We’ll update this thread periodically with information about the bits and bobs that are included in each new release of SketchUp for iPad.
Dec 5, 2023 – v6.4.0 (2033)
Here’s what’s new in v6.4.0 (2033)!
NEW STUFF
• SketchUp Diffusion is a new feature that allows you to combine an image of your active SketchUp viewport with a text prompt to create a new, AI-generated image. Diffusion offers a number of options that allow you to define the visual style of the rendered image and control the extent to which either the snapshot of your SketchUp model and/or the text-based prompt, influence the output:
- You can access Diffusion from the overflow tool palette (top row).
- Once the Diffusion panel is open, you’ll see a snapshot of your SketchUp model viewport and can add a prompt that describes the image you’d like to generate.
- Style presets offer shortcuts to generate images with a specific aesthetic.
- Settings sliders provide control over the extent to which either your SketchUp model or the text prompt influences the rendered output.
- After tapping the Generate button, you’ll see that the service returns three variations that you can tap on to preview.
- Add Scene lets you save a selected image as an overlay in your SketchUp viewport.
- You also have the option to share/save a selected image.
- You can use the Refresh button located in the top right corner of the Preview image to update the input for Diffusion with a fresh snapshot of the SketchUp viewport.
- Learn More will take you to the Help Center.
- Feedback will take you to the main SketchUp Diffusion section here in the SketchUp Forums.
• Snaps – SketchUp for iPad now includes the Snaps capability that launched recently in SketchUp for Desktop.
- Any existing snaps in your model become visible when tools that can interact with them are active.
- You also have the option to add snaps to an object. You can do so by entering Edit Component or Edit Group mode, selecting a face, and then choosing Add Snaps from the context menu toolbar overflow list.
- The red rotate grips that used to be available when using the Move tool have been disabled. You can reactivate them via the Preferences panel, under the General Settings tab.
IMPROVEMENTS
• Autoshape now supports touch input! Simply long-press before sketching one of the supported Autoshape glyphs, and voilà!
• We repositioned the Cancel and Done in MarkUp mode.
BUG FIXES
• We fixed a bug that affected the ability to input measurements when using the Offset tool.
• We fixed a bug that was affecting Shadows and scenes. The time zone setting for shadows now persists properly when switching scenes.
• Tapping Select None no longer alters the active tool mode in the Select Tool’s toolbar.
• We cleaned up miscellaneous UI issues in Dark Mode and missing or incorrect translations.
• We addressed UI inconsistencies in the About tab of the Home screen and Soften Smooth panel.
• We fixed some UI issues that were affecting the layout of the Home screen in the iPhone version of the app.
• We fixed the bugs that resulted in the most frequent crashes.
We’re excited to hear what you have to say about these updates! Please let us know how the above is, or is not, working for you!
Sep 18, 2023 – v6.3.2 (2011)
Here’s what’s new in v6.3.2 (2011)!
BUG FIXES
• This update addresses several issues that surface in the Tags panel after updating to iOS 17.
• We fixed a bug that resulted in unintuitive behavior when switching between perspective and parallel projection camera modes using shortcut toolbars.
• We made a minor improvement to the USDz exporter and how it handles the visibility of tagged geometry. It’s now the case that when a tag is assigned to geometry and the tag is organized in a hidden tag folder, the geometry will not be visible in the exported USDz file. This improvement positively affects SketchUp’s AR model viewing capability.
• The update also includes a few other miscellaneous UI/UX improvements.
Aug 29, 2023 – v6.3.1 (2010)
Here’s what’s new in v6.3.1 (2010)!
NEW STUFF
• Presentation mode now offers a slideshow carousel that displays thumbnails of all of the scenes that are included in your presentation/animation. You’ll find the carousel by tapping the arrow at the right side of the context menu toolbar while in Presentation mode.
• The Styles Panel now offers the option to customize the horizon color. You can find this option located under the background settings.
• We’ve added a bunch of new video tutorials to the Learn tab!
IMPROVEMENTS
• It’s now the case that after minimizing the panels by swiping to the right, SketchUp will retain the prior state of the panels so that they are still set up the way you had them when the panels are expanded back open again.
• The animation export settings panel now offers the option to adjust the framerate for your animations.
• When creating a component, if you find that you want to give the component a name that is already in use, SketchUp will now ask if you want to: keep both (in which case the new component definition will automatically be renamed with a numeric suffix); replace (in which case the original component definition will be overwritten by the new one); or cancel (in which case you’ll be able to take a step back and choose a different name for the new component).
• When deleting a tag folder that contains tags, SketchUp will now ask whether you want to a) keep the tags that are in the folder, or b) delete both the folder and all of the tags that are in that folder.
• It’s now the case that when purging unused items from the Tags panel, empty Tag Folders are removed.
• The About tab now offers a more detailed explanation of your subscription status, and it will alert you if you sign into SketchUp using an account that does not match the account associated with the subscription you purchased from the Apple App Store.
BUG FIXES
• We fixed a bug that was affecting the ability to save files that had been opened directly from the Files app.
• When the Pan tool is active, you can now press the center wheel of a 3-button mouse to orbit.
• We fixed a bug that affected the Click-move-click pencil behavior when continuous line drawing mode is enabled on iPad models that do not support hover.
• The degrees button in the measurement box now works properly, as does typing the degree symbol into the measurements box (for example, when pressing option+shift+8 on an English keyboard).
• We fixed a couple of spots where Apple Pencil Scribble was getting in the way of interacting with other UI elements of a panel.
• We fixed a couple of missing and/or incorrect translations.
• We fixed several issues that affected the usability of toolbars and panels in the iPhone version of the app.
• We tidied up a bunch of UI/UX inconsistencies.
• We fixed a handful of bugs that resulted in the most frequent crashes.
June 6, 2023 – v6.3.0
Here’s what’s new in v6.3.0 (1990)!
NEW STUFF
• 6.3 includes support for importing and exporting multi-page PDF documents.
- The new PDF importer offers a streamlined workflow for importing multiple pages of a PDF document at once. Even better is that the importer offers the option to define the scale of any drawings that you might have on a page. After specifying the drawing scale, SketchUp will automatically scale the sheet so that the drawings end up at 1:1 scale in SketchUp. The pages will be automatically imported at SkechUp’s model origin and will be arrayed width-wise along the Red axis.
- The new PDF Exporter offers support for creating multi-page PDFs. After choosing a paper size, orientation, and resolution, you can then manage the pages that you want to export. After adding a page, you have the option to choose from the list of available scenes in your model. Scenes with a camera that is set to an orthographic view can be exported to scale, and for any page, you have options to adjust the line weight multiplier and choose whether to export raster, vector, or hybrid (raster textures and vector linework) graphics. Before saving your PDF, you can remove pages, and/or long-press and drag to rearrange them.
• The Model Info panel now includes sections for modifying the default properties for Leader Text, On-screen Text, and Dimension entities, along with the option to quickly update the properties of Text and Dimension entities that already exist in the model.
• We’ve added the Soften/Smooth Edges panel to offer a more efficient and flexible means of controlling the softening and smoothing of edges.
• We’ve added a new Help Panel that offers quick access to learning materials and other resources from within the modeling window.
IMPROVEMENTS
• Based on user feedback, we’ve improved the interaction pattern with many of the options and settings that appear across various panels in the app. It’s now the case that you can turn toggle switches on/off by tapping anywhere on the row that contains the switch.
BUG FIXES
• We fixed an issue that was preventing the option to paste from the iOS clipboard into the Measurements Box.
• We’ve cleaned up a handful of text formatting issues, as well as a couple of missing or incorrect translations.
April 18, 2023 – v6.2.3
Here’s what’s new in v6.2.3 (1978)
NEW STUFF
• With this release, we are introducing more accessible and flexible payment options by offering the option to purchase SketchUp Go subscriptions on a monthly basis (when purchasing via the Apple App Store). Now you can subscribe for the whole year or take it month-by-month – the choice is yours!
IMPROVEMENTS
• For the tools that have keyboard shortcuts assigned, the tooltips that appear while hovering over a button now include a reference to the keyboard shortcut that can be used to activate that tool or command.
• It’s now possible to select (and drag) multiple tags, in times when you need to rearrange the way that your tag folders are organized. Simply long-press on a single tag to enter into multi-select mode. (Note: you also have the option to multi-select items in the Outliner.)
BUG FIXES
• We fixed a bug that resulted in tools remaining active when entering into Presentation Mode.
• We fixed a few remaining bugs that were affecting the use and reliability of the new shortcut toolbars.
• We fixed a bug that was causing the app to crash when working on a model with a specific set of style settings.
• We fixed and improved a couple of bits of text that were not properly translated.
March 8, 2023 – v6.2.1
Here’s what’s new in v6.2.1 (1966)
IMPROVEMENTS
• We’ve added additional preferences for multi-touch including the option to disable one-finger swipe to avoid accidentally orbiting when working in a 2D orthographic view, and the option to configure 3-finger swipe up/down to sprout the customizable radial shortcut toolbar.
• We’ve added the ability to choose from a range of ACAD file format versions via the DXF/DWG export dialog.
BUG FIXES
• We fixed a bug that was affecting “3-click” tools like Rotate, Dimension, Arc, Pie Arc, and Protractor. These tools now function properly when using Apple Pencil in Just Draw mode.
• We fixed a bug that was affecting the behavior of using the 2-pt and 3-pt arc tools with the Pencil settings set to Just Draw mode, with Tangent Lock toggled on. The arc tools now behave as expected.
• We fixed a bug that was preventing the use of a great feature of the Push-pull and Offset tools when working with Apple Pencil. You now have the option to lightly double-tap with your Apple Pencil to automatically repeat the last Push-Pull or Offset command.
• We fixed a bug that was preventing the use of the Return key for creating multi-line text when using the 3D Text tool.
• We fixed a couple of bugs that were affecting the new customizable shortcut toolbars. It’s now the case that after customizing the toolbar and pressing the Done button, the changes you made will be saved.
• We fixed a bug that was causing the app to crash after undoing a live component configuration. This bug fix also helped to make AutoShape more reliable.
• We fixed a bug that was affecting tag visibility when viewing models in AR. Tags visibility now works as expected when viewing models in AR.
February 14, 2023 – v6.2.0 (1937)
Here’s what’s new in v6.2.0 (1937)
To read (and see) more about the v6.2 release of SketchUp for iPad check out the SketchUp Blog.
• NEW – We added DWG and DXF to the list of supported import and export file formats. Now, you can import and export both 3D AutoCAD models and 2D AutoCAD drawings.
• NEW – Customizable shortcut toolbars. We’ve created a couple of new ways to quickly access additional tools, panel features, and settings, via customizable shortcut toolbars.
