I had to grab some square foot and linear foot numbers so I plunked some numbers down one each floor. Being the dinosaur that I am, I work best in AutoCAD. I took on Sketchup for this house as an opportunity to learn by drawing. It has some ups and some downs. I think drawing dimensions and getting square foot numbers absolutely sucks in Sketchup. Maybe I just suck at using the program? I think the real struggle for this program is the lack of pre-defining viewports, and simultaneously having the ability to save views that only show certain layers as well. Perhaps I am stuck in the 1990s. But I learned how to draw in AutoCAD in the machine shop in high school, where having the ability to explode details of very complex, interlocking parts was essential.
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Exit strategy: Exploded view of the death ray I'm designing which may help end this renovation early |
I also used to work in some of the big architecture firms in this city, and AutoCAD was the preferred overpriced software of choice. Maybe I am just a fool, but my understanding of the idea behind most computer aided drafting programs was to have a working model (with references to other pieces of the model serviced by other disciplines [engineers, architects, interiors, plumbing, etc]), and then just create some views on that model in order to print. Its a nice modular concept, in that it fosters collaboration and forces a central repository for all edits.
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Crude rendition of the site |
However, AutoCAD always sucked for 3D stuff. It required too much memory, graphic cards, and who knows what else. I don't know if AutoCAD still struggles in that market, but I can only imagine they do. Bottom line: Sketchup is free.
In terms of doing a quick and dirty sketch of something in 3D: it delivers. I won't lie: I shopped around in the model warehouse just to get a base plan with dimensions to start designing a bed for the master bedroom. The ability to import other models (in AutoCAD we called these "blocks") is awesome. The social aspect of sharing these models is even better. I even emailed the guy who designed a bed that I liked, and he forwarded me a more complete model to take apart. This dude was just excited that someone else was interested in his design.
While I know there are a ton of very complex models out there done in Sketchup, I think it works best as a proof-of-concept drawing aid, with high focus on the visual. Not all of us are trained architects (myself included); thus, those aseptic plans and elevations done in the vector-based drawing programs do little to convince the general public of your idea. On the designer's end, its really nice to be able to plunk a component in your drawing just to see the scale and overall juxtaposition vs. the other elements in your space.
Anyway, the plans with some interior dimensions:
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1st Floor |
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2nd Floor |
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