My sketchup and layout uses are primarily for large (6-12K sf) homes, that require ultra high level of detail for renders, and elevation viewports for every wall in the home.
I try to keep my scenes at least a little organized by not adding visible tags to any viewport scenes, so that I can have all tags (aside from 2D CD information only tags) on for client renders, and have scenes that are only related to visible tags for different aspects of Construction Documentation. For example all electrical tags on, furniture/decor and structural tags off.
It wouldn’t be the end of the world to create scenes for every scenario, and the associated tag states for those scenes includes as well, but I usually have 200-ish viewports alone. If I even needed 3 different layer states for various aspects of the project, there would be 600 scenes to manage and SU/Layout native scene handling leaves a lot to be desired, especially in layout, where 3rd parties (like curic scene manager) cannot be added.
To further complicate things, when I update a model, my viewports usually remain the same, but sometimes change tag states, like adding all tags back to the model, no matter the tag state the model was saved in.
Does anyone out here run into the same thing? Is there a work around that you have found to be useful, and consistent?
one thing i do is create a “section-layout.skp” which has embedded the full master model skp. then i create a baseline set of tags on the scene 1 (e.g. everything on except furniture, structural, etc so only the surface items are exposed). then create all my subsequent sections/scenes from there. then i use that “display model” (if you will), as the source in layout views. this way if i update the master model (i use it in separate structure plans and MEP etc) then i just refresh it in the view model(s) (and worst case have to turn off any new tags - easy to do via scene manager as they all have the same enabled tags…)
it doesn’t reduce the number of views but once the views are set in LO then minor alterations in the master SU and view SU are mostly just a few refreshes away. this way my master doesn’t get cluttered with lots of sections cuts so working on it is easy, and then if i need very specific views (like flattening wall framing to map it onto the floor plan) i just copy over the framing and flatten it ) most times the structure doesn’t change much (except maybe when people ask for views with detailed steel vs wood framing etc and i have components to re-create as either, so not a challenge.)
Usually just one master model, plus a handful for details. I used to break up into many sub models (I do still save out sub componenets, but don’t reference them often in LO). I’ve used condoc tools, didn’t love the workflow, especially when it required everything to be nested. Might like it more now with the multi tag. If I would have taken a fair amount of time to create custom layer stacks for ConDoc, I might have liked it, but the layer stacks that come with it don’t really work well for me.
My workflow is fairly similar. There is a house “master model” that lives inside of my SU model that contains all of the section cuts and scenes. Still feels clunky to me.
I’ve been pretty successful with having a master model of the project. I then have separate SU files for RCP, Sections, interior elevations. The main file has scenes for floor plans, roof plans and elevations (the basic set). The other files have the main file inserted as a component. No modeling occurs in those files…just section cuts and scenes. This really helps minimize the bulky effect multiple section planes and scenes create. The reference component is simply updated when you make changes to the master file.
Each file is a designated template so it is very quick from the start with all the tags and scenes preset with a proxy file that is simply replaced with the master file.
) most times the structure doesn’t change much (except maybe when people ask for views with detailed steel vs wood framing etc and i have components to re-create as either, so not a challenge.)