I admit, the first version of Tag Manager (link to topic) was a good attempt, but failed in leveraging what was already present in SketchUp and the model. It also got created before SketchUp decided to use “tags” as a replacement in nomenclature for what once was called layers. So, I created a new proof of concept, this time using the data present in a model, and using the tags functionality of SketchUp,:
How about automatically generating and assigning those SketchUp tags to your classified (ifc, but any classification should work) entities, or your dynamic components, or … well more should be possible in the future.
Together with the “Color By Layer/Tag” functionality, it allows for the quick generation of thematic maps, for instance.
One of the hard tasks is properly organizing and naming things. Usually one procedes faster with modelling than one can keep up with adding metadata. I had already dreamed about what if there was an AI that can recognize what a shapes represent and name/tag them. Or at least a function to select all similar objects and assign a tag…
I also wish SketchUp would support multi-tags, then you would not need to think about what naming strategy is better, “large_window_in_foyer” or “foyer_window_large” (category, type of object, attributes). Multiple tags could be an unordered set {“foyer”, “window”, “large”} and you could filter them without needing a hierarchy or alphabetical order.
Multiple tags is what my original version did. I now see potential in Sketchup being used as a tool for coordination, where for example a .ifc comes in and you need to do things with it. That ifc has data, so, better start using it in Sketchup.
The ai you describe is something that crossed my mind as well and… I am pretty sure is being researched at the moment, since it is actually pretty easy to make that specific ai. I believe I have seen things from a Trimble competitor doing this.
Hi Kengey!
I actually really liked the old version concept!! I thought it was very handy in many cases, just to have an ADDITIONAL tool to the traditional layers (tags). This feature is very useful, since it ensures a greater flexibility in the visibility of objects.
To tell the truth, in my opinion this new version relies too much on a very early development stage of a tool like IFC import which in my experience is still poorly used by the average SketchUp user.
Thank you for your feedback. The good news is: nothing is lost
I honestly actually am hoping for some user feedback in order to create the tool you need. And maybe the future version should be more of a mix between the previous version and the concept I have in mind right now.
Some of this could be addressed by using the Outliner with tags. In Outliner you would have the foyer named foyer, with the window insider the foyer Tagged as window. The tag would address the visibility of the window when the Outliner group is visible.
I would be happy if you could save the components with the tag assigned. They could always be changed when you need them to be tagged differently, but, it would allow you to have a visibility tag for whole groups assigned when they are inserted into the model.
You mean nested containers like component instances and groups (accessible/editable in outliner). This is what I am actually using, but it just exposes the flaw in the current design of what is called “tags”:
Users have to understand two different concepts (nested containers) and how to use them together.
My proposed solution:
Drawing elements (component instances, groups) can have multiple (n) tags, so the visibility of a combination of tags can be toggled.
Current work-around:
Instead of assigning n tags to one drawing element, I nest it within n containers each with another tag. Then the drawing element is only visible if all of its parent containers are visible, that means if I enable visibility of all these tags. This requires careful thought of which order of nesting makes most sense, whereas a set of tags does not need an order.
The current SU implementation of tags is the only one I know of that doesn’t allow assigning multiple tags to a single object. The whole point of tags is to allow horizontal associations that don’t require a strict, pre-existing and/or hierarchical structure.
In fact, they’re not tags at all (at least in the commonly understood sense), simply re-named former SU layers (which also was problematic as an appellation, admittedly).
If multiple tagging was implemented (per object), then we would have unfettered ability to organize our models with better fidelity to the actual nature of the underlying relationships, sets and associations. (And we could significantly simplify the current degree of nesting required to reflect these relationships).
You can assign multiple Classification tags all ready, but, you can only view them and the adding of classification files (skc) is not very user friendly.
I would like to have a classification panel as well, where you can colorize by classification, for instance.
Tags should be called ‘Layer Tags’ to avoid confusion for people that are familiar with CAD and are looking for layers.
The concept of multiple tags on the same object is a good one and your previous plugin was trying to address it. A merge with current functionality might be great.
The auto classification of objects by tag, or the auto tagging of objects by classification is welcome, but it should work both ways.
An even better classification based on multiple tag system should be considered. Though having a window, roof, alluminium, big should be different than having a roof, window, big, aluminium.
Having multiple tags should help us visualize objects, and also select them for some editions like painting them. However, some of these could also be automated. Like an object that has been painted with aluminion should also be tagged as aluminium? Or an object that has been tagged with aluminium should be painted with that material? Materials are one of the informations that should be exported to IFC.
I agree that sketchup isn’t only used as a BIM repository tool. It can be used as a BIM editor too. It must grow into IFC 4 and it must evolve it’s exporting/importing capabilities, but it can be used already. Meta data is a pain to insert and a tagging system as you had before would be helpful in helping us classify it automatically.
I personally use Sketchup as a BIM creation tool and complement it with BlenderBIM if needed. But that process could be totally avoided if Sketchup’s classification methods would be streamlined.
Also, the dependance of having an organization based on nesting and hierarchization of groups/components makes sense, but has limitations in what regards multiple selections and visualization of isolated objects. You cannot see all windows of the project if they are living inside of the wall components/groups and you cannot easily edit windows and walls simultaneously if windows are not inside walls.
So, there’s a lot of stuff to think about if you are aiming at sticking with existing functionality as Sketchup Tags.
Sketchup’s outliner, for instance, should allow us to select objects inside multiple different contexts, like all windows of a project, but it doesn’t. Ideally we should select them all, and classify them there. Or actually we should select them all and tag them there and that tag should automatically classify them and paint them if that action would be associated with that tag. And finally, of course, we would need several tags for the same object.
