Anyone used sketchup to do a retaining wall design? I’ve never used the program and was wondering on experiences before I begin to play with it.
I’ve built smaller 4′ max walls before without detailed plans (see attached), but will be building a two-tiered wall as my summer project. About a 7 foot rise to a 5 foot run. There will be a set of stairs and it will terminate into the hill where the slope becomes less steep.
The current 2 tiered pressure treated wall is failing badly. I will be replacing it with Unilock Pisa, geogrid reinforced.
Would sketchup allow me to enter stone dimensions and provide an approximate unit requirement for ordering purposes? I tried using the Risiwall program from Unilock, but it was gibberish (for me, anyway).
In addition to ordering approximations, I would like to use the sketchup drawing as a start to then make inquiries about engineered drawings/permit approval.
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Thanks.
Replies
I don't think it will do what you want it to do.
You would need to draw a block, make it a component, then assemble your wall within sketchup, then count your blocks manually.
It might be a good exercise for you to play with sketchup.
And as you say would give you a starting point for talking with an engineer.
Biggest benefit would be the practice you get playing with the program.
Thanks Bill, I appreciate the insight. Sounds like from the posts that I can do up the basic design, but it will still be tape measure and calculator after all.
>still be tape measure and calculator after all<
not necassarily.
If you can get accurate dimensions of the block you want to use, make them into components in SU. Any item in the model that is used repeatedly should be a component. to copy a component start moving it with the Move [M] tool and then hit the CTRL key. A duplicate will be made and ready for placing.
Another poster here did an ICF take-off this way and was able to accurately count the pieces he needed which was less than what the supplier said he needed.
Attached an example of some ICFs I modeled. Each one is a component and will be counted in the componet report.
Thanks again John.
You initially had to draw the ICF or were you able to import a drawing?
I can easily get the dimensions from the Unilock website.
I presume the program lets you rotate the component on a 3D scale?
Lots of questions, many of which will have to be answered by downloading the program and trying to use it.
I built those ICF components from the mfgs drawings. SU has a component library available for all to use and all to upload their creations. Some of the uploaded creations are accurate, others are junk so you got to be careful int aht repsect and verify whatever you DL. I prefer to make my own without looking at the SU 3d library so I can control the accuracy of the pieces.
Yes, you can spin, rotate, turn, flip, etc a component (or shape for that matter) any directon you care to.
I looked at the Pisa stone at their site yeserday and they're simple shapes. Not sure there's enough data there (at least what I saw, I'd like to know more about the taper on the tapered pieces) to build a component as accurate as I like, but it's a good start. The 3 basic shapes of stone there would take a beginner less than an hour to build as their 1st model. Advanced users of SU ought to be able to build them in less 10 minutes, more like 5. Once the pieces are made, it's no longer drawing but more like assembling.
As for questions once you get started in SU, ask away here as well as SU's forum, both places will get you good answers.
I tried it for our walls. The catch is you need the Pro version to get all the contour tools which is needed if your yard slopes slopes in more than one direction.
Thanks for the tip.
All the contouring you might need is in the free download.
View Image
"A stripe is just as real as a dadgummed flower."
Gene Davis 1920-1985
I used Excel to 'draw' mine when I was trying to figure it out.
Each cell adjusted to approximate the ht & width of the block.
(Excel doesn't want to let you use the same scale for ht & width, I am not sure why. I used a row ht of 16 and col width of 4 to approximate a block that was 8 inches high and 12 inches wide. It doesn't look perfect, but close enough)
For pricing comparison purposes, couldn't you approximate the sq footage of the existing wall, and calculate the number of blocks required to replicate that? (for example, if current wall is 80 feet long, and avg 4 ft tall = 320 sq ft. New block = 2/3 sq ft face. 320 divided by 2/3 = 480 blocks).
Thanks - the excel is a simple idea, had not thought of that. I guess I will be doing math after all.
The company from whom you buy the pavers will likely engineer and take it off for you. All you have to do is ask. Buy the pavers from a masonry supply company and you should be golden.
Really? When I've done smaller walls in the past, I would go to the stone yard with measurements and they would bang out some quantity numbers with the calculator.
Not perfect, but close enough to only require one or two trips for extra supplies.
I'll call them up and ask if they can do up engineered drawings as well.
Thanks.
It might be tough for you to do it the way you're wanting to, but if you know the face size of the block, you could easily find the surface area of your retaining wall drawing.
http://www.quittintime.com/ View Image
Thanks Grant.
If you use Components in SU that match what you'd use in real world (ie, 4x6x12) you could get a component report showing the quantities you used in the model but you have to basically stick build it.
Fro retaining walls, the basic contour is all you'd need, since I'd expect your footing/base row to be flat so you just need to figure where to stop going up in the model.
It will be slow going at first but for free you can get soemthing that will work for you. You also have to be determined to make the software work for you as you work it and not expect to sit back and expect it to do magic. There is very little automatic function in SU.
I use SU quite a bit to scratch out ideas all the way to laying out cut lists on ply to maximize the usage.
Thanks John.
It will be worthwhile to spend the time trying to use the program, as we do have extension ideas for the house in the future, so having some ideas drawn up will help when meeting with the GC.
Hand sketching may just turn out to be easier for the wall and for future plans, but we'll see. Summer will be over before we know it and I'd rather spend the time building than in front of a computer (8-5 in front of the screen is long enough for me).
Good to know about the Component report.TFB (Bill)
I might've mislead you a bit. Component Report (the term I was using) is a free Ruby Script plug-in I found at http://www.crai.archi.fr/RubyLibraryDepot/Ruby/RUBY_Library_Depot.htm and will create an Excel file for you. Lot's of other very cool puli-ins are there as well such as the Angular Dimension tool.
But you can still get the numbers you need without the plug-in (as long as you used components) via [Window] [Model Info] [Statistics] and mess around with your choices in the Stats window to see your numbers.