I am a longtime professional user of SketchUp and Layout and am encountering this issue for the first time.
Any time I use Layout and go to enter a viewport everything freezes. I’ve had the issue of lag when doing this before but that’s not what’s happening here - it just completely stops working and does not revive even if left alone for a time.
This is a fresh install of SU 2023 on a Windows 11 PC with 48gb RAM and a good graphics card and processor. I don’t have any issues with any other software and when I check memory usage when Layout is frozen it’s only sitting around 25%.
This happens regardless of geometry present in the model - I’ve tried it on a model which contained on a 1mx1m 2D square and it still froze.
I’ve tried:
fixing/reinstalling sketchup
Updating the graphics card driver
Adjusting settings in layout to reduce demand on the PC (though this shouldn’t be the issue given the computer’s spec)
I’m at my wits end and have work to do that isn’t getting done as a result of this. Help!
I’ve attached a layout file - you’ll see it contains nothing but a 1m x 1m 2D square - I have no doubt it will work just fine on your computer.
I am entering the viewport out of necessity - I draft manufacturing and design PDFs from SketchUp models and occasionally need to rotate a model or move to different part.
Normally this works fine - on other computers with lower memory spec I’d occasionally get lag when doing this especially with hybrid or vector settings enabled, but it’s freezing on literally everything.
This is a PC that is new to me - I suspect the issue is between it and Layout somehow but can’t figure it out.
Also in case anyone is wondering I’m using 2023 because I use a dual monitor setup and the isssue with this and 2024 has not been resolved to my knowledge.
It should not be necessary to do that if you set up scenes correctly in the SketchUp. Model.
This opens you up to major problems if you have added dimensions and labels in LayOut.
It’s possible that it’s due to the graphics drivers. You might try updating them. There have been numerous other reports of issues with AMD Radeon graphics cards. Maybe this is related.
Again, where is the .skp file saved? Is it on a network drive or out in the cloud?
Well, you definitely want to have the file stored locally.
What happens if you unlink the file in Document Setup>References.
FWIW, I made an example showing one of the problems related to setting up views by entering the viewport and repositioning the camera. In both cases the viewports use the same scene. I entered the top viewport and repositioned the camera to show the truss. Then I added a few dimensions.
The viewport with the Camera override is unstable. Had I just created a scene in the SketchUp model showing the truss with the Camera set to Parallel Projection and the standard Top view the viewport would be stable and predicatable.
FWIW, if you aren’t using scenes in your model and are just using Last save SketchUp view as the “scene” for the viewports, your LO file becomes even more unpredictable.
Very interesting. That does kind of indicate that the graphics card and its drivers might be a problem with SketchUp and LayOut. Not sure that it’s saying anything about the specific problem with entering the viewports but could be related. I wonder if @colin has any insight on this message.
Hah - this IS the new computer! It’s very good for everything else - flies through most things.
While we’ve been attempting to diagnose the issue I have uninstalled and reinstalled SketchUp for a third time - this time however before reinstalling it I went into the appdata local and roaming folders and deleted all of the SketchUp files from in there. After doing this and reinstallaing it is now working very smoothly.
I suspect it may have had something to do with the driver/GC as you say - I updated this while the previous SU installation was present and maybe there were some files in the appdata folders still linked to the old driver and clearing them solved it - that’s my best guess.
Thanks for your help in any case, very much appreciated.
One thing that wasn’t very clear was that in addition to working only with LayOut files stored locally on your computer you shouldn’t be linking files to the LayOut document from the cloud either. I don’t know if you have been doing that.
Just an update to say that while it was working normally for a while it is now back to freezing after installing the latest Windows 11 update. This leads me to believe the problem is Windows 11 centred and not a Layout bug - I have had issues with other software after changing from Windows 10 to 11, so will be reverting back to 10. If the issue persists after that point I will update again.
Initially I was reluctant to switch to Windows 11 (my new computer last summer came with Windows 10) but I did update and the only weird thing I’ve seen is the File Explorer window opening after I’ve opened a file in some applcations. No issues with SketchUp or LayOut fortunately.
Perhaps a fresh install of Windows 11 could be done? Does your firm have an IT depeartment that would handle that?
You didn’t say whether or not you installed SketchUp and LayOut correctly by right clicking on the installer and choosing Run as administrator. You could do a cold reboot of your computer, then find the installer, right click on it, choose Run as administrator, and then choose the Repair option. After it completes do another cold reboot and see if LO behaves better. It would be faster than rolling back to Windows 10 and at least it won’t hurt anything.
@DaveR I have been reading some of your correspondences and I think you might be able to answer some questions for me.
I have a SKP file that always gives me a spinning wheel and often times it will crash resulting in lost work.
I believe this is a corrupt file or that there are elements in there that are causing the issues because this doesn’t happen in any other file. That or I am not using certain parts of SketchUp properly (I am definitely not an expert and I am self taught).
This is hugely effecting my workflow and professionalism when interfacing with some of my clients and I have been trying to resolve this for months. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Share the .skp file so I can see what you’ve got. Maybe it can be fixed so it behaves better. If you can’t make it public, share it in a private message. I expect the file is larger than 16 Mb so upload it to DropBox or We Transfer and share the link.
Click on my name at the top of this post and then Message. You may need to get another post or two under your belt before the forum allows you to send a private message.
