The ∞ SketchUp Wish List

I wasn’t intending any criticism, just throwing in my thoughts about taking time to understand.

ack´ed ggg

The following 2018 requests relate to Mac OS SketchUp Pro / Layout:

  1. Reverse/inverted scrolling in Layout. The lack of this feature in Layout 2017 makes the inclusion of it in SU2017 pointless.

  2. The ability to move from an external screen (desktop monitor plugged into a laptop) to the laptop screen of a different resolution without having to reposition every single extension toolbar. This process is infuriating.

6 Likes

Some kind of scene manager please. Layout is still not clever enough (why?) to remember combinations of scenes formed in the viewport which means that a scene needs to be created for virtually every view for it to be displayed reliably. This leads to very large number of scenes in sketch-up and painful headache! a bit of consideration please for the people who push your software to the extreme.

suggestion some kind of folder structure obtained by dragging one scene over another (like in iOS folders)- thank you.

Hopefully one doesn’t need to wait another year for this :slight_smile:

3 Likes

Proper X-refs.
We are an Architecture office of 18, looking at Sketuchup and Layout as an end solution for design and documentation, in competition to Revit and Archicad.
We currently use Sketchup at the start of design and move to Autocad later.
The key and serious impediment to adoption of SU LO is how a team can collaborate on a building at the same time.
Autocad has x-ref functionality which allows all team members visibility of other team members’ work.
We have not found a way to approximate this in SU LO.
Using ‘sub-models’ and inserting them into a ‘master model’ requires tedious purging of building elements from each sub-model every time an update needs to be communicated. The more people on the job, the more unworkable it becomes.
It is ironic that Trimble Connect is all about collaboration between other consultants, yet within SU collaboration does not seem workable.

8 Likes

Similar to above, I want to get my numerous scenes under control. I suggest grouping scenes that share prefixes like this:

Discussed in more depth here: Managing scenes in SU - #7 by TommyK

It’s not a huge thing to ask, but would really help!

10 Likes

I experimented with creating a plugin along these lines called TeamEdit. It may do what you need, although I wouldn’t call it a finished product. I heard the guys at Skalp also made a similar plugin for their own internal use (but better).

I no longer maintain it, due to lack of interest. Find out more here:
http://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=323&t=59961

TEMPLATE LOCATION - give us back the ability to choose our own!

2 Likes

Sounds like what may be needed, internally at least, is for SU to support importing a model / component ‘by reference’, which means that rather than bringing in the data for a model, it simply remembers a reference to an external file whose data will be aligned with a certain location. (It would be similar to the way an Excel object can be embedded in a MS Word doc.) In this way, you could have a complex with 3 buildings on a landscape, but the main file only contains the landscape and references to the 3 separate building models in separate files. If building A gets updated, the main file automatically displays the latest version of it. The critical issue here would be the speed of rendering when using such a reference… Maybe the View menu could have an option whether or not to show such referenced models. Just a thought…

Fat Faces (faces with thickness). A version was demoed many, many years ago, but it hasn’t made it into a published version.

Anssi

4 Likes

Been waiting forever for simple features and haven’t seen anything so hey why not put them here.

  1. Floating windows need to be controlled. We have huge wide monitors and a lot more of the functions of these windows can just be on the toolbar. For instance Entity Info, Component options, whatever else works. Entity info would be so easy.
  2. Import DWG into Layout. Until that point I can’t see the point of layout. I am not going to redraw millions of cad blocks to drop Autocad. But give me import into layout and yes I will.
  3. Export components on a right click on the component. I know you can export the selected stuff but it gives the name as the main sketchup name instead of the component. Currently I do a saveas then open that SKP and export. Save me a step please :slight_smile:
  4. Allow alternative view manipulation. For instance I want to use WASD and right mouse kinda like Unreal or any video game. The mouse wheel zoom is so painful sometimes when it gets stuck in the wall.
  5. Lights and emissive materials please. Or just emissive materials which give off light to stay in the Sketchup way of things. To make a light just change its colors to something that gives of light. Boom done. I know there are add ons to do it but really these things need to be standard.
  6. A warning when you are about to break a surface. Too many times I do something and break a surface that I don’t see for a half hour and then have to piece the model back together.
  7. Export 2D cad with solid hatched color as an option.

And thats it for now.

6 Likes

To add to the list:

  • better construction lines support. In construction documentation, I am realising how useful construction lines can be to suggest non-built information. The other useful thing about them is that it is non-sticky. Would love to be able to draw with construction lines with a fixed length, as I would with a pencil.
  • Construction lines within a locked component/group should not be deleted when the user hits “Delete Guides”.
  • Circle guides, please!!!
3 Likes

Like this?

5 Likes

YES!!! Except, if I make them, when I hit “Edit > Delete Guides”, it all disappears… :-(. Even if they are in a locked component.

Pen Tools - I will download now, thanks.

Obvious answer: Don’t. :smiley:

1 Like

Copied from my wishlist for 2016 - to make working with SketchUp & Layout even more productive and fun:

SU: fix for the outliner so there’s no need anymore to close the outliner before using ruby plugins (no more sloooow execution of plugins if you forgot to close it)
SU: more API options for customizing dimensions with ruby plugins (styling options).
SU: material browser: add material name as a text label in the bottom of every thumbnail (instead of mouse overs)
SU: extra customization options for the UI: the getting started toolbar has nice flyouts. Would be great if those were available for creating custom toolbars - especially for third party plugins. This could highly clean up the interface and give back workspace.
SU: (option to) not rename the result of boolean operations. If you take the effort to name every group & component (outliner based workflow), it’s not nice to have to rename your objects every time a boolean operation is used.
SU: fix for very long saving times when using ‘redefine thumbnail on save’

LO: fix for getting the current scale after right clicking on a inserted scene. At the moment its broken most of the time and the current scale is only visible in the tray.
LO: apply the same logic for viewing while using an operation like in SU. When using a Wacom pen instead of a mouse, the zoom command in LO breaks the current tool (pencil) - in Sketchup it doesn’t.

I recommend that Trimble develop a Sketchup Cad. For architects and engineers with the same function of acad or intellicad. Or a partnership with intellicad to develop a file converter. I got Sketchup from version 8, but from the last years I begin to use for develop 3d presentation for clients. More cad commands features will be a plus.

1 Like

Scenes in Layout should be controlled in Layout - not in SU.

conceptually this is mixed up at the moment

SU is for creating , editing data

LAYOUT is for presenting data

This is a fundamental rule of good database design

While not a fan of Autocad at least they respected this clear separation of duties. [Actually I hate Autocad]

in LAYOUT I should be able to independently turn on/off SU layers, use different styles, setup different views etc etc and SAVE those setting in LAYOUT, never having to go back into SU to control what I see in LAYOUT.

A simple example .

I have a large project

I ask one of my staff to develop one section in SU

Another staff to develop another section also in SU

and a third staff to combine both models in LAYOUT and create drawing sheets

They can all work independently and yet not tread on each others toes.

12 Likes

Since everything is gong well on 2017 with various extensions. But I’m still afraid about dealing with large size file by using many attractive detailed models.THE ONLY DEMAND IS “FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASTER” or try to find some new way to REDUCE the size of models~~~~

1 Like

the offset tool got better in 2017 a lot but ini 2018 please make it work with island selections and also with multiple selections at once… that would be supreme…

AND … the creating components window… ok its good its there automatic but it takes always a few seconds until a component is created… the old pre 2017 shortcut method were the window would nop popup just was click and done!!!

maybe you can tune the process so that the “freeze” moment is not there when creating components with names…