When you position the subcomponents, don't include the containing block's X, Y, or Z attributes in the formulas (firepit!X + the rest of the position formula). If you do, everything displaces the amount that you move plus the additional distance.
Try the component in the attached file.
Nope. Not built-in. I checked on my AutoCAD Architecture 2011.
To the best of my knowledge, there is no 2D or Lightweight PLINE to 3DPOLY conversion built into AutoCAD. There may be some sort of LISP (or other language) routine around that would walk through a 2D polyline's vertex data and use it to create a 3DPOLY entity/object. I've used AutoCAD since version 1.7 and I remember being disappointed and not having much interest in the 3DPOLY entity type when it was introduced because it didn't (understandably) support arc segments so I never got around to writing a routine like that.
Create an RTF file with Word and insert it. If you make changes to the file you can update it in Layout just like you do with other inserted SketchUp and other content.
Check if the style you're using for the particular scene has the guides turned on in the "Modeling Settings" (last button in edit tab of Styles dialog box).
Being able to set the import dpi would probably be best.
However, if Layout is expecting a certain resolution number consistently, I could adjust the output from AutoCAD as necessary. PNG images of black and white line work aren't very big so increasing the resolution would be OK for me.
Oops. a little bit of operator error...
The bitmaps will scale by snapping to the grid (helps if the snap is turned on- sheesh...). So adjusting them isn't a big deal. Still would be nice to avoid having to rescale them though...
What determines the size of the bitmap file that comes into Layout 2.1?
From AutoCad I've plotted 8 1/2"x11" PNG files at 300 dpi so they're 2550x3300 pixels in size. When I insert them into Layout, rather than filling the 8 1/2"x11" page, they come in at half size or less and I have to shift and scale them by dragging the corner. Unless I'm missing something, there aren't any snaps to page corners so the scaling isn't as precise as it could be.
Not a real big deal, but it would be nice to cut out some steps or be able to make the scaling more accurate.
The actual command to export it out in 2007 file format (so you'll be able to import it into SketchUp) is "_AecExportToAutoCAD2007".
You can also access it by pressing the big red upper left "A", picking the "Export" option and the choosing the proper "AutoCAD" format option. See the attached screen shot below.
Does AutoCAD 2010 have an Export to AutoCAD option? AutoCAD Architecture (and I guess all the verticals) have it. When you save a drawing using it it'll create a copy of the drawing where the special objects (Doors, Walls, Windows, Mass Elements, etc) have been converted into standard AutoCAD objects, usually 3D solids.
If standard AutoCAD doesn't have that option, whoever sent you the drawing should be able to do the conversion.
Charlie, Thanks. That’s another way that’ll work.
The info that comprises shadow information and the way it is stored suggests that unfixing the “fix” or making it optional shouldn’t be that hard to do. When one clicks on a different scene tab, SU should simply use the scene’s stored associated geographical/north arrow information as it did before rather than ignoring it.
If one would update a Page/Scene with the non-standard location orientation, I guess one could later navigate to that page and when SU changes the shadows according to the standard, run a Ruby script that goes to the Pages collection, find the correct page, get its stored shadow_info, and set the Model’s differing shadow_info (probably just the North Arrow key) to the same value(s).
One might want to name the scene/page in such a way so one would remember that the shadows are non-standard and to run the routine before you export...
Richard
As I said, I can bring scenes into Layout, and they retain the shadow positions that resulted after I changed the solar orientation (and saved/updated the scenes) even when I make changes to the geometry in the SU model and update it in Layout.
So that’s a workaround for me but it wouldn’t help somebody with the free version of SketchUp as it doesn’t come with Layout. I just hope the SU guys don’t decide to “fix” Layout so that this stops working. Then it would be back to making shadow changes and immediately exporting an image, going to the next scene and repeating, etc…. or trying something like your suggestion.
I’m still hoping a future service release will include an unfix to this change or at least make it an option.
But you can't change the north orientation like you could beforehand. If a rectilinear building is positioned squarely north, south, east, & west you're not going to have much in the way of shadowing options on the north elevation no matter how much you change the date and time. I used to just change the North orientation angle from 0 to 180.
I'll just have to see if setting it at 45 degrees (or some non-90 degree multiple) will give a little more flexibility.
Again, I wish there was something like a check box so one could opt for the old behavior...
At the preliminary design stage, I use shadows in my architectural models just to illustrate the building’s massing. I set up separate scenes viewing the different sides of the model at different angles. At this point, I’m not particularly concerned with the actual sun location.
Before the latest service release of SU7 each scene seemed to keep track of the model location or at least the orientation of north. Now everything is global and changing it means the shadows in all the views change.
I think something in the release notes indicated that the developers considered this a bug fix (only one geographic location per model). I don’t agree. I think the behavior should at least be toggle-able. I know the north side of a building isn’t going to get direct sunlight, but it’s helpful to be able to position shadows to highlight architectural features.
Fortunately, at this point Layout seems to retain the shadow information of what the scene looked like when it was updated in the “Scenes” dialog box (different location/north orientation) when you insert one from the model and doesn’t change it like SU does when you tab from scene to scene.
I prefer the behavior before the fix. Or is there something I'm missing?