Hi Aaron- thanks for sharing all of these useful tips - as a recent early retiree I use Sketchup to keep my brain trained in creating 3D architectural models
Thanks for the Intersect with model tip. I just realized this is a great way to make floor slabs. Instead of drawing the outline manually, make a rectangle, intersect with model, remove outer edges. Floor Outline is done. Been using sketchup for 10+ years, but still keep finding easier ways to Basic stuff!
Excellent Aaron. I really like the use of the additional rectangle intersected with the model to use as a reference for the header height as this has a lot of uses as previously I would have used numerous reference guides.
I'm really enjoying these videos !! When you showed how to establish the header heights of all the doors and windows I immediately thought why not do that same thing with the follow me tool. It's probably not any better or faster but it gets my brain thinking of alternative ways to do things. The more my brain gets used the better.
Hi Aaron, I am new to Sketchup and have to say these lessons are worth their weight in Gold I was signed up to do a full days SU training in Australia last week and it was cancelled at the last , as I have a job pending these have given me the skills I need to show that I can do this. thanks Maria PS I used to work at Spyder Sports next door to you in Boulder. It is a small world.
Great idea for placing a uniform head height on windows and doors that wraps the entire exterior. I agree with Kyle. I see this as a think tank whereby we share ideas and shortcuts.
Kyle Macht That’s the goal! We are really not shooting for a comprehensive workflow with these videos, but a collection of tips that may help even seasoned veterans!
One thing that’s important for locating the rough openings, especially windows,is that during construction the final window size may not be determined until later. Also, R/O for one Mfg window may be different from the same callout of another. This guarantees window placement regardless of final window dimension.
Thanks for sharing those great tips. I think I have the easiest technique, assuming there is a window list somewhere of all the different sizes. Create "glue to any" 2D components of each size. Then copy and paste the relevant window component where needed. The "glue to any" makes this very easy and their centre lines quickly register to marks. When all are done, explode and push through. If all walls are the same thickness, there are techniques (without plugins or dynamic components) to make the window holes instantly on exploding. I 'll have my brownie point now.
Aaron...I would do a Section Cut Group at 7'. That way, you could put that Group in a Layer and/or Scene to Toggle On/Off or to Move/Copy it. Also, this method makes Erasing a One Click Operation rather than having to Erase each Line one at a time around the Model.
Terrific videos; I'm most fascinated by the ease with which you navigate, zoom, select tools, etc. I guess Ive got to find Sketchup 101 -- or maybe 100 -- somewhere. Also, I'm using Sketchup Make, since I gave up working 12 years ago and, now as a hobbiest can't afford Pro, so I would appreciate you noting any features you use which aren't available in the free versions (e.g., X-ray).
Hi Aaron! I’ve been watching a lot of videos of how to model a house on sketchUp, you are the first one who I see using a reference image (pdf) to do it. I’m interested to understand why would you prefer this method than using directly the dwg import and pulling the walls from the actual plan? Is it more accurate? Need to say that I learned a lot of things watching your videos! Thanks for bringing another option of modeling!
I put the doors and windows on floor plan, then pull up with walls, use horizontal plane to intersect door/ window verticals. And finally push in the openings.
This has been so helpful, thanks so much! When I’m in x ray mode I can see the JPEG floor plan but when I’m not the surface fills as grey. If I orbit underneath I can see the reverse of the floor plan .. it’s something to do with the face view but I don’t know how to correct it!
Can’t you put header ref lines on a separate layer prior to intersecting with model? Shut off when done with it. Or will the lines it creates not move to ref layer. I’ll try when at computer.
Thanks for the tip about intersecting a quick Face with my Model... Can't tell you how many Guide Lines I've drawn to keep door and window heights consistent. Never Again!
I used to teach manual push pull method to create hole like this, until i found it has a drawback if you get a wall that has un-paralleled surface between outer and inside wall. It is very frustrated. So I move to use solid - subtract method to produce clean solid model, as a bonus we will always have volume info for cost estimation and ready to 3D printed.
Too true. If you follow the method in the previous videos, ever wall is made with offset and push/pull, so wall faces should be parallel. In the event that they are not, though, your method is great!
With sketchup free, when I paste windows it doesn't work. Specifically, the pasted window only show up as lines on the outside of the wall, not an opening, and when I go to push pull within the square it won't select and the whole wall moves. I've tried selecting the four lines and it still won't let me push pull a copied window.
excellent skills, most the builders I work on plans for do not like to be locked into any specific window so that explains the dimensioning to center, and don't label the opening "rough opening" that will be bigger and varies with manufacture, the reference plan for head height will save me a lot of time
I had hard time pushing a window opening to make it through the wall because the exterior wall was grouped. I made it once i exploded it. I thought you had your exterior wall grouped previously so did you explode it to make the openings? Thanks. Update. I now see i missed you went in to edit mode!!
I knew the "trick" which means I must be getting better at this. Another way to cut openings is to make a cube of the window opening, and if the walls are 'solid', use "Trim" to cut them all. After getting the plane located to 7' off the floor and intersecting with model, how do you erase all those guide lines on every vertical surface? From a Front or Side view you can select (left to right) just the lines, but do it before the model gets too far along. Nice video. I was a 'framer' and built a dozen houses many years ago. I love how Sketchup allows us to build a house using almost the same methods.
Refuso Againo If you group the initial rectangle, you can just select the group and delete it when you are all done. My background is in building design and I fell in love with SketchUp for the same reason!
How is he selecting just the opening and not the surrounding faces, or those behind the opening?? Watch back at 4:15 to see what I'm talking about. I just opened sketchup pro to mimic this and it did not work like that.
This video suggests ridiculously cumbersome solution. Just put a copy of your floor on a proper hight and then delete it when you are done. Or copy the top of your walls and Paste in place outside the wall group, if you don't have a floor. Without any mess of extra planes, intersections, grouping-ungrouping, deleting lines etc. That is how I created my Rollerduck Icon Pack LOL
Aaron, as I've posted before, your Skill Builder series are absolutely fantastic... I can't say that enough. But I have one tiny criticism: You pronounce the word, "axis" (singular) as "AX-eez". It should be "AX-iss", to rhyme with "miss". The plural is "axes", which is pronounced "AX-eez". I know, it's a bit pedantic of me, but I can't help noticing it every time you say it.
I think it is strange to have openings defined by their centres. Most drawings define things by a real fixed point like an edge. That makes it so much easier to record on a survey and to set out on a design drawing. If you're designing then using the surface intersect you show for the top and bottom of openings, you can just draw vertical lines between the intersect lines, then punch the holes with a double click (if all walls are same thickness). But then as you say there are many ways to get to the same result. ;-)
Window specs may not be finalized until later in the design process, or RO may be different for same window callout dimensions between manufacturers. Locating by center guarantees proper location as design choices are made.
That process is not efficient.... I would create components with boxes with the size of the windows and doors.... put them in place.... group them and copy the group and hide one then I would use one of the groups to use Boolean operation to create the openings ... then I would unhide the group... explode it now those components used to create the openings will become the Windows and doors.
Aaron Dietzen you asked at the end of the video if one knows a better way and the way I described is better. Don’t you agree? I don’t have to draw extra lines I use the same time to locate the openings and insert the future windows and doors ... all in one shot And it’s way faster.
