Sketchup Stage Design Tip

[spanky]

This may help too

[Graham Smith]

I'm going to start learning how to use Sketchup and have a couple of immediate questions.

The first is the simple one, my old printer needs replacing anyway so this seems like as good a reason as any. I don't have a color printer and really have no need of one for anything, but I wonder if printouts from programs like Sketchup and other stage diagram tools will look OK in B&W?

The second question is much harder to explain but it has to do with perspective. One thing that seems it would be particularly difficult to do in stage design is to figure out what the shooter will see. For example, if you place a no-shoot 3 feet in front of a target, how far to the left or right of the center line will the shooter have to be before they have a clear view of the entire A zone if they are standing 45 feet away. I can certainly set up two targets in the back yard and see for myself and I can probably graph it out, but it sure would be nice if Sketchup were accurate enough to use it to rough out the layout.

[lynn jones]

I'm going to start learning how to use Sketchup and have a couple of immediate questions.

The first is the simple one, my old printer needs replacing anyway so this seems like as good a reason as any. I don't have a color printer and really have no need of one for anything, but I wonder if printouts from programs like Sketchup and other stage diagram tools will look OK in B&W?

The second question is much harder to explain but it has to do with perspective. One thing that seems it would be particularly difficult to do in stage design is to figure out what the shooter will see. For example, if you place a no-shoot 3 feet in front of a target, how far to the left or right of the center line will the shooter have to be before they have a clear view of the entire A zone if they are standing 45 feet away. I can certainly set up two targets in the back yard and see for myself and I can probably graph it out, but it sure would be nice if Sketchup were accurate enough to use it to rough out the layout.

graham,

first, it will be really hard to buy a non-color printer(exept laser printer). if you do go with a b&w printer, make sure the ground and background is in a light color. that prints out better.

second, check out some of my models at the 3d warehouse. http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/search?q=godsmack&styp=m

i have put several shooter's view in them.

good luck.

[Jammer1911]

URGH!!!!! I am soo computer illiterate. Evertime i try to move my props they dissapear below grade. This is harder than just drawing them out.

[spanky]

URGH!!!!! I am soo computer illiterate. Evertime i try to move my props they dissapear below grade. This is harder than just drawing them out.

When you are dragging them, try to move only along the red or green axis.

[Skydiver]

For me, using parallel camera (instead of perspective) helps. The system doesn't mistake moves/drags as going the "wrong" way as much.

[adively]

For me, using parallel camera (instead of perspective) helps. The system doesn't mistake moves/drags as going the "wrong" way as much.

Skydiver, thank you for the tip. I was having the same problem as Jammer1911.

[lynn jones]

URGH!!!!! I am soo computer illiterate. Evertime i try to move my props they dissapear below grade. This is harder than just drawing them out.

try cut & paste

[Mark R]

Get the view point lower to the ground when you move a prop around. If your perspective is too high, the software doesn't know what you want...it tries to do what IT thinks you want. Also, don't try to move a prop in front or behind another...have clear view of source-target locations...else software will again try to be smarter than you and do something you won't expect.

Hope it helps.

Edit to add: Oh...and try to use a intersection point on the ground to start the move/copy with, then move it to another spot on the ground. If you just arbitrarily pick a beginning spot on the prop and it's, say waist high, and you move it to another location...the software may think you want to put that start point (waist hogh point) at ground level at the target location causing it to "sink" into the ground.

Edited February 24, 2011 by Mark R

[Graham Smith]

This may help too

It would help more if there were narration but...

You seem to be switching between two windows, is that two instances of the program running or is there some way to have two files open at the same time?

[heckle]

This may help too

It would help more if there were narration but...

You seem to be switching between two windows, is that two instances of the program running or is there some way to have two files open at the same time?

You can run two scketchup programs at once, I run one for props and one for the stage im designing. Windows 7 works awsome you can set both windows side by side and copy/paste from one to the other while still being able to see both.

