I have created a simple floorplan using Sketchup Pro - simple 2D. I have the Camera set to Parallel Projection. I have searched for “sketchup print to scale” and watched countless videos and read lots of suggestions. Most refer to selecting “Print to Scale” during the Print dialog. This option is not available to me!? I’d appreciate any help. Thanks.
If I’m not mistaken that’s a macOS only thing. But don’t hold me to that.
There is no explicit “Print to Scale” in the Print dialog. After setting the Camera to Parallel Projection and choosing the correct standard view, you should be able to go to the Print or Print Preview dialog, untick the boxes for Fit to page and Use model extents. Then choose the scale. My example shows the scale set to 1:1 but for a floor plan that’s probably not what you want.
Since you are using SketchUp Pro you might also consider doing this in LayOut instead of printing directly from SketchUp. You can choose the paper size even if the printer connected to your computer doesn’t use that paper size and you can generally create a better looking output. Export to PDF and then print from there.
Print to Scale is found in the web based versions, not in the desktop versions.
Thanks, DaveR. I found the scale option fields you directed me to. Thanks for that help. Naturally (Murphy’s Law), I’m now having problems with both of my printers! But I was able to get it to print to a PDF. It looks as though the image got split, with the left half on one page, the right on another. And the Text I had entered in the floorplan is tiny and placed way away from where it is positioned in my Sketchup plan. Any thoughts on this? Really appreciate your help!
PeteB
Well, either you need to change the paper orientation to accommodate the aspect ratio of the floor plan or you need to choose a different scale. In some cases it may also be necessary to change the size/aspect ratio of the model window.
As for the text, it depends on how you have it set up. It may be more appropriate to set the text size to a height in the model units instead of in point size.
Again, this kind of stuff is much easier to deal with in LayOut. What you are trying to accomplish is one of the tasks LayOut was designed for. Add your SketchUp model view to the page in LayOut and add text and dimensions there instead of in the model. You can select the desired scale for the viewport in LayOut and you’ll see exactly how it’ll fit on the page.
If you were to share your .skp file with me I could make an example LO file to show you. If you don’t want to make the .skp file public, you can click on my name and then “Message” and send it to me privately.
Thanks. I am attaching the .skp file. I have no problem using Layout - just new to me.
PeteB
Master Bedroom for print.skp (89.4 KB)
What scale do you want and what paper size?
What is the 19’ 5" dimension for? The actual dimension between the extending lines is closer to 18’ 11-5/8".
The text you used for the dimensions is screen text so its location is fixed to the screen and not the model.
Scale should be 1/4" to a foot. I don’t really care about paper size because I can always get something printed at Staples. My printers max out at 8.5X11.
At that scale your model will fit on a single sheet of letter size paper. I didn’t do a whole lot to your file other than correct the incorrect face orientation and remove your text. The dimension on the right is actual not the 19’ 5" you had. Probably the mode should be fixed instead of editing the dimension text but either can be done.
Master Bedroom.pdf (12.1 KB)
FWIW, if you still really want to print to scale from SketchUp instead, make the model window fit the model more closely.
Then you can set the scale accordingly and it should fit on a single page.
You’re great. Can I impose further to ask exactly what you mean by “face orientation”? I’ve Googled the term but not found anything that seemed relevant. And am I correct that once you had modified the face orientation, adding dimensions was straightforward - nothing special, just using the normal Sketchup Dimensions icon.
A face shows up as either white (front face) or grey-blue (back face). You should always use “Reverse Faces” in Context and keep them in the right orientation. Blue inside, white out.
I’ll shoot a video.
Thank you.
The blue you see in your model is the back side of the faces. SketchUp creates 3D shapes as hollow boxes with the faces more like zero-thickness skins. Those skins have a front and a back. Typically in a 2D model such as yours this is not terribly important but once you get to making 3D models it does matter. Some tools act differently depending on which side you click on. Then there are other things related to adding materials, rendering, and 3D printing. Best practice to to not leave back faces exposed and stay on top of that from the beginning so you don’t have a ton of work to do later.
It’s normal for back faces to be facing up when you first draw a shape on the ground plane. SketchUp, being a 3D modeler expects your next step will be to make that shape 3D by extruding that face upward. The front of that first faces is on the bottom and on the outside.
The face orientation really has nothing to do with the dimensions. I did use the Dimension tool in SketchUp in that first image. I deleted it and your text from the model before going to LayOut. In the view from LayOut with the grid and in the PDF, those dimensions are added with the Dimension tool in LayOut.
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(it looks confusing at the end, the video is repeating infinitely FYI)
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Aha! Which is why I have a mixture of gray (blue) and white faces! So, I reversed all of the “bad” faces and got the dimension tool to work correctly (GIGO!). What did you use as a text tool?
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I was editing my previous reply. I used the Dimension and Text tools in LayOut, not in SketchUp.
Kaiden - thanks for this! I am blown away by how helpful people are in this forum. Makes me want to become a Sketchup expert simply so that I can play it forward! (DaveR - this is for you as well!)
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No. I didn’t use the Label tool at all.
No problem 