Creating a key for a 2d floor plan

I am having trouble creating a key for a 2d floor plan. I’d also like to know how to place certain designs on the 2d floor plan. For example, if I want to designate a certain floor by creating red diagonal lines, or green circles, etc…how do I do that?

I’m using this program to create a 2d floor plan to designate areas (floor/wall systems/ceilings/etc) that have tested positive for asbestos.

Be more specific. Describe the key. What are you having trouble with ?

[quote=“adenning, post:1, topic:13731”]
For example, if I want to designate a certain floor by creating red diagonal lines, or green circles, etc…how do I do that?[/quote]
Hatching is not built into SketchUp. (Layout does have hatching and is more appropriate for 2D documentation.)

You might be able to use a 3rd party extension, or some symbol materials.

If you’re definitely intending this to be a 2D drawing (which apparently you are), it isn’t clear why you chose to use a 3D modeling program, which is really ill-equipped to do the things you describe. There are quite a number of 2D vector-based drawing programs, some inexpensive or free, that would probably do a better job with less effort. We could no doubt direct you to some of these programs if you wish.

On the other hand, since presumably the asbestos contamination actually exists in 3D (on walls, floors, and ceilings), perhaps you should consider using SU the way it was intended and make a 3D model of the structure, depicting the contamination in the actual locations where it is present. You could probably use a texture to represent areas of contamination. As far as that goes, that’s probably a good answer to your original question: you can create custom images with patterns of your choice and import them as textures.

-Gully

Hi,

You might take a look at the Skill Builder tutorials which shed a little light on creating patterns.

You’ll likely find the 3rd tutorial to be the most useful, But it’s probably wise to watch the first two so you can get your technique together.

Listed in reverse order:
SketchUp Skill Builder: Creating Layout Patterns
SketchUp Skill Builder: Creating Patterns with Components – Part 2
SketchUp Skill Builder: Creating Patterns with Components – Part 1



As mentioned already Layout is more suited to working with 2D plan views.

As a possible suggestion for your workflow strategy…

  1. I’d draw up the Plans within SketchUp, Group Floors together, and make a ‘Scene’ for each view that you want.

  2. Create a Layout document and import your SkecthUp file, then reference the Scenes which you’ve already setup in SU.

once you have your scenes in place and scaled to whatever page size you used within LayOut…

  1. Trace over your SU floor plan using Layouts Line Tool. Once that’s in place you can assign the shape you just drew to have a pattern fill… one which you made, or perhaps, one of the many built-in patterns which come with Layout.
  • LayOuts Line tool will want to snap to the lines in the referenced SU scene.


  • If you’re inclined to bypass Layout all together. then you could create patterns and them import them as textures within SU.
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Thank you for your responses.

I don’t want to go the LayOut route because it does not come with the free version of SketchUp and I am loathe to pay 700 dollars for a single project.

Gully - Could you please direct me to an inexpensive or free 2d vector-based drawing program? I will need the ability to create fills/hatching, to create text on the faces, and to create a key off to the side of the floor plan.

I have tried using TurboCAD Designer as it is only 40 dollars, however I can’t get the hang of it and there is a severe lack of tutorials on the web for TurboCAD.

Any kind of free floor plan software or built into the browser stuff I have found is too simplistic and is unable to create what I want.

Thanks again.

Before I switched to Layout, I used Autosketch by Autodesk. I don’ t know what your budget is, but it is on Amazon for a little less than $250.00

Free: Inkscape
Cheap: CorelDraw Essentials
Really Cheap: CorelDraw Essentials 2

-Gully

Free: LibreOffice Draw (meant to compete with MS Visio.)

Free: FreeCAD (2D/3D - Free But complicated interface.)

Free: Dassault DraftSight Free (Free but Requires Yearly Email Registration.)
[Looks like a AutoCAD Light clone.]

ADD (2017-12-12): I now recommend the LibreCAD fork of QCAD,
as the majority of developers from the old project migrated to the LibreCAD
project when the schism occurred. LibreCAD has much more development
activity and enjoys more regular updates than QCAD. LibreCAD is also free.

Cheap: QCAD (~37 USD) (Nice but I now recommend the LibreCAD fork.)
[There is a free edition, but it is very barebones. One layer only, etc.
But you can use it to see if you like the interface.]

Dead simple, no frills 2D CAD that plays nice with SketchUp. Pro version < $40 US
CadStd by John Apperson

I thought I’d bump this thread because I came across what looks like a real bargain on a drawing, illustration, and photo editing program that I think is outstanding in ease of use and power: Xara Photo and Graphic Designer. $40 for the full product (not the current version). Yike. It can do a lot of stuff. I used to use XARA in some of its earlier incarnations years ago, and it gave CorelDraw a real run for its money. I’ve fallen out of touch with Xara but have really good memories attached to it. It has now morphed into a web designer, as, in a sense, have we all.

-Gully