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Thanks Ruben! I’m further along now. Just really trying to dial in my process, and getting my ConDoc drawing set customized is overdue. I am getting much more comfortable making changes to my styles and drawing sets by going through this process!!
Greg
A clarification first: How do the LEVEL tags get generated? Is this manually, or is it through the Project Setup window?
Here’s is the outcome I desire. I need a separate Basement/Crawl Space drawing. Projects typically have one or both. So this necessitates New and/or Existing masonry walls (CMU, typically), wood walls, and a footing outline. I typically don’t do a separate footing plan. I just finished that Drawing Generator for new work and everything is working great. I’ll start on a reno drawing next.
The big problem is if I manually add LEVEL tags (nothing happens with the Project Setup if I specify the levels of the project) then every scene I generate has every LEVEL tag turned on, regardless of the settings of the drawing in the Configurator. This means I have to go back and turn levels off for every scene and update.
There’s just something I’m missing on how the LEVEL tags interact with ConDoc tools.
Okay…so just went through a couple Learn videos. It’s preferred to save out Unique Styles to a separate folder, and not in the Plug-In folder? That makes sense…I never noticed the ellipses in the configurator to specify a different style when setting up drawings. Someday, I’ll feel like I know what I’m doing with ConDoc Tools, LOL.
Mike…what does this mean? “You shouldn’t be adding styles to the ConDoc Styles folder… You can load them into the drawing set through the viewport properties dialog.” I’ve been saving my own styles to the Styles folder in the ConDoc plug in folder. Does that mess things up? Seems to be okay so far on my end.
Greg
Well, it wasn’t perfect, but the info was well conveyed! Medeek looks pretty slick…have you used it on a remodel? I’d be afraid of getting waaaaaay too far down in the weeds with a plug-in like that. With my tinkering, I make ConDoc Tools more complex than it probably needs to be….!!
Just signed up for Thursday.
Yes, the June office hours kept giving a message that the meeting hadn’t started. I tried a couple times, closing it out and restarting, same message.
Greg
Thanks Mike! No pinch…just best practices stuff and questions about customizing condoc. It’s a continuous process of refining and improving my workflow and graphics…
I got a new Mac Studio this year with the M1 chip. this has boosted LayOut’s performance a bunch since the single core performance is so much better than my old iMac with an Intel chip. Someday, Trimble will make SU/LO optimized for multi-core processing. That will be a glorious day…
I really need to try out hundreds of scenes in SU…I always cop out and use a referenced base model for different drawing types.
Greg
Thanks Mike…I think I had a problem with my (custom) ConDoc drawing set. Not sure what it was, but loaded the ARCHITECT drawing set and levels showed up and worked.
Speaking of tags…when you set up the project info (levels, floor heights) and hit save, are there supposed to be LEVEL_ tags generated in the condoc tools tag folder, or is that a manual operation? I think that’s been causing some weirdness in my models. When I set up project no LEVEL_ tags are in the ConDoc Tools tag folder in Sketchup. I have been adding those manually, but now I’m having doubts about that…
I would try to get a good slice…then you may need extra 2D graphics.
I make extra 2D stuff all the time for things like masonry fireplaces, low walls (if there’s a cut height issue), and stairs. Just have to think about it in a different way from traditional drafting…
I understood the dilemma. it’s still too different in height with using 2D graphic objects…for cabinets, doors, stairs, and windows? Should just really just need to get a clean slice of the walls for it to work.
I was looking forward to office hours as well…had a couple of questions. Condoc is a beautiful thing when it goes smoothly. It’s a brain drain when it doesn’t!
I just finished a project that had a big step down on the first floor (4′). I found if I adjusted the section plane, I could get the plan view to show how I wanted it. Just had to mess around a bit. Remodels always seem to have some quirk that need to be solved within condoc.
On your project, I would set up 2 floor levels (not 4) and adjust the section plane to suit (not worry to much about the condoc project set up).
Greg
Hi Karen,
I’ve been de-MOG’ing my models. It really isn’t too demanding to do, and your days of thousands of mouse clicks (getting inside the MOG) are over.
My process: I just start exploding and unlocking the MOG multiple times until I’m left with raw geometry (only the MOG, not your model), then delete. This frees up the individual groups within your model. From there, just re-tag the elements. Turn off all tags, then as you go through your model, elements that get tagged turn off. When everything is off, you’re done!
I think Mike mentioned that he clicks into the MOG and cuts/pastes the groups out of it, then re-tags.
I find particular pleasure in demolishing the MOG! 😂😂😂
Greg
4. Once a group is tagged, I can’t seem to tag a line with Visual Merge within that group with the ConDoc Tag tools. I can if I use the native Entity Info window. Is that intentional or weird? I am on Mac.
