Hello all, I’m new to Sketchup and am looking for just the right extension (or two) to help me get my feet on the ground and running. I work in the Oil & Gas Industry and am wanting to start with some 3D drawings for piping layout. I’m currently needing to connect some future piping to the new facilities we’ll be installing on the plant site. What would be the best extension for me to start with in order to complete this quest?
Ty,
Newb0422
That is what the incredible 3skeng is for!
By the way, at SketchUp 3D BaseCamp they also showed me the resulting piping layout in VR.
Thank you Aerilius. I’ll check into that. So this
Is this a class you attended? I would also be interested in taking some additional classes to help get a better hands on concerning the workings of Sketchup to the Oil Field Industry.
Ty
Newb0422
No, BaseCamp is no less than SketchUp’s biannual conference, where 3skeng was as exhibitor (I don’t remember them having a session, though there might be enough demand). But you can contact them through their website for more information about training (maybe they have also partners/resellers elsewhere in the world that offer training).
In 2016 3Skeng had a session. Don’t know if they’v had since.
Here is the 2016 Basecamp presentation " SketchUp in Big, Data Driven Projects" with the 3Skeng folks
I also remember a presentation of Stangle associates, back in 2014 (or earlier) that was quit impressive
I know it’s just an accidental typo, but I wondered if another interpretation of
could be that you wanted to leave, quickly?
Maybe quiet impressive?
Shh! Be quit!
A lot quite or just quit quit?
The Engineering Toolbox!
Engineering Toolbox - Tools - accessed from within SketchUp
NOTE!! - the “insert!” and the Tools features only works when the engineeringtoolbox exension is opened from within SketchUp. Install the extension as described in the right column - restart Sketchup and open this tool from the Sketchup Plugins menu.
undo! - redo!
change color! no color aqua black blue fuchsia green gray lime maroon navy olive purple red silver teal white yellow - of the selected object(s) - may be slow for some more complicated objects (save your model first!)
iso! - top! - front! - right! - left! - back! - bottom!
make! - makes a component of the selected object. Note that all objects from the Engineering Toolbox are inserted as individual groups. You should transfer a group to a component sharing the same definition when there is more than one instance of the same object. Tips! Rename the object to its final name before making it a component (in outliner or with right click and entity info).
degrees around [red](javascript:Comps.rotate(‘red’);), [green](javascript:Comps.rotate(‘green’)
or [blue](javascript:Comps.rotate(‘blue’) axis! (select object(s) first). Very handy for objects with curved surfaces like pipes, elbows …
[move/copy!](javascript:Comps.moveCopy() no. copies m dm cm mm in ft red green blue (offset from current position
[insert the Knife!](javascript:Comps.insertKnife() size of the Knife m dm cm mm in ft
[cut!](javascript:Comps.cutKnife() - before cut: customize the inserted Knife! The Knife is a group you can rotate, change the size of, and even add or remove objects within (example - add a function curve for an advanced cut). You can also make your own Knife by naming a group “theKnife”. After insert and customizing the knife - positioning it to the object(s) where to cut - select the object(s) (must be groups) - and click cut! Afterwards - select the object(s) and remove the parts of the object(s) that you don’t want.
YouTube demo of the Knife!
[move!](javascript:Comps.moveToPosition() - select two objects - then click “move” and one of the objects moves to the position and angle of the other object. Handy when moving between axis systems.
You can change the position and angle of an inserting object by pre-selecting an existing object before Insert! The inserted object will inherit the position of the selected object. Handy when working with non-default axis.
red green blue - Start position
red green blue - End position
[insert!](javascript:Comps.helpLine() m dm cm mm in ft - use this feature to add a reference line
[insert!](javascript:Comps.helpHPlane() m dm cm mm in ft red (size) green (size) blue (vertical position)
[insert!](javascript:Comps.helpVPlane(‘red’) m dm cm mm in ft red (horizontal position) green (size) blue (vertical size)
[insert!](javascript:Comps.helpVPlane(‘green’) m dm cm mm in ft red (size) green (horizontal position) blue (vertical size)
[insert!](javascript:Comps.addBox() m dm cm mm in ft red (width) green (depth) blue (height)
[insert!](javascript:Comps.addCompUrl() name url
WOw that looks super ueful for people in that industry. Looks so easy and especially FAST to create geometry
…the engineering toolbox runs code from their website that (in contrast to installed, signed extension that you have approved) can be modified at any time to do arbitrary harm to your file system or computer. This could be the case when their site gets hacked or infected.
I am thinking along the same lines. I am a Piping Engineer. I have experimented with Sketchup and think that it will serve as a great tool to present a conceptual change to an existing plant. 3Skeng will be good to model new piping. But when it is existing systems to which one needs to make a proposed modification. Need to import parts of a bigger model such as from a Navis works view file.
Bigger systems like the Hexagon SP3D may not be flexible enough to accommodate an off-the-fly concept proposal that one would want to present to a team.
I have also had a look at the AspenTech OptiPlant solution for conceptual layouts. This is a great concept in quantity estimates from a built-in 3D visualization tool. I think if there could be an interface to that tool with Sketchup, it would have big potential.
Found this Profile builder Justin Geis video on the lines of the OptiPlant solution. There are many such.
I would like to engage in this conversation with anyone interested in the subject.
I remember being blown away in 2008 by the complexity of the models in a presentation by Mitchel Stangl.
I think @jean_lemire_1 also has a history of using SketchUp in plant and piping design and visualization, using almost only native tools.
Yes, I had seen it before. Seems impressive. But is it worth the effort when there was an assortment of custom application available before 2008. It must be familiarity with SketchUp that drives. I had a colleague who made very good sketches using MS Word, of all the tools. But for him that was ok. Yet another who did a parametric display of a Process flow in the execution phases during plant turnarounds. His choice was Excel.
I would say Sketchup is simple, easy to learn and all that. But when it comes to doing a little difficult. It may not be worth the struggle, I am beginning to see this as I still try and learn a few tricks. See for instance, I am trying to redo my house model that the architect assistant had done without including for the modelled elements, identified by groups and tags. It is hard to try and change what he did. Have to try and redo.
I get your point; "is using SketchUp the most effective for doing TaskX instead of using another software? "
It will depend on TaskX, your knowledge / experience using SketchUp and the plugins that can help with TaskX.
For renovations and new houses, SketchUp should do fine (if you’re not importing/working with very large files). It can be a struggle though when you have to work with models that other people have created - but that’s the same with any software
will anyone know what happened to this pipe draft plugin? Why did they close down or has it moved elsewhere? Seems to have been a good one. Why were there no takers for it to survive? It could have been a great conceptual tool for piping. As it could do equipment, structure, and connected piping. Much about the things that are needed by a concepts engineer. I wish Trimble acquire and offer options for those who need them.
