Building in Four Dimensions! - Google SketchUp Workshop: Modeling, Visualizing, and Illustrating - page 103

Thanks to the temporal navigation, these elements are sometimes shown
and sometimes hidden and their color can change according to the situa-
tion. Basically, the user determines the material or the color of each element
according to its type of activity and its status. For example, a shuttered con-
crete construction could be colored red while it is being poured and textured
gray once it has cured and set.
The basic data unit in these studies is the xD Object. They can be created
locally within SketchUp (xD Virtual Builder Light) or, for example, can be linked
directly to a schedule generated in MS Project (xD Virtual Builder Classic).
If a project date slips, this shows up directly in the 4D model, and the
consequences for the rest of the project become immediately apparent.
In addition, modifications can be made to xD Objects via an interactive
xD window. This allows for the selection, modification, and deletion of all the
xD Objects. It also gives access to a complete series of related functions.
These 4D models are, essentially, classic SketchUp models, but they also
include all the elements that take part in the construction process: cranes, site
access, site closure, and all symbol designations like text labels, etc.
Any version of SketchUp above version 6 (free as well as Pro) can create
4D models. Once the model has been created, we generate all the representa-
tive scenes based on a list of key dates. These scenes can then be printed out,
or an animation can be made from them.
Techniques Used
As explained earlier, Google SketchUp plays a central role in the creation of
4D models, and all of SketchUp's basic toolset can be used for their creation.
Any type of SketchUp element can be used, from simple lines to 3D solids,
text, scanned images, etc. Library files such as components and groups
can also be used. Working with groups is always recommended because it
makes management simpler when dealing with more complex phases of the
project and, at the same time, keeps the performance of the program snappy.
Assigning these groups to layers is not necessary at the beginning of the
modeling stage. This can be done later while you are working with the model.
The xD Virtual Builder Light plug-in for SketchUp entirely functions independ-
ent of third-party software packages. The xD Objects are created in applica-
tions, and these data are also saved in the SketchUp model. The xD Virtual
Builder Light plug-in works on both PC and Mac.
The xD Virtual Builder Classic module is a more complete implementation, in
which all the data can be tracked via a relational database, and so it is more
transparent to the end user. With this application, any existing project man-
agement material—like MS Project files—is also dynamically linked, which
means that all the changes are immediately reflected directly within the
4D model. This plug-in runs only on the PC.