Is there a way to open a local file from my.sketchup?

If there is, I can’t find it! And I really would like that option.

Why? I’m trying to develop a business selling my services to manufacturers. Specifically, I want to pitch them on paying me to model their products for inclusion in the 3D warehouse. To best do that, I’m looking for a way to email them a model privately, along with the means to take a close look at it without having to install SketchUp, or sign up for Trimble Connect. Seems to me that my.sketchup is ideal for that purpose - except that it can’t open a local file!

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You must have gotten the stripped down version. :smiley:

I open local files by clicking on Add Model and then Browse.

That works. But it appears that the model is now part of my Trimble Connect. i.e. it didn’t really open a local file, it uploaded a local file to Trimble Connect, then opened it from Trimble Connect.

Not ideal in that it requires my marketing prospects to create a Trimble Connect account, but better than I thought.

I still think you should be able to open a model directly from a local drive - and save it there! If Trimble needs to temporarily store it within Trimble Connect in order for my.sketchup to work - I’m OK with that, but in this use case, that file should be temporary and not require a Trimble Connect account.

Remember that when running my.sketchup the actual processing is happening somewhere in the depths of Trimble’s infrastructure, and you are just remote controlling the process through your browser. So, especially if your model is big, to work exclusively from your local drive, the application would have to be constantly shuffling the file across the Internet and back.

Anssi

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Yes, the file will be going back and forth, but not “constantly”. I’m OK with a long opening time (to allow the file to be uploaded to Trimble’s cloud) and a long closing time (for the file to be transferred back to your drive). And - if done well - I’m OK with autosaves happening only on the temporary cloud working copy. What I really object to is requiring someone to have a Trimble Connect login in order to examine a model that I want only them to have.

It sounds like you’d like to use my.SketchUp as a simple viewer for models shared with a client? Right now, we’ve really got the system set up to be a modeling environment first, viewer second. Hopefully we’ll have a better solution for the use you have in mind shortly.

john
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I hope that’s a hint that you’re about to add layers to the desktop
SketchUp viewer!

That’s actually where I started when I made a recent model. It included a
“bounding box” for ventilation (it’s an appliance that generates heat).
The bounding box is necessary for proper placement in cabinetry, but
doesn’t represent any real world part of the appliance itself! So I
implemented it as box with a translucent texture applied. To show how it
will look in context, I’m looking for a viewer that lets me toggle
visibility of layers, but something short of a full Make install.