Anyone else using Synchro with their planning software?

Hey Tom,

I am using Synchro on one of my current projects. Google sketch up is good to use for simple buildings and structures but do you have access to any of the architects models?

When you create objects in sketchup you should try and separate each individual piece/activity. That way it will be easy to attach them to a schedule activity. Also, a good naming convention will help a ton.

#1 tip though is to make sure you have it installed on a kick ass system. A 5 year old laptop wont be able to handle it.

Mike

Hi Michael,

Don’t normally have access to architects models - quite often not produced for the schemes we look at. I have been importing DWG files showing floorplans or site layouts however, and they have helped a lot. Not sure if you could also easily import and include elevations or whether that could just confuse matters.

I am learning on sketchup ever time I use it, and picked up pretty quickly that you don’t actually create one single file for the job (wish I had realised this from day one...). I create a base file with some of the components, and then copy and "paste in place" to additional files. It would have been a big help if Synchro had communicated some of these tips to me when I originally bought the software. I realise they dont make sketchup, but they would sell significantly more copies of Synchro if a basic "how to" guide came with it.

Finding that my laptop can just about handle the sketchup models, but struggles with importing large DWG files (I’ve had a few crashes...)

Also very difficult to get your head around the strict need for grouping. I have had lots of frustration as lines and faces merged with oneanother.

Apart from Smustard, do you know any other sources for ruby plugins ? Currently using "makefaces", "delete short lines", "extend close lines" and "bomb all".

Hi Tom,

I have been using SketchUp for a while & the prospect of combining Synchro & SketchUp seems exciting.

I would like to explore further in this direction. Do you feel Synchro could be termed as compatible with SketchUp outputs?(I am using basic version of SketchUp & would soon move into Pro version) Basically, what are the design constraints associated with SketchUp? More than often, it’s to deal more with 2D drawings in the stage which I work. So, the SketchUp files are more skeletal than any detailed CAD file.

Any help in this regard would be appreciated.

Kind regards,

Rubas

Synchro is wholly compatible with sketchup. As for design constraints, if you have been using SU for a while then you will know better than me what the constraints are. Synchro just allows you to view your project being built - ie by inserting and removing sketchup files into the same view over a specified timeline. Basically blocks appear and disappear on command, to create a movie showing the physical changes on site.

If you view any SU gallery online (especially the ones that use rendering) you will be very impressed at the results. Some even look like photos...

Thanks Tom for the info.

I use a combination of Section Plane & Scenes to recreate the ’appear & disappear’ act in SU. If the result is combined with the time frame settings in Powerpoint, you can have an almost 4D effect :)

Of course, it’s quite time consuming & might be restricted to fewer activities.

Kind regards

Very inventive! That’s always the sign of a good planner !

synchro does the same but slicker and quicker