I just purchase a iMac running Sonoma 14.5. This is a big change from my previous computer running Windows 10.
The Window tab does not have a way to manage the trays. Each item has to be entered and placed. Examples: Entity Info, Components, Styles, etc. The size Materials tray cannot be changed, it is either on or off and is much bigger than the other trays. This seems very cumbersome. Am I missing how to see the trays?
While I can find Model Info, I had a lot of trouble finding Preferences. Preferences is now found by clicking the Sketchup >Settings>Sketchup Preferences.
The icons for extensions are very small and do not give any detail. Example: Medeek Wall Plugin shows the icons as Medeek Wall in very small font, with no explanation as to what that icon actually does, like draw wall, insert a window, edit a wall, etc.
All in all, the way Sketchup displays on the iMac is very disappointing. If anyone is using Sketchup on an iMac M3 Chip Sonoma 14.5 OS, I would really like to make contact with you so I can make SU work. The fun is going away quick.
SketchUp n Mac doesn’t have trays like SketchUp on Windows. This is just a difference between Windows and Mac.
Yes. It’s always been that way on the Mac version. Typical Mac sort of thing anyway.
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What possessed you to switch from Windows to Mac? There are plenty of other differences between the two not specifically related to SketchUp. You’ll have to become accustomed to them.
FWIW, there is work going on in SketchUp development that should help things look more similar between the Mac and Windows versions but it’s not available yet.
I am finding a lot of differences from the Windows OS. My reason to get a Mac was have all my devices on the same OS, iPad, iPhone, etc. Also, my PC was running windows 10 which will not be supported after next year. Also a Blue Screen of Death scare was my motivation.
I also see when I open an extension like Curivoft the menu is blocked by the tab bar at the top of the screen and I can’t figure out how to make it completely visible.
Yes this is different, but you can adjust to the new layout. Maybe Trimble can someday focus on making the interface for the Mac consistent with other platforms.
In macOS, preferences for any app you run will always be there, and nowhere else. How it’s been for 40 years.
Yes it can. You should be able to just drag it smaller or larger from the bottom right corner.
From way back when, SketchUp on Windows has used Windows GUI elements and Mac has used Mac elements. Not having ever been on the development team I can only speculate why it was done that way, but for example on Windows SketchUp uses the tray system which is provided by MSWin libraries whereas on Mac it uses floating “palettes” which are provided by the MacOs libraries. People who are used to Windows find that GUI “intuitive”, whereas Mac users find its GUI intuitive (with the possible exception of the weird materials editor).
The Windows version was converted to the Qt library two years ago and has been undergoing birthing pains since. Reportedly the conversion of the Mac version is underway, but perhaps going more cautiously as the issues on Windows are sorted out.
me too, between my home mac and my class pc
yeah but we also constantly switch from French to English
softwares and their interfaces are like languages, at first you expect them to work like the one you know, they you learn the differences, and at some point, you start interacting with either versions without having to think about it.
sometimes it’s super close, like photoshop mac / pc where basically you switch ctrl to cmd
sometimes the interfaces has a few specific things like in SU, and you have to learn it first.
I would work through a tutorial on the mac/windows differences if I was in your position again - I switched to mac like you many years ago. There is a very good site called Macmost that has shed loads of videos. This one will give you some ideas.
Once you learn that the option, control and command keys work differently than the similar keys in windows it becomes easier.
This reference card will help but you need to pay attention to the nomenculature.
Changes are always difficult. But you will quickly get used to all things Mac and will not look back. You will see that a Mac has fewer crashes and most of its problems are easy to fix without calling a technician. Besides, those problems are few and far apart.
My research assistants all come from Windows and after a couple of months working on Sketchup Mac they buy a Mac and forget about Windows.
