01 Denver ADU Tutorial: Tagging a Two-Story Model with ConDoc Tools
Tagging your SketchUp model correctly is essential for producing organized, professional construction drawings. In this walkthrough, you’ll learn how to apply the ConDoc tagging system—Level, Element, Location, and Condition—to a real two-story accessory dwelling unit (ADU) model. This example builds directly on the ConDoc Quick Start tutorials and demonstrates how to use ConDoc Tools in a practical design scenario.
Start with a Clean Model
Open it in SketchUp and confirm that no native SketchUp tags are applied.
All building elements should be groups—not nested groups.
Model at an eighth-inch level of detail. Walls should be represented by two planes. No trusses or interior framing details needed.
This is a real project submitted for permit in Denver. Though it wasn’t built, it’s fully developed and useful as a teaching file. You can download the full LayOut permit set here.
Load the Correct Drawing Set
Open ConDoc Tools and load the Architect Drawing Set.
Click Reset to generate the full tag structure.
Apply ELEMENT Tags
Click the ALL ELEMENTS OFF button to turn off visibility for all ELEMENT tags. Now, as you assign ELEMENT tags the entities will disappear. This is like a visual checklist of what needs to be tagged.
Assign tags by object type in any order you like:
- Walls, doors, windows
- Floors, roofs, stairs
- Fixtures (toilets, sinks, stoves)
- Trim (any small detail pieces on walls)
- Beams and columns
- Context, earth, barriers
Appliances can be tagged as Fixtures. There’s no need for a dedicated Appliances tag unless you're producing appliance-specific drawings.
Use Location Tags (Interior, Exterior, Site)
Turn off or isolate the Exterior tag to help you assign interior elements.
Tag surrounding objects like landscaping, fences, or driveways as Site.
Tag any exterior-facing elements such as siding, outdoor lights, and decks as Exterior.
Tag anything inside the building envelope as Interior.
You can assign multiple location tags to objects if needed. For example, a foundation slab might be both Interior and Exterior.
Define Levels in Project Setup
Click the Project Setup button.
Set the number of levels (in this case: two).
Use the Tape Measure Tool from the origin and constrain along the blue axis to find finished floor heights.
Level 1: 1' 2"
Level 2: 11' 2"
Click Save to generate level tags.
Select geometry by floor level and assign appropriate level tags. Trim elements that span both levels can be tagged to both.
Apply Condition Tags (New, Existing, Demolished)
Use this system even on new builds. It keeps your process consistent and scalable.
Tag everything you’re designing as New.
Tag existing site conditions—earth, trees, driveways—as Existing.
Use Demolished only if something will be removed.
Even if everything is new, tagging by Condition creates habits that scale well to renovation work.
Why Tagging Matters
Tags are what make ConDoc work.
They allow you to isolate geometry in scenes, stack viewports in LayOut, and create clear construction documents.
You can combine multiple tag types to drill down—Level 2 + Interior + Lights, for example.
You also avoid messy nesting and the native Tags panel. The Express Tools do all the heavy lifting with just a click or shortcut.
Next Step
Once tagging is complete, you're ready to run ConDoc Tools, generate scenes, and build your LayOut file.
Watch the next video in the series to walk through that process step by step.
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