I have other software that have the dark mode already in them. Reading through the forum, it appears that the request is falling on deaf ears. While silly little things like changing the icon to blue and red seem to be a priority (and offer little to the product other than harmonization between Sketch Up and Layout), ending eye strain would actually be a more functional development and product enhancement.
When requests seem to fall on deaf ears, it leads one to believe that customer service has fallen flat and that you are not being listened to.
Please, tell us that this is just waiting in the wings and its release is imminent. Look forward to your reply from someone in a position of authority.
This year SketchUp made the transition to a new UI framework that will help to enable this kind of thing in future.
It’s not falling on deaf ears, but there are likely a series of larger work pieces that have to be done before certain features can exist.
Also fun fact, your eyes actually work harder when you are working in a lower light environment, so a dark mode isn’t the only solution to eye strain - which is muscular in nature.
When I started using computers, dark mode was all that was available, except on the Mac that had black on white. Then, a lot of research proved that dark content over a light background was easier for the eyes, and the Mac style became standard. In design-related disciplines colour vision is also important, and dark and light environments behave differently. Colour decisions are best taken in an environment that resembles the one where the design is going to be used. My dad was an artist, painter and had an almost absolute sense of colour. Still, I can tell from his paintings in which of his life’s three studios they have been produced. One studio was dark, another very light and one more balanced.
All this stuff is a huge subject - I was an optician before my journey into a career in design technologies. Now, outside of my work with SketchUp I’m a specialist in rendering and display technologies - specifically wide gamut and HDR rendering. I’ll have worked on some of the screens that people are using to read this
The journey for displays and computer software is interesting - many of those early things were due to other technical limitations of the time and some of those things still leave ghosts in various technology standards that still exist.
Appreciate your input. I wasn’t trying to get into eye physiology - very familiar as I am also a medical professional (now retired). My point was this should be a preference. Working into the wee hours it would be helpful not to blast the room with white light from the screen, especially if the wife is watching TV in the same room. Just makes it easier to have a dark screen. Every other program I own has this option - standard screen and dark mode. Think it could be very useful.
I think the eye strain has a lot to do with the brightness of the room, also screen contrast. In a dimly lit room, which I normally work in, I much prefer dark mode. Awareness of eye strain is also a function of how many hours you put in - if 12 hours in a day, dark mode gets my vote.
The new icons do seem to be redesigned to work well with dark mode when it arrives.
Eye strain has many factors. Placement of monitors is one, too. Ergonomy professionals recommend that the top edge of a monitor should not be above your eye level, as constant looking up causes drying and thus, too, increases strain. A thing to remember with the ever bigger screens people use.
I don’t wear glasses, so probably less prone to dry eyes. Staying well hydrated helps a lot.
As for monitor height, I often sit in an astronaut position which means I am looking down a little at the monitor.
Eye health - is also a result of diet. I heard the average American consumes only 10% of the nutrition necessary for good eye health.
Screen glare is another issue which has never been fully resolved - a dimly lit room helps for me.
Screen contrast is something I am very particular with - I adjust contrast and brightness to about 50% at which point it is a little like viewing print on paper - quite relaxing on the eyes.
It’s time to reignite the Dark mode campaign… Whatever one’s preference is, it SHOULD be an option!
I do a lot of work in the evening hours and I often have to turn the brightness down on my monitors with sketchup… Which then does add to the eye strain. Working in Blender, I can keep the monitors on at full brightness.
