Cover image: Courtesy of John Brock
Cover design: Wiley
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Names: Brock, John G., 1965- author.
Title: SketchUp for builders : a comprehensive guide for creating 3D building
models using SketchUp / John G. Brock.
Description: 1st edition. | Hoboken, New Jersey : John Wiley & Sons, 2018. |
Includes index. |
Identifiers: LCCN 2018029407 (print) | LCCN 2018042478 (ebook) | ISBN 9781119484004 (pbk.) |
ISBN 9781119484134 (Adobe PDF) | ISBN 9781119484127 (ePub)
Subjects: LCSH: SketchUp. | Architectural design—Data processing. |
Computer-aided design.
Classification: LCC NA2728 (ebook) | LCC NA2728 .B753 2018 (print) | DDC
729.0285—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018029407
I first met John Brock in 2010 at the International Builders Show in Las Vegas through two mutual acquaintances, and it was during this first meeting that I got a glimpse into the mindset of a man who was a dedicated builder, an inventor at heart, a rock star on the weekends, and a man determined to make change. Change the building industry had yet to see. Change that the software industry had yet to see. Little did anyone know change was coming, and it was coming fast.
You see, at the time both John and myself were both equally frustrated with the lack of information 3D Building Information Modeling (BIM) software was providing and what information flowed to and from our job sites. From quantity takeoffs and knowing every detail of a project and its costs, to how the project would look when completed, to how we would build the actual project—these were all things we expected to know before digging. Not during and sure as hell not after. We constantly asked:
Why is modeling in 3D not industry standard? We don't live in black and white and surely do not live in a 2D world so why do we design and draw that way?
Why does this software not allow me to look in simple 3D with one click?
Why can't I gain real-world specifications and estimates from something that says it does estimating?
Why don't the renderings look real? The box says realistic renderings.
In a matter of minutes, the two acquaintances who had introduced us that fateful day in 2010 were already looking for the exit in hopes of trying to escape the enormous cloud of “Why doesn't the world of building software think like we do?” Honestly, they probably thought, “Mother of all creatures big and small, what have we done?”
Something clicked though. It was at that point we made a pact to make the switch to SketchUp 100 percent. Let's try it. Let's see what we can do. No one else is, so let's be the driving force. For the next eight crazy years we plugged away, pushing limits, building, and, well—crying. Crying a lot, actually. When you spend hours modeling a floor system or stud system and have yet to learn about component modeling, and then realize how quickly you could have done that—well, crying is about all that is left. That being said, we were on to something; we just had to focus it further. How?
Mark Harrison, the marketing manager of SketchUp, once told us that the beauty of SketchUp is that it can be as little or as much as you want it to be; we just needed to think what we wanted it to be and not overthink it.
Over the years systems have been developed, processes created, and John and his crack team of programmers have developed some of the best plugins for the building and design industry I have ever used or been a part of: Estimator, Framer, 360 Spin, Takeoff Area, Takeoff Length, to name a few.
Today I am proud of the accomplishments made. I am proud of John and his enduring love for the industry, his constant pursuit of perfection, and his plugins developed to help designers and builders push the limits of what can be done. This book is a testament to his conviction to the industry and his love for knowledge and the thought that it should be shared. This is a book every designer or builder should have and I know that our company will be introducing it as the main training manual for all our designers to learn from. It is that good.
John, you are my brother, my friend, and my creative partner in crime. I thank you for your contributions to our industry and the dedication you have put toward this book.
It has been an honour (notice the spelling, John) to work with you over the years, share music, and share knowledge. While I am pretty sure we have driven our wives crazy over the years, I know change is happening and your book will continue to lead that charge.
Congratulations on this achievement.
Your Canadian friend,
Duane Addy, Dipl. Arch. Tech.
Creative Director—Design and Product Development
Jayman Built
As with any software program, learning SketchUp can be both fun and frustrating! Part One will cover the basic SketchUp fundamentals you must learn before jumping into modeling buildings. This author has learned a tremendous amount about SketchUp do's and don'ts over a decade of trial and error. The goal of this book is to save you countless hours by getting it right the first time, or at least avoiding the mistakes I have made over time!
Note: Your workflow depends upon your needs and use of SketchUp. If you are using SketchUp to design the building from scratch, you may focus on the design at first, keeping in mind the site boundaries. The workflow detailed in this book presumes you are modeling a building and site from a set of construction drawings. Your approach may be different, but the fundamentals, tools, and techniques detailed in this book will work for either approach.
