Get help from freelance architects easily
Mark Gregory is a freelance architect from Australia. He is very eager to help small architectural practices for managing the workload so that they can spend most of their time in their actual work. He is involved in various kinds of high-end practices, complete schematic design, design development, and drawing of construction documentation.
Mark Gregory fined a lot of small practices struggles. Many times, these small practitioners have a lot of work than their ability to work. Many times, freelancer architects do not have enough money for affording an experienced architect on a full-time salary. Most of the small companies don’t have much time for spending training and checking the work of an inexperienced graduate. That’s why these companies’ freelance architect is a very good solution.
Nowadays to these companies freelancing is a good option because they have to pay for their need and they don’t need for providing expensive office space or software subscriptions. Mark Gregory has a lot of experience in the industry and huge knowledge of construction and detailing. Mark Gregory is able to solve any type of design problem.
The software chosen by Mark Gregory
Mark Gregory always prefers SketchUp for 3D-based modeling work. He also uses SketchUp Layout to create 2D-based drawings. He has many clients who use Vectorworks, Revit, and ArchiCAD. So, this is a very simple method for him to collaborate with his clients. He mainly exports their files in DWG format and after that, he finishes the drawing in AutoCAD or SketchUp and Layout.
Reason behind choosing SketchUp and Layout
Mark Gregory used SketchUp for many years as a 3D-based modeling package. With SketchUp, he explored quickly many ideas before moving into AutoCAD and 2D drawing. For Mark Gregory Layout turns SketchUp into completely different software. Mark Gregory likes to call that BIM Light. He has not to throw early design models and is able to continue developing them by using the same software package. After that by using Layout, he made a perfect 2D-based drawing from 3D based model directly.
According to Mark Gregory the biggest advantage of it is changing the management. He has spent a lot of time producing 2D-based drawings in AutoCAD. To track all the changes across several 2D-based drawings coordinate the changes is very tiring sometimes. As SketchUp and Layout are linked and because of the fast-modeling process in SketchUp Mark Gregory has saved much time and money for his clients.
Generally, clients don’t have any problems using SketchUp and Layout for the projects. A good advantage of Layout is that it is very flexible. After getting the sample file from the client’s Mark Gregory can easily meet the standard by doing some simple customization. According to Mark Gregory it is also a very simple method to export files to DWG from Layout.
Misconceptions about SketchUp and Layout
Many architects in Australia don’t even know that Layout software exists in the architecture field so they don’t appreciate the advantages of SketchUp and Layout. A friend of Mark Gregory once showed him some examples of his layout drawing and usage of SketchUp for producing them.
Change people’s vision toward SketchUp
After Mark Gregory narrated the advantages and work examples using SketchUp and Layout, his clients convert to SketchUp and Layout immediately. Many clients are frustrated because of Revit or 2D-based AutoCAD and wanted to try BIM once in life. But usage of BIM is very expensive for them. But now many of them use SketchUp partially with Layout and it is less expensive to them.
Advice for architects
According to Mark Gregory there is a difference between the freelance architect and freelance CAD technician. If they employ a freelance architect then they have more capacities to solve problems and provide solutions. It is also less risky because these small companies don’t have to pay a full-time architect. If the freelancer is not suitable for work then it also is easy to release him from the freelancing projects.
