Dimension fill colour changes when updating in layout for su 2017

LayOut
1

hi all ,
has any has issues when dimension fill colour changes to red after making changes in model and updating in layout,
the only thing i have updated after changing was in skalp noting export all scenes to layout, why on earth would this cause the dimensions to change colour , i have checked that fill is not on and yet it changes colour, when i explode the dimension the colour changes back to no fill, if anyone has an answer i would be grateful for your comments

2

The red fill indicates that those dimensions need to be reconnected to the model. Select them, right click on one of them and choose Reconnect from the Context menu.

3

many thanks for the response dave, but is there a reason why it would disconnect in the first place, i can imagine having a very large job and having to reconnect each dimension, you have helped great deal , many thanks again

4

I’m not sure why those dimensions disconnect but you shouldn’t have to reconnect often. Was the model created in an earlier version of SketchUp?

5

hi dave

this was just created today on su 2017 , this has only just started happening since i moving to su2017 a couple of days ago, i have also noticed that it also shown up in some of my details in scrapbook ,
really not sure what is going on,

6

but is the .skp file created in SU v17?

older version .skp files won’t have the information needed to ‘auto’ update dimensions…

john

7

This is related to the persistent IDs and associative dimensions which is new in 2017.

8

thanks again dave,
i opened a older job earlier today which also had the same issue but not with dimension but with tagged text , if i come across it again i shall post

9

thanks john, it was a new 2017 sky file ?;((

10

hi john , for you ref, the reconnection to model does not only exist with dimension , i have noticed this in my scrapbook,
really unsure why this is doing it , if anyone has a solution to stop this happening that would be great

11

If the labels are connected to the model, they can need to be reconnected. I create a lot of labels using the component descriptions to get the name and dimensions of the components. I’ve noticed that if I make changes to the components, I usually need to reconnect the labels connected to edges in the modified components.

12

many thanks dave, i thought this was a problem in 2017 as i have never noticed this before

13

It’s just new in 2017. Before that there were no persistent IDs so dimensions and labels weren’t impacted like they can be now. Make sure all your dimensions and labels are on their own layer(s), lock the other layers so you can only select the dimensions and labels. Then reconnect them. Limiting the selection by locking layers helps keep things from going pear-shaped and it makes it easier to ensure you’re only selecting those entities that need reconnecting.

14

ok dave, so i think i am getting this, i take it you mean the layers in layout, therefore when updating and if they are locked , the layer does not update.

15

I do mean the layers in LayOut but it’s not so much about preventing updates as it is about preventing you from selecting stuff you don’t need to select to do the reconnection.

1 Like
16

thanks dave, i really appreciate your help on this,

2 Likes
17

OK, I get a lot of red “reconnects” too, often for dimensions of geometry that I am certain has not changed since my last save. I thought something must be wrong but didn’t know what. But Kenny1, I think you’ve put the last piece in the puzzle. The problem is Skalp.

I also use Skalp, and the red lights tend to come on most frequently in my section views.

And I think what’s happening is that the dimension points are gluing to the geometry of the Skalp sections, not to the underlying geometry. And Skalp regenerates its sections from scratch every time a view is regenerated, as well as when you save your model for Layout. When they regenerate, they likely get new persistent IDs, and that breaks the connections to the dimensions.

And they really do break completely, because when the geometry does change, the dimensions on sectioned objects will not adjust when you reconnect them. The red lights go off, but you have to manually re-snap each dimension point that has changed. And when you do that, you’ll still be snapping to the Skalp section, which will regenerate the next time you save your model and update your Layout, so the same thing will happen again. And again.

18

Maybe the Skalp authors will fix it to prevent that. If the dimensions aren’t going to reconnect, you could just explode them. Then they won’t ever show as discconnected.

19

I just let them know.

20

I have this problem constantly in SU/ Layout 2021 as well. It is infuriating. Nothing has changed to the specific elements in the model that the dimensions are connected to, but if I make ANY change in the SU model, no matter how distant from the components that the dimensions are connected to, most dims turn red. I try to wait until right before printing to go back and reconnect all dimensions, but it is very distracting to have everything red on my drawings. More importantly, the feature is not helpful at all, since it’s supposed to let you know when something has moved, or become disconnected. When it happens to hundreds of elements throughout the model, constantly, it doesn’t perform its function. I am not using Skalp, just plain ol’ Sketchup and Layout. This has happened for most versions I have used. Would be great to find a fix, or for the program to be adapted to work properly. Thanks!