How to open a file?

While I’m not too new here, my.sketchup is still new. I was looking for an efficient workflow to open a file from 3D Warehouse, but it seems there is only an “Insert file” and no “Open file”. Did I oversee something?

One can:

  • Open the components tray and insert models from 3D Warehouse as component.
  • Insert a local file as component (top left buttons).
  • Create a Trimble account, sign into the Trimble account, open the left sidebar, open Trimble Connect, create a new Project, upload a file into the project, (download and) open the file in my.sketchup.com.

Hi Aerilius,

Trimble Connect is a place to collaborate with others on design projects. Currently, my.SketchUp is configured to use Trimble Connect as the default location for storing and retrieving the models you create. Trimble Connect is standing in for the local filesystem.

3D Warehouse, as in the SketchUp desktop client, is a place for you to find and share individual components. How would you like to see the UI configured to be more efficient for your needs?

john
.

This is an interesting question, especially with the use cases in mind for which my.sketchup was designed.

For collaboration, Trimble Connect is certainly the best solution. But my.sketchup is already usable without registration, so new users can create models (probably stored in local storage), insert local skp files as components, save the result and download it to the local file system. It is not obvious how to load an existing skp file (from USB, email attachment or local file system) that is not a component. And people who are not completely new to computers will wonder about an “Open” function.

Another aspect is that not all models in 3D Warehouse are components (although components are the more reusable models). For example one could want to load self-paced tutorials which rely on scenes (the idea was to suggest this to users of SketchUp for Schools). But importing as a component does not preserve scenes.

This is probably an edge case and does not occur in regular workflows because Trimble Connect users are signed in anyways.

  • Do you think self-paced tutorials and other teaching material could be provided by some other means (a section that is integrated only in the SketchUp for Schools version)? Or is the focus on other kind of tutorials and materials?

  • Maybe shift the “registration barrier”: Allow new people to open an existing project and play around (in local storage), then display a friendly proposal to setup an account to save the model to Trimble Connect.

my.SketchUp is truly a beta product for us, and you’re going to see the lessons we learn there manifest in new products in other places. For example, the new model viewer in 3D Warehouse resulted from testing we did on a new display pipeline first exposed in my.SketchUp. You may have also seen yesterday’s “SketchUp for Schools” announcement— also made possible by the my.SketchUp beta.

I can’t speak to future unreleased products, but you should get a sense for the way we’re working here. Certainly, Trimble Connect has an important role in the future. In fact, you can see another my.sketchup integration there if you log into your account at connect.trimble.com

I think you make an excellent point about self-paced tutorials, and I hope we’re able to show some improvement in their support in my.SketchUp in the future. I’m not sure 3D Warehouse is ultimately the best way to access training materials like this, though of course it is a functional way to do so today.

By not requiring new users to create an account before trying my.SketchUp, we intended to lower the barrier to learning about 3D modeling in SketchUp. We currently require users to create an account and log in before they can save a model. Local storage isn’t really a good solution for browser/cloud applications like my.SketchUp and Trimble Connect.

john
.

1 Like

This topic was automatically closed 91 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.