Scaling in Layout is not working for me

I am using layout. I can not create the proper drawing scales 1/4"=1’ etc. In Layout I go to Edit, then Preferences, then Scale. I click the scale I want, But it will not stay in that scale.
What am I doing wrong?

The drawing scale is not set in the preferences. The scales there just indicate what scales are available to Layout. You set and coordinate the drawing scale in two places within layout. These are in the '“Trays” One is in the “Sketchup Model” tray and the other is in the “Dimensions Style” tray. You set the scale in the SU Model tray when you insert your scene and create the viewport. Make sure that the Dimension Style scale is set to the same.

I am not using a Sketchup Model or scene. I am just using Layout to do
line drawings. When I set the scale in the Dim. Style tray it works for
dimensioning, but then disappears when doing line drawings?

You can assign a Scale to an orthogonal SketchUp model view in LayOut.
But lines drawn in Layout are always 1:1 paper space.

Thanks for the reply. I am doing only line drawings. Can’t seem to find
Orthogonal views. Would I be better using Sketchup vs. Layout for simple
line drawings with dimensions. I would like scaled lines. Then scaled
dimension lines to match.

LayOut has more elaborate dimensioning tools and far better printing abilities.
Create the line drawing in SketchUp.
Then send it to LayOut to apply dimension and assign a Scale for the purpose of printing on paper.

Create a Scene in SketchUp of the orthogonal view of the model.
For your line work drawn on the ground plane that would be…
Camera > Standard Views > Top
and
Camera > Parallel Projection

How do I draw a 2-D line drawing only in Sketchup?

Top View (Camera->Standard Views->Top). Draw. Send to LayOut. Dimension. Enjoy.

Your question is so broad it defies an answer.
What part of the process has you stuck?

Explain a bit more about what you’re trying to accomplish and the desired output.
If all you want to create are 2D line drawings which print to scale, it doesn’t make sense to use a fulltime 3D modeling application like SketchUp.

I like Layout for what I am doing. Except for I would like to draw floor
plan perimeters etc. by starting a line, typing in 20’ etc., to create a
specific line length and them dimension it at 20’.

You can do that in SketchUp quite OK. To add to Barry’s advice, it is easier to keep things on a same plane if you start by drawing a large rectangle (larger than your house) and use it as a “tracing paper”.

You can use the resulting plan as a framework for building a full 3D model of your house later. Sections, roof plans and the like are much less prone to errors if you create them from a full 3D model instead of drawing them 2D.

Anssi

Okay. Thanks for the reply!

Extra tip for drawing to scale in LayOut:

Although I would advise drawing too much in LayOut, it is easy to draw the occasional line to scale. If you want to draw a line of 120mm in a scale of 1:50, for example, draw the line, and type in “120/50” (in the VCB), hit enter. LayOut does the maths of 120mm, divided by 50, which is 2.4mm (120mm at 1:50).

Thank You for the reply. So for just doing simple line drawings for
floor plans etc. you would use Sketchup vs. Layout?

Yes. Layout works best as a 2d presentation program of your 3d model. It is not suitable enough to easily draw floor plans. Sketchup works for drawing 2d floor plans and then you can bring into Layout to dimension and annotate or if the plans is simple enough you can dimension, annotate and print directly from SU. You should consider taking the 2d floor plans and extruding into a 3d model. Hope this helps.

I will try that and see how I do. Thanks for your time and a good
explanation.

Check out YouTube. There are a couple of videos on how to draw 2d in SU. You may have to search for them since they are quite old.

TommyK, you just answered a question I have been struggling with for a long time, Thank you.

Thanks TommyK! Like blauble said, you just answered a question I have been struggling with for a long time. Granted, I’ve gotten better at solving for x, but to be able to simply write in 6/48 (1/4" scale) for 6" instead of doing the math and having to figure out it’s .125 or 1/8" is awesome! Especially when it’s a messy number I want to draw, like 15", that doesn’t divide into 12 nicely.

This is one of those things that should have been obvious, but it never even occurred to me to try it until you said it.

I draw most stuff in Sketchup, but the reality is, that putting things like the Trusses of a Roof Framing plan or the numerous different Cross Sections and the like into the 3d Model, and them arranging their scenes and layers all exactly so they only display on the sheets you want can be very labor intensive and time consuming. It’s often much quicker to just draw the Roof Layout trusses over the floor plan in Layout and your done. So without the capability of simply drawing within a specific scale in Layout, your method is the next best thing.