[RE-wrenches] Proposal Sketching Tool/Software

Thu Jun 19 09:23:24 PDT 2014

I think he offers a free version of Instant Roofs that has reduced features
and fewer roof pitch options. I used to do it the old school way, and my
jaw hit the floor when I tried the plugin. It takes a bit of tinkering, but
once you understand how it works you can deal with varying beam heights,
gables, etc. It even does dutch gables and other less-common roof features.
Often you have to do dormers as a separate roof. No big deal... I did my
video on a home with to distinct roof sections that came together into one.

Jason Szumlanski

Fafco Solar

On Thu, Jun 19, 2014 at 10:02 AM, Daniel Young <dyoung at dovetailsolar.com>
wrote:

> Very nice Jason!
>
>
>
> I’ll certainly take a look at that plugin. I should mention the 2hr sketch
> was including the detailed roof measurements and placement of all the roof
> obstructions. I’m not as fast as you still, as the simple best case layout
> would still have taken me the better part of 45min to get it where I would
> want itJ
>
>
>
> Daniel Young,
>
> NABCEP Certified PV Installation ProfessionalTM: Cert #031508-90
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> *From:* RE-wrenches [mailto:re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org] *On
> Behalf Of *Jason Szumlanski
> *Sent:* Wednesday, June 18, 2014 7:47 AM
>
> *To:* RE-wrenches
> *Subject:* Re: [RE-wrenches] Proposal Sketching Tool/Software
>
>
>
> That's easy to talk through. We tell the prospect in advance that we make
> an initial assessment based on aerial imagery to show the maximum possible
> (trees can be cut usually, and plumbing can be moved). When we arrive, if
> there are any obstructions, we talk about that with the homeowner. It's
> really quite simple. No embarrassment.
>
>
>
> The opposite of what you describe is often the case - we assume that there
> is a serious shading issue, only to arrive and find out that tall trees
> have been cut since the images were taken. Some conversation at initial
> lead intake can reduce that possibility.
>
>
>
> Fortunately, around here we usually have pretty crisp and recent imagery
> so at least we know if there will be an obstruction in advance. Like you
> said, the location and height is hard to pinpoint on a drawing in advance.
>
>
>
> It's incredibly easy to revise the drawings according to what is
> discovered at the site visit. Usually we will will do an electronic
> presentation on an iPad, then revise the drawing if necessary before
> emailing the PDF to the homeowner.
>
>
>
>
>
> On Wed, Jun 18, 2014 at 4:20 AM, William Miller <william at millersolar.com>
> wrote:
>
> Jason:
>
>
>
> Very impressive.  Thanks for sharing.
>
>
>
> If you do your design from a satellite image, aren’t you afraid you might
> miss a plumbing vent or other obstruction, or the shade from a tree that
> you cannot judge the height of accurately?  One foot can make the
> difference of 3 modules on a 3 row install.  Is it embarrassing to sell the
> customer x number of modules and arrive to find out you can only fit <x?
>
>
>
> William
>
>
>
>
>
> [image: Gradient Cap_mini]
> Lic 773985
> millersolar.com <http://www.millersolar.com/>
> 805-438-5600
>
>
>
> *From:* RE-wrenches [mailto:re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org] *On
> Behalf Of *Jason Szumlanski
> *Sent:* Tuesday, June 17, 2014 2:17 PM
>
>
> *To:* RE-wrenches
> *Subject:* Re: [RE-wrenches] Proposal Sketching Tool/Software
>
>
>
> Rather than sharing individual presentation examples, I did a screen
> recording of preparing a model in Sketchup Pro and Layout from start to
> finish. This is me preparing a real presentation package that will be used
> tomorrow at an in-house presentation by a sales rep. I ignored roof
> obstructions in the interest of time, but you can see in the video that I
> completed a viable presentation package in 10 minutes showing the maximum
> PV possible on a roof. The magic happens at 2:25 when the Instant Roof
> script does it's work. Here is a link to the video:
>
>
>
> http://youtu.be/vs3ypUOe2_c
>
>
>
> This is not sped up. I did take some minor liberties in the interest of
> time - I would typically spend about 5 minutes extra making sure dimensions
> are as accurate as possible. This particular address didn't have the
> sharpest imagery from Google Earth, but it was passable. I'll be well
> within 1' on all roof dimensions based on my past experience, and a few
> measurements from the ground can confirm accuracy level. I used Bing Maps
> to estimate a roof pitch of 5:12, which is pretty typical of the
> neighborhood I know this house to be within. Google street view is not
> available in this gated community. I assumed an 18" eave, which I generally
> use as a generic dimension unless I know homes in a neighborhood to have
> different overhangs. This home had a raised entryway and a lower beam
> height for the garage, so it was not the easiest home to model, but far
> from the hardest. I took a few minutes to set up my rendering scenes and
> elevations because I am anticipating this actually being used eventually
> for construction and permitting docs in Layout, but that's totally
> optional. I skipped some minor steps in Layout, too, like changing the
> quantity of modules in the legend. I'll go back and clean things up before
> sending to the sales rep. I showed off some of the shading analysis
> capabilities, even though it wasn't necessary for this unshaded roof.
>
>
>
> You can see the mouse clicks, but what you don't see is my keyboard
> presses - I have shortcuts set up for most tools and actions to speed my
> workflow.
>
>
>
> Preparing models from PDF or DWF plans results in a mode every bit as
> accurate as AutoCAD. I use essentially the same techniques. That can really
> blow away a homeowner (and sometimes an architect).
>
>
>
> Hopefully that answers your questions about the viability of Sketchup for
> doing solar energy presentations!
>
>
>
>
>
> Jason Szumlanski
>
> Fafco Solar
>
>
>
>
>
>
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