Should I downgrade my Mac OS from Sonoma

SketchUp
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Non-specific / bigger issue questions here:
I am asking for advice about if I should go through with downgrading my OS? I am an architect, not an IT expert and don’t spend a lot of time in this forum because I use basic tools in SketchUp. Most of the information in this forum is over my head and I haven’t previously had issues, but working with SketchUp this year has been strangely challenging.

I’ve been using Sketchup since 2006 and started a small architecture consulting business in 2012 solely based in SketchUp and Layout, it’s the only software I use for design.

I decided to switch to MacOS in fall 2022 after BaseCamp. I work with a designer/independent contractor who helps me on most projects who continues to use Windows/PC. Prior to 2020, we rarely had issues using SketchUp and Layout and we kept our versions fairly current, which usually resolved any issues we were having.

Since 2022 (last year) we have had unprecedented trouble using SketchUp (specifically Layout). Those problems have compounded with us both on different operating systems and SketchUp existing in a subscription only format for the Pro version.

Early this year, we both upgraded to SketchUp 2023 and we lost a massive amount of work time due to issues we both had with that version. (Layout(both OS): Viewports not stable, images missing – SketchUp(PC): crashing when switching between scene tabs.)

The advice from SketchUp to solve these issues was to downgrade back to v2022, which resulted in another huge loss of time downgrading Layout files that we had previously saved in v2023 back down so we could both open them.

Using v2022 resolved the issues - until I recently bought a Mac Desktop, because despite our software headaches, the business is growing.

I set up the desktop last week and in order to migrate information from my laptop to the desktop, it was recommended to install the latest MacOS. The migration was smooth until I tried to work in SketchUp. It opened, but then crashed every few minutes.

After losing another day of work figuring things out - I learned that the Sonoma OS is not supported yet by SketchUp. I have an appointment with Apple to help downgrade my OS this week, but I can’t even begin to anticipate what other problems that will cause with other software we use, etc.

Our current solution to try to get through this week and to get some work done is for me to use SketchUp 2023 with Layout 2022, while my counterpart continues to use 2022 SketchUp and Layout with Windows.

Again, this seems like a ridiculous way to run a business and we now understand we are going to have a lot more technical difficulties going forward using SketchUp. Right now that solution is working, so I’m unsure if its necessary to downgrade my OS.

I am not an early adopter of anything because I’m not proficient with technical issues and am wondering if I am missing a way to work with SketchUp more like the way it worked in the past, before the subscription became the basis for Pro?

Also, is there some way, other than a magic ball, to know if there will be an update to the 2023 software to work with Sonoma? Will it only work with 2024? When is 2024 coming out and how many hours of work will we lose to resolve issues that arise with that release?

Any help or advice to navigate our set up from someone with a mindset to help a small business with pretty basic SketchUp needs would be appreciated. I realize getting more help from the SketchUp community is probably the only way to continue to work with SketchUp going forward and thanks in advance for any guidance you can share.

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20+ years ago, I was an early adopter, but now I’m a really late adopter. I’m currently on 2022, but that has only been since spring or summer or something. At 3D Basecamp, I was still on 2020. My “new” machine is a refurb 2016 MBP running Monterey. I partitioned the drive so it could also boot up under Mojave, but I find I’m actually just sitting at the older machine to do PowerCADD work (requires no later than Mojave to run)

Just because it’s subscription based doesn’t mean you have to use 2023. They say they support the last three versions, so technically 2022 is sill viable even if 2024 comes out soon.

Down grading is a pain, but it may make life easier. If you have enough disk space to do it, you might consider partitioning it into two boot volumes, and installing the older OS on a new partition instead of wiping out Sonoma. Ask the Apple tech if that’s possible.

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I downgraded. It was the only way forward for me. It’s a pain, but if you have a relatively new system then it should be a bit easier. I lost two days to my mishap (I didn’t install Sonoma by choice…)

Tech / Small Business tip - if it’s working, don’t upgrade unless there are really compelling reasons to do so. And never upgrade on the first released version, always give it at least a month or two and check in on the software you use regularly to see if people are having issues.

And often updating an OS can cascade down to other issues - accounting software, estimating forms, etc etc.

