# Cleaning up a messy model **URL:** \ **Category:** Pro\ **Tags:** sketchup, advice, layout, mac, components\ **Created:** [July 12, 2025, 10:00pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cleaning-up-a-messy-model/334528 "2025-07-12T22:00:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sambones](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/sambones/32/217268_2.png) [@Sambones](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/Sambones)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2025, 10:00pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cleaning-up-a-messy-model/334528/1 "2025-07-12T22:00:34Z")
Wondering if Trimble has instructions available to help me unwind (identify and rename in hierarchies) all my random tag names and component names. (Is there a strategy for group names?) I want to get my model into being well-organized. I am assuming it is crucial to be organized before beginning conversion in LayOut. ---
**Author:** ![3DxJFD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/f07891/32.png) [@3DxJFD](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/3DxJFD)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2025, 10:33pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cleaning-up-a-messy-model/334528/3 "2025-07-12T22:33:21Z")
There are a couple extensions to help enforce ‘good practice’ with Component and Group creation. Those practices include naming groups and components when you make them rather than letting unnamed groups and components clutter up the Outliner. And to tag as you go (if you’re tagging). These two can be set up with shortcuts to behave similarly to the native SU Make Component and Make Group: [Make Component and Tag | SketchUp Extension Warehouse](https://extensions.sketchup.com/extension/b085a925-a1cc-4bfe-9314-26400b14241f/make-component-and-tag) [Make Group and Tag | SketchUp Extension Warehouse](https://extensions.sketchup.com/extension/14c4284d-1019-4674-856f-6ad299758543/make-group-and-tag) If you’re wanting to see what tags groups and components have and apply or remove them, this extension does that: [Outliner Options | SketchUp Extension Warehouse](https://extensions.sketchup.com/extension/0c3383f2-4539-40ee-bf16-d89ae0af6d86/outliner-options) If you find yourself looking at the Tags Panel wondering which groups and components have which tag, this extension lets you select tags in an outliner and pop them open to see what has that tag: [Tag Outliner | SketchUp Extension Warehouse](https://extensions.sketchup.com/extension/2cb28d10-06b9-44d8-ad71-3682a436d9a3/tag-outliner) ---
**Author:** ![Sambones](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/sambones/32/217268_2.png) [@Sambones](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/Sambones)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2025, 10:07pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cleaning-up-a-messy-model/334528/4 "2025-07-13T22:07:36Z")
Sorry that I missed your post, DaveR. You’ve been most helpful to me in the past. ---
**Author:** ![DaveR](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/daver/32/7601_2.png) [@DaveR](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/DaveR)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2025, 10:16pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cleaning-up-a-messy-model/334528/5 "2025-07-13T22:16:46Z")
Thank you. I didn’t have the links James shared. ---
**Author:** ![Sambones](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/sambones/32/217268_2.png) [@Sambones](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/Sambones)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2025, 10:47pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cleaning-up-a-messy-model/334528/6 "2025-07-13T22:47:25Z")
In proceeding to install these extensions, all are “..not compatible with your Operating system or SketchUp version. Are there known downsides to selecting “proceed anyway? I was on SU version 24.0.598; updated now to 24.0.659. My Mac IOS is 18.5. I have written to author James D for advice. Meanwhile, what say you? -Sambones ---
**Author:** ![ateliernab](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/ateliernab/32/198399_2.png) [@ateliernab](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/ateliernab)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2025, 10:53pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cleaning-up-a-messy-model/334528/7 "2025-07-13T22:53:27Z")
yes and no. often, they are older plugins that haven’t been updated in a while, and on the extension warehouse, they are not marked as compatible because of that. doesn’t mean they’re not gonna work. just that the author didn’t update their compatibility. In this case, James works on PC, and I’m pretty sure he didn’t buy a mac to test them. does it mean that they won’t work ? nope. they might work as planned. but if they don’t, don’t blame him 😉 ---
**Author:** ![3DxJFD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/f07891/32.png) [@3DxJFD](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/3DxJFD)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 12:51am UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cleaning-up-a-messy-model/334528/8 "2025-07-14T00:51:08Z")
Those extensions ran on older versions of SU (at least back to 2023-2024) but I did not mark them as compatible because the final updates I did before submitting to the Extension Warehouse were on SU 2025. There have been a number of ‘big’ updates to SketchUp over the last couple of years so ‘just in case’, I’m not marking them as backward compatible. My verdict would be to try them and if they don’t work just uninstall. I think it’s a matter of personal preference, risk aversion, and ‘hassle tolerance’. Nab is right, I don’t have a Mac to test on and I don’t know about the ins and outs of the various Mac OS versions. That said, a couple of people have installed on Mac and have said they (some) seem to work. That actually brings me to another point: Save! If you’re saving often and backing up to Trimble Connect you’re protected against buggy extensions, power outages, smoke coming from your mother board, the cat on the keyboard, etc. Another thought (extensions or not): you can copy and paste (or cut and paste) between SketchUp files. So if your model is a mess, you can cut a group or component from your file, then paste it into your new file, and: Name it. Tag it. Save it. ---
**Author:** ![ryanfernie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8dc957/32.png) [@ryanfernie](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/ryanfernie)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 11:42am UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cleaning-up-a-messy-model/334528/9 "2025-07-14T11:42:25Z")
If you install incompatible plugins every time you have any bug splat issues SKP help desk will tell you to uninstall them to narrow down the source of the problem. I use material resizer that is apparently incompatible with '25 even though DaveR and other uses it. Every time I have a bug splat Help desk blames it on that plugin. So my problems never get solved. buyer beware ! ---
**Author:** ![DaveR](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/daver/32/7601_2.png) [@DaveR](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/DaveR)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 11:56am UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cleaning-up-a-messy-model/334528/10 "2025-07-14T11:56:50Z")
> [@ryanfernie](#): > > Every time I have a bug splat Help desk blames it on that plugin. Interesting. I’ve never once had a Bug Splat that was associated with that extension. ---
**Author:** ![ryanfernie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8dc957/32.png) [@ryanfernie](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/ryanfernie)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 12:10pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cleaning-up-a-messy-model/334528/11 "2025-07-14T12:10:58Z")
yeah i know that’s why I’m always trying to get someone to update that plugin it so they can stop telling me thats the problem and solve my actual problem whatever that is not named material resizer. Its says sketchup team owns the plugin, but do they really? Why even have a plug-in if you dont want to update it. stop supporting plugins that aren’t compatible. ---
**Author:** ![bmike](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/bmike/32/225451_2.png) [@bmike](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/bmike)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 12:20pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cleaning-up-a-messy-model/334528/12 "2025-07-14T12:20:36Z")
I have also never had an issue with that plugin … Weird. For sure. I wonder if there are collateral issues with corrupted texture images that might be driving that. ---
**Author:** ![ryanfernie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8dc957/32.png) [@ryanfernie](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/ryanfernie)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 1:06pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cleaning-up-a-messy-model/334528/13 "2025-07-14T13:06:14Z")
multiple models, different project, different computers, years apart. ---
**Author:** ![ateliernab](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/ateliernab/32/198399_2.png) [@ateliernab](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/ateliernab)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 1:21pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cleaning-up-a-messy-model/334528/14 "2025-07-14T13:21:54Z")
well, the real question they should ask is, “does it crash while running material resizer?” because if it doesn’t, I don’t see how / why it would be the culprit. but I agree, the SU dev team should lead by example and update the compatibility status of their extensions. ---
**Author:** ![slbaumgartner](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/slbaumgartner/32/7302_2.png) [@slbaumgartner](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/slbaumgartner)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 1:36pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cleaning-up-a-messy-model/334528/15 "2025-07-14T13:36:34Z")
I’m also surprised at that response because normally the devs can tell from a BugSplat that SketchUp crashed while running an extension, but not which extension. ---
**Author:** ![ryanfernie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8dc957/32.png) [@ryanfernie](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/ryanfernie)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 2:10pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cleaning-up-a-messy-model/334528/16 "2025-07-14T14:10:12Z")
I uninstalled all plugs-ins. its the only incompatible extension i had installed because i needed to use it. Its sometimes crashed when using MR. sometimes not.. but it was always referenced as an issues… "I am sorry you are having this issue. In the Extension Warehouse, Material Resizer is not listed as being supported past SketchUp 2021. You can try using it, and it may work, but we cannot promise that it will work. I see that you have many other extensions installed. It is also possible that Material resizer is having a conflict with one of those. You could try a Clean install of SketchUp 2024, or better yet the new 2025, and see if that resolves the issue. After the clean install you can add only Material Resizer to see if it works, then add other extensions and see if one of them starts showing the crashing issue again. We can really only officially support the base SketchUp product, and not issues caused by other extensions…" ---
**Author:** ![Sambones](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/sambones/32/217268_2.png) [@Sambones](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/Sambones)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 7:34pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cleaning-up-a-messy-model/334528/17 "2025-07-14T19:34:13Z")
Thank you, 3DxJFD. In your last paragraph, you mentioned “…your new file…” Are you suggesting that the way to clean up a model is to build a new file group and component by group and component, fixing the names and tags as you go? -sambones ---
**Author:** ![3DxJFD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/f07891/32.png) [@3DxJFD](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/3DxJFD)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 8:46pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cleaning-up-a-messy-model/334528/18 "2025-07-14T20:46:25Z")
Yes. You could select a group or component (or a number of each at the same time), cut them (ctrl+x), and paste them (ctrl+v) into a new file. Then: Name. Tag. Save. **Organize further as needed**. For example, if you use Tag Folders, you could create a 'Roofing Folder", and put 'Shingles", “Drip Edge”, “Soffit” in it. Cut ‘n’ Paste helps you ‘filter’ through your messy file. If it’s in Messy, it’s not yet organized. If it’s in your new file, ‘Not Messy’, then you know everything in there is good because you have kept it organized as you went along.