Hiya Folks - New user to Sketchup Prop 2016 here.
I need to present a building to the directorate via a sketchup model. Now, happy creating layers etc for visibility, but the directorate want the option to turn off visibility to components within a floor level (such as turn off partitions or turn off door casements) or, to turn off the entire floor level and view other levels instead.
Now, in my mind this means that I need “nested layers” where I create a layer for each floor level of the building, then have “sub-layers” for each of the items (such as partitions, flooring, lighting, electrics etc) within that “parent layer” of the floor level.
Is this possible from within Sketchup or do i need a third party piece of software?
This could be a make or break moment for the drawing office as if we can achieve this along with the dynamic component reporting, then we have a strong case to migrate the drawing office over fully to sketchup from teh various other CAD packages we currently run
You can create nested groups or components. Perhaps you’ll have a nested group for the second floor and all its contents. Then you can associate a “second floor” layer with that group. Then you might have another layer for the furniture inside the second floor group as well as one for second floor lighting, second floor partitions, etc. Turning off the visibility for the second floor layer will get rid of everything. If you turn off the layers for second floor furniture and second floor partitions, you’ll be able to see the second floor without furniture and partitions.
Recommend you look at Michael Brightman’s Sketchup Workflow for Architecture book. He has an excellent system of using nested layers to enable just the kind of thing you want.
If you follow @DaveR’s suggestion, just be careful that you only associate groups or components with the layers, not primitive geometry (edges and faces). Associating primitives with layers other than layer0 is a very common source of confusing visibility problems.