a size of paper. See example here - https://imgur.com/a/HLs56LI

Is there a way to pre-set them to a size appropriate to Arch D? As scaling them keeps the text like a 4pt text.

It certainly is a shame within layout that a modifier key on scaling doesn't scale all content within an object!

@u5tabil said:

@dave r said:

Are you modeling everything in SketchUp? Or are you drawing the ducting in LayOut?

One easy way to do it is to put a layer in between the layer the floorplan is on and the one the ducting is on. Draw a large rectangle on that in between layer and adjust its fill opacity to suit.

I have the floor plan in sketchup, but the plan was to use layout to draw the ducting on top.

How would I do what you recommended? Doing it entirely in sketchup instead then?

I'd probably opt for the suggestion you made yourself! Drawings the electrial layout over the floor plan, whilst using Dave's recommendation of a semi transparent filled square over the SU view.

Work in three layers so you can turn the transparent layer off whilst snapping to the SU view for your electrical work, turn that layer back on prior to exporting!

An easy workaround:

1. Create a bold rectangular 'C' shaped object with the line tool.
2. Fill this object with hatch and double-click the object to enable path editing to close the 'C'.
3. Disable the object's stroke.
4. Redraw all outlines to the object with a 'stroke' enabled and 'fill' disabled.

@box said:

I did a lot of hot wiring some years back, basically slicing poly sculptures up into layers for templates. My experience of it was that specific heat and speed of cut where critical to accuracy. Too hot and slow and you melt the cut, too cold and fast and you tear the material.
Send me enough panels to do my upper deck and I'll experiment for you

Yes mate, they have found that with general hot knives! Seems to be somewhat of a disaster!

Hopefully, they get around to testing soon with a few dummy knockups! The cool thing with these guys they are right into testing and development. They have installed a full load testing rig so they can have certified and cladding or corner construction so we can rapidly develop the system.

I'm designing some edge profiling guides for hot wire cutting the EPS (Expanded Polystyrene) core of Structural Insulated Panels, and wondering if ANYONE has had any experience with manual hot wire cutting long (up to 3.6m) lengths of EPS.

There are a significant number of logistical benefits in production, but not sure if we are being unrealistic.

@pcmoor said:

if using in the context of lenz attribute and assuming using cm, then value compare current("lenz")*2.54

lenz = if(current("lenz")*2.54<=240,240,if(current("lenz")*2.54<=270,270,if(current("lenz")*2.54<=300,300,360)))

if calculating a nearest_size attribute without forcing the lenz to snap to the result, then use

size = if(lenz<=240,240,if(lenz<=270,270,if(lenz<=300,300,360)))

Sometimes, I think I'm smart, and then someone proves to me I'm not so!

Sorry about the delayed response mate, I just got to try that and bang, works a treat!!!!!!!!

You are a modern day superhero!!!!!!

I'm trying to do a logical function but with NO luck, and after help.

Trying to get this!

If a dimension (lenZ) of the component is greater than 300 then return 360,
if it is less than 300 but greater than 270 then return 300,
if it is less than 270 but greater than 240 then return 270,
if it is less than 240 then return 240!!!!

The old bloke just aint getting this stuff!

@pcmoor said:

here is a panel DC within a working file that can be scaled or fixed and set to different pitches and returns the dimensions in the option dialog

Use the fixed position (drop down option) to start with, then use the scale position to match the next panel (direction via another dropdown)
(its not fully tested, so if there's something not quite right...its fixable)
I can help you if you private message your DC

with regards the work flow, the report writer can transfer the required data to excel. Excel can hold the formatted label, exactly as you have shown with named cells in the data positions. An VBA routine can be made to transfer the data sheet from Sketchup to the labels required, in that Copies be made in excel and filled out to suit each component that exists on the report

I am well acquainted with excel and VBA

P.S. most likely would build this DC differently, however it does give you an idea to how to achieve your goal

Thanks so much mate, and I will likely seek your employ to help out with this! I did workout how to easily apply the data to the sticker through a simple word doc using mail merge. Though totally open for a more streamlined option.

I'd certainly like to see how the DC can be better constructed and function. We didn't plan on having it scaleable as we were planning to stick with blocks made of standard dimension panels so we can see exactly what is constituting the makeup and switch out say a 2.7m panel for a 3.0m panel when they exceed the height.

I've now got to jump in and upgrade my SU license, as I haven't since I left the test team after 10years and by doing so I got the demand to buy a whole new license, rather than just move to the maintenance program! It just went against my grain!

@pcmoor said:

I would say its possible, would the panels have side cutouts for openings?

Mate 99% of panels would be of standard or modified width and/or raked top, any breaks to these standards would be subject to a detailed drawing (hence the included option on the label for "Details: Yes/No" which would cause production to reference drawings.

Hey chappies, I'm developing a system for SIP panels that will push the data to a sticker to manufacturing in lieu of producing a fully detailed drawing set. The actual finished panel finishes 10mm off the floor and ceiling and 1mm from each centre of jointing. The system works fastest if the component is set to the overall floor to ceiling lines and centre of joint to centre of joint.

In addition, around half of the panels are raked at the top to meet the raked ceiling. All this then creates a problem in gathering the left and right panel dimensions.

Given this is actually my first play with DC's I'm at my limits, and wondering if it is at all possible to get direct feedback of an edge length (or selected dimension)?

@utiler said:

Just revisiting this thread; when converting colours to vector and exploding down to base elements, any colours with opacity levels altered will come in as full colour.

You could then just reapply the opacity level, though I'd be inclined to change the mode of the colour editor and add white.

@bmike said:

That looks great...

Couldn't you create the drop shadows in LO? Copy all the arrows to the side, shift them all, then force them behind the arrows, shade in a transparent color? Or use layers?

I know that they aren't as pretty and fuzzy, but with layers its pretty easy.

[attachment=0:1d7spjwp]<!-- ia0 -->Screen Shot 2017-03-23 at 3.44.08 PM.png<!-- ia0 -->[/attachment:1d7spjwp]

For sure mate, I tried this in the past with floor plans - though the hard shadow is a bit harsh, plus it doesn't represent so well as the shadow cant be set as multiply like you can in photoshop or indesign. So in the end it all ends up a bit flat!

@dave r said:

Very interesting. Thanks for the explanation. Are the circles created in LO or in SU?

Everything is from LO other than the shadows Dave!

@dave r said:

Richard, I really like that look. Excellent job.

I don't know InDesign very well. How hard is it to create those shadows from the PDF?

Dave, so simple!!!! Indesign is really intuitive.

Export PDF from layout with layers enabled > in Indesign drag the PDF onto a page the same size as the original > turned off all tree layers for the flat background > copy the PDF > paste in place > turned off all the background layers > turn on tree level 1 > add drop shadow > copy PDF > paste in place > turn off tree level 1 > turn on tree level 2 > repeat from level 3. > Export PDF.

If I make any changes to the Layout plan, I just re-export the base PDF and refresh the link in Indesign.