When modeling the roof you want to only model the overall construction of the roof and not try to design the specifics. That will come in later. Model everything in the roof construction minus the tiles/shingles as they are not necessary for this step and will only get in the way. But add a shingle texture after for presentation.

If the roof is very complex or you are on a tight schedule don't worry about the roof segments intercepting each other. This stage of the design it doesn't matter any interior interceptions because all you need for this are the exterior elevations and if you make it too complicated it will make it more difficult to change it in the future.

The key is to keep it as simple as possible to make future changes go faster and with less time-consuming problems.

Make very rough estimations for the roof then clean them up before sending it to Layout for elevation and renderings.

For making decks and patios you want to bring your building back into the terrain model to reference it and decide how to go about creating them as it plays a huge part in placement and size. Like modeling the rest of the house only design the outer frame of the deck and not the finishes on top.

Making windows you only want to create a simple rectangle cut out and apply a glass texture to it or if you already have a window model you can bring that in but only do it if it's already cut to size. Don't spend too much time getting the exact framing of the windows and focus more on the whole shape.

Doors are slightly different. You want to cut out the size for a generic door and then model the approximate thickness of the door and rotate it in the middle of where it would swing. For example, if your front door swings inward when opened you would have it on a 45-degree angle inside the house and etc.

For doors, you want to be more precise and get the trim done (nothing fancy just a simple rectangular shape around the door) to emphasize the size

Once the site plan is complete with camera views for elevations and perspective scenes, its ready to start modeling the building.

Working with your client you can setup the floor plan, doing this either on paper or in a blank SketchUp file. This is to get the general layout of the building and location of each room. Then refine it on your own and clean it up.

Next go into your site plan and create a large plane (enough to fit all the setback lines within) and start sectioning the rooms off of that with a single line to divide them and adding no detail to it.

Make sure the building is within the setback and property lines and make the thickness of the floor. To set the thickness of the floor you want to find the complete width of the supports of the floor not including the finish, such as wood or tiling.

If the terrain is a lot higher in one area than another for a room you can select that separately and lift or lower it accordingly. 

Once you have your outline of the building you want to extract that and put it into another file to work within. If not the layers could get mixed and messed up. Then bring the building model back into the terrain file as a component and just update it when needed.

When copying it out you must copy the property line with it and copy from the origin and paste to the origin in the new file.

Once you have your 3D terrain you can then use a tool called drape. This allows you to drape certain objects from the layers onto the 3D terrain. Select the layer you want to drape and select the terrain then click the drape tool.

Trees, using fully realistic 3D trees can look amazing but slow down the program a whole lot. However 2D trees may not show enough detail and won't look right from an overhead viewport. So you want a hybrid of these two. Basic 2D planes but several of them to make it look 3D.

Placement of trees should be easy now that you have draped on the tree's locations.

When draping items onto the terrain such as the road and boundary lines that you may want to texture you want to make sure that they are fully closed entities. So that when its draped it will remain closed, and so allows you to texture it.

Once tweaking the terrain a bit until it's satisfactory you can then create viewports for Layout. Change your viewpoint to have it completely flat. Next, go to the overhead view of your model and hold shift+z then hide all layers except the ones you wish to include in Layout. Add styles as needed and do this for each layer.

Once you have each layer defined with the survey you want to set the north compass to the green axes. Next, you want to import the google earth texture to compare and add to your site.

Import the geolocation of your site from google earth which has a tool specifically for that in SketchUp. You don't want the 3D terrain for the time being so you can just hide that temporarily.

Make sure you set the green axes to north on the geolocated texture. 

To find the exact direction of North you can use the coordinates from the survey and then work off of the predefined lines in the site survey. 

If your site survey has a north direction other than the green axes and it is important for you to have accurate shadows you need to do these steps.

You will need to clear the shadows setting from the scenes bar so that they can be reconfigured. Using the solar north plugin. Adjust your compass from the site plan and rotate the image to match the green axes. 

Next, you can review your geolocated texture and the site plan and manually add in other objects that you wish.

Optimizing contour lines. SketchUp has a built-in tool that allows you to create terrain from contour lines. This is optional but will create more perspective while designing and will give you more ideas for the building. You want to create more than enough contour lines so that you will have space enough for your building and for Layout documentation.

Since you are drawing more terrain than needed you don't need to be precise. So this means you can manually draw them out with the freehand tool.

