8/21/2019 SketchUp Layer Organization for Architectural Modeling - Dylan Brown Designs

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SketchUp Layer Organization for Architectural

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June 14, 2015 In SketchUp Tutorials

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Learn how to keep your SketchUp model organized with a handy plugin.

How to Export a Revit Model to

Software Required: SketchUp, Layers Panel Plugin SketchUp
FEBRUARY 26, 2019

Making Revit Look Hand

Drawn/Watercolor
I’ve begun to do a lot of architectural modeling in SketchUp lately, and I’ve found that the built-in layer tools OCTOBER 25, 2017
weren’t good enough to keep my work ow organized. The problem is that layers cannot be grouped together,
Parametric Timber Connections
for easy toggling of visibility. I am aware of using layers and the outliner to get a similar result, but I was for Revit
looking for something different. That’s where the extension Layers Panel comes into hand. It functions similar OCTOBER 10, 2017

to how layers can be grouped in Photoshop, so it was a seamless transition for me.

It the time of writing this post, I’m modeling a 2 story house in SketchUp, and wanted to be able to group C AT E G O R I E S

layers on the same oor, so I could toggle individual oors on and off for easy editing. In addition to oors,
each component in the oor would be on it’s own layer, again for maximum editability later on in the design AutoCAD
process. The list below illustrates the naming convention I’m using for this model, but you can use any sort of
Google Earth
number or letter abbreviations to keep your layers organized. Foundation and second oor follow a similar
GoPro
structure to the rst oor layer structure.
Illustrator
Photoshop
000 Foundation (refer to 100 oor for
sub layers) Resources
100 Floor Reviews
110 Walls & Floor Revit
111 Floor
Rhino 3D
112 Walls
SketchUp
120 Structural
121 Columns Study Abroad

122 Beams & Joists Tutorials

130 Wall Components
131 Windows
TA G S
132 Doors
140 Stairs
 Acropolis  Adobe Illustrator
141 Stair Assembly
 Ancient Corinth
142 Railings
 Architectural Drawing
150 Furniture
 Athens  Autocad
160 Porch & Deck
 Bell Tower  Berlin
200 Floor (refer to 100 oor)
 Boboli Gardens  Cathedral
300 Floor
 Cinque Terre  Contours
400 Misc
 Cortona  Duomo  Finals
410 Chimney
 Firenze  Floor Plan
420 Trim
 Floorplan  Florence
430 Steps
 Germany  Glidecam
500 Drawings (imported 2d cad
 Google Earth  Gradient
drawings)
 Greece  Illustrator  Italy
510 Plans
 Live Paint  Manarola
520 Elevations
 Monterosso Al Mare
530 Sections
 Notte Bianca
540 Details
 Perspective Section
600 Terrain
 Riomaggiore  Rome
Original Google Earth Terrain
 Santa Croce  Section
Google Earth Terrain
 Shadow Study  Siena
Google Earth Snapshot
 Sketchup  Study Abroad
Topography
 Thermal Baths  Trains
Topo-Original
 Trainspotting  U zi
Topo with Pad-Original
 Vernazza  Wine Tasting 
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