3D details


Northriver
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Got an example of what you want to do?  

 

I use Sketchup, with its dimension tools, then take a screenshot and import the .jpg into Chief layout.  My screenshot tool is Jing, by Techsmith, available free of charge.

 

If you want a black on white look in Chief layout, use a style in Sketchup that has no horizon and no background color, only white.  Use the same font for your SU dimensions as you are using for your layouts.  You can size your font in SU so that when you upsize or downsize your imported image, the font size is appropriate for your layout.

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Gene, no particular reason as I saw some really nice 3D details from an Architect that Johnny posted a link to. He did everything in Sketchup but was wondering if there was an easy way to go it in Chief.

Just playing around as I have nothing to do as I go beck to full time work on Nov 7th as a Construction manager overseeing all the Superintendents and other field personnel.

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David,  Did you verify your dimensions because this is exactly what many people have requested but unfortunately the dimensioning  does not work with any degree of accuracy.  Otherwise it would be great.  Maybe you could go in with guns blazing and get this working.

post-4797-0-69222800-1477105209_thumb.jpg

post-4797-0-60374700-1477105217_thumb.jpg

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I'm away from my computer right now so I can't post any examples, but I think the most efffective and best looking way to do this in Chief right now is using molding polylines with very thin molding profiles. Doing it this way, the representation in 3D is correct and any changes to the camera position don't require redoing anything except the text.

I should probably make a video about this at some point but it's funny, I think Chief is EXTREMELY close to having this capability already and they may not even realize it. Try this quick experiment. Draw a line in plan view, include an arrow on both ends, set the arrow to maybe 9", and check Show Line Length. Now click the Convert Polyline tool, convert it to a molding polyline, and assign a narrow molding profile. Now go into a 3D view and select that molding polyline. While the line is selected you should notice 2 things...

1. The arrows on either end of the line are displayed WHILE IN 3D.

2. As long as your minimum display size is set high enough, the line length will also display WHILE IN 3D.

Besides this, we also have temporary dimensions and dimensions lines that show up in 3D (when you select a cabinet for example).  Anyway, there's not much you can do with it but it goes to show Chief is pretty stinking close. In the meantime, try using molding polylines drawn in 2D views. You'll have to draw the arrows manually but once you draw a couple all you have to do is copy and paste as necessary and they look pretty shnazzy in 3D. Of course you'll have to add the text manually.

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Here's a quick example...post-46-0-32235500-1477125506_thumb.jpg

And the plan to play with if you want to...3D Dim test.plan

And the small library of symbols I used...3D dim tools.calibz

The symbols should show up in your library in a folder titled 3D dim tools. Its just horizontal and vertical 3D dim lines and 3D extensions. Drop them into the plan in plan view and then rotate and resize as necessary in any view. I have the stretch planes set up so they shouldn't distort so long as you use the appropriately oriented symbol. Again, you'll have to add/modify the text manually, but you can actually select the symbol and open it to get the length if you want.

Anyway, dimensioning in 3D isn't really something I've found myself needing to do, but despite its clunkiness this is probably the most elegant solution I've found in Chief. Have fun, and have a nice weekend everyone!

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Or do something like this

or this.JPG

Yep. Nice job Alan, that's how I would normally handle details like that as well. Having said that...

Cheater cheater pumpkin eater!!

Those dims are all in 2D views. I do think that's probably where they SHOULD be though. Dimensions in 3D might look cool but they can pretty easily get confusing. It's not uncommon to see dimensions in 3D where you can't quite tell what it's dimensioning.

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Thanks guys. Check this link out that Johnny supplied in a different thread:  http://www.sketchupbook.com/

Scroll down until you see the rows and columns of plans. Check out the right row and the two at the bottom. This is some of what I would like to do in Chief. If you check Nick,s videos there is one on 3D details. It would be nice if the section in chief was a live 3D model. What I mean by a live 3D model is if we could rotate the section to see 3D aspects of the model. I know we have the 3D slider section but you cannot annotate on it.

Gawdzira Dave, nice detail.

Dave S: I thought we could create 3D details in Revit off a section view but its been a long time since I used the program.

Michael: Thanks for the plan files. I will play around with them and see what I can come up with.

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...I know we have the 3D slider section but you cannot annotate on it...

 

You can always send to layout and just annotate there (which is pretty much what it looks like Nick did in those particular examples).  And FYI, the stuff I posted above wasn't really to directly address your question per se.  It was just showing a way to specifically get decent looking dimension lines into 3D views. 

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For my detail images, I wanted to be absolutely clear in how to build something. Dimensions in 3d are general in nature for most things. In the case of that bracket, dimensions in 2d are appropriate and what would be needed by any shop that was fabricating it. What counts is clarity.

 

I was discussing this with a project manager yesterday and he had a lot of complaints about a particular job he was working on (not my drawings) because he found it lacking in enough dimensioned information. I did not see the drawings but just assured him that the final drawings from me will have plenty of information to get the job built. I try to draw what I want to be on site when I am building so that I can avoid a lot of RFI's.

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Nice to see the effort to bring 3D details into Chief.  Gene, it appears from the drawing that you posted that the 2D details done in Chief were created as separate drawings.

 

Again, I appreciate the effort, but it kind of defeats the purpose of creating a 3D model only to have to draw the 2D details of the model.  Not only should the 3D dimensions be available in the 2D vjiews, there should also be hidden lines as dashed as well.  These types of details produced from solid models has been around quite a while.  I suspect you already know that though, since it seems the objective is to arrive at this destination using chief.

 

BTW, you can actually bring dimensions placed on a 3D UCS or Workplane into Chief now.  They are no longer dimensions, but rather surfaces that can be displayed in 3D space in Chief.  So far as I know this only works when importing a 3DS file though.  Still,  if you are going to go to the effort of bringing in the model, why not bring in the dimensions in 3D and simply pull the camera views in Chief?

 

Been working with this off and on with Chief for a while now.   What I am looking to achieve is to be able to bring in symbols that contain dimensions of such things as framing hardware where the dimensions are already in place.  It would work now if Chief gave a bit more control over layer settings of the component parts of imported symbols.  Next best is to bring the dimensions in as separate symbols.  It does work, but maintaining proper alignment to the dimensioned objects when inserting the symbol is tedious.

 

Curious, has anyone been working with the Replace Geometry feature of symbols?  It has the potential to bring instanced objects into Chief to replace existing symbols that need to be updated to match current needs.

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I recently purchased a book by Architect Nick Sonder that gives fairly good advice on creating 3D models inside Sketchup.  Its worth checking out for those who are looking for methods.  Chief is lacking a few very key tools SU has for this type of work....

 

 

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Johnny, I have been checking this out. I have never used sketchup but considering learning. I do like the Profile Maker add on. Can you create 3D details from the model in Vectorworks? You mentioned smart parts or smart details. I cannot remember the exact name but where did you here about that feature? I would think it would be a standard feature to create 3D details from a model no matter what Architectural program a person owns. I have been looking at quite a few programs the last couple of days and in one you it looks like you are drawing in 2D but rotate the wheel on the mouse and it rotates the model to 3D.

Lots of design software out there to make a head spin. I wish I was 15 years younger as I would like to see what Chief comes up.

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