Hi, it would be very usefull if we could create a spinner (drop down menu) as Excel does or the validation list. For exemple, it would be easyer to chose the material in a drop down list, then typing it everytime, or to select the name of the drafter when you share the same Template.
Can’t wait to see that !
Thank’s and excuse my poor english.
Hi K1R1T0 ?
there are thousands of default materials,
you have a list view and if you filter to only show materials in your model and
have a good material naming convention then material selection is very efficient.
I usually add a symbol in
front of my materials to stack them at the top of the listHi @gsharp,
thank you for your fast answer.
I do use the material list in SketchUP, but are you telling me that I can call my selection in Layout ?
In Layout, I have an approuval page for all the materials and handles quantity and model number.
Can I call the material use in my 3D model with : TEXT/PERSONALZE AUTOMATIC INSERTION (mine is in french so it’s “personaliser l’insertion automatique”).
Thank’s again.
When you’re in a scaled drawing context, you can type in a real-world length and it will be adjusted by the scale factor of the context that you’re drawing in. When you’re not in a scaled drawing context all dimensions are paper-space. Is that not what you expect? Perhaps you could clarify your point.
Hi Mark,
I guess the fundamental frustration is why LO interface operations are not identical to SU operations ?
why do we all have to do a mental mind flip to achieve the same results?
As to the particular topic - sorry I am not skilled at creating a descriptive gif animation
so let me try to describe in words
Scaled Drawing are great a great step forward and hope you push this further -
I want to throw AutoCad in the bin
Lets say I am designing a simple detail - say a retailing wall section in LO
A draw a rectangle to represent the strip footing , say 600mm x 300mm - its a first guess
Engineer comes back and says it needs to be 750mm x 350mm
IN SU this is simple, I just pick a line [edge] and move in the direction I want and type in 150 or 50
In LO I cannot do the same , I certainly don’t want to work out the % scale factor of the changes
Yes. I could use Dave’s workarounds… but why, why , why ??? isn’t it the same as SU?
While I have your attention 
Can I suggest the SU / LO team looks at maybe implementing this
Nudge command similar to used in CorelDraw
it allows the user to move the cursor within a command know distances on the x or y axis
Really handy when setting out dimensionally accurate work
Regards
Hi,
Sorry, was thrown by the reference to material list and I missed the reference to LO.
Agree, a autotext selection list would be valuable
Regards
I just made a whole post for this, but maybe should have put it here:
I would love a trim/extend tool in the scale drawing of LO. Option + Split would be super elegant.
DaveR, If you have a gif for this I will kick myself and continue to be super impressed at your efforts. It’s amazing in a way that half the requests here are already done, and you show them. I suppose that’s because SU doesn’t have the teaching classes like the high cost BIMs do. Thanks for your continued teaching.
The trim tool would be great when in Scale drawing in LO or just any 2D work in LO.
EDIT: Line tool, to be specific.
Good point, Split works okay when the line already intersect, but it does take more time to Split then select then erase unwanted line segments. Then if you need to glue you use that tool to connect lines.
With a Trim or Opt+Split tool function, lines can be extended(if necessary), trimmed to length, and unwanted lines erased in one move saving a lot of steps. Maybe then automatically glue (or not - not sure which is better)
Currently, LO (especially if the snaps are on) makes it quite hard to extend a line by a point while keeping angles consistent. Maintaining angles and speed are the main reasons I think a Trim or Opt+Split is necessary over what function is available now.
Side note: This is what Revit has done even better than Autocad in terms of line work because it infers whether lines need to be trimmed or extended by which side of the segment you select. I want to use LO rather than these others and this is one feature that would begin to bring the drafting functions on par. The other would be customizable nudging - arrow keys moving of LO objects - in specific increments or based on zoom.
EDIT: Come to think of it, if there were guides like in SU it could save as much time by letting you know where the intersection of lines was before you draw them. I’d be happy with either approach.
Is it possible in Layout to choose and insert the 2D section slice of a Sketchup section plan?
Now that the section plans are numbered, I would like to be able to choose the corresponding section slice (2D) from the “Sketchup Modele” panel of Layout and to be able to choose its orientation (front or back). And its scale.
I know that we can create scenes with section plans. But what I would like is to directly insert the slice of a section 2D.
Thank you
You can perfectally insert a section slice choosing two ways:
save a scene with this section slice
“Ctrl + C” and “Ctrl + V” from Sketchup to LayOut, and then choose an scale and put that viewport above the drawing
Keep in mind that this method has proven to be problematic because it creates a temp file reference. We’ve seen many examples in which users have used this method and later lost the references. Or, if the model gets updated, changes won’t get correctly updated in the LayOut file if at all.
Would love to have fixed length extension lines as a default or option in Layout. 5mm either side of the Dim string for example. Doesn’t matter how far from the origin you drag them they will always look the same. If I need to edit and drag the extension closer to the model/origin - this could be dble click edit option.
2 more default layers when opening any layout document.
A text layer
and
A Dimension layer.
Pair this with an ‘Auto select’ function when you activate either the text or dimension tools. If I choose the dimension tool - the ‘Dimension layer’ is made active as the default state. Same for the text tool. In the rare cases that I don’t want those items on their own independent layers I could change the default.
Been asking for these changes for 3 - 4 years now. Don’t know if I’m alone in wanting this or if Sketchup and Trimble have any plans on implementing them soon.
You can set this up as part of your own template.
Again, make your own template. Add as many layers as you like and call them whatever makes sense to you. You should have your own custom templates that you’re using instead of modifynig one of the canned templates each time you start a new project. I have numerous templates that I made and use depending upon the client.
This would be a nice option.
It certainly would. Has my vote.
I would also like to see construction lines like those in SU. The inferencing engine is quite powerful but it is often not enough on its own and I end up drawing temporary lines. Also, or perhaps as an alternative, I would like to be able to use the cursor keys when I am moving something to lock to horizontal or vertical movements (it may be that I just haven’t got the hang of what LO offers, of course 
).
Dave - thanks for the reply.
I have a template set up with the text and dim layers but it is the auto select function that would compensate for my own shortcomings when I get in production mode and forget to pre select the layer I should be working on.
Did not realize I could set up fixed length extension lines. I am off to try and find out how to do this right now. Need to give myself a slap for not knowing this earlier. I have used the eyedropper to match properties on dims but it has limitations in that it is relative to the point the dim was taken from.
If I can’t work out the fixed extension lines on my own - I might be back for a prod in the right direction. Thanks again.
