Is there a way to insert a SU file stored on Trimble connect directly on LO

[fxg33a]

Hello everyone,

Is there a way to directly insert a file that is published on Trimble Connect on a Layout presentation? I mean without having to save it on my computer.

Thanks a lot!
Francois-Xavier.

[DaveR]

LayOut doesn’t have that option. it wouldn’t be a good idea to do that anyway. If you don’t want an extra copy of the file saved locally, download it, insert it in LayOut, unlink it in Document Setup, and then delete the downloaded copy. If you need to edit the SketchUp file as you go remember to edit the embedded copy. If you edit the one saved to Trimble Connect you’ll need to download it again, relink the reference in LO, and then unlink again.

[MikeWayzovski]

There is never a way to insert files from a cloud service directly, it will always have to be downloaded.
Most sync services provide ways to sync, usually in a hidden folder somewhere.
That said, if you set up a sync schedule in Trimble Connect that points to a better known location, it’s as if you are referencing the cloud model.
Here’s a link where this is used to share the same resources for anyone that is part of a team in the Trimble Connect Project:

How to set up Trimble Connect for libraries

Continuing the discussion from How to import Trimble Connect models into my Sketchup work?: Trimble Connect is not the average cloud service. It is designed to manage your Projects. While mainly used for 3D models in an actual running project , you can also use it to sync all your libraries for yourself, or share them with others. Heres how to set this up You will need a Trimble ID, if you think you don’t have one already, just go to the 3dwarehouse.sketchup.com and look if you are signed in. …

[fxg33a]

@DaveR @MikeWayzovski Thanx for the replies! I’ll stick to using ggl drive (though it is a bit temperamental on my ipad)

[DaveR]

Note that it isn’t a good idea to work on files saved directly to the cloud. That’s a good way to wind up with corrupted SketchUp files. Lots of examples of this in various threads here on the forum. You also shouldn’t use cloud-saved files directly as references in LayOut. That’s also risky.

[fxg33a]

Alright, I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks for the advice!

[s.rizen.tuition]

Hi, @DaveR ! Thank you for sharing your experience with the community. I hear a lot of similar opinions from lots of users.

Could you please share more details on why you would not recommend people use cloud-based files as refs in LayOut? Is it because of that that such a cloud-based file may be corrupted? Or are there any other not-so-obvious reasons to avoid using them as refs?

Another thing I’d love you to share your opinion on is whether you think there is a kind of walk-around using manual or auto- backups?

Question to the community in general. Do you guys know if one can find a local folder that synchronises with TrimbleConnect (via one of their TC desktop apps) and place a layout file there? Then, establish a connection between a corresponding SU file and the LayOut file? Would that in theory, lead to a more or less viable workflow?

I’m keen to hear from all you!

Best,

Sergio

[DaveR]

@s.rizen.tuition

Could you please share more details on why you would not recommend people use cloud-based files as refs in LayOut? Is it because of that that such a cloud-based file may be corrupted? Or are there any other not-so-obvious reasons to avoid using them as refs?

There are sevral main reasons for not using cloud-based files as references in LayOut. One of them is the likelihood of files becoming corrupted. It seems to be a fairly common occurrence. The other thing is the relatively slow connection. No matter how fast your internet service is it will always be slower than accessing files saved directly to your internal drive. If the connection is too slow when LayOut is trying to look at the references it can create problems. And what if you can’t access the cloud location at all?

To my way of thinking there’s no compelling reason to make LayOut look to the cloud to check references. No need to accept the risks associated with that, either. I think the best and safest work flow is to create a folder for the project on an internal drive and into which you save all project-specific references. That includes any SketchUp files, images, spreadsheets, etc. Any template specific references like company logos, boilerplate text, and so on should be unlinked so they are embedded.

By keeping the references in the same folder with the LayOut file everything is very compact and LayOut doesn’t have far to go to check references for updates. If you must have the project in a cloud or network server location, first save the LayOut file and any open references and close them. Then copy the entire folder to the external location. If you need to work on the file from another computer, download the entire folder to the internal drive before opening the files. Since the references are all in a common folder, the reference paths should never show references as “Missing”.

While that work flow might seem like it is more time consuming than just working from files saved in the cloud, I assure you that the few seconds it might take to work as I describe is much less than the time it would take to replace a corrupted SketchUp file or rebuild a LayOut project. As the old adage says, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”