I’m copying an image and text from a reference Layout (on right) but I get this unlinked image in the copied version (on the left). I’m using the source as my reference document so I don’t need to copy out my text each time. I keep all my reference images in a file on my hard drive. Not all images are effected by this, just the odd one. Any ideas?
What does File>Document Setup>References show? Is the file path correct?
I have a LOT of images so I can’t really find that one to be honest. I seem to have lots if embedded images which don’t look to the file where they are stored. The ones which copy across correctly are marked as ‘Current’ and are the file names I’d expect. I don’t know why I have so many which are embedded and what I’ve done differently. I’m created a PLant library for my garden design business, and when I add a note of a new plant for a client I add it to my library, so it builds as I do more projects. Any advice very much welcome!
If you select the image in question, then look in the references it should be highlighted. Here I have selected my logo and it is highlighted in the list.
If this is a new file, or a test file - press purge, and see what is left.
I would do some better file management - place all the images in a folder on your hard drive somewhere in your documents. The pathing to these to these images will be easier. You can have a plants folder, trees, hardscape, logo folder, graphics folder, etc.
You can see in my list (this is from my base schematic design template) that I have client logos in ‘Documents/MBDC/ClientTemplates/ClientName’ folders and my logo is in my DocumentsTemplates folder in my main MBDC folder.
You might benefit from creating scrapbooks - but I would get a handle on file management first.
https://help.sketchup.com/en/layout/working-scrapbooks-reusable-entities
I do have the image in a central file.
However, Layout isn’t looking there, that’s my confusion. Any ideas why it’s created this odd reference, when I’ve added it from my image library?
Sorry, I’d clicked on the group, which includes a component.
New screenshot, to show path for the image only.
I’m flummoxed as to why some links are just fine, but then a whole stack of them are not! I don’t want to keep repeating whatever mistake I’m making!
Did you add the image by copy-pasting?
It works in my parent document, but not when I copy and paste it.
Best practice is to have a folder on your computer for the images you’ll use in your LayOut projects and insert those images into LayOut so the references point to the files in the folder. That folder might be specific for a project, or, since it’s likely you would use the same plant images more than once, you might create a library folder of plant images, perhaps multiple folders sorted by plant type or flower color or whatever you want.
Copying and pasting images is problematic because the “reference” is a temporary file created when you copy and that reference disappears when the operating system cleans up the temporary files.
That is strange - when I do this it keeps the file location intact.
Original template:
Made a new document, copy / paste - checked the reference:
Are you working from a cloud drive?
Not working from a cloud drive. I have in the past and assumed that was the source of this issue. Since I’ve re-installed everything recently I’ve kept it 100% local.
That’s what I’ve tried to do Dave. I’ve decided to keep all plants in one massive folder because I can search for what I’m looking for alphabetically and keeps all related plants together.
Does it matter if I ‘drag and drop’ the images versus ‘insert’ from the file menu?
I’m also adding the plant symbols from the component by using viewports. This is so I can drop my component plants onto my site plan model, turn off the foliage in Tags, and then have a plan view of the plant map. At the moment I’m ‘send to layout’ and copying the viewport into the plant library. If it all works, it will save me stacks of time creating plans for my clients!
Any advice on my workflow is much appreciated!
Generally using File>Insert seems to be the safer process.
Oh boy! Is the plant component in it’s own SketchUp file? Or is it in a collection of plants in a SketchUp file?
Again, it’s better to use Insert directly into the LayOut project than to send to LO which starts a new LO file.
If you want to save time creating plans for your clients, you could make a scrapbook of the plant symbol viewports from your SketchUp files. Here’s a quick example:
I set out some sketchy tree components from a local collection of tree compoents I have in SketchUp. I zoomed extents and created a scene with the camera set to Parallel Projection.
I sent that file to LayOut and set a scale for the viewport. Then I dragged the edges of the viewport to crop out all but one tree at the top left. From there I copied the viewport within LO and dragged the edges of each viewport to show a different tree. So there are nine different viewports here. Before saving as a scrapbook I sized the paper to more closely fit the trees.
After using Save as scrapbook in the File menu it shows in the Scrapbooks list.
When I need a tree in a project I can just drag iit in from the Scrapbook.
Thanks Dave!
When I save each component, it saves as it’s own SKP file. So I have a big folder of plant models. Each model has a 3d model and a 2D symbol, which I can toggle on and off with tags.
I add the components into my model (usually flattened version of the model I send for sign off) and then it allows me to add labels easily with auto-text (typing plant names is a real pain in the …).
I originally set up my plant library layout document as a scrapbook, but as I add to it almost daily, it’s a pain to re-link the scrapbook each time. Does it copy things across more reliably than ‘copy and paste’?
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OK. Since you have them like that, just insert them from that folder. Don’t open the plant .skp file in SketchUp to send to LayOut.
As I wrote before, Copy and Paste is a problem because copying creates a temporary file that WILL be deleted at some point by the operating system. This isn’t specific to LayOut but as LayOut relies on the external reference file, it’s a problem.
Since you already have that folder with your separate plants, File>Insert from your collection is the best option.
I didn’t realise I could just drag and drop the SKP directly into Layout. Every day is a school day! Thanks again for all the help!
Don’t do that! I didn’t say to do that.
You can drag scrapbook items in from the ScrapBook.
I have to admit that being old school, I had never tried dragging and dropping a SketchUp model into LayOut before reading this post. Then I did. I don’t see a big risk. LayOut creates a file reference starting with my computer name. Insert creates a file reference starting with a drive letter. Both, I think, are “legitimate”.
What I wouldn’t do is to insert or drag the same model into LayOut more than once.
My advice comes from years of seeing problems others have created for themselves by doing things like copying and pasting or dragging and dropping between applications. Those problems are easily prevented.