Hello,
For my workflow in Layout, it would be nice to be able to explode a viewport that has a clipping mask applied. Currently, it seems I have to release the clipping mask and then explode, and then manually clean up the result to the clipping mask lines. I do this to create thin-dashed linework for an existing-conditions overlay that won’t change, so I don’t need this to be live referenced to the 3D model. This helps highlight what is being demolished versus not.
Maybe along with this, it could be nice to be able to apply clipping masks to inserted raster images.
Until such time as they add this feature, what if you make a separate SketchUp file for the overlay using the same camera positions for those existing condition scenes? Delete everything else and purge the file. to limit the file size. You could then relink just those viewports from the original reference to the existing condition reference. The clipping mask thing would still work. Might actually be less involved than editing the linework that results from exploding the viewport.
Thanks for the input Dave. That could work, but for this existing-conditions layer of linework, I like to use a thin dashed vector line at 50% transparency. I don’t think Vector rendering supports line types. What’s nice about this is that in areas where nothing has changed, the lines are not visible. They only become visible where modifications occur highlighting what to demolish. This works very well for me in that I do not have to manually update the demo line work as the project evolves and changes. I also like to use the “Render Models In Documents” feature after updating the model. Most of my scenes are Raster so they update quickly. Doing the existing conditions as vector viewport would slow down the refresh rate adding time to my iterative process. It does not take that long to clean up the existing conditions linework to the clipping mask lines once per project, but it’s a minor hassle that would be nice to not have to do. I would not put this as top priority feature request, but maybe one day if one of the SU’s programmers is bored and wants an interesting problem to solve, they might take it on. 
I know we get used to our workflow and don’t want to go through the extra work to adopt changes when they seem like they shouldn’t be necessary. That said, I have used a separate scene in SU for demo lines and brought it in as an overlay. Then in LO I can change the line type/ color however I wish. It works for me.
You can control line style by Tag even with Vector rendering. Here I’ve set the line scale to 4 pt to make the transparency easier to see and made it a brown with some transparency. You can see the grid lines behind the viewport.
I was just offering an option that would at least keep the clipping mask functional and by using a separate .skp file from the main project file, those viewports won’t need to be updated. I think another thing in favor of this workflow is that it leaves things set up for potential changes that might come down the pike. Maybe nothing will change regarding that part of the project but what if it does? There’s less work involved because you only need to update the reference and render the viewport. No need to go through the created a new viewport, explode, cleanup, and adjust the line styles again.
Locking the viewport would also make LayOut skip updating it although the yellow triangle would be displayed. That could be ignored since the triangle won’t display in exports.
Thanks again,
That’s what I love about this forum. I can always learn something new.
I did not know locking the viewport would prevent it from updating with the “Render Models In Documents” command. Thanks for the tip!
I see the thickness and transparency applied, can you also have dashed or center-lines applied to a vector rendered viewport?
Yes. You can assign different line styles to different tags and that cab be dashes, weight, and color.
Son of a gun! Thanks again! I must have been sleeping when that feature was added, or I never noticed it was there all the time.
It’s been there for a few versions now. 
FWIW, you have a ton of possibilities when you combine dash styles by tag, stacked viewports, and styles in LO. I don’t ever set dash styles for tags in SU. I save that for LayOut because it’s a per viewport thing. I also only include the primary style in the SketchUp model. In LayOut I can choose from my collection of styles for the viewport I’m working on and set the dash style for the tags that need setting. This is a simple example. Each viewport in the stack is on a separate layer in LO so I can easily select the one underneath for dimensioing or whatever without moving the one above. Top of the stack uses the Hidden Line style from the model.
FWIW the two viewports in the stack for the front elevation were set up first, then they were copied and shifted to the right after which the right side elevation scene was selected. Wham bam, thank you ma’am. Done!
Sorry to keep beating this but here’s another example of different styles and treatments in LO. Here there are only two scenes involved. All those across the top use a single elevation scene. The ones on the bottom all use the same plan scene.
