I am using Sketchup Make to trial re-modelling ideas based on a super-accurate 2D survey of the existing building and garden. House is on two and one-half levels and sits in a 25 deg hillside with irregular spaces, retaining walls and boundaries. Rearmost retaining wall is about 30 feet above basement. Irregular flights of steps rise to garden above via a back yard.
I know Sketchup drawings usually start with solids to be carved out, but I need separate, hidden layers for each floor, roof and the exterior spaces. I planned to start from basement level and ‘raise’ everything into 3D using Push-Pull. But Sketchup doesn’t recognize my 3D elements as solids, which I need to start carving out windows and doors in the usual way? I have tried Solid Tools to ‘heal’ and ‘glue’ my components with no success so far.
Is there a clever way to solve this problem? Or can anyone suggest a better strategy (once the laughter dies down)?
If you can share the SU file to date, it will make it much easier for people to help you.
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Read the User Guide on SketchUp layers. They are not like geometric CAD layers.
All primitives (faces, edges, curves, arcs) need to use “Layer0”.
Groups and Component instances (as well as Guides and Dimension) can be set to use any layer.
Here’s a revised SU file showing more 3D. Please ignore random ground levels in back yard. I corrected some tiny errors (1mm) in parts of the original plan that meant some plane surfaces weren’t whole. Hard to spot these tiny errors creeping in.
How should I make the ‘hollow’ walls, the steps and the buttress on the retaining wall ‘solid’ to allow for more modelling?