I de-MOG’ed a couple models by selecting the stack of MOGs and repeatedly exploding until I get down to the locked geometry. I unlock then explode a couple more times, then delete the MOG. This frees up the groups that were already nested way down deep. At that point, I went through and used the v5 tagging feature. Pretty quick without that last click-a-thon to cut and paste…
Thanks Mike!
Good livestream yesterday. I had to bail out half way through, but finished it up this morning. As always, there were plenty of little tips and tricks to learn. Just to follow up on something that was brought up…dashed lines. I currently use the ‘Dashed Lines’ extension, but not always happy with how it works. Is there a better way?
Greg
In LayOut, I have begun the process of creating some robust scrapbooks for sections and detailing. With the introduction of scales to scrapbook elements, it’s a game changer. I plan to build out typical wall sections as well, so ideally wall sections and details can be drag and drop. The layout tools may seem a little slow, but being able to organize in scrapbooks makes it very efficient. Overall, using those tools will remove the ‘drafting’ element and turn it into something much more efficient, saving repeat efforts for each project.
I hope that all makes sense…it was a little confusing for me at first too, but once I got the hang of creating scaled scrapbook elements, the light bulb went on about how I could use them…
Greg
Is the update pushing out today? I was working and a window popped up for the update, but I was in the middle of something. Now I don’t see where to update ConDoc…
I can’t wait for the new tagging feature. The MOG was a very clever way to organize, but it’s getting annoying as time goes on…too many mouse clicks probably!
Also, looking forward to the office hours…all signed up for the next one.
Thanks Mike!
For some reason, i thought this didn’t post, so I never checked back in. Thank you for the response.
Greg
Thanks Mike! Yeah, that’s probably my top contender. I used it previously, and it really looks like autocad. I am open for an even cheaper option though, LOL.
Last survey I got, SU couldn’t even import it after an afternoon of deleting, moving everything to Layer 0, etc. I ended up uploading to SU online ( no problem at all!) and then downloading to my files…weird.
I think I figured it out. I had a folder naming issue that confused LayOut…weirdly, just that one file though. Other LayOut docs were okay???
Wow… I had no idea how to do that scaled drawing trick in LayOut. I saw the bounding box with the scale indicator in your ConDoc 2D scrapbook elements, but had no clue how that worked. Pretty cool! Learned something new today…
I will probably keep making wall sections in SU though. I like applying a style to the drawing to give it better graphics…line extensions, shading, etc.
Thanks Mike…had to jump off that project for a few days, but will try re-sending to LayOut to see if that fixes the issue. If not, I’ll give you a call.
Greg
Mike…could you elaborate on the “drafting in LayOut” comment. I never used the Draft Mode in ConDoc Tools, but have recently been playing around with wall sections in SketchUp and sending views to LayOut for annotating and dimensioning. The results are pretty good and I don’t need to do any additional line work or graphics. Thanks!
I saw it in the 3D Warehouse, in the Brightman Designs aisle… https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model/f592d91a-8dcd-4d27-96ce-2eb574bc101a/MOG-Customized
Perfect…that’s how I’ve been using VM. I dusted off TSWFA the other day, and didn’t see it in there. Making a big push this year to ditch AutoCRAP and really focusing on workflow and process…just needed some clarification. On a side note…I have never really used scrapbooks much in the past, but have been dialing them in for different drawing types. WOW…what a more efficient process than block libraries in AC. Standardizing, categorizing everything in Scrapbooks. Pre-formatting entire drawing sets and saving as templates for painless CD’s (that’s the goal anyway). Condoc Tools is very helpful in this process as well. Getting that dialed in too!
Thanks!
Greg
Sandy, I think you need to import the field notes into SketchUp in png or pdf. Then take a known dimension and scale the model to that dimension (using the tape measure tool). Move to the ‘Backgrounds’ layer. Start modeling over that. I hope I’m reading the situation correctly, and this helps!
Greg
Thanks Mike…that did it.
I never consciously change the model origin, and I’m not sure how that would happen in the course of modeling either, LOL.
Greg
Thanks Mike…that did it.
I never consciously change the model origin, and I’m not sure how that would happen in the course of modeling either, LOL.
Greg
In the 3d Warehouse. Search “ConDoc4_ARCHITECT – Model Organization Guide” and there it is! Just download directly into your model.
In the 3d Warehouse. Search “ConDoc4_ARCHITECT – Model Organization Guide” and there it is! Just download directly into your model.
Thanks Mike…I just emailed the file to you. It’s just a simple house model, no terrain, and I didn’t mess with the viewport stacking in LayOut.
Thanks Mike…I just emailed the file to you. It’s just a simple house model, no terrain, and I didn’t mess with the viewport stacking in LayOut.
Played around with it, and it looks like the 2d Object portion of the window needed to be a bit more robust to mask the hatching…