Units of measure around the world.
In Australia we use primarily metric for everything. Some of the old tradies will still talk in feet and inches yet when ordering, specifying and constructing metric is the only way to communicate.
As you guys probably know we are about to release PlusSpec, it is a BIM add on for Sketchup that will save any Architect and builder and tradie a lot of time. We primarily made it for Australia yet the amount of emails and correspondence I am getting to my inbox from around the globe is some what overwhelming.
I understand how the US works as it is primarily imperial so we pretty much have that sorted now but from what I understand much of Europe have a bit of a hybrid system going. EG the cars speedometer reads in miles.
No doubt your wondering why it matters as Sketchup works in many imperial or metric yet we also added an element of units into the walls, and floors to reduce the amount of work that goes into BIM.
There are nominal sizes and actual that also cause a problems. EG 2*4 in the US is actually 1.5″*3.5″. Over in the land down under if we draw the plan in nominal sizes (100mm walls) the carpenters and builders get cranky as 90mm is the actual size of them wall and when they are setting out it does not take long to get a 50mm discrepancy. So nominal sizes are important here.
Why did I decide to create the plugin? I think that Revit and Archicad are far too expensive. They are hard to use and the file sizes are not portable without using drop box. With Sketchup I can email my plans and model all in one and we use it on a tablet. Having a drawing tool and a construction tool all in one is of great benefit to my building company, my clients and my carpenters. We call it BIM (building information modelling)
BIM is a great tool when it is automated as we have. For any of you Archicad or Revit guys you will know what I mean when it comes to attributing wall types and material types it can be some what cumbersome to say the least.
With PlusSpec everything has a name, everything has an attribute and everything has a layer. There is no need to make components and groups or nest components, there is no need to cut windows though several layers, it is all done for you in a simple to use toolbar inside of Sketchup.
The walls can move and adjoining walls will move with them.
The floors are components, the walls are components and the structural elements are present and can be turned on an off to suit the application. The roofing tool constructs multiple roof types yet it allows you to change pitch, roofing materials and gutters and roof types with a single click.
for me to be able to get it out to the rest of the world I would like a bit of feedback on how you guys use Sketchup for construction and construction drawing. I would like to know what country uses a combination of imperial and metric. If anyone could send me a drawing similar to the one at this link it would be fantastic.
No doubt there are many people using Sketchup for construction that would like a bill of quantities attached to a model and that is something that PlusSpec does very very well.
your help would be much appreciated.
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6 Comments
Andrew Dwight
Mario, this is coming, it would be great if you could send over the standard section sizes of Steel in Costa Rica, We will create them so they can be estimated.
Andrew Dwight
Sorry Mario, I am not sure what seis is?
Basically the user chooses what construction type or product they use. If it is not available you can use the BIM tool to attribute the custom product.`
Mario Cortés
In Costa Rica we need to be seis in structural frame And light fixtures. The programa seems great But do I need the beams and columns in steel or concrete
Richard Muller
Hi Andrew,
I can see what I can do, like to help. Construction types are changing here. The insulation standard has to be of of a higher level (norms) so the traditional construction are not good enough to get the new standard.
Andrew Dwight
Hi Richard it would be great to see a plan, model or detail so I can see if we are similar. It would also be good to know the most common types of construction. In Australia mass produced homes are mainly build with timber frame and then brick work on the outside ( brick veneer click here to see an example). The trend is changing yet more than 75% of homes are created this way. I see this construction method to be inefficient as the thermal mass is on the outside of the insulation yet our climate allows for this. Inside of PlusSpec there are 10 types of wall construction. Double brick, single brick, timber frame, weatherboard etc. All quantities are calculated on the wall type so it would be helpful to know your construction types.
When you have the plug in the walls have customisable materials, insulation, cavity size and lots more. We build on concrete and timber floors. These are also customisable according to material type and floor finish.
Windows are parametric so you can select a window style from a drop down menu, the windows can be dragged to suit your needs or a size can be typed in the VCB. The software remembers the last command or will work off the wall input to make everything run smoother. The windows, walls and roofs can be changed in style, glass type, colour, material and many more options are available.
Once we have a firm grip on the countries standard building types we can then release in that country. It is also handy to know who are your main suppliers of material as we can add brands to the materials if that is off assistance? In Australia we actually add the actual texture, brand weight, insulation properties and much more. It would be great to have this data from every country as now Sketchup can be used for so much more than just drawing and PlusSpec just for a bill of materials and a job schedule.
Richard this is just the beginning.. once we release we will continue to improve PlusSpec and it is my goal to improve the way we do things in our industry and I would like to extend this functionality all the way around the world… Help from the Netherlands and the design and build community will be a big step to allow me to release earlier.
Richard Muller
Hi Andrew,
In the Netherlands we use metric (all dimensions in millimeters). Do you have already feedback from the Netherlands? I can send you 2D construction drawings if you like. Can’t wait to get my hands on Plusspec …
Greetings, Richard