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And no, even with subscription software when you see ‘upgrade now to …. XYZ Software’ - you don’t have to, unless there is some crazy security reason or you won’t be able to keep working. There is no reason not to keep using 2022 until you have a clear and easy path forward.

Also - in you Mac, once you get it sorted - go into System Settings / Preferences and make sure you turn off all auto updates except security patches. Then you will get a notification and can review the changes to see if they make sense before you upgrade.

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At the moment, SketchUp 2022 will crash within a few minutes of you doing a Save. SketchUp 2023 may well crash a few minutes after the first Save you do, but shouldn’t crash after that.

2023.1.3 was a significant update, and so the earlier advice to go back to 2022 may not apply anymore.

I would try 2023.1.3 in Sonoma, and see if it behaves like I said it should.

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Sorry about the extra replies - I’ll get used to this… Colin - using SketchUp 2023 and Layout 2022 has worked for the past couple of days, but I haven’t gone through a heavy deadline yet.

I kept an appointment with Apple tech support today, I was planning to downgrade my iOS, but the Apple tech was hesitant to do that right away because of the other problems that could arise.

So my current plan is for me to use SketchUp 2023/Layout 2022 and my design consultant with the PC will continue to use 2022 for both SketchUp and Layout. She had WAY more trouble with 2023 than I did initially and doesn’t want to mess with it at all.

Going forward, my plan is to not update anything that is working right away and do research/ask questions prior to updating anything. Let me know if there are suggestions or other things to keep in mind to avoid future problems. Just like I learned to use “groups” to avoid a mess when using SketchUp, I need to learn some better basic tech practices going forward so I know how to avoid future issues.

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Such an important lesson, always stay at least 6 months behind the bleeding edge on principle, and never update mid-project. I’m still running SU 22 on Montery on my M1 Max.

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I guess sketchup 2024 will be released on the first trimester of the next year, I’m going to keep using Ventura until sketchup 2024 is released anyways Sonoma doesn’t offer major performance upgrades like Ventura over Monterey, not in sketchup but on blender a render is faster on Ventura than on Monterey due to the upscaling technology implemented on Ventura I guess.

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I believe we have fixed the issue with crashing when picking colors. I can’t say when that will appear in an update. I don’t think it was Sonoma specific, the same exact steps could crash in Ventura.

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Thanks - right now my current patchwork of solutions seems to be working, so I’m saving regularly and decided if it’s not actively broken, I’m not going to keep messing with it. Fingers crossed - best wishes

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Please post how your success was in reverting to an older version of Mac OS.

Since ugrading to Sonoma I lost Cinema 4D Studion 18 functionality. I’ve not been using SketchUp Layout as I am just starting another house design so I can no relate to the issue you are facing.

Since I am off topic, I wonder if there has been any conversations about making Layout more of a plane view designer that could create walls and then be parsed into SketchUp to be extruded into 3D?

Good luck rolling back from Sonoma.

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Kinda backward workflow. Start in SketchUp, create your floor plan, then pull it into 3D. Use layout for the dimensions, elevations and details etc.

To help achieve your goals, some time spent at the SketchUp Campus and at the SketchUp - YouTube channel will be very worthwhile. Both sites are from the SketchUp team. On the YouTube channel, pay attention to the Square One Series and Level UP series. They cover the basics for each tool.

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Thank you for the 25 bugsplats that you have sent in. I’m trying to see what the recent ones have in common.

It looks like you hadn’t sent in any bugsplats before you were using the Sonoma public beta. Is it that you had never seen a bugsplat before then, or just that you happened to start sending them in?

I will talk to developers as well about your crashes.

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10 posts were split to a new topic: 2D Drawings in SketchUp

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So - I got a prompt to try out SketchUp Diffusion, it looks really cool, but I’m assuming it’s not supported if I’m still using the Sonoma OS? Do you know anything? As much as I would like to try it out, I can’t afford losing work time if it crashes.

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It’s just a plugin. IMHO it’s not even close to ready for prime time, nor ready for any sort of use for client presentation. It is not a rendering engine.

It is likely that if it works you won’t lose time to crashing but to playing around making your designs into weird representations, then you will spend more time trying to get nice results.

For me, novelty, and I uninstalled it after a short play with it.

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well more than that, diffusion is also in the online go version, so if it doesn’t work in sonoma yet, just upload your sketchup design to the web app and try diffusion there.