Need help with Model Info section

I work for an exhibition company and use the model info section of SketchUp Pro 2019 to create lists of equipment our warehouse need to locate, however, I am frequently finding that components will start having # next to them in the model info section. Such as if I have a component called ‘chair’ in model info it may say I have 5 of the component ‘chair’ but also 2 of the component ‘chair#’. I cannot find any particular thing I am doing when creating model that is causing this, can anyone help? As this causes a lot of disruption and delays for us. Thanks!

Is there also a number appended to the component name? This would be typical of a component instance that has been made unique. The original might be Chair, a copy or copies of it that has been made unique would be Chair#1.

Generally that would happen if you select instances of the component and make them unique via the right-click menu. I’d have to check, but it might also happen if you import a second component that has the same name as one already in the model.

I think it could be becase of this yes, but because I also apply graphics to some components, I have to make them unique to be able to only put the graphic on that one component in particular. But then this obviously affects the model info section, is there any way to stop the #'s or a different way for me to apply the graphics? If not it will just have to be something we deal with but would obviously be ideal if we didn’t have to!

You could rename the unique component to something else. 'Chair with graphic" maybe. I suppose you could apply the graphic to a face outside the chair component and select the chair and graphic and make a nested component. Problem with that is you have to bore into the nested component to select the chair. It could work for you, though.

Here I’ve added a “graphic” to a face that isn’t part of the chair and made a nested component called Chair with graphic.

If I select the chair itself (not in a nested component, Entity Info gives the right number of chairs.

FWIW, you could probably use Report Generator to give you a list without having to poke through your model selecting things and examining Entity Info. You could also massage a CSV file to combine Chair, Chair#1, and Chair#2 into a single line.

“Model Info” is the dialog panel name.

You are actually referring to the definition name and the instance name properties.

Both of these property attributes are available to appear on generated reports.

The instance name is something you’d specify for a particular use within a model. For example in all interior doors were the same product number from the same manufacturer they’d likley have the same definition name, but you’d enter unique names for each instance … “master bedroom”, “linen closet”, “guest bedroom”, etc.

Changing an instance name (in the Model Info panel) will only apply to that instance.
But changing a definition name (in the Model Info panel) will apply to ALL instances of that definition. (So care must be taken not to drive yourself nutty. What I mean is that the definition name is a property of a definition even though it is displayed and editable in the Model Info for an instance.)

No each definition in the model’s definition collection must have a unique name. SketchUp ensures this by adding the #number suffixes.


Besides manually causing the definition names to be “uniqued”, dynamic components often cause automatic “uniqueing” when options are changed on an instance that requires the definition’s entities to be changed.