For as long as anyone reading this book can remember, architects, designers, builders, and tradesmen have been using 2D paper drawings to design buildings, estimate quantities, layout buildings, build foundations, build walls, roofs, and install mechanical systems. Builders and trades that are provided with precise details and drawings will execute the building process with precision. This has been going on for centuries, but it is a process that is fraught with unclear or missing details and prone to mistakes, delays, and cost overruns. The designer must convey intent with their drawings and the builder must be able to read, understand, and execute to build the intended structure. For the past three decades, CADD (computer-aided design and drafting) has become the standard, virtually eliminating hand-drawn plans, other than conceptual ideas. But this has still been primarily used for 2D drawings. Typical drawing sets include floor plans, elevations, and a few sections and details. These still may not convey the full design intent or may be missing vital information or views.
We see in 3D, so why don't we design in 3D? Technology is finally available to allow designers and builders to design, view, and study structures in 3D and better understand how to build the structure and how it will look before it is built. By now, you have probably heard of BIM (building information modeling), which is essentially the process of creating digital representations of the building process. A large part of BIM involves 3D modeling of the project. SketchUp is a simple yet powerful tool for creating 3D models for any and all components of a building project. SketchUp comes with standard tools for creating, texturing, organizing, and viewing geometry and they allow third-party developers to create “Extensions,” also known as “Plugins,” which extend the toolset and functionality that comes with the program. These are typically “scripts” utilizing Ruby Programming, a language built into SketchUp. These scripts are usually geometry-creating, time-saving, and reporting extensions that magnify the power and ease of use of SketchUp. Construction Documents can be generated using LayOut, the accompanying program that comes with SketchUp Pro.
Anyone desiring to create 3D models for any and all aspects or phases of the construction process, from the design itself, to construction and how some or all of the pieces come together. Builders, architects, interior designers, landscape architects, carpenters, and trades will learn methods and techniques to create 3D models for their projects, big and small, as well as how to create construction documents, acquire takeoff information, create renderings, animations, virtual tours, and much more.
This book summarizes the workflow, practices and methods acquired and developed over years of practice, trial and error, and real-world applications from a seasoned custom home builder and designer with 30 years of experience in the construction industry. You will learn what to do, and more importantly, what not to do in modeling projects in SketchUp. The tips scattered throughout the book are worth the read. The goal is not only to create 3D models, construction documents, and visualizations, it is also to understand what you are building before it is built, and to avoid costly mistakes, delays, and overruns during the construction process.
This book begins by covering SketchUp essentials and will guide the reader through modeling a construction project from start to finish. It is loaded with tips, methods, and tricks that were learned from years of modeling literally every phase of construction, for residential and light commercial, completely inside of SketchUp.
SketchUp Free versus SketchUp Pro
LayOut—an Introduction
3D Warehouse
Extension Warehouse
Online Resources
SketchUp Basics—Review the basic toolsets included with SketchUp and how to navigate in your models.
Geometry Creation, and how it relates to construction
Groups and Components, and the important differences between the two
Plugins/Extensions—How to install and use
How to import drawings—Learn how to import and use drawings to create accurate models
File management, including layer management and templates
Existing site modeling—Using topographic data to generate existing site models
Foundations—Modeling footings, foundations, and slabs
Walls—Learn how to model walls from simple to complex framed walls
Floor systems—Conventional joists, TJIs and floor trusses, subflooring
Roof systems—From simplex to complex, conventional framing to trusses
Mechanical systems—HVAC ductwork, plumbing, and electrical
Exterior finishes—Modeling veneers, windows and doors, and other finishes
Interior finishes—Cabinetry, flooring, trim, doors, etc.
Final site modeling—Creating the final site model with landscape and hardscape elements
Attributes—Learn how to takeoff length, area, volume, and weight for use in your favorite estimating spreadsheet or program
Volume—Must be a solid! Learn how to ensure and fix
Estimator for SketchUp—An estimating extension for SketchUp that provides a disciplined approach to modeling accurate estimates
LayOut—Learn how to create construction documents and presentations using LayOut
Rendering programs
Animation programs
Virtual tours
Virtual reality versus augmented reality
SketchUp offers both a free (web browser) and a paid (Pro—desktop) version, as well as LayOut, the accompanying program (SketchUp Pro), which is used for generating construction documents. This chapter will discuss the available versions of SketchUp and the 3D Warehouse, an online source for viewing and downloading SketchUp models created by users around the world that might prove useful and save you time creating them yourself! We will also discuss the Extension Warehouse, which is essentially an online store for finding and downloading SketchUp extensions, also known as plugins (both free and paid), which may be extremely useful in your workflow. We will also take a look at a variety of other online resources that you may find useful.
At the time of this writing, Trimble recently announced that they were discontinuing their free desktop version, SketchUp Make (SketchUp Make 2017 is apparently the last supported version of the free version and is still available for download at present). The new free version is available in a web browser at www .sketchup.com (Launch SketchUp Free). The interface is different than the Pro version and previous free version (Make). It essentially offers the same drawing tools, navigation and modification tools, materials, layers and scenes, but the use of extensions/plugins is not available as of this writing. If you are new to SketchUp or undecided as to whether to jump in, you can always explore the free version online and practice your modeling skills for free. If you are using SketchUp for your business, then you should be using the Pro version. The examples shown in this book are from the SketchUp Pro interface and may appear different if you are using the free browser version to practice along with the book.
LayOut is installed when you install SketchUp Pro. LayOut is the program to use for generating construction documents and presentations derived from your SketchUp model. We will discuss LayOut in more detail later in this book; this is just an introduction to LayOut and its use. At any point in SketchUp, you can “Send to LayOut,” meaning it will open the current SketchUp scene in LayOut, allow you to choose the paper size, template, borders, etc. for your project. From there, you may manipulate scale, size displayed, add dimensions, notes, text, etc. LayOut is a great tool for creating impressive presentations and construction documents.
Note to publisher—images remaining in this document (like the tool icons below) are all in a folder named by chapter and order of appearance. For example, the 3D Warehouse icon below is titled “C02_i001.”. I kept them in this document to show how I wanted them to appear
3D WAREHOUSEThe 3D Warehouse is an online resource (available in the SketchUp Menu) containing millions of SketchUp models, uploaded and shared by SketchUp users and manufacturers around the world, which allows you to search, view, download, and upload SketchUp models. Perhaps you are looking for a particular item, like a Thermador dishwasher, simply type in the search, choose the one you want and download it directly into your model or save it to your library for later use.
TIP The 3D Warehouse contains some really excellent models as well as some really bad ones. Many users may not be as organized as you will become. Some models may be bloated, not modeled properly, or contain extra layers that you may not want introduced into your model. Best practice is to NOT download it directly into your model. While I am modeling a project, I prefer to have another occurrence of SketchUp open and download them directly into that open file, where I can inspect them, clean them up, and delete the unwanted layers that they may bring in. Another suggestion, if you will be downloading multiple models, is to name this file “Assets” and save this file to the project's SketchUp folder. If there are components you may want later, save them to your Components library folder while it is fresh!
EXTENSION WAREHOUSEThe Extension Warehouse is an online resource (available in the SketchUp menu) full of extensions, also known as plugins, that have been developed especially for SketchUp. Extensions may be free or may require purchasing a license. Licenses may be perpetual (one-time fee) or subscription-based (monthly or yearly). These extensions enable you to add special tools and features to SketchUp, beyond the native tools that come with the program. Extensions are most often time-saving tools and features, typically developed by other SketchUp users who needed a particular tool that did not exist so they developed/programmed one. Anyone can develop an extension for SketchUp, but they need to know how to use the Ruby programming language or hire a programmer to develop it.
The Extension Warehouse enables you to:
Search for an extension by name, author, or the functionality needed
Install the extension with a simple click of a button
Manage all installed extensions in one location—Extension Manager
We will discuss a variety of Extensions particularly suited for the construction industry throughout this book.
The SketchUp community is vast and there are a number of available online resources to learn from, get support, and download additional extensions perhaps not available on the Extension Warehouse.
The SketchUp team hosts a forum at www.forums.sketchup.com, where users may visit and search for topics of interest and learn from users around the world, many of whom most likely have experienced the same issue you have and may provide helpful information. It is great place to learn about new methods and new products.
A popular online resource is www.sketchucation.com, where you may visit and find a variety of useful tips and tricks as well as download extensions and models that may or may not be available on the Extension Warehouse and the 3D Warehouse. Sketchucation has thousands of members and has a robust forum you may visit to further your knowledge about SketchUp.
TIP Sketchucation has an extension available from Sketchucation.com that contains the Sketchucation Store, allowing one to search for and download extensions while in SketchUp, much like the Extension Warehouse.
Another popular online resource is www.smustard.com, where you may visit and find a variety of useful plugins and Ruby scripts that may or may not be available on the Extension Warehouse and the 3D Warehouse.
As you become more proficient with SketchUp, you will need a particular texture or material for your model that is not available in the stock materials library in SketchUp. We will be discussing how to import materials into your models later in this book, but www.sketchuptextureclub.com is a great source for searching for and downloading seamless textures to use in your models.
TIP If you are not familiar with the term “seamless texture,” you will need to understand it and its use. In order for a texture (material) to look correct in your model, it must be seamless, meaning there is no pattern that repeats in a undesired manner. For example, you cannot just import a picture of a stone veneer, unless it is seamless, and apply it to your model. You will see a repeating box pattern throughout and not be happy with the results. Take care to search for Seamless textures and/or you may create one yourself using tools such as Photoshop.
www.sketchup4builders.com is an online resource for builders to learn about tips and techniques from other builders, learn about the latest extensions and resources, and view tutorials specifically created for the building community.