LayOutToPDF

[MikeWayzovski]

I was reading this post:

The Best SU+LO Automation for Construction Drawings?

I terms of automating construction drawings I think good templates goes a long way. One can have SU templates with all the tags, tag folders, styles, scenes already set up. The time it takes to produce a Layout document copying the viewports and setting them up for scenes is something I just accept, as this is not my main time-thief. I dont use the condoc/ 5d+ things, as (for me) learning them probably takes more time than setting ut the document manually. Updating x-refs / external ifc´s is m…

and figured ‘How hard can it be?’ to develop an extension for it. I was also curious as of how the process of developing an extension in the SketchUp world and making it public works.
Used some AI-magic and got a resulting script(s) which I submitted for review and behold, got approved:

SketchUp Extension Warehouse

This was version 1, It automated the printing of each page separately with a set prefix in the same folder of the LayOut document.

It didn’t take long for the first feedback, (select a different prefix, select a destination folder) So I needed some (html) dialog and end up with version 2.0

Currently, only version 1 is published but I did create a version 2, still only .rbz which I am trying to submit for review, but it fails somehow.
Therefore, the current pictures in the Extension Warehouse do not comply.

So here is version 2:

mw_layout_document_printer.rbz (18,4 KB)
(you can install it via the extension manager)

I noticed that it fails for some pagenames (namely pagenames containing character like ‘:’,‘/’ etc, so I think I need to have some control over that part.

Created this topic to gather some more feedback.

[Odd_Haakon_Byberg]

I tested the extension, it works great and it’s a real time-saver.

Whenever I needed to publish pdf´s before this it took a long time to make a catalog of different pdf´s to update the web host for my drawings.

[bmaxim]

I tried it too, and indeed, the sheets containing characters are not exported.

Speaking of which, I installed another @vbo extension that operates in the same mode and separates the LO sheets individually. I tried looking for the extension but can’t find it anymore. Maybe the developer will reupload it. (works with SU24)

VBO LayOut Splitter Plugin

[renton555]

I’m excited to try this. My favorite thing about ConDoc tools was the way it was able to send all the views to a temporary scrapbook file, at scale. It was a really smooth transition from being in sketchup to being able to just drop in viewports into my layout files. @Cyentruk said that Curic Scene Manager was able to do this but I had problems with crashing in the past when I’ve tried using that.

[MikeWayzovski]

@MikeWayzovski

I noticed that it fails for some pagenames (namely pagenames containing character like ‘:’,‘/’ etc, so I think I need to have some control over that part.

So, it turns out, getting a nice UI with the right responses is taking longer than the actual print functionality working. Gaining respect for developers:)

Still some work to do, but here is version 2.1.0:

mw_layout_document_printer.rbz (18,9 KB)

[Odd_Haakon_Byberg]

@MikeWayzovski

getting a nice UI

if you feel the need to fine-tune the UI esthetically, maybe the square “Print” button could be more in line with whatever each operating system would use for such a button, not that the button you have now is in any way annoying

[MikeWayzovski]

Show the Page number somewhere other than the Pages tray

I have been fiddling my LayOut To PDF extension: to incorporate ‘Drawing-sets’ (or Page-sets) which might be useful: [SketchUp_uW5r8HB6iN] There are a few caveats when working with documents opened in LayOut, though. What kind of (index) names do you use for a typical set?

currently reviving the whole setup, a wip, so to say:
mw_layout_to_pdf.rbz (559,6 KB)

[MikeWayzovski]

In order to view the thumbnail from a layout document. I needed to unzip and extract the doc_thumbnail.png.
Standard packed libs in Sketchup did not work, or a gem was needed, which I wanted to avoid.
With a little help from mai friends, I am now using this unzipper.rb:
mw_unzipper.rb (14,0 KB)
Workson Windows, it now uses a extension specific LOGGER method, but that can be easily changed.
Wondering if it works on Mac, though (currently not having access to a mac)

[MikeWayzovski]

@Odd_Haakon_Byberg

if you feel the need to fine-tune the UI esthetically, maybe the square “Print” button could be more in line with whatever each operating system would use for such a button

Well that put me on the spot. The actual working extension took me about two evenings with Ai little help from my friends…
But than I started with Modus/Bootstrap/Java/Html/CSS etc. and jumped into the rabbit hole

Taking some time to create the user guide for version 3:

Current state (use @ownrisk)

mw_layout_to_pdf.rbz (731,7 KB)

[3DxJFD]

Marvelous! You might be able to do that as a Modal so you don’t have the ‘extra’ page pop open.

[MikeWayzovski]

Yes, but now you can have opened it next to it, to follow the steps😉

[3DxJFD]

Good point. Have you checked out the messaging system?

Messaging System

[MikeWayzovski]

Yeah, was messing with that, too (even a combination)

Now using the footer:

[3DxJFD]

Ding, ding, ding. It has all the bells and whistles!

[Odd_Haakon_Byberg]

Supercool. I’ll test it once I get out out of the «wild».

[MikeWayzovski]

While version 3 is in review in the queue in the Extension Warehouse, I currently skipped the page/sheet set and focused on translations:)

besides the ones SketchUp support, added Dutch and Norsk.

mw_lay_out_to_pdf.rbz (715,8 KB)