Questions moving to 2017

Hi everyone. I’ve just jumped from SketchUp Pro 8 to Pro 2017. And I’m a bit confused.
First of all I noticed that creating or updating a scene I’m not asked if I want to update existing style or create a new one, Why did you change it? Now I have to manually change scene by scene locking layer for instance.
Another thing - rotating group, when I press Shift button sometimes it works as usual - locks an orientation, but sometimes it changes to pink colour - what does it mean?
Removing solar North tool was confusing - but sorted out downloading a plugin.
Exporting jpgs - now exported files have a weird size.
Last but not least - spending your and my time to create/learn new look of old buttons - do you really think it is improvement?
Generally - not very impressed with this new version.

They didn’t change it. Evidently you turned off the warning. The default state is for that warning to be active.Turn it on again in Preferences>General.

It’s still locking. It shows you what its using as the reference for the lock.

That’s been a separate plugin for many years. Nothing new there. Pro-only.

The graphics for the toolbars are a branding thing. They were changed after Trimble bought SketchUp years back. Changing appearance for branding is not unique to SketchUp.

There is a technical reason. To support new high-resolution monitors and to make the interface scaleable, the new icons were now made as vector graphics instead of the older raster images. When you look around, you see the same thing happening with all applications and vendors. This time it was not a mere brand issue.

Anssi

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That’s true but the actual icons could have been left the same as they were before.

@DaveR - Can you tell me how can I avoid locking protractor in the pink surface when I press Shift button. It means what should I do to have it working as it was in previous versions where I had it locked in terms of direction but I was able to put it in any place - forward or back to the current surface.

Why do you want to avoid the magenta inference?

The magenta color indicates the protractor is locked relative to a face in the model. It shows you which face is being inferenced from. If that face is parallel to an axial plane it’ll turn magenta but still be aligned to that plane. If you don’t want the magenta inference, you can either use the cursor keys to force red, green, or blue alignment or you can orbit the view so the protractor uses the background for inference. For example, if you orbit the camera so you are looking generally down the red axis and put the protractor on the background instead of the model, the protractor will turn red. Hold Shift after that to lock it.

Maybe it’s a bad habit from Sketchup 8. In that version I moved a protractor to certain face, pressed Shift and locked protractor on that direction and was able to put it wherever I wanted. Does it mean that now I can have it the same using cursor keys?

You can still place the cusor on a face and lock it with Shift. You just need to get with the times and accept that the protractor is going to show as magenta. If the face has the orientation you want, use it. Did you try the cursor keys?

I noticed now that magenta (sorry I say bloody) option works randomly. I do not know why and when but sometimes (mostly) it locks me on to magenta surface but sometimes it locks only green, red or blue, as it was before. But I checked cursor keys and seems it will work for me. Thanks for advice.

It isn’t random. You’ll figure it out. there are a lot more inferencing controls now than there used to be. That adds a great deal of power to the way you can work in SketchUp.

But I’m worried for the future. What can I do when in the future I will have random surface and I will have to place protractor in certain place far away from that referenced surface? Will I have to temporarily change axes orientation?

You shouldn’t have to do that. I’ve already given you two ways to get the orientation aligned with the axial planes.

Nothing is any different about how the protract aligns if you are inferencing off of a face except the color. If the faces you are inferencing is not parallel to an axial plane it used to remain black. Now it goes magenta. So what? In SU8 it would still not be on axis. You should know if the faces is on or off axis in the first place.

Yes, and thanks for that. But let me show you a sample I’m working at the moment. I’m an architect BTW. I have a pitch of the roof which certainly not parallel to any main surface. And I build dormer which is obviously projected from the roof. And now I need to provide a constrain line under certain angle from the corner of the dormer paralleled to the surface of the roof. In SU8 I’d put a protractor onto the pitch, press Shift to lock it and move to the corner. Simple. What happens now. I put a protractor onto the pitch, press Shift what changes protractor and surface to magenta and … I cannot reach my corner of the dormer cause I’m locked onto the pitch surface. I feel lack of the flexibility, for instance pressing Shift it works as it is, but pressing Shift + Ctrl it releases it from the surface but still keeping parallel.

How about sharing a sample SKP file showing up to the point of the line you’re trying to insert at the constrained angle. From your description, I’m thinking you don’t need the Protractor tool at all

No problem but I don’t know how can I share it. It’s a big file. On the other hand - it’s not the answer on my problem. Maybe you are right and I do not need it in this case, as I agree usually there are other ways to get a job, but please tell me what to do if I’d need. How to achieve it in SU2017 as simple as it was in SU8? Even in this case I can draw constrained lines onto the pitch and than move to the corner. Job’s done. But is it easier and faster than old SU8?

Copy out just the roof and dormer and paste them into a new file and share that.

File for Trimble.skp (347.7 KB)

Hope it will work. But before please read my last comment.

It should be easier. What is it you’re trying to do? add the roof lines like on the other dormers?

You need to get in the habit or correcting face orientation.

I’ve just noticed another issue with that magenta ‘masterpiece’ (Hope you are not responsible for this tool).
On the attached previously model: please draw a circle with centre on the projected corner, parallel to the pitch.

Do you know that you can align the protractor’s axis with an edge by clicking and holding the mouse button while you drag along the edge?