Now use the sandbox, from contours tool and elevate it into a 3D object

To start modeling you want to import your site survey.

Having a bunch of different layers for the site is good for the organization.

Default layer - Default layer that should always be active

Google earth - Layers will contain images and terrain from google earth

building model - Building model to be placed in the site

object layers - Objects such as terrain, trees, and rocks

Special Layers - Property lines,  setbacks, and easements

Importing CAD site survey, Before opening the DWG file into SketchUp it is best to first open it in CAD to do some cleanup to the file.SketchUp will automatically delete things like dimensions, text, hatching, etc. Once it is imported into SketchUp you will want to do some cleanup and start to assign layers. 

Before you begin organizing the imported CAD, its best to make each layer have its lines show the same color that the layer is set to. pg-64-65

Once you assign everything to each layer you then want to purge the model. This essentially removes all objects that are not assigned to layers as well as layers that have nothing assigned to them. This likely won't remove all the entities you want to get rid of so you have to manually go through and delete objects you wish to remove.

Creating a site plan before modeling your design ideas is ideal to capture the terrain, sun exposure, and wind to optimize the best building located on the site.

Predesign information, the location of tree's other structural buildings in lots nearby is important to the design phase. 

Find out what is important to the client to then incorporate their thoughts into your design.

The existing site is will play a very large part in the designing of the building.

Typically you would hire a site surveyor to provide you with a CAD file of the site for you to work off of.

The site survey should include

Property Lines - This would define the line of the property for you to design within

Property setbacks - There are certain restrictions for building on most sites that require a certain distance from things like roads and other properties.

Site contours - This defines the terrain where it rises and falls.

Roads - Knowing the location of the road is important for setting the location of the driveway and garage. 

Utilities - Pipelines such as water and sewage for designing is important to keep needless extra work from occurring.

Adjacent buildings - You need to know the location of nearby buildings to see how this affects your project. 

Trees - Trees and other vegetation are important for either removal or preservation of them during the construction phase.

Views - Waterfall's, mountains or other scenery is important to note for the placement of windows and outdoor features.

Compass - The site survey should have a compass facing north to define the direction of the site.

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Client Program

One of the most important pieces of information is to find out the expectations and requirements of the project are. Things like family size, lifestyle, accessibility, style preference, business needs, room sizes and building size are all things that should be discussed with the client beforehand.

Starting a new project. The first step to starting a new project is to create a project folder and have templates to work off of.

Setting up an automatic backup file saver is very important.

Title Blocks. After making a copy of the template files you can start adding info to the title block such as client info and dates. Copy this to each file template for this project.

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My current computer setup is a in a corner with very little workspace for other projects. So I decided to design a new one that will fit in my current place that will optimize the space and provide me with the best arrangement.

I have a computer desk setup with my two monitors on it and the desktop computer on the ground below the desk. While designing it I realized I could add more features like shelving and a side bar for personal projects. 

Trying to keep down the cost I decided to design it with 2x4 and pallet wood boards (cleaned up of course) for the top of the desk. Eventually I came up with this design:

The next step is to separate it all into different sections to make it easier to build afterward. This consisted of taking each 2x4 and grouping them with other ones into smaller sections like this:

To then organize the project and create a stable foundation for the workspace. I was considering adding a backing to the frame but decided against it in case I decide to add onto it. Each section would be built separately and then put together all at once before making sure each piece fits in its correct place.

I was originally going to have 6 2x4's as legs but ended up doing 12 and having each connected to each other for a more secure standing.

I have yet to build this and will probably make more changes as I start the project.

Working through the book SketchUp & Layout for Architecture by Matt Donley and documenting what I am learning.

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Organization

While designing in SketchUp its important to organize your model. Doing this in the fashion of making groups and components as well as layers is really helpful.

Organizing is very important. Using layers is really helpful in modeling. You can create groups and components from objects and then assign those to layers and then toggle the visibility of those layers for ease of designing. Keeping track of each layer is key. For naming layers, you can use letter acronyms. Such as: 

• Location layers: LO etc. so for the first floor you would put LO_1ST-FLOOR signifying the first floor. You would do the same for each level such as the basement, first floor, second, and roof.
• Other things such as walls, doors, and furniture you would have Object Layers, OB, so for a cabinet you would put OB_CABINET. 
• Then you would have layers for anything other than location and objects. This you would title SP, special layers. So for let's say a 2D look, you would put SP_2D and so on.

