Problem loading Windows 2016 files on a Mac

SketchUp
1

I’ve created several files (actually many) in Sketchup 2016 using Windows 10, and haven’t uploaded the latest version of Sketchup. Another person who wishes to use these files is using a Mac and wants to use these files but cannot load them. Any suggestions or answers for this problem?

Thanks!

2

There is no difference between SketchUp files on Windows vs Mac, so the problem is from some other cause. You have SketchUp 2016. What does the other person have? If it is not at least 2016 or later, it can’t load 2016 files. What error does the other person encounter?

3

Thanks for the prompt response. The other person has SketchUp Pro 2019. I will check for other issues.

Thanks again!

Jim

4

One possibility is that you have given them the .skb file rather than the .skp file. Windows can be set to not open .skb, I don’t know if mac is the same.

5

Mac doesn’t create skb backups, rather it follows the UNIX convention of appending a ~ at the end of the base file name. Although it is probably possible to tell Mac that SketchUp should also open skb files, it is easier to just rename them to skp!

But, to the OP: if you are sharing skb files you should be aware that they will be the version from the previous save, not your latest work!

6

That’s what I was wondering, if I send you a .skb does your mac give it a tilde and not open it, or does it give it a tilde and open it or no tilde and open?

7

The Mac simply doesn’t know what a .skb file is. That extension has no built-in meaning on Mac and won’t be automatically changed to anything else, any more than mymodel~.skp will be converted to mymodel.skb on Windows. It seems that on Mac the SketchUp developers decided to follow the long-established UNIX backup naming convention whereas on Windows they invented their own. The inconsistency is annoying but not an issue unless people try to exchange backups instead of current versions.

8

Ok, so my guess could be right, good to know. Thanks.

9

Thanks so much for all the help! It’s now clear what happened. I was sharing .skb files, thinking (not thinking) that they were the preferred SketchUp file, in part because in Windows these files show up (under File Manager) with the SketchUp icon! Problem solved. Thanks again!

10

Whether the .skb is slightly out of date is one issue, but if they’re not much behind, your Mac users could rename the file as .skp instead of .skb, and could then open them.