Just getting back into using Sketchup. I have used it before for modelling but not for structural drawings and I am finding it absolutely terrible…it is not intuitive or straight forward whatsoever… I keep having to go back and forth between sketches and layout because it is changing the section planes in every saved scene when I change it in another scene…have tried toggling the active section planes…then I try to update and it is nothing but the same issues…can someone please help me out a bit here…watched hours of videos and nobody shows clearly how to do it…
Share your SketchUp and LayOut files so we can see what you are woring with. From what little I can glean from your post, it sounds to me as if you aren’t correctly managing styles for the scenes or the scenes themselves.
what could possibly be the settings in styles? I can’t find the explanation anywhere and I feel like if it can’t be easily explained, it is terrible software…
1 Like
I have tried both active cut on and off but there isn’t really an explanation anywhere on the proper way to do it…
says the file is too big…what year is this?
Section display properties are a style setting. They have always been.
You’ve already made up your mind so just forget I was trying to help you. I don’t get paid to do this. Maybe you can find a different application that you like better.
3 Likes
but there is a difference between revealing the section cut and showing the box, which I thought was the section display…but this is what I mean…there is no real clarity, even in the verbage…
also, don’t get me wrong, I love it for straight forward modelling but the whole layout sketch interface with section planes is awful, in my opinion…
to even say “view section plane cut vs. view section plane border” would be a huge help…
Well I think you lost your best chance at getting any help from @DaveR. You could share your files via google doc, dropbox, etc. Sound like there might be a lot of bloat in your SKP file. Have you run purge? Have you setup your tags correctly, do you have a lot of large material textures in your model? is your model full of 3D warehouse files that are not being used? Good luck there is always Revit for structural drawings.
1 Like
First thing to check would be the “Properties to save” boxes for each scene in the Scenes tray. To me it sounds like the active section cut is not saved so every scene shows tha cut that happens to be active. The section plane appearence settings depend on your style.
bloat will cause section cuts to not work properly? this should be a very simple answer
which is why I said it sucks…
I don’t see a “properties to save” button in scenes…
sorry, yes. I have been clicking that…but my problem is that when I change it in one scene, it affects other scenes that I have already saved in layout…I thought I was saving a photo in scenes but it is still an active drawing if it changes all of the time, I guess…
Perhaps if you rephrase your ‘question’ without the negativity people might offer suggestions on how to use the software effectively.
3 Likes
Stop frustrating yourself. I do structural, architectural and shop drawings for timber fabrication and I am pretty much self taught going back to the @ Last days, so you should have an easier time with forums and YouTube and the official learning materials.
Stop modeling and detailing - take the weekend and start here, depending on where you need to boost your skills:
And if you are struggling in SketchUp, try here:
6 Likes
The forum has limits. Upload it to Dropbox or wetransfer or similar and share a link.
Lots of people here like to help, but you need an attitude adjustment if you hope to get any friendly help here.
3 Likes
Are you moving 1 section plane around? Because without seeing your model or LO files that is what it sounds like to me.
You likely need multiple scenes and multiple section cuts.
A scene is simply a snapshot of your model with particular things remembered in it - visible tags, hidden objects, style, camera position, shadows, etc. You can choose to remember all or none or only a few of these things from scene to scene - and depending on how you setup the model you mig it easily confuse yourself - for instance - a scene does not affect geometry of the model - so if you move objects (or section planes!) from scene to scene you will just chase your tail…
2 Likes