Save Components to Single SketchUp Template File or Single Library Skp File

I have been asked in client training if it is possible in the quickest way to save precious components to your Sketchup template or save out to a definitive Single SketchUp file that would hold all popular Sketchup components in one single SketchUp file?

Pretty cool idea with easy to search , travel and create your own content libraries without having umpteen library folders on your drive…Thoughts?

I started building a component library by having them all in one file, but the annoyance I’ve found with that is that when I need a component, I’d have to open that file to copy over the ones I need. Whereas now by saving each component as its own single file, by using the component browser, I can just click and drag them in, faster and simpler. I also keep that folder in my dropbox so I can download and use whenever I use another computer.

Hi Quantj

Im talking about saving each component into ONE skp file. When you build a component library using the component browser you can open or create a local collection or save as a local collection. That collection is a collection of individual
sketchup models - which can be easily found thru the component browser and dragged or clicked into any current or new skp project.

What im talking about is to have a library folder for example - Bathroom Sinks and one skp file in that folder called
Bathroom Sink Resource.SKP , I then want to send any new sink model or component into that once skp file not as you are suggesting . This is different and means its easier to to control and manage, its easier or you have thousands of separate skp models that can be moved or deleted easily.

ive seen it happen in clients offices and hunting for the file you think you made is tough especially if your naming is not well structured.

So if I’m understanding correctly, you want to save all components (of a similar type) into one Skp file. So all bathroom sinks in a file, toilets in another, doors, etc. That can work, I’ve also tried that before, until I had too many (due to too broad of a category). I suppose if you plan it out your categories in advance, you can above having too many components in one Skp file.
Or
You have each component as a separate Skp file, but categories them into different folders, a folder for just bathroom components. The component browser can have work in multiple folders I believe.
If you’re trying to get the best of both worlds, all components in one file and viewable separately in the component browser, I don’t think that’s possible.
As for your original question on saving out a component to an existing file, I’ve never seen that before, don’t think it’s possible in a single action. Perhaps with the ruby script, you can script it so that an existing file will load all components from a folder where you’ve saved out all your components separately. Anyways, good luck!

It’s possible in some other software :wink:
That’s why I add this

How about this process?

  1. Select Component you want to export.

  2. Right click to open context menu.

  3. Choose ‘Save as …’ to export component’s contents to single skp file (not a component) with component axsis, to any folder you like.

  4. You can reload component’s contents by selecting same context menu ‘Reload…’

I’m not talking about that…

In Vectorworks you can save models into one template file …, I want to save components into one Skp file and it should store them as a definition in that template file :wink:

I’ve been

It all sounds rather rosy, until the user brings that ONE ‘multi-component component’ into the model.
It’s a recipe for instant file bloat.

There’s no difference between …
100 vague names in Bathroom Sink Resource.SKP
and
100 vague names in a Directory named Bathroom Sink Resource

The inefficiencies created by a poorly organized naming schema won’t go away.
They’ll merely carry over into the model.

It works well for another app with good model management and 3d model standards in offices … Just need a system agreed

I think you will find generally that clients don’t want to put all bathroom resources into one file … Rather have WC range ,WHB range etc and not too many either in each

I think 100 of each is too much?

:wink: