3D sketching the van layout, paper vs reality

So there it was, on a trailer. Our very own van. Now it was time to take some actual measurements to see if the 3D mock-up would stand the test.

Our first 3D mock-up of the Van

Since we only had basic measurement we ended up with a square box to play with all the elements. Now let me warn you here. A van is never a square box. But before we go into that let me take you through the drawing first. We need a bench for the kids of around 130cm, to have enough clearing to enter the van. Behind the bench will be the bathroom. It will be placed there so the light can enter the van from both the side and the back of the van. We want the option to have a shower if we decide to go on multi-month tours and live off the grid for longer stretches of time. The kitchen area will be on the opposite end of the shower, with lots of closet space above it. And finally, there will be 3x 175x55cm beds above the garage and a 190x120 "big bed" above the bed of the kids for me and Yvanka. We should be able to take out the big bed so you can use the bed of the kids as a sitting plateau or so we thought.

Real measurement mock-up

With the real measurement taken things started to look a little differently. The basic layout from mock-up 1 still works. The one thing we will change is the position of "our" bed which means stuff like the shower is moving up a little bit. We also put in a separate fridge because of the big amount of dead space left when moving the bathroom backwards. To create even more living space during the day the 175x55 bed rack closest to the kitchen can be removed and shoved under another rack, creating a bench to sit on instead of a big sitting floor we had for mock-up one. It also creates a bigger living area which is nice for cooking. The big bed is now in the front of the van and should be lift-able. This means there is enough space to stand and live in the van during the day. When it's time to go to sleep, all we have to do is lift the bed down. I like the fact that it's simpler and doesn't require a van rebuild every time you go into sleep mode.

The bed for Yvanka and me is not in this sketch for clarifying purposes :)

One more thing, software and learning 3D sketching

I did some 3D sketch in the past using SketchUp. If you are new to this, Greg Virgoe has a nice basic video on how you can use SketchUp which is van build specific so check it out on YouTube.