Ridge_Runner

1 hour ago, Evolution said:

Depending on if little details like tiling of the image will be of concern, DO like I did, I took a good photo of the brick on the existing home I was doing the as built on (for the HOA) then save it, opened it, cropped it went to my user library created a new material and added it to my library and it actually turned out looking very close.https://www.homedesignersoftware.com/support/article/KB-01202/importing-custom-materials.html

https://www.homedesignersoftware.com/support/article/KB-01084/creating-a-custom-library-material.html

I have done this also and it works good if you are careful with your setup. You have to make sure you are "straight on" perpendicular to the wall as much as possible or you will be dealing with the nightmare of correcting the perspective in Photoshop, Gimp or whatever editing software you use. And avoid the bright sunny wall if possible (old photographer's trick).

Mike

16 hours ago, jcaffee said:

Acme Brick's Masonry Designer...

 

http://brick.com/innovative-online-tools

I have used this tool for some time and find it invaluable for my business; it works great, especially if you want to adjust the mortar color. You can make seamless textures small or quite large if you want to.

Mike

Thanks for posting this video. Exactly what I was hoping for.

Mike

14 minutes ago, Greg_NY61 said:

The plugin is by Christina Eneroth called Material Extractor it's free as most plugins in sketchup.

 

I use gimp to make seamless textures its very simple to make them and Gimp has a tile tool to see how it will look when applied to a large surface.

Greg, would you be so kind as to give a brief step-by-step on how you make it seamless? I have/use Gimp some but not enough to get this process down so it works smoothly. I have done it in the past by using some Photoshop instructions I pulled off the internet as a guide (in principle only of course). It would certainly be appreciated and possibly help others here also.

Thanks to all of you on this forum for your help. You guys are great.

Thanks, Mike

Nice one, CJ. I can sure use this little tidbit. I gave you a point!

Mike

Now that, my friend, is a fine piece of work. I could probably figure it out in say ..... four months!

Mike

If you have SSA you could download the Arcways' catalog; they might have a handrail profile you could start with.

Mike

8 hours ago, glennw said:

What about Go To First Unread Post in a thread.

I can't find the similar function in this new software.

Glenn, for some reason my screen works OOB just the same as the old forum'; I didn't have to change anything. Only the colors are different - green instead. I just click on the green circle or the green star and it takes me to the first unread post. Is that what you were referring to?

Mike

I use the floor camera all of the time. It gives me a good perspective of the floor view that an overview will not give. I love the floor overview camera for its purpose - an overview. So, I use both - often. Many of my clients like the floor camera perspective.

Mike

I would draw all the walls at the narrower width and add wall material regions for the thickened parts.

Like Kevin said, or use polyline solids or even slabs for the brick "columns, pilasters" in between the windows. I find the slabs easier to work with in 3D than material regions. Looks like you are also going to need several molding polylines for some of the details.

Mike

Russian guy, goes by the name of Ithil, did a lot of that in Sketchup.  See some of his works at this page:  http://i-t-h-i-l.deviantart.com/gallery/?offset=24

 

I attached a snip of one that's there.  It might be easier to learn SU and do it in that than to try to stretch and bend Chief to do it.  

 

Or just have Ithil do it for you as a subcontractor.

I went to Ithil's site out of curiosity. That guy is good!!! He seems to have the entire process down from concept to presentation. Some of his renderings looked real-life to me. And just think, he is not an "old" guy, like me, at all. Smart and talented kid.

Mike

BTW, you guys on here aren't so shabby yourselves!

There is a current thread going about post frame buildings. I just yesterday picked up a client who wants basically the same thing that OP did. I didn't want to hijack that thread so I started a new one.

The client and I are in disagreement (so what's new about that?) about the way the columns (6x6 PT southern yellow pine) are installed at grade. He wants to just dig hole, put them in, and 'fill-er up with dirt'! In our non-code area, the frost line is only 12" and the "good-old boy way" it's usually done is fill the hole with concrete after the post is set. I prefer to use a pier form like Bigfoot or similar with a Simpson column base. How do you guys who design-build pole barns normally install the columns? This project will be a utility building so more budget conscious.

Thanks, Mike

You're welcome.

Mike

Stephen, I would just edit all of the roof plane edges where the "dormer opening" would be by inserting break points in the edges and pull them back to whatever dormer wall configuration you want. I would build the dormer manually from there.

Mike

Nice touch, Johnny. I like Glenn's suggestion about the car and people - very effective to me.

Mike

Looking good, Johnny. Did Perry hit it - watercolor with lines?

Mike

The lintel is automatic in the window settings

looks like the  sill (not a real sill) is a mantle from the lib. But not automatic.

 

EDit it can be automatic if you use a molding profile

Perry, if Scott uses a molding profile like you suggest, will it apply returns on the ends like his needs (or if a crown-type molding is used)? Or are you saying he needs to use a molding line and apply the molding profile to it?

Mike

When using the lintel and sill options in the window dbx, how do you offset either or both of those items? If there is a setting I can't seem to find it. I ran into this on a current project similar to Scott's and an OP from a recent thread who also wanted a custom lintel and sill. It would be nice to have more control over those items when they are custom.

Mike

Thanks for the offer, Chopsaw. I have this one almost done and about ready to send out. I am going to experiment some more later on. If I can ever get the texture part worked out all is good. I do wish CA would add this type of lintel to the list of possible choices. We use them quite often and it is always a hassle.

Mike

Thanks, Chopsaw. But it appears from your attached pic you used a somewhat uniform color material/texture for the arch that is different from the wall. That's my problem. The texture does not rotate with the brick as it moves around the arc or 3D molding line like it does in the real world. Nor does the texture vary from brick to brick (which might be a nightmare to program into the program code). This type of behavior is why I am resorting to doing most of my prelim work in Technical Illustration for the client. But when I finally do the renders for a client to view I will invariably have a client want to know why the brick over the windows doesn't match the walls. This always seems to be so obvious to them when they will ignore the other critical details.

Mike

Thanks for the info, Mark. I tried the method you did and did OK with elevations (I don't send renders or colors to layout, only B&W or gray). It would work OK if the brick was something like Chief's "red brick whatever." It's when the brick has a color variation, as most do, that it goes completely crazy. I did arrive at one try where it worked, kind of, but all of the brick were identical - not very realistic.

Thanks, Mike

DJP, I would also love to see a video of how you do this. Working on a remodel plan now with multiple different sized mulled windows using a "lazy" arch similar to OP (not a circle top and, Lord help us, if it is an elliptical). I can not get a brick soldier course material to look right - tried several and just gave up to get the preliminaries out the door. I don't care so much for a Raytrace view, although that would be nice, but just something that looks good in a render view.

Thanks, Mike

I've had this happen often. I have tried to move the copied arrow to another object but, like you, it will still delete sometimes when I delete the old. Never figured it out or the setting to turn the association off.

Mike

OR bifold doors...

Now that's one I had not thought of!

Mike

Do as BrownTiger said. Once you are in the Roof Plan Set you can select the roof plane. With it selected, hit the number 3 key and move the cursor to where the outside wall layer and the roof plane intersect and click (if you have edit snaps on it should highlight the intersection) - this will insert a "break" in the roof plane. Go to the other side wall and do the same thing. That edge of your roof is now divided into 3-lengths. Move your cursor to the center length and grab the small square (may be large or smaller); move that edge to the outside wall layer of the upper wall. Then do the same thing on the two small overhang sections. Move them whatever distance you wish the wrap to be. If you watch some videos on editing roof planes it will be much clearer. Can be done much faster than this dissertation.

Mike