[Jammer1911]

Thanks for all the advice. I'll try again this weekend. I'll ask more questions I am sure. I like the ability to move around though the stage and look for shoot through and traps. Great views.

[Don Springer]

There is a bit of a learning curve with Sketchup but if you just play with it for a while you'll start to get a feel for it. I love the fact that I can float around the stage and actually see what the shooter should see. It drove me nuts when I first started to use it but now I've figured out how to make it do what I want without really understanding why.

[JAFO]

Well, just when I was getting comfortable using PowerPoint for stage design, I go and discover this forum section. Guess I have a little downloading and learning to do.

[MarkCO]

Well, just when I was getting comfortable using PowerPoint for stage design, I go and discover this forum section. Guess I have a little downloading and learning to do.

It is not bad. I just downloaded it and did two stages this afternoon. Took about 2 hours. Now that I have it down, I think I could do a stage in 15 minutes or so.

[Maksim]

Is there a way to label the targets? such as Pp1, Pp2, etc?

[steel1212]

Is there a way to label the targets? such as Pp1, Pp2, etc?

There is but the only way I've been able to do it has been a PITA. I would have to open one back up and try it again but its something like labeling or lettering or something.

[Skydiver]

Tools.Text, or it's the toolbar button with the ABC in a "flag" toolbar icon. They are a PITA to use. From one view point, they look great, but when you change perspective, it all looks wrong.

We need somebody with some Ruby expertise to write an extension that automatically labels targets. I think what makes it look wrong is that Sketchup guesses wrong about what plane the text end of the arrow is suppose to be on.

Edited April 8, 2011 by Skydiver

[Maksim]

Got it... as long as from the front... shows up fairly fine.

thanks.

[Mark R]

I just export the stage to JPG format, insert it into Powerpoint for WSB description, etc. and use the text and arrows in powerpoint to label everything...much easier than the text in Sketchup.

[heckle]

When using 3D text fill in the text that you want and select "place" then drag it to the top of the target until it says "endpoint in group", it will take a little work to get the text to stand up and be above the target while still saying endpoint in group. Once you do this the text will stay with the target.

[Skydiver]

When using 3D text fill in the text that you want and select "place" then drag it to the top of the target until it says "endpoint in group", it will take a little work to get the text to stand up and be above the target while still saying endpoint in group. Once you do this the text will stay with the target.

But with the 3D text, how do you change perspective and still have the text follow the new camera position?

[heckle]

When using 3D text fill in the text that you want and select "place" then drag it to the top of the target until it says "endpoint in group", it will take a little work to get the text to stand up and be above the target while still saying endpoint in group. Once you do this the text will stay with the target.

But with the 3D text, how do you change perspective and still have the text follow the new camera position?

I dont think you can, the text stays with the target(component) once attached, you can rotate the text once attached to the component or rotate the target and the text together by rotating the target. I normally keep a somewhat head on perstective so this doesn't cause much of a problem.

[Mark R]

I've updated the Google Sketchup Template I use. I put the latest version dated 20 Nov 2011 in my collection on Google Warehouse (for anyone using the template). The new name is USPSA Stage Design Template under DVCMarkR collection.

The update adds a no-shoot between the top and bottom targets on a stacked target set...to prevent edge-hit scoring issues.

Also some new steel.

Enjoy!

[Skydiver]

I've updated the Google Sketchup Template I use. I put the latest version dated 20 Nov 2011 in my collection on Google Warehouse (for anyone using the template). The new name is USPSA Stage Design Template under DVCMarkR collection.

The update adds a no-shoot between the top and bottom targets on a stacked target set...to prevent edge-hit scoring issues.

Also some new steel.

Enjoy!

Didn't you just exchange one set of edge scoring hits for another set of edge scoring hits? Instead of getting a hit on an edge that scores points on two targets, now you'll get a hit on edge the scores points on one target, and and a penalty on the other one.