How do you deal with hidden or partially hidden targets in Sketchup?

[bbbean]

I'm still getting comfortable with sketchup, but I'm not sure how to deal with partially or completely hidden targets. How do you design the stage realistically wrt to sight lines and still have a printout that's useful to someone who doesn't already know what you intended?

For instance, in this stage, there's a no-shoot hidden by the stacked barrels on the left and the barrels to the rear and back are intended to partially obscure the targets behind them. When I draw everything where it should be, it looks great in sketchup, but isn't necessarily clear when I export in 2D.

Suggestions?

Edited January 27, 2011 by bbbean

[Corey]

you may be able take the 2d picture from a different angle (higher maybe) to show more of whats behind some props. worst case scenario, dont show the no-shoot on your sketchup design. let people find it when they do the stage walk-thru

stage layouts are rarely dead-on with what the actual stage turns out to look like anyway. I had a great stage on paper for the last club match at my local range but things got changed slitghly when we actually built it. turned out to be better in teh bay than on paper anyway, so it all worked out.

use sketchup for the general stage ideas, then tweak as necessary on match day.

[Skydiver]

Instead of a front/top view, I sometimes choose an isometric view. (Also try switching from perspective to parallel projection.) Sometimes, I'll "cheat" the isometric view some more so that instead of the standard 45-45 view it'll be more of a 30-60 view, or even more extreme to show some key detail.

Another approach is to edit the materials of the offending objects and change the transparency values. I'm not always successful with this since I'm still trying to figure out how materials and colors all interact.

Attached is a cheated isometric view of a crazy stage I designed where the point was for walls to obstruct most of the views, and the way around them is use the rope Rhodesian wall style.

[bbbean]

Instead of a front/top view, I sometimes choose an isometric view. (Also try switching from perspective to parallel projection.) Sometimes, I'll "cheat" the isometric view some more so that instead of the standard 45-45 view it'll be more of a 30-60 view, or even more extreme to show some key detail.

Another approach is to edit the materials of the offending objects and change the transparency values. I'm not always successful with this since I'm still trying to figure out how materials and colors all interact.

Attached is a cheated isometric view of a crazy stage I designed where the point was for walls to obstruct most of the views, and the way around them is use the rope Rhodesian wall style.

Thanks. That gives me some ideas.

BTW - I really like the half-bat targets!

[Skydiver]

BTW - I really like the half-bat targets!

It looks like your stage is already almost setup to do the same thing. Just move those upside down targets so that the right side up targets overlap them. (You may have to move the right side up targets forward 1/16 of an inch in Sketchup to get the right effect.) No need to even break out the black paint and tape. :-)

[Morphire]

Multiple views helps. Take a top down view without perspective and possibly another with the camera in front but very high up. Combine those with a nice isometric and you can manage getting the point across to those that are setting up the stage.

[Mark R]

Barry, I try to adjust my 2D view around to another vantage point, but sometimes I can't get all the targets in...so I just export the stage to 2D drawing and after I import it into my stage description software (MS Powerpoint) I add arrows and text to show where targets are. See attached.

The transparency change may work too.

Edited January 28, 2011 by Mark R