Hi all, Im in my 40’s but new to this software. Im starting off by starting to mock up a basement for a possible reno. I have entered the dimensions and used the offset tool to size my block foundation. i put a few windows in. i wanted to put the main beam in but it came out hollow in the drawing. Perhaps im overthinking things. perhaps i could send you what i have as a file and then be told what im doing wrong. or perhaps a better attack plan. Ill attach a exported pic of how it looks. you can see from pic some of the errors i need to fix along with the odd beam thats hollow and should be a solid wood 2x8 times 4. ugh.
If you post your SketchUp .skp file here, someone will have a look at it.
In your image I see some reversed faces where you see the blue back face on the floor and the round columns. These parts are ‘inside-out’ and can cause you problems later on especially if you apply materials to them. Your hollow beam could be because the faces aren’t completely parallel and the top edges aren’t in the same plane which stops SketchUp forming a face. Even when done right, the beam will still be hollow in SketchUp as it only models surfaces. The beam will look solid as long as you don’t look inside it.
Thanks Sir. i knew the side wall was off. i was not sure how that came about. I was setting my window dimensions from the outside and the next day when i looked to work inside the model i seen those diagonal intersections.
One important part of the process is to keep all geometry separated by using “groups”. This way one item will not affect other items and can make subsequent moving of parts easier.
Cerain items like the columns might be better as “components” so that subsequent changes on one will affect all of them.
I figured so, I guess what im looking for is a proper way of going forward. I plan to start over but i just dont want to keep making the same mistakes. Im playing with groups and Im now thinking i need to isolate each component such as beams, columns walls etc.
Well. ive been doing alot of back and forth, The joys of being green, I just thought id share where i am at.
In the future i will find a cmu extension so that the exterior walls will be of concrete blocks. I think thats an advanced learning project for later.
Im not sure if i should be creating layers. i use layers alot when i did drawings in photoshop. It makes it easy to remove objects when working with a projects. newstart1.skp (332.8 KB)
Layers- "Tags"now in v.2020-- have many uses in organizing your work flow. In SketchUp they won’t serve the same purpose as in Photoshop. Mostly I assign things (groups , components, or text & dimensions only) to layers to be able to hide them. In my case the layers might relate to building elements, so I know if I hide the “walls” layers I won’t have to see the walls etc. I can get a better look at something else I am working at this way --or be able to print a scene that displays certain elements and not others. I have a model at the present, that has three different versions of a structure, while the rest of the site is the same. I can hide two versions and print a picture of the third version in the site.
Just starting out… don’t add complication you don’t need. Just try some of the features so you don’t confuse yourself. But GROUPS and COMPONENTS are good to get a handle on early.
Im on the same track. I like the tags, former layers so i can easily remove things like drywall or duct work etc. other than that, ive just been doing groups and components… thanks again for the input. I agree and dont want to make things difficult. Im taking the time to learn these tools even thou its slowing down my progress, time invested now is less time wasted later and bad habits are hard to break. you can tell from the 1st rendering of my lil project.
When you all frame lumber, do you group each bottom plate on its own then do your studs as a component and make a copy to multiply each at your desired spacing ie. 16’c. im just wanting to learn an efficient way. i feel im sketching up the long way
Heres a project update for those of you following along my learning curve.
.newstart1.skp (1.0 MB)
Some of your components don’t have meaningful names, or still have Component#1 as part of the name.
And you can give useful Instance names to Groups: though you don’t have a way of doing that as you create them, you can do so via Entity Info immediately afterwards.
You still have some reversed faces - you see them most easily in View/Face Style/Monochrome.
There’s a loose dimension in the same image, Entity Info showing it as Untagged. Generally, I’d assign a Dimensions layer to those.
Although you have a component called ‘covcrete floor’ (mistyped for concrete) the floor is actually loose geometry, and when I pull the component out to look at it, it is only a single face, with the reverse face up.
Looks as if you might have forgotten to check the box ‘Replace selection with component’ when you created the floor component.
Is your central beam laminated? Looks like it.
But the ends don’t fit - the end sill plate and the ends of the beam go through each other.
But it’s coming on much better than your first version.
You might not need to draw the details of the walls at all. Depends on what you want the model for. A contractor would know how to make them, given the overall dimensions of the wall.
If you do decide to draw the details - if for example, you want to estimate the material you need - I’d make each of the elements as a component (I almost never use groups). Then you can use Move/Copy (tap the Ctrl key on Windows, or Alt/Option on Mac) to toggle between Move and Copy) to space the studs, and use numberx to make number of copies after you’ve made the first one at the right spacing.
for this learning project. i didnt name components. I do know what your saying. Ill go back and look at the floor, jack screw etc as you mentions. I Thankyou for pointing that all out. Ive worked with the fireplace since then. at the time it was more of a drop in. i had to set it to proper dimension and angle to the wall. I thank you for taking the time to look at it. it helps.
Ive done many basement renos and home builds. just never in a cad environment. i seen the options under entity, pricing etc. i figured id learn that option l8er for doing quotes. I got a buddy whos doing a remodel of his basement so ive just being using his dimensions in my model. i noticed my studs were hollow. i was about to work with solid tools. the beam sits in the wall 6 inches in real life so i made that drawing with the lumber intruding past sill plate. I may notch it is i do an upper level with exterior brick but thats long away.
