How to reduce the file size?

Hi,

I have just started using SketchUp Make to design my landscape.

I have started from scratch and downloaded some of the 3d models from 3D warehouse. I have few different layers.

The file I am working on is now getting larger and larger. Now it is 23MB. I purge any unused files, but still it is too large and has delays…

Is there any way I can make it smaller?

Thanks,

I installed ‘Cleanup’ by Thom Thom, and on large files it can take a while but does reduce the file size by deleting duplicate lines, faces etc

Thanks!

How would I install a plugin on make version? I dont have plugin window anywhere! Does it have to be pro?

I think you should still be able to install the ‘SketchUcation’ plugin and access it via that

Thank you for the hint. I installed SketchUcation and also installed Cleanup. But the thing is that I cannot see the new extension anywhere… sorry if this question is very simple… but how would I be able to see the plugin? I restarted the program, but the only additional toolbar is Extension manager.

Mine appears in the Extensions menu (using a Mac - not sure if same on Windows)

As it can be seen in below pictures, the cleanup is loaded, but it is not shown anywhere… not sure how to make it appear ?!

Not sure, but try looking in the ‘Extensions’ - ‘SketchUcation Extensions Manager’ & see if it’s disabled in that?

See the images of the menu (3rd image.):
http://extensions.sketchup.com/en/content/cleanup³

Close and restart SketchUp after installing.

You need the TT_Lib² installing too…
Restart SketchUp after the installations to ensure everything is fully synced.

Note that a glitch in v2016 means that if an Extension [which ought to install pre-activated] is added, then it initially arrives deactivated, and so it needs activating, but thereafter all is well and its status is remembered…

In the case of CleanUp³ it appears under the Extensions menu…
But remember that not all plugins appear in the Extensions menu, some appear in other menus or are context-menu driven or have a toolbar.

1 Like

Need to reduce the poly count. Can also reduce texture use and size of textures. Furthermore, you can reduce the oversll amount of models and/or use 2d models where applicable.

Forget about plugins at this stage of your modelling. You mention downloading things from the warehouse and that you are a landscape designer.
Huge alarm bells. You are downloading plants from the warehouse many of which are hugely over complicated and each tiny flower will bloat your model. Many Warehouse models are badly or inefficiently modeled. Look carefully at what you are downloading and what use it is to you.
There are many Face Me trees and shrubs that will work perfectly at a fraction of the file size of 3d trees.
Review and understand what you are using from elsewhere and you’ll quickly learn how much real geometry you need in your work.

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In addition to what @Box mentions, you could consider using “proxy” objects for your trees and shrubs until you are ready for a final render. That is, use a much simpler component instead of one of those geometry-heavy ones while you are building the model. Then replace it with whatever as the last step when you are all set for presentation.

Quite often we see cases where users have downloaded models from 3DWarehouse with very high details. Here is a simple script which will order such components from the largest to the smallest.

Sketchup.active_model.definitions.each { |definition|
next if definition.image?
polygons = 0
definition.entities.grep(Sketchup::Face) { |face|
polygons += face.mesh.count_polygons
}
puts “#{definition.name} , #{polygons} polygons , #{definition.count_used_instances}”
}

copy paste this result into xls or cvs, multiple polygons by instances and sort the result from largest to smallest OR use the following to get top few components

polycount=Hash.new

def polygons(definition)
polygonct=0
definition.entities.grep(Sketchup::Face) { |face| polygonct += face.mesh.count_polygons}
return polygonct*definition.count_used_instances
end

Sketchup.active_model.definitions.each { |definition|
next if definition.image?
polycount[definition.name]=polygons(definition)
}

p1=polycount.sort_by {|k,v| v}.reverse
p1[0…10]

So you can run this script to identify the components with large polycounts and then follow @Box, @slbaumgartner , and @Lopaka suggestions.

Funny… I suggested the same techniques.

1 Like

Interesting, so is a Face Me tree just a flat drawing of a tree that keeps turn to face the camera as you orbit around the rest of the model?

Pls, take notice of the checkbox in the Create Component dialog labeled “Always face camera”. And see the control’s description in section 7. below the image of the dialog.

1 Like

elham009
There are many excellent suggestion posted but, the question I always ask my self; Which problem do I attack first.?
I like to start with what is causing the largest MB use in my model and then go form there. Many of the models from the 3d ware house are bloated, my general approach is fist to look for materials ( especially photo image ). You can save the materials as a collection, it is saved as a skm file, and you can look at that file with the explorer and even find what size the various material contribute. That will only give you the total size so,you will have to change file extension to zip so you can look at details of the jpg and decide if changes are appropriate.
If possible it would help if you can post your model?

Thank you all for your detailed replies… Now I can see the Cleanup on extensions menu. It reduced the file size only 1 MB. I will try to understand and follow your comments in my design

Thank you " @Box" for the Face me objects! I am now replacing heavy 3D objects with these…

@slbaumgartner … Do I need to install a plugin for proxy? I am a bit confused as I cannot find Rp tools…Do I need to find any extension from “Extension Store”?

@mac7595 , thanks for the reply…I am replacing some of the 3d stuff I had downloaded with face me objects, but still the file size is the same or even more… That would be great if you ahve a look at my model, but how can I post it here?

Hi Yogesh…

Thank you for the code, I understand that you want to first find the heavy objects by this script and then replace them as other guys mentioned earlier… BUT I dont know where to paste it ? xls? Sorry I am a beginner and only have a week experience in Sketchup ! Can you explain it further?