I believe I know the answer to this already, but is there a way to show hidden lines (or ‘back edges’ as sketchup calls them) in a layout viewport without using the raster rendering?
In many of my details I need to show a mortise and tenon or a lag for example. I typically do this by creating a scene with the ‘back edges’ or ‘x ray’ turned on. This looks good and clean in the sketchup scene. From what I can tell, to show this same scene in layout, you have to use raster rendering. Otherwise you won’t see the hidden lines. Below are screenshots of the differences (hopefully you can see them).
I know some people will create a ‘lines’ scene/viewport and paste that on top of the overall scene/viewport. In this case though, you wouldn’t see the mortise and tenon detail unless I sectioned the rafters. Which is works okay, but is obviously clunky and not a user-friendly solution.
Does anyone have a better way to show the back edges/hidden lines in layout viewports???
Okay thanks.
This method seems like it would work good for showing hidden fastener connections, but not necessarily for a mortise and tenon(?). To show the mortise/tenon as hidden dashed lines I would have to change my ridge and rafter tags to dashed. Which would change the entire component to dashed not only the mortise and tenon (?).
I haven’t actually used the dash feature within tags before so forgive my ignorance if there is an obvious solution here…
You can make the tenon a subcomponent/group inside the larger component and put it on its own layer. Then isolate it in its own viewport scene as Dave mentioned and then control the dashes in Layout with tag override as described.
Ah okay. This does work well. @DaveR
I had to play around a little bit to figure out how to achieve what I was looking for. But you are right, this is a nice solution that allows for a lot of flexibility to the user. The user just needs to know what they are doing… Someday I willl…
I use this method most days, mainly because it’s fast and ‘close enough’.
I have built some templates using stacked viewports, and I also have made some shop drawings where I stacked surfaces in the bent and then did an intersection with model to create geometry for the joinery. Both work well, and offer more control over the output than the back edges option…
This is an excerpt from a recent model (joinery not finished yet). In order to isolate my bents and walls I make the entire frame a component, it goes on layer ‘T’. Within this component I will have section cuts for the back sides of the bents / walls / etc. This allows you to isolate just a bent or wall, and use hidden line and wireframe as Dave described above. This means I only have to change the joinery viewport to a separate style (wireframe) and then change the T layer to dashed… makes it super easy, and I’m not hunting around for different layers to change, etc.
PDF attached showing the 2 viewports. I don’t mess with isolating joinery on separate layers, they are all part of the timber. I do isolate steel / hardware / screws / etc. when I model them - so I can overlay them / show them as needed.
So this is a viewport in raster with a back edges style? And then exported at ‘high quality’?
This method is appealing to me as it seems like it could work well for most of what I am doing.
I’m not seeing an option to change my export quality…
This is from 2022. I think there were changes made in 2023 that allows you to automatically override to Hybrid or Raster… so it might look a little different. Make sure you toggle that option off if you are in 2023.
What I would suggest doing it making a few tests with different Line Scales to see what looks good:
Wow. This is great. Changing to high resolution rendering should get me what I need almost always.
I use a PC, so the steps to setup were slightly different, but I was able to figure it out.
Thanks for the great tip @bmike . I’ve been working out of Vermont the last year, so I don’t see Jim around much, but I’ll shoot him a message for you!
Before and after the rendering update here:
Before
