I would like to include a scale box on my planning drawings in layout to match the scaled drawing. is there a simple way to do this?
Do you just want the scale as text? You can do that with a label attached to the model in the viewport. There are examples in the Scrapbook.
If you want a scale bar maybe like the one below, that’s simple enough to draw using a Scaled Drawing. You can save that as part of your template or in a scrapbook for future use. And because it’s a scaled drawing you can change the scale to suit.
Hi Dave
I would like it to show as a scale that can be used to manually measure with a scale rule from a printed document. As you would see on a printed map.
See my edit, above.
Yes, thats exactly what I did. Drawing in sketchup, send to layout and create a scaled box. For some reason when I printed it off it didn’t work. I will try agaain as we both are thinking along the same lines. i’m sure I will find an error during the process that I can correct. I will let you know when I find it!!
It would be interesting to see what you created. Can you share the LO file?
I did the drawing in LayOut with LayOut’s Scaled Drawing feature.
Thinking about it though, making a SketchUp model of the scale and inserting that could be a nicer option because you could also have a label attached to show the scale as text.
Quick example using a SketchUp model. Same scale bar for both. The numbers along the bottom are 3D Text. I left the leader on the lower one visible. The labels use the Auto text feature.
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Scale test 1.layout (2.4 MB)
Ok. I have realised my error. This is my planning template with a frame drawing scaled to 1:50 and the same drawing at 1:100 the scale box scaled from the right click scale option correctly for each . My error was putting numbers to the scale which only would work at the original dawing scale. It works fine when using a scale rule on the little boxes.
Auto text??
You can resize the text with your scale bar. Text in LayOut is font size and in paper space not scaled like the drawing so it has to be managed separately.
Yes. When you place a label that is attached to a SketchUp model you get some different auto text options. Initially there’ll be a blue dropdown arrow. Click on it, and select what you want.
For the label I created I used Ratio as the auto text and typed the word Scale in front of it. That avoided the units.
Ah yes I do use auto text for dates in drawings, page numbers etc. But thats interesting. I will have a play around after some lunch. Thanks for the chat.
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Hiu Dave
Pretty full now after that lunch!! So I have now done scale boxes in sketchup with notations for various scales (2m boxes down to 100mm boxes) which I can then import into layout and scale. No problem. The auto text works but is there any way not to have the leader arrow?
I hope it was a good lunch, too.
You have to have the leader to keep it attached but you can make the leader transparent.
Hi Dave
Yes, thats what I did. I was trying to erase the line with no success. Cheers for the help.
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Happy to help.
FWIW, you can explode a label and then delete the leader but then it’s not a label and the text isn’t connected to anything. 
Hi Dave
As an addendum to this issue I now find that when I send a sketchup file to the template that has these scaled boxes as part of the template the file doesn’t show in the main drawing area but instead takes over the scale boxes?? So I end up with lots of small versions of my sketchup drawing where the scale boxes are instead of the scales.
I have attached a copy of my drawing template and would imagine that I need to fix the scale boxes somehow but can’t work out how.
Another issue I have is with printing defaults (probably not the correct place for this question). When printing the dialog box always sets on portrait although drawing is on a landscape template.
How are you going about sending the SketchUp file to LayOut? Are you using Send to LayOut in SketchUp? Or File>Insert in LayOut? The only way I can get a new SketchUp file to replace your scale bars is to use Relink in Document Setup>References but then that does what is asked of it.
Send me a LayOut with the replaced scale bars.
By the way, I think you should redo your layers for this template. There’s no need to have page specific layers for “unique items”. If the layer is not shared between pages the items ona layer will only appear on the page they are placed on.
Hi Dave
I use file> send to layout. Here’s the example. The scale bars are part of the template and linked to a scale bar sketchup file as noted previously.
Send to layout test.layout (3.6 MB)
Can you share a screenshot of Preferences>Startup? Preferences is at the bottom of the Edit menu.
Yes. I can see that.
In the first file you sent the reference to the scale bar .skp file is clearly shown.
In the second file the scale bar file has been replaced with the house file.
But why has it done this?