The SketchUp Workflow for Architecture

Modeling Buildings, Visualizing Design, and Creating Construction Documents with SketchUp Pro and LayOut

Michael Brightman

• Publisher: Wiley
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9781119383642
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Architettura
• Subtopic: Design e architettura

A guide for leveraging SketchUp for any project size, type, or style. New construction or renovation.

The revised and updated second edition of The SketchUp Workflow for Architecture offers guidelines for taking SketchUp to the next level in order to incorporate it into every phase of the architectural design process. The text walks through each step of the SketchUp process from the early stages of schematic design and model organization for both renovation and new construction projects to final documentation and shows how to maximize the LayOut toolset for drafting and presentations. Written by a noted expert in the field, the text is filled with tips and techniques to access the power of SketchUp and its related suite of tools.

The book presents a flexible workflow method that helps to make common design tasks easier and gives users the information needed to incorporate varying degrees of SketchUp into their design process. Filled with best practices for organizing projects and drafting schematics, this resource also includes suggestions for working with LayOut, an underused but valuable component of SketchUp Pro. In addition, tutorial videos compliment the text and clearly demonstrate more advanced methods. This important text:

• Presents intermediate and advanced techniques for architects who want to use SketchUp in all stages of the design process
• Includes in-depth explanations on using the LayOut tool set that contains example plans, details, sections, presentations, and other information
• Updates the first edition to reflect the changes to SketchUp 2018 and the core functionalities, menus, tools, inferences, arc tools, reporting, and much more
• Written by a SketchUp authorized trainer who has an active online platform and extensive connections within the SketchUp community
• Contains accompanying tutorial videos that demonstrate some of the more advanced SketchUp tips and tricks

Written for professional architects, as well as professionals in interior design and landscape architecture, The SketchUp Workflow for Architecture offers a revised and updated resource for using SketchUp in all aspects of the architectural design process.

Part I
Starting the Flow

Get ready to elevate your SketchUp skills and design workflow to the highest radical extremes of efficiency. The SketchUp Workflow for Architecture contains tips, tricks, and strategies for modeling in SketchUp as well as methods to leverage SketchUp and LayOut during every step of the design process. Let's start with a few tips on how to get the most out of this book, how building information modeling (BIM) plays a part in the SketchUp workflow, how to select a computer for three-dimensional (3D) modeling and design, and how to effectively manage a PROJECT folder.

The big idea is that this book shows the big picture, fills in some details, and directs you to fill in other details on your own. Tech changes fast, so it's better to understand the big picture. Be armed with the tools to figure it out on your own. Always know you can find the latest on the Brightman Designs blog and “The SketchUp Workflow for Architecture” page at brightmandesigns.com/TSWFA.

Chapter 1
Introduction

This book is the missing set of standards for SketchUp and LayOut. The SketchUp Workflow for Architecture provides a flexible, clear set of rules for organizing any type of building project in SketchUp: renovation, new construction, residential, commercial, high-rise, low-rise, industrial. It is up to the user to process these techniques and strategies and then apply them to projects. In this chapter, you will pick up a few tips on how to best absorb the information and get the most out of this book.

This book covers advanced concepts performed with advanced operations. These are not workarounds; rather, they are clever ways to use SketchUp to expedite the design process. With The SketchUp Workflow for Architecture and some practice, you will be able to:

• ☑ Speak knowledgeably about BIM
• ☑ Select the right computer for 3D modeling and design
• ☑ Speak confidently about computer components, hardware, and specs
• ☑ Organize and manage PROJECT folders in an efficient manner
• ☑ Effectively use the modeling tools and organization containers in SketchUp
• ☑ Create and customize a time-saving SketchUp template
• ☑ Tailor the SketchUp modeling environment to fit your professional needs
• ☑ Create and organize collections for materials, components, styles, and templates
• ☑ Find, install, and utilize valuable extensions
• ☑ Fully understand the value of LayOut and its dynamic links to SketchUp and other insertable content
• ☑ Tailor the LayOut drafting environment to fit your professional needs
• ☑ Find or create building context models around a specific site
• ☑ Efficiently document existing buildings and create accurate as-built drawings using SketchUp Pro and LayOut
• ☑ Transition a design model into an accurate 3D model
• ☑ Create inspiring LayOut presentations that accurately represent your designs
• ☑ Accurately model and organize various types of buildings in SketchUp Pro
• ☑ Prepare a model for photorealistic renderings and virtual reality presentations
• ☑ Extract information from SketchUp and LayOut in useful formats for use in other computer-aided design (CAD) programs, for yourself and consultants
• ☑ Create and organize collections for scrapbooks and title blocks
• ☑ Compile and draft construction documents using SketchUp Pro and LayOut

The Updated Workflow

The term “workflow” loosely describes the collection of tools designers use and the order in which they use those tools to produce a final design. Designers use many different tools and software to produce their final products, which are typically new, built environments; some of many initial products are construction documents.

Many different workflows can be used to design and create construction documents; however, the best workflows minimize the use of several different programs because something always gets lost during translation between programs.

The workflow explained in this book uses SketchUp and LayOut as the primary tool fo...