Currently adding section lines to plans in LayOut is a clumsy and work consuming and inaccurate process.
Finding the exact location and then adding in the right text and references feels unnecessary complicated.
The process could be made much easier if the section planes created in SU automatically show up in LayOut.
Ideally in SU there is the option to add a label ( like A - A’) to the section plane in the entity info box. This would then populate the section line leaders.
An autotext dynamic page reference would also be great. Not only for use section leaders but in general. This would also be very helpful in call-outs and leaders linked to for instance pages containing detail drawings. As the document changes, pages are added or moved the page reference automatically updates.
They will automatically show up in LayOut if the viewport in LayOut doesn’t show the scene as modified and if you update the style associated with the scene when you update the scene.
Yes, I do realise that it is possible to make them vilsible by swithching on section plane visibility in sketchup.
However, this is not a very practical setting for exporting drawings since this also makes the section planes parallel to the viewport visible.
It also requires to create additional scenes for every view direction (x ,y and z) in documents that are in general already quite scene heavy. Furthermore, the section planes cannot be snapped to in LayOut, making the adding of section lines a cumbersome process.
You’re absolutelly right! I’ve been requesting this exact thing for ages. There are so many things that could help us here:
As you say a Section Plane in Sketchup could show up in Layout with the arrow pointing the way and a text with the Section’s Name (now we can show them there, but the arrows don’t show up unless the viewport shows all of the model wich almost never happens in architecture).
Ideally, we should be able to:
Have a section name in Sketchup that would be used in Layout too;
Choose wich Sections we wanted to show in wich viewport;
Set a custom style for the section lines and if they cross all the viewport or if they show up only at the ends or even extend outside the viewport;
Set a custom style for Section arrows using Layout (not sketchup styles) and allow them to also be positioned inside or outside of the viewport;
Setting the style of text and where it would be positioned in reference to arrows;
Have an autotext associated to viewports, that would read active section (we could name a viewport after the active section. Example: 1st Floor, Section A-A’, West Elevation,…)
This probably would require a section manager in Layout and the ability to set Section names in Sketchup’s entity Info.
Ideally we would also be able to:
Draw a section line in a Layout ortho viewport and a section plane would show up in Sketchup;
It would be perfect if this Section plane would come with a standard section scene with layers set.
Have Section planes transformed into multiple planes as Eneroth suggested back in the days: