hello there
When sending a sketch-up-construction to LayOut, the arrows of measurements become here much larger than in the SketchUp-Document. How can i adjust them back / make them smaller? Thanks for your help!
I assume you mean the dimensions you added in SketchUp. The arrowhead size for those dimensions are controlled by the size of the dimension text. You would need to edit the dimension text size in SketchUp, save the changes and then update the reference in LayOut.
If you use the Dimension tool in LayOut instead, you can change the arrowhead size in Shape Style and it isn’t connected to the size of the dimension text.
Further on the subject of dimensions and notations: It’s way better to dimension and add notations in LayOut anyway. That way everything about them is easily modified in LayOut in the Shape Style, Text Style and Dimension Style trays.
Thank you very much for your help and advice!
… and thanks to you as well! I’ll try :–)
I agree with cakrupp on this. In addition, I would suggest that you create a dedicated layer in LayOut for those dimensions.
…and also utilizing auto text through meta data plugged into the SU model.
Nick
Can you elaborate on the Meta data comment please? I’m intrigued.
Thanks
I’m not Nick but I use dimension text which is automatically added to component descriptions to fill auto text for labels in LayOut. With an extension I commissioned, I can fill the description fields for all components in a second. You can also add various fields using the Dynamic Component attributes all of which can be utilized as auto text for labels in LO.
I made this as a quickie example the other day. The text with the little green icon to the left comes from DC attributes.You could add any custom fields you might want as attributes, too.
Dave’s got it. You can add entity info to any group or component to be automatically read in Layout with the text leader. So sub-groups (as many as you like) can have multiple autotext selections in Layout.
Is the extension you commissioned available? No problem if not.
I have to assume the line in your example is actually a tube or similar as you need at least 2 entities to make it a component, yes?
Can you elaborate on your process to make this all work? I’d love to understand this better.
I have a client who has me draw models for them that have many standard parts that could be more easily identified by them with this technique, I think.
They also utilize SU in a fairly minor way but need to do cost estimates from the model. I’m thinking they could just do your text method so they could just have LO I.D. the parts for them?
Can this go further to actually develop a parts list and cost estimate?
Thanks for any insight you can provide. We could likely get them to pay to develop this for them.
Chris
Thanks
Please explain how to “add entity info” to the group or component. It’s likely pretty simple if one knows how to do it.
Again, thanks for your help
Chris
In my example it’s just three lines/edges that I selected to make a component. I did this example for a guy who wants to be able to add auto text labels in a schematic in LayOut. You can make a component or a group from even a single edge element via keyboard shortcut or Edit menu.
For my primary work, I mostly only need text which gives the component name and the overall dimensions. The extension I referred to is available from SketchUcation. It fills the description field with that information and includes the required formatting so labels look like below. Font, size and leader appearance are of course formatted as part of them LO template.
It might be that the most sensible thing for you is to add text fields as DC attributes for the components. You could add pretty much any information you need that way.
It could add labels for the parts but there’s no math capabilities in LO. The SketchUp Report Generator could create an exported file with things like quantities and costs. The file could be opened in a spreadsheet application for the math.
What’s the name of the extension?
Thanks
Sorry. It’s Component Descriptor.
Select a group, open the entity info tray. You simply type text in the description. Components can have both a description and instance line. If you have groups inside of groups or components, they can also be named giving the ability to have multi layers of information tied to a single element.