Process Plant Design - Google SketchUp Workshop: Modeling, Visualizing, and Illustrating - page 119

LayOut is not a well-understood program. Use of LayOut greatly changes the
uses and benefits of all SketchUp models. It allows these models to be used
in the creation of construction documents. For most design professionals, the
two programs can replace existing CAD use.
Step 1: Modeling the Existing Conditions
Goal : To create a model of the existing conditions or facility.
Inputs : 2D drawings of existing facility in CAD or scans, photographs, and
site survey information.
Tool : SketchUp 7.1.
We start with the creation of a model of the existing conditions/facility. This
facility consists of concrete/steel structures and process equipment. Generally,
there are drawings of original structures and equipment, and major additions.
These never form an up-to-date set of drawings that reflects the true state of
a facility. We gather paper drawings, CAD files, electronic scans of the original
drawing, and photograph and field survey the existing facilities.
From the existing drawings, files, and field measurements, we produce a model
of existing conditions. We use many different techniques to create this model,
depending on the type, quality, and complexity of the information and objects
to be modeled. In general, we create the existing plant model by modeling
the gathered information, which is imported into a SketchUp file. We import
both CAD files and scanned drawings. These imports are used as references for
creating the model. The most common use of these imports is just to provide
dimensional references in one plane. We also construct virtual 3D drawings
models from the 2D drawings set at the appropriate elevations and locations.
Then we can model more complicated structures and equipment.
FiG 7.1 Arranging 2D imported CAD
files in 3D space to create equipment
models.