Migrating "Materials" from Sketchup 2018 to 2019

Hi, I recently downloaded SketchUp 2019 and now all my custom materials are not showing up. I tried opening “package contents” and duplicating/moving the Materials folder (Content → Materials), but it will only allow me to create an alias.

How can I move my Materials library over to 2019?

Each version of SketchUp installs as a separate program so you do need to migrate your custom materials. Do you know where you have the material folders for SU2018? On my Mac, I put them in User/Library/Application Support/SketchUp… So migrating them simply requires going to that location and copying the folders, then going to the corresponding location for SketchUp 2019 and pasting them.

If you have custom styles, you can do the same thing. Don’t copy extensions, though. Install fresh from their sources to make sure you have the current versions that work with SU2019.

Thank you, Dave. I’ve just figured it out. When I’ve imported them, I’ve not stored them in a separate folder because I believed that they would all be able to be migrated from the “package contents.” When I right click on the SketchUp app and select “show package contents” then select “Content” and finally “Materials,” all of mine are there in their respective category. The issue is that if you try to move them out of there, it only allows you to move an alias and not the actual .skm file UNLESS you go directly from the package contents of 2018 into the package contents of 2019. Then it works! So for anyone in the future, the steps on a Mac are:

  1. Right click older version of SketchUp & select Show Package Contents
  2. Open “Content” then “Materials” and you’ll see all yours listed
  3. For new version of SketchUp, repeat steps 1 & 2
  4. Take the .skm files from the old version and drag them directly into the new version’s “Materials” folder within the category you want. They will then show up in the new version.

Voila!

DON’T store User content in the App content folders…

you may end up loosing them all…

Apple can, at anytime, block modification of signed apps and your content could be ‘seen’ as malicious data and SU blocked from running …

keep them in the correct User/Library paths…

john

Can you expand on “keep them in the correct User/Library paths…” and how this works with moving Materials from version to version? When I go to Library → Application Support for SketchUp → Materials, there’s nothing in there. Thanks John.

the folder is first created when you save a material or collection in SU…

or you can just make or drop one in Finder…

when changing versions you just copy/paste your ‘User’ Materials, Components, Templates, Styles, but it’s best to not to do that with Plugins folder…

if you don’t want any of the SU materials, you can rename the folder in app contents to stop them loading…

if you want both your sub-folders will need unique names i.e. if wanting SU ‘Bricks’ then you would have ‘my_bricks’ or similar…

john

Thanks John. What I found is that you have to create/duplicate a “list” in order for the new folder to be created in the Library. Adding to an existing SU list does not seem to generate the folder. Appreciate your insight as this saved a big headache. Thanks again.

To find the materials folders on sketchup 2019. The steps are: /local disk (C:) /programData/sketchup/sketchup 2019/ sketchup/materials

There’s no need to migrate the materials that are included with the program. The new version will install them automatically. You only need to migrate your custom materials or put them in a location you can select in Preferences>Files.

You should not put your custom materials in ProgramData/SketchUp/…/Materials because that folder would be overwritten in the event of a reinstall.