Designing Phases

While designing a home or building you will go through a few different phases:

• Schematic Design Phase, in this stage you are working with the client designing the home, placing the rooms and general layout of the house.
• Design Development Phase, this stage is designing the house with detail and finishing it up for rendering and documentation. Finishing up the main design of the house and set it in concrete.
• Construction Documentation Phase, in this stage, you are cleaning up the model and documenting it with Layout and preparing to send it to the contractors.

• Throughout modeling in SketchUp using shortcuts can speed up things and be more helpful than finding the tool you need. We will start by opening the shortcuts tab. Go to Window->Preferences this will bring up this tab: 

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• Select the Shortcuts tab from the side list of tabs. This will update the tab so that looks like this:

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• You cannot use numbers as a preset. The reason you cannot set keyboard shortcuts to numbers because it would interfere with the measurements when modeling. You also can't use shortcuts that SketchUp has set aside for other tools. You can, however, change those in the shortcuts tab.
• To add shortcuts simply search in the filter bar of the Shortcuts tab for the tool you wish to add a shortcut. To the left of the tab type the key you wish to use as a shortcut in the Add Shortcut box:

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•  Then select the + icon and this will add the shortcut to the Assigned box:

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• This, signifying that it has already been assigned a shortcut.
• You can search for any tool in SketchUp and add a shortcut. The most common and most used tools will already have a shortcut assigned to them but you can change it by adding a new one in the box above.

• Getting started toolset, These are the tools you will start out with when launching SketchUp and are very important to know before starting to 3D model an object. We will start by adding the view toolbar (if they are not already activated), View->Toolbars, then select the Getting Started box. This will bring up a tab that looks like this:

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• Selection tool, this tool is used to select objects, lines, and faces. To use select the icon and left click the object you want to select. Or hit your spacebar on your keyboard for a keyboard shortcut. Icon:
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• Eraser tool, this allows you to erase lines, components, and groups with ease. To use select the eraser icon from your toolbar and hold left click over the lines you wish to remove. Icon:

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• Pencil tool, this tool allows you to create line segments from point a to point b. To use select the tool and hold left click and drag until you get the length you want. Or left click once to start the line and left click again to finish it, then click escape if you are not going to continue the line segment.  Icon:
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• Freehand, (found in the dropdown from pencil tool) this tool allows you to draw freehand, it is very hard to work with and I would not suggest it if you are trying to be accurate. To use select the tool from the toolbar or hit "L" on your keyboard and hold left click and drag. Icon:
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• Two point arc, (Found in the dropdown from arc tool) this tool allows you to create an arc from two points and then lifting up the arc. To use select tool and left click two points in your model then lift up to the desired height. Icon:



• Three-point arc, (Found in the dropdown from arc tool) this tool allows you to create arcs from the midpoint then creating a partial or full circle. To use select tool and left click to place the midpoint of the arc, then pull out to create the radius of the circle. Now simply pull mouse and left click when you have the satisfactory arc. Icon:



• 3 Point circumference, (Found in the dropdown from arc tool) this tool allows you to create a circle from two points then will bulge out the arc. To use select two points in your model and drag out until you get the desired arc. Icon:



• Closed arc from a center, (Found in the dropdown from arc tool) this tool allows you to create a closed arc from the midpoint. To use select tool and left click once to create the midpoint, then select another point to create the radius, next select another point to determine the how much of the circle you are going to use. Icon:



• Rectangle tool, (Found in the dropdown from the rectangle tool) this tool allows you to create rectangles/squares. To use select the tool and left click once where you want to start the corner of the rectangle and left click in another location to finish the rectangle. Icon:



• Rectangle face, (Found in the dropdown from rectangle tool) this tool allows you to make a rectangle from three points rather than two and can be more accurate. To use select tool and left click to start then left click again up or down from your starting point to make the length/width and finally finish the rectangle by going the opposite direction from the second point. Icon:



• Circle, (Found in the dropdown from the rectangle tool) this tool allows you to create a 2D circle. To use select tool and left click to create the mid-point for the circle, then select another point to finish the circle. Icon:



• Polygon, (Found in the dropdown from the rectangle tool) this tool allows you to create any sort of polygon you want. To use select tool and type in the number of faces you want for your polygon and click enter. Next left click to create the mid-point for the polygon and select another point to finish the polygon. Icon:



