How to load .skp files into work space

i searched for lumber on 3D warehouse, i downloaded it into documents, but how would i place it on my work space in sketchup to start using it.

Open the downloaded .SKP file as you would any locally-created SketchUp .SKP model file. After inspecting the downloaded model in its own SketchUp viewport window (and possibly doing some cleanup), you could copy and paste it into another SketchUp model (which is opened in its own viewport window).

Could this question be related to the fact that when you download a file to your computer (not the file being worked on), it doesn’t immediately show up in the Component browser? If so, I think you have to close and restart SU for it to show.

Simply downloading a SketchUp component to your computer isn’t enough to get it to show in the Components browser. The component needs to be placed into a collection (folder) that SketchUp has been set to look at.

Dave, sure but I am pretty certain the last time I did this and put a downloaded component in a SU component folder, it still didn’t show up in the browser straight away. I have always wondered why not but perhaps it’s changed?

Yes. You need to get SketchUp to rescan the folder. But simply downloading it to your computer isn’t enough.

Exiting the collection and reopening it seems to work on the PC.

Well, the OP is on a PC so hopefully that will do it for him.

I don’t think it does work on my Mac. I attach two screenshots. The second shows a tree in my drawing and the component folder it was downloaded to. It isn’t there. I closed the component browser and re-opened it. No difference. Of course, if I look in the In Model folder (1st shot), it is there. And I am pretty sure that if I close SU and re-open it, it will then appear in both places. It’s all a bit counter-intuitive.

On my PC I can use a right click drag and drop to get a .skp into SketchUp.

From where to SketchUp?

Desktop or from My Documents

I think you’ll find that’s left click.

Actually it works both right and left, just verified it.

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True, but right click is kinda unusual for that type of action.

On normal file movement a left click give me a move, a right click gives me the option to move or copy the file at drop.

I understand, I wasn’t criticizing, I’ve just never done it that way. I use right click to open in a specific SU version, so had never thought to drag it with that finger. My natural action is left click drag, right click context.

Got it!

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So place the.skp file in my components or do as the first person suggested which is open it > cut the lumber i want to use> paste it into my work area ?

You can: Place it in your component file, open as a new file, drag and drop it from its location directly into the SU work space. It really depends on what your usage will be. To keep it around I would move it into the components file. If it is a one off deal, drag and drop will work just fine.

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