Sketchup and "Happy Accidents"

[TEAJR66]

JasonEricAnderson's Shetchup tutorials really got a ball rolling. I have started using Sketchup more as a proof of concept for scratch designing rather than modeling my favorite planes. I can get my dimensions and test fits before I start carving up the foam (I would rather kill electrons than foam).

I have been using Sketchup 2014 without flattery (there's something about doing things the hard way). Once I have a plan ready to print, I have been printing directly from Sketchup. Works fine. No cut marks or anything. Just lines on a paper that are accurate in dimensions.

Since not everyone uses Sketchup, I wanted to create PDF's so that I could share plans. Using CutePDF, I had some success. Nothing between, just Sketchup to PDF to print. When I printed the first PDF, my plans seemed smaller than they should have been. Hit them with a ruler and low and behold, they had shrunk. The scale guide in my plans was accurate so I was at a loss.

The issue came from joining the sheets. Printing from sketchup creates an overlap. I use the models lines to line up sheets by joining lines end to end under the overlap. When printing from PDF there was no overlap but there was a small margin.

The "Happy Accident": The plans lined up perfectly just putting the sheets side to side and top to bottom. Made alignment and joining so much easier. Perfect scale. The first test build from the PDF plans was a success.

Anyone else have a similar experience? Or, have a different technique (other than the one outlined by JEA)?

Be safe and have fun,
Tommy

 

[LordVader]

Glad to hear you are having such good success with Sketchup. I myself have not been so lucky, still trying to grasp it, but it's a work in progress I suppose. You don't have any issues with the lines becoming larger or anything. Hope to see some of your designs. Hope you have continued success.

 

[rcspaceflight]

I couldn't get Flattery to work with Sketchup 2014. But I re-added the 3D Rad plug in and that works. (I had to reinstall everything on my laptop so I lost my Sketchup 7 with working Flattery.) Point is, I'm not sure Flattery even works with Sketchup 2014. (Incase you're wondering, the 3D Rad plug in is so I can export Sketchup models into .x format to be used with RC Desk Pilot. It's how I made all of those FT planes for RC Desk Pilot.)

I need to try CutePDF because I know people strongly prefer a PDF over my PNG image files.

Oh, you asked how other people do it. I export a "2D Graphic" and I play with the export settings until I have the PNG image close. If you're wondering how I test to see if it's close, I open the PNG in (Windows 7) MS Paint and I have the rulers turned on in Paint and set to inches. I crop the plans down to my 20" by 30" sheets and use the rulers to see if they're close. I'm usually off by a hair, but when I have 3 sheets next to each other and MS Paint says it's 60.1" instead of 60", I mean, come on. That's close enough. And yes, that does require some trial and error but I've done it enough times that it only takes a few tries to get it close enough.

 

[LordVader]

I am glad to hear more and more people are able to catch on to Sketchup. Maybe there is hope for me yet, I just need to work at it some more. It is frustrating trying to make components and put it all together and take it all apart again. I just don't have enough patience.

 

[rcspaceflight]

I am glad to hear more and more people are able to catch on to Sketchup. Maybe there is hope for me yet, I just need to work at it some more. It is frustrating trying to make components and put it all together and take it all apart again. I just don't have enough patience.

I try to make each wall/face a group. It makes it a lot easier to move stuff around. I don't know if you noticed, but if you explode two groups that are laying on top of each other then Sketchup makes it one piece. If you try to move one, it's now attached to the other and weird things happen. Like a line will stretch and go along with what you're trying to more.

You can also draw on top of a group. So like when I add slots to a wall, I have the tabs a group and I explode the piece I'm adding slots to. I can draw directly on the tabs, but it'll only stick to where I want slots. If that makes sense. Also, copy and paste is your friend. I use that an absurd amount of times. I'll usually make every wall 3/16" thick, add the slots, copy the face of that wall, delete the hole thing, and then "Paste in Place". Then I'll re-pull the face to 3/16" thick. Then re-group it before moving on to the next piece.

Also, when I make my 3D model into plans, I always copy the entire thing, then explode the copy. Then I copy and paste each face and rotate it flat onto the floor. Again, making everything piece into a group helps a lot. Not a "component", but a group. I never use the components feature and I'm not even exactly sure what that does.

 

[TEAJR66]

Now I am stuck again. If I print from PDF the pages line up super easy. But, (there is always one of those, isn't there?) If there are any small pieces in the unprinted spaces, they just get left out. Sometimes it is part of a corner or maybe a reference mark. If I print from sketchup, nothing is left off, but the plans need to overlap and there are no cut or alignment marks.

I'm going back to research and see what else I need to be doing that I am forgetting. If I ever get this sorted, I will be ready to share plans.

Be safe and have fun,
Tommy

 

[TEAJR66]

Ok. I got that sorted. I can print from sketchup or PDF into a tiled format with nothing left off the plans and a little overlap of the paper. I am feeling much gooder about sharing plane designs.

Be safe and have fun,
Tommy

 

[Jase Te Ace]

There is a version of flattery that works with Sketchup 2014. You need to register to sketchucation.com to download it but that is a straight forward process.

 

[TEAJR66]

Thanks, I will check out that version. I have had pretty good luck so far just setting the axis along an unfold line and bringing things co-planar. My designs are pretty basic and could be designed rite on the foam board. I just like to tinker in Sketchup to proof the geometry and use it to get dimensions for the calculators.
Once I get a few of my designs tuned, I will share plans to some pretty simple planes. Easy to build and fly. Rite now it is hard because I am unable to fly for a while.