• Push-Pull tool, this tool let you make 3D objects from 2D faces, for instance, you can pull up a rectangle and make it into a 3D one. To use, select the push-pull tool from your toolbar, or press "p" on your keyboard for a shortcut, and select the face you wish to extrude. Then drag your mouse and click again to finish. Push-pull icon:

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• Offset tool, this tool allows you to offset 2D faces, for instance, if you want to create a square inside of another square you can do this very easily. To use select the offset tool from your toolbar, next select your 2D face and move your mouse in or out to offset the border, or type the angle you want. Offset icon:

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• Move tool, this tool allows you to move objects in any axes of your workspace. To use select the move icon, or press "m" on your keyboard for a shortcut, and select your object, then move your mouse to where you wish to place it. Icon:

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• Rotate Tool, this tool allows you to rotate objects quickly and easily. To use select the rotate tool from your toolbar and select the objects you wish to rotate. If you want to rotate 90d you can start the rotation and then type in "90" and hit enter. Rotate Icon:

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• Scale tool, this tool allows you to scale objects to make them larger or smaller. To use select the objects you wish to enlarge or decrease and select the scale tool from the toolbar. Select one of the yellow boxes that will appear around your model and move your mouse out or in to scale your model. Scale icon:

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• Measuring tape, this tool allows you to create dotted construction lines along your model to then use as a pattern to draw lines. To use, select the tool from the toolbar and left click once on a line segment to start the construction line, then select another point/line segment to finish it. Icon:



• Text string, this tool allows you to add notes to your model that has a line segment from what you attach it to with a note box at the end. To use, select the tool from the toolbar and hold right click from a point you want to add a note to. To change the text box double tap left click and this will let you change the note. Icon:



• Paint bucket, this tool allows you to texture objects in your model. This will give you perspective and speed up the designing aspect of your model. To use, select the paint bucket icon from the toolbar and it should open up a tab on the left side of your workspace titled "Materials":

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•  You can select preset materials from the dropdown or upload your own. To upload your own select the icon: 

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• This will bring up another tab entitled "Create material..." you can edit textures here too. To upload your own textures select the folder icon: 
  

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• Next, select your filetype. Once uploaded, you have several options. You can set the size of the image texture as well as the Opacity, color, and basic patterns. Select OK when finished. Another option you have is to pick color tool, this will allow you to select pre-existing texture colors in your model. To use, select the dropper icon and select a face. Dropper Icon location:

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•  To paint your objects select the texture you wish to use and right click the faces you want to texture. Bucket Icon: 

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• The most common is the orbit tool. To use hold your middle mouse button down and slide mouse around to get different perspectives of your model. Or select orbit icon from the view tab and hold and drag left mouse button to move perspective. Icon:



• Panning tool, the panning tool is to move across the view face in a left, right, up down way. To use this tool hold shift+middle button and slide mouse across the screen. Or select the hand icon from the view tab and hold left click and drag to move your perspective.  Icon:



• Zoom, the zoom tool is to get a close-up or zoom out of a model. To use, scroll middle mouse button forward and backward to zoom in and out of your model. Or select icon from view tab and drag left mouse button up and down to zoom in and out. Icon:



• Zoom fit, this tool allows you to zoom out until the model fits your perspective screen. To use, select tool from the toolbar and will bring the perspective to see everything in your model. Icon:



• Open Warehouse, this will bring up another tab called the warehouse, you can find models that other people have uploaded by using the keyword search at the top. To import models, select the model you want and select the red download button at the bottom. Open warehouse icon:

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• Extension warehouse, this allows you to download extensions other people have made for SketchUp, such as exporting to certain file types that SketchUp doesn't normally do. This speeds up the process of doing menial tasks as well as creating something that isn't even in SketchUp naturally. To use, select the extension warehouse tool from the toolbar and it will bring up the extension warehouse tab:

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• Search the extension you wish to add. Then press the download button to upload it to SketchUp. Extension warehouse icon:

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• Send to layout, this tool allows you to send your current model to layout for further documentation. To use simply select the send to layout tool from the toolbar and this will open layout with your model already imported. Icon:

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• Extension manager, this allows you to view your current plugins installed and managing them such as removing and updating. To use select the extension manager tool from the toolbar and this will bring up a tab showing the current extensions installed. Icon:

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