Second Edition
Cover image and design: Luke Vercia
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Names: Brightman, Michael, 1980- author.
Title: The SketchUp workflow for architecture : modeling buildings, visualizing design, and creating construction documents with SketchUp Pro and LayOut / by Michael Brightman.
Description: Second edition. | Hoboken, New Jersey : Wiley, 2018. | Includes index. |
Identifiers: LCCN 2018011134 (print) | LCCN 2018011521 (ebook) | ISBN 9781119383635 (paperback) | ISBN 9781119383659 (epdf) | ISBN 9781119383642 (epub) | ISBN 9781119410171 (oBook)
Subjects: LCSH: Architectural drawing—Computer-aided design. | Architectural Design—Data processing. | SketchUp. | BISAC: ARCHITECTURE / Design, Drafting, Drawing & Presentation.
Classification: LCC NA2728 (ebook) | LCC NA2728 .B75 2018 (print) | DDC 720.28/40285668—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018011134
For my mom, Becky Yovich, in appreciation of
her infinite love, support, and encouragement.
For my loyal dog, Kodiak, whose daily
companionship and late night camaraderie
are sincerely missed.
And for my wonderful and loving wife,
Marisa, who keeps a smile on my face.
Get ready to elevate your SketchUp skills and design workflow to the highest radical extremes of efficiency. The SketchUp Workflow for Architecture contains tips, tricks, and strategies for modeling in SketchUp as well as methods to leverage SketchUp and LayOut during every step of the design process. Let's start with a few tips on how to get the most out of this book, how building information modeling (BIM) plays a part in the SketchUp workflow, how to select a computer for three-dimensional (3D) modeling and design, and how to effectively manage a PROJECT folder.
The big idea is that this book shows the big picture, fills in some details, and directs you to fill in other details on your own. Tech changes fast, so it's better to understand the big picture. Be armed with the tools to figure it out on your own. Always know you can find the latest on the Brightman Designs blog and “The SketchUp Workflow for Architecture” page at brightmandesigns.com/TSWFA.
This book is the missing set of standards for SketchUp and LayOut. The SketchUp Workflow for Architecture provides a flexible, clear set of rules for organizing any type of building project in SketchUp: renovation, new construction, residential, commercial, high-rise, low-rise, industrial. It is up to the user to process these techniques and strategies and then apply them to projects. In this chapter, you will pick up a few tips on how to best absorb the information and get the most out of this book.
This book covers advanced concepts performed with advanced operations. These are not workarounds; rather, they are clever ways to use SketchUp to expedite the design process. With The SketchUp Workflow for Architecture and some practice, you will be able to:
The term “workflow” loosely describes the collection of tools designers use and the order in which they use those tools to produce a final design. Designers use many different tools and software to produce their final products, which are typically new, built environments; some of many initial products are construction documents.
Many different workflows can be used to design and create construction documents; however, the best workflows minimize the use of several different programs because something always gets lost during translation between programs.
The workflow explained in this book uses SketchUp and LayOut as the primary tool for every phase of the design process. You can use other programs to supplement SketchUp, but SketchUp Pro and LayOut are at the core of this process. For example, you could use an image editor to postprocess exports and modify textures, but you will simply be using the image editor to complement SketchUp. As another example, you could use a spreadsheet program for schedules, but keep all your drafting in SketchUp and LayOut.
There are also peripheral programs such as Lumion for photorealistic rendering and extensions such as ConDoc that will drastically increase efficiency when using this system.
This workflow is not a regimented design process; you can adapt all or part of it and use the organizational and design tips. The process of moving from sketches to construction documents is expedited by the SketchUp Workflow for Architecture (Figure 1.1).
Figure 1.1 The SketchUp Workflow for Architecture.
The evolution of a client's vision to an actual building involves many small steps and phases. There is no right or wrong way to produce a design, but there are critics out there who will judge your designs. The most important audiences, however, are your clients. The more time you spend on the design, the better. The SketchUp Workflow for Architecture is focused on design and will ultimately provide more time for you to explore real designs in three dimensions.
Anyone interested in mastering SketchUp will benefit greatly from this book—architects, landscape architects, designers, interior designers, contractors. Large firms, one-man shows, and every office size in between can benefit. If you are using SketchUp to design a built space, you should practice the SketchUp Workflow for Architecture. Most sizable firms already have a design workflow with 3D BIM software and standards in place. BIM is excellent for huge projects with extensive scheduling and square footage, but does it really help on the smaller projects? For large firms, the SketchUp Workflow for Architecture will fit in where a bloated, overfeatured software suite is not necessary. Also, large firms will benefit from the standards, which will get the entire team on the same page. The techniques in this book give you the freedom to simplify your model by including only the building information you need to get the project done on time.
On the other end of the spectrum is the one-man show looking to cut overhead costs. When compared to other popular design and documentation programs available on the market, this workflow is very inexpensive. By adding a few plugins to SketchUp Pro, you'll have full capability to efficiently design, draft, render, analyze, and document any project.
This book speaks directly to professionals, someone who works for fees and has the ability to invest time and money to increase workflow efficiency. A professional sees a benefit in charging fixed fees and finding tools that reduce hours, realizing higher hourly rates. This book will make you faster, more organized and efficient, resulting in faster turnarounds and increased profits.
Anyone who reads this book will take away excellent organization and problem-solving strategies for SketchUp. The techniques presented will help any designer create more engaging and accurate 3D models that are easily shared across several platforms.
The advanced concepts and operations covered in this book are organized into five separate and distinct parts.
Part I takes care of some administrative tasks and disclaimers common in an instructional software book. In Part I, you will learn the benefits of using SketchUp Pro and LayOut, and you will be introduced to the power of this system. Also, you will be exposed to a new way of thinking about BIM. The intimidating task of selecting a computer is demystified. Part I wraps up by explaining folder and file organization techniques that will help keep your projects running smoothly.
In Part II, you will learn the basic, intermediate, and advanced SketchUp skills necessary to complete the exercises in this book. You will also tune your SketchUp environment for professional use. You will learn to create utility styles and scenes, custom layers, and ultimately your own custom default template. Even if you are an experienced SketchUp user, you will benefit from the refresher and most likely will develop a new understanding of the old features.
Figure 1.2 The SketchUp logo.
Part III is an “everything you need to know” guide for LayOut. At times, this section may read more like a manual than a tutorial because it explains every menu, dialog, and setting you will come across in SketchUp's two-dimensional (2D) counterpart. Study this part closely even if you have used LayOut previously. The skills you learn in Part III will make you a fast and effective draftsman.
Figure 1.3 The LayOut logo.
Part IV is everything you need to know about putting your model together, an overview map of nesting groups and layering. This part includes a detailed description of each layer and the contents that belong in the group it is assigned. In this part, you will also see a full illustration of a renovation and new construction timeline. When you start a new project, you will likely visit this chapter when you kick off. This is a reference chapter that will keep you on track for many years to come.
Part V is a crash course in visualization, which is used to communicate design in different media. Each presentation type, stills, animations, virtual tours, and virtual reality all have respective strengths and weaknesses and appropriate times to be used. You will learn about preparing a model for rendering in SketchUp and LayOut and open your workflow to endless professional visual capabilities with external rendering programs and internal extensions. Although you won't get a lot of step-by-step instructions, you will learn where to look for more information and how to prepare your models for any visualization program.
Part VI brings everything together for the final dance. Meticulous model organization pays off big when you are building construction documents. You will now dissect your model to stack viewports into descriptive construction diagrams including multiple types of plans, sections, elevations, and details. Included in this part are more than a dozen recipes for mixing styles, layers, and line weights into beautiful construction documents. This part also covers creating title blocks, compiling scrapbook collections, and adding annotations to clarify your drawings. Part VI closes with exporting for print, sharing work with consultants, and migrating to other CAD programs.
This is an extremely advanced book. It assumes that you are already familiar with many of the tools and basic functions in SketchUp, including groups, components, edges, surfaces, dividing surfaces, styles, layers, and scenes. You also need to know and understand basic computer terms and concepts such as right-click, left-click, windows, files, folders, drop-down menus, zipped, unzip, extract, etc.
To make the most of this book, you should have some experience with SketchUp, but even if you don't, you can still benefit. You don't have to have any experience with LayOut. Parts II and III cover the essential skills you'll need to complete the advanced exercises in Parts IV, V, and VI.
The following resources will help you make the most of this book:
These classes are a tremendous help before absorbing everything in this book and provide a solid foundation, but they are not required to utilize the SketchUp Workflow for Architecture. Everything you need to organize your models is included in this book.
Figure 1.4 The SketchUp for Professionals logo.
SketchUp Make and my.SketchUp are for hobbyists—they are intended for the weekend warrior designing a deck or a doghouse. These free versions have been stripped of many capabilities that are needed to create professional presentations; they lack exporters for 3D models and can't create high-resolution images or animations, features that professionals need.
SketchUp Pro contains everything professionals need to create engaging and precise presentations that accurately represent their designs. Using the Pro version, you can present and explain 3D designs in LayOut (2D page-creation software included with SketchUp Pro), use several export options to share work (including .dwg format), and create high-definition (HD) animations and high-resolution renderings. Figure 1.5 compares the features of SketchUp and SketchUp Pro.
Figure 1.5 Features of SketchUp and SketchUp Pro
Many of the exercises in this book require digital files to illustrate certain points in the tutorials. You can download all of the class files for the entire book at brightmandesigns.com/TSWFA. Once you have downloaded the files, extract the folder and all contents to your desktop or an appropriate project folder (or to the TEMP folder, see Chapter 4, File and Folder Management).
Additional video tutorial explanations, models, case studies, title blocks, scrapbooks, and project models are available at brightmandesigns.com/TSWFA. This site complements this book and expands on advanced topics. Any updates to the workflow, news, and extra content will always be easily accessible from this page.
SketchUp is fast, fun, and intuitive—but only after a lot of practice! SketchUp is not easy. SketchUp marketing has focused on the simple use of the program, despite its professional capabilities. It is extremely approachable in that you can open the program, click on the Line tool, and start drawing. Shortly after you create your first surface, the Push/Pull tool will enable you to quickly generate massive amounts of 3D geometry. However, once you start modeling with these simple tools, you'll quickly have more questions than answers. This lack of knowledge coupled with the desire to perform advanced operations can cause frustration.
Mentally prepare yourself to learn this software and the workflow presented in this book. Push aside any preconceived notions of “3D for everyone.” Ignore your colleague's comments about SketchUp being easy to learn, simple to use, and not nearly as powerful as other 3D programs. SketchUp is similar to other CAD, BIM, and modeling programs in that you need to spend a significant amount of time learning to use it in order to fully leverage it. Accept the fact that any program is easy to open and play with, but to fully understand any 3D application, including SketchUp, you'll need to fully invest your time, patience, and effort.
The examples in Figures 1.6 through 1.12 are just some of the types of models and documents you can create using the SketchUp Workflow for Architecture. See the latest and greatest of Brightman Design's portfolio at brightmandesigns.com/portfolio. We rarely show our SketchUp models as final output. With the progression of Lumion, why would you? The following is our portfolio of SketchUp models rendered in Lumion and ConDoc construction documents drafted in LayOut.
Figure 1.6 One of the projects used later in this book to describe a new construction project is a hip new coffee shop in the River North district in Denver. Design, Lumion renderings, and SketchUp model by Brightman Designs.
Figure 1.7 The 3655 Milwaukee Renovation is used later in this book to describe a renovation project. Design, SketchUp model, and Lumion renderings by Brightman Designs.
Figure 1.8 SketchUp models rendered in Lumion make a much more refined and polished presentation. Here, Bay Club Sofi. Design by others; model and renderings by Brightman Designs.
Figure 1.9 SketchUp Pro and LayOut have the full capability to produce large sets of construction documents. Here, Washington Park Home remodel in Denver. Design, SketchUp model, and drawings by Brightman Designs.
Figure 1.10 Create a winter scene by lightening and desaturating texture images. Here, Timber Creek at Okemo house. Design by Bensonwood Homes; model by Brightman Designs.
Figure 1.11 Use LayOut to turn 3D SketchUp models into 2D descriptive annotated plans. Unit plan design by Stephen Levin, Helix Architecture; SketchUp model and drawings by Brightman Designs.
Figure 1.12 By combining geo-modeling techniques and accurate modeling strategies, you can quickly and accurately communicate realistic design possibilities. Proposed Lowry House addition. Design and model by Brightman Designs.
Building information modeling (BIM) is a continued buzz in architectural design and drafting. Is BIM a revolution or just the way the industry works these days? In this chapter, you will be encouraged to contemplate and challenge the popular assumptions and standard definition of BIM. By doing so, you should realize that integrating the benefits of BIM into your workflow is easier and cheaper than you ever thought.
“BIM is a digital representation of physical and functional characteristics of a facility … a shared knowledge resource for information about a facility forming a reliable basis for decisions during its life cycle,” which is defined as existing from earliest conception to demolition (National BIM Standard-United States). A BIM is an intelligent model that integrates design, visualization, simulation, and collaboration into one process. The model is a physical representation that can also be informative. The model not only shows a client what a building will look like but it also gives the client and designer a better understanding of how the building will function. A BIM is essentially a shared, digital building prototype that helps everyone on the design team make better decisions.
A BIM is intended to be used during every phase of the design process and by every member on the team.
Architects typically create the main model and then share it with consultants who use the BIM to ensure that their trades don't interfere with the building's function or other trades. For instance, a duct physically can't run through a beam. It is better to catch issues like this on the computer rather than in the field. This BIM feature is commonly referred to as clash detection.
Building owners and facility managers can also use the BIM after the building is complete. For example, a BIM could help them track down the source of a stained ceiling by locating plumbing lines or by indicating possible weaknesses in the roof membrane.
BIM is a concept, not a software program. However, there are software programs that use that concept to execute the design process. There is no official BIM features list, but here are a few popular features that most people expect to find in a BIM program:
It may come as a surprise that SketchUp and LayOut contain many of the most popular BIM software features. With the workflow presented in this book, SketchUp and LayOut pull the best features from each of the most popular drafting platforms (two-dimensional [2D] CAD and 3D BIM). Using this workflow, you can incorporate BIM's fundamental features into your projects. This section outlines what makes SketchUp and LayOut such powerful design and documentation tools and explains why they are a unique design and documentation method.
Some of the advantages of using SketchUp and LayOut as a design and documentation method are:
Figure 2.1 Office remodel. Enlarged ceiling plans describe the two soffit levels of the lounge area. These 2D drawings were pulled dynamically from the 3D model. All of the drafting and modeling were completed using SketchUp Pro, LayOut, ConDoc Tools extension, and the SketchUp Workflow for Architecture.
Figure 2.2 Office remodel. All 2D drawings describing this unique ceiling condition are dynamically linked to this 3D model.
Figure 2.3 Office remodel. Sheet A1.02 contains a partial floor plan, a door schedule, door types, a window schedule, window types, wall types, and a key plan.
Figure 2.4 Office remodel. Sheet A2.09 contains a partial reflected ceiling plan, enlarged reflected ceiling plans, details, and a key plan. A reflected ceiling plan is created by cutting the model similar to a plan but looking up at the ceiling.
Figure 2.5 Office remodel. These enlarged plans show detailed locations of fixtures and other information that will not fit on a building plan.
Figure 2.6 A residential project in SketchUp (top). The same residential project in 2D CAD (bottom).
Some of the disadvantages of using SketchUp and LayOut as a design and documentation method include:
You can use extensions to extend SketchUp's BIM features. Third parties are creating extensions that expand the SketchUp universe and provide features that fill the BIM voids. Although many of the extensions listed in this section are not officially endorsed by or included in the SketchUp Workflow for Architecture, they provide a great place to begin your search to expand BIM capabilities.
In Figure 2.7 and Figure 2.8, the drafting and modeling were completed using SketchUp Pro, LayOut, the ConDoc Tools, and the SketchUp Workflow for Architecture.
Figure 2.7 Sheet A3.16 contains interior elevations and a perspective view, all pulled from the same 3D model.
Figure 2.8 Utility styles display additional layers of information contained in a 3D model. This image represents a scope diagram, where all existing objects are shown in gray and all new objects are shown in green.
How sick are you of hearing about BIM? There is nothing wrong with using a BIM program, but do you wonder whether you really need all that functionality? Is it worth paying for? Do you need lines on paper now, or do you need a complex model for pricing and coordination? My guess is most architects just need lines on paper today with a few added BIMefits.
SketchUp, LayOut, ConDoc, and the SketchUp Workflow for Architecture provide an affordable, efficient, predictable system that falls somewhere well beyond 2D CAD, past basic 3D modeling, and short of complex, features-bloated BIM. It's just what you need to get lines on paper today so you can build tomorrow. Let's stop debating what BIM is and get to work.
SketchUp's focus has emerged as a platform for 3D modeling and design. More focus on the online products (Figure 2.9) rather than the core SketchUp offering. In recent years, they have released my.SketchUp online, updated the 3D warehouse, and released the extension warehouse, HoloLens app, tablet apps, etc. It appears to me that the goal is to keep the main SketchUp platform stable but not develop new tools within the program. Leave that up to the third-party extension developers.
Figure 2.9 SketchUp's current focus is on the supporting cast.
SketchUp's tagline is “3D for everyone,” but in this approach, there is true value for no one. Maybe hobbyists who have time to invent obscure standards for their own needs or, more likely, don't even realize they need them. As a professional, it is of the utmost importance that you have a clear path to success, an organized system for using this software. It is unlikely that SketchUp will release “SketchUp Architectural Desktop” with all of the tools included for architects. For this reason, we need to compile our own. It is up to professionals like me to push content and up to users to seek out the way.
The good news is we already have a base of great SketchUp tools in the native program plus a healthy community of third-party extensions and stand-alone programs that complement the SketchUp Workflow for Architecture. Read this book, get the ConDoc Tools, and start building your own SketchUp Architectural Desktop based on your specific project type and documentation needs.