All the user complaints about LO 20 and 21 is one of the reasons that I’ve stayed with LO 18 for years! I’ve come to know its quirks and limitations (and necessary work-arounds) very well.
1 Like
Great Commentary Tommy!
This sounds like a promising direction … let’s hope Mr. Painter can hear and understand us!
Yes JQL,
This sounds like the very definition of what LayOut Pro should be … a transitional platform from where LO used to be into the future of Construction site communication (while maintaining robust 2D paper capabilities, when needed).
Was that an inside joke RTCool?
(Adam is the LayOut Team leader …)
We can’t stop wishing for having a capable way of outputting 2D architectural drawings. It’s still mandatory.
However Trimble is investing in the constructible model workflow. They’re not the only ones. You’ll find ideas about digital twins on all the AEC space. Even Epic games are investing on that.
Trimble connect is all about that: having a 3D model as central base of truth to any stakeholder of a project. It makes total sense as a model is richer info than paper.
We, smaller architectural businesses are a lot, and most of us are still far from this 3D model centric construction management. We need 2D data, both digital and paper as our main output.
However Trimble also recognizes the need for 2D output in the form of annotations, views, details… All that stuff that is still hard to create from a pure 3D model. Trimble Connect and Tekla are creating workflows that allow this to happen, but these workflows are still not extending towards full 2D output as what we can create with Layout.
I know that the main issue of this thread is that Layout is not working properly. Even if I believe that the SketchUp team is concerned with that and is active developing it, I also believe Trimble are not looking at Layout.
Trimble is more concerned with Trimble Connect, even if TC is not being used by SketchUp users a lot.
I just started using it last week. It’s not capable of doing what Layout does yet. But it is capable of doing amazing stuff.
As I do feel Trimble Connect is the future and Layout is a dead end, what I’m saying is that we should, as users, push for Trimble Connect development to fully support 2d output.
Layout will never be huge as it’s under developed and under resourced.
TC is being actively developed, with a lot more resources. What SketchUp can give to it is huge and the features that we need for Trimble Connect to replace Layout, would make TC huge.
Don’t forget Trimble connect supports SketchUp, Revit, DWG and many other files too.
What would it be worth to you to be able to produce 2D standard output from that multitude of files, including SketchUp models?
2 Likes
So, to wrap up:
We need to carry on using what we have, but start pressing the right development button, which is not Layout, it’s Trimble Connect and its bridge with SketchUp.
2 Likes
A good question (somewhat rhetorical). Many reasons why a 2d representation is still being used and is relevant. Will be for a while.
For me at least, I am not going to spend the next ten years trying to change people’s approach. I have a method based on drafting tradition, and that’s what people want from me, and need next week. They don’t want to talk about putting a TV on the job site. They’d think I’ve finally flipped out.
But some jurisdictions have at least transitioned to facilitating pdf submittals and that will save tons of paper, time, and energy. Just recently we got plan check comments via email, and rapidly uploaded revised drawings to the county site. We can track the permit progress online. So it’s going in the electronic direction anyway. Good time to get out of the blueprint business.
1 Like
Ok Anssi…unusable is to strong, I admit. But definately irritating, time consuming and just not a flowing workflow for me. My models are now probably bigger and more complex but also lighter and smaller in size. Thats because now I know all the tricks to get the most out of SU. Correct material size, correct GPU settings, components and flipped coppies etc…My models now run faster in SU than some of my early stuff would even run on a 2021 SU version. So I stand by what I say that for me Layout has not followed SU in regards to development and speed/efficiency. I use Layout and I can make it work but I only use it if I cant use other methods. For example Layout would work fine today for a simple 5-10 page construction drawing with for example various metal profiles in a frame, bolt hole placements, cladding, dimensioning and simple texture using Layout for a quick pdf document for print for carpenters. Only in mixed vector/raster though 
Oh, haha! I had no idea! Serendipitous choice of words.
It’s a rhetorical question, of course, for now. However, there are already examples of model centric approaches.
I’ve started learning Blender, because SU is to basic, How do I sign the partition ?
2 Likes
Wow JQL,
So much of what you say has a huge impact on the further of LayOut, as we know it … You speak as if you have an inside track on where Trimble is headed … what is your source for these insights and knowledge?
If we were to assume all this is accurate … then Trimble Connect must become the new LayOut Pro we are all clamoring (and petitioning?) for! And this new hybrid must give us the efficient full 2D production capabilities we now lack in LO, and will need to transition to this brave new world of the TC all digital construction site.
Your comment is your signature
1 Like
Look what you’ve done beamer. Told me to start a petition and now look! Lol… What have you done beamer…
1 Like
Disclaimer: I woud rather be called a ‘paladin’ for Trimble Connect than a ‘sycophant’ for LayOut.
Most problems arise from the fact that one tries to use the SketchUp model as a large container that holds every aspect of a model. It will always be a ‘bloated’ file, no matter what specs your machine is capable of, sooner or later you need to decide what level of detail you would want.
A residential decorated house seems to be the limit here, although I have seen many models that reach the limit with one room.
Now, one could ask the responsible PM’s to speed up LayOut’s performance etc. ‘or rebuilding the app from the ground up’ but, FWIW: this is in fact already the case in Trimble Connect. TC uses the .trb (trimbim) format which loads much faster and can display multiple models at the same time.
You can even select a whole folder of models to view simultaneously.
The next step is to create LayOut files/sheets from these individual models, just like bigger software does with General arrangements drawings or more specific 'assembly drawings for production etc.
One more thing, it does seem that the ratio of Mac users that are involved here with the petition is way out compared to the ‘normal’ ratio of Mac versus Windows users.
I would suggest to take this in account, for the ones who are responsible just might decide to ditch the platform all along…
the door is closed but the Window(s) is open…
This is pure speculation based on recent investigation and discussing Trimble Connect with @MikeWayzovski
There is no insider info, I’m only gathering the pieces of information I’m being faced with on Trimble and Trimble Connect.
This also comes from my recent wish that Connect and SketchUp should be way better integrated with one another.
There are no sycophants for Layout on this forum @adrianprice2011
Fistful of Dollars - Wikiquote
“Joe: A man’s life in these parts often depends on a mere scrap of information. Your brother’s own words.”
No insider info off the roadmap on my side, either, while we do get info on releases priorly, being an official (channel) Partner.
That said, if you look at the rate of releases for the Trimble Connect suite:
https://connect.trimble.com/latest-release-overview
You will notice the activity.
One of them being the changes in the ‘Organiser’ and mapping the attributes to the info panel (Trimble Connect cloud only, thus available on both platforms).
We now have ‘native’ objects information!
check out the info of this downloaded piano from the 3D Warehouse:
BTW. regarding this last feature that was added, this has been requested many times here on the forum. Probably, some of the PM’s that are watching these threads did get it passed through the TC-team…
I sure hope that’s wrong…
Nice chance to play a game of Guess the Scale Figure. Managed to get four right. Mistook Bugra for Adam.
I am involved with Adobe prerelease things, including some products that are not at the Flagship end of the scale. It’s alarming how hard a time the beta testers give the development team. My entire income from 1995 til I came to SketchUp at the start of 2019, can be put down to my use of Adobe tools, and I’m sure a lot of the beta testers have made a large portion of their income from the tools that they tell Adobe are good for nothing compared to other company tools. Fortunately, the Adobe teams hang in there. My guess is that the product managers try to keep the developers from reading too many upsetting posts.
Good thing it’s not like that with SketchUp and LayOut.
2 Likes