Odlicno.

Idea:

3. As JQL mentioned usual procedure of structuring SU model in a BIM manner is to group several groups-components and put them on layer, say WALL. They stay on layer 0. Good workflow could be to name all Layer 0 groups - components by their material, say "brick" so we have the complete information that it is a brick component of composite wall building element.

Is it doable?

Thanks again for great plugin.

Thank you for this very useful plugin.

I miss two things to be even better for my workflow. I guess it is not hard to change them for one who knows whats doing...

1. Is it possible to dig deep to all nested groups - components instead of one level only?

@renderiza said:

I am adding the "prefix" & "suffix" feature for the numbers.

How to make plugin start with this option not selected?

If you turn on the lights inside, it would be much more welcoming.

Try Hole On Solid plugin...if the wall has thickness.

And it deserves shortcut CTRL+SHIFT+V

Thank you sdmitch. You are a Ruby fairy making wishes come true in a second.
Plugin works as it should. Now when I think, the first step is not necessary at all. It is just like native make unique and could be removed IMO. You made it work in one step excluding selection from every component instance in place. Nothing more is needed.

Thanks again.

How it works now:

1. Select a few components. Make unique. Open component, copy nested elements, close component, paste in place. It works for one place.

What does Plugin do:
2. The last step Paste in places, so it places extracted geometry outside of every selected component.

It shouldn't be hard to implement I guess, but very useful in some kind of parametric modeling workflow.

Thanks.

Yes

@jql said:

Tig,

I think this is a nice workflow to have for architectural projects, specially if we use reflected ceiling plans and I would find it interesting if the plugin would generate Section Cut Faces as components which could probably be an option.

Good idea. I was also thinking about this...not for Section Cut Face, but for Rich Section.
You are editing the section Group - Component...what about updating it later? How do you manage the changes?

JQL Thank you for the knowledge you are sharing with us. The question of workflow is my passion too and I think I am wasting too much time on it.

As for your arguments I agree. I've been there, and also like the images from Sketchup as presentation tool. I agree one do not need hatches for consultants, but only for final DWF print for approval, but the images are slowing things down a lot in AutoCad when it comes to it.
IMO, the real value extracted from Sketchup is not information carried in images, but in combination of geometry and semantics. The BIM.

@jql said:

We don't need perfect vector hatching, because noone will measure anything in our hatching.

Exporting hatches to CAD is also not needed as consultants are able to work only with the vector lines we send on the exports and final drawings can be shared to contractor on paper, pdf or even CAD with background images.

Hatching is not the choice because of the precision, but for CAD files to be manageable. Background images are slowing things down so consultants can not work fluently.

Color is only a number.Hatch is a few numbers. Background image has bitmap representation of many kbytes. Try to export large project with background images to AutoCad and you will see the difference. You can not work with it. And when you change the scale you have to change background image resolution. It has to be at least 150dpi to look OK. Hatch and fill color are parametric so they do not depend on scale. The question here is why one would waste so much energy and resources just to have images in technical drawings? I would use them for presentation up to 1:100...nothing more.

Very good information from JQL. This is the same thing I came to. Sketchup in its simplicity CAN be a serious BIM tool when user know the structure and use components as containers of information, both in and out of the main model. So one make the structure in Outliner. Layers follows that structure to filter even more what is seen on screen.

I think that working with images in technical drawings is not good. It has problems because quality images are too big, slow and not precise like in this example. Try exporting to AutoCAD and you'll see what I mean. There should be vector hatching and color fill for that.

This is great. I was aware of Grasshopper, but never used it. I learned more about it from the latest Archicad 20 versions which has hotlink to Grasshopper output. These are very important thing happening:
http://bim42.com/2012/07/geometry-gym/

If you could integrate IFC in your plugin, you could make Sketchup the best "slim" BIM software just like that.

Like this:
https://youtu.be/4n8U-PGmhCk

And the code is open source:
http://geometrygym.blogspot.rs/2016/02/openbim-just-became-more-open.html

All the roads ends in Autodesk.

(www.aecmag.com)

Thank you for the info. I will try it again, as GIMP development is really slow.

I already mentioned this, but SketchUp is ideal for VR modeling. Something like this: http://www.dezeen.com/2016/05/25/virtual-reality-designing-architects-vrtisan-unreal-engine-htc-vive/?utm_medium=email%26amp;utm_campaign=Dezeen%20Mail%20307%26amp;utm_content=Dezeen%20Mail%20307+Version+A+CID_c0ee56bd7293591ff8b237110ded3ae4%26amp;utm_source=Dezeen%20Mail%26amp;utm_term=Read%20the%20story%20and%20comments

I like those expressions about Design and Art. Seems true to me.

One can make Art. This is called Art.

One can use Art (from the catalogue or his own) to make things usable in everyday life. This is called the skill of Designing things.

It would be very useful. However, the real thing would be to integrate this in Layout, so not to loose hotlink between the model and 2D. When model (or scene) changes, "refresh" command in Layout would flatten it again. What was drawn in Layout would stay on different layer. Just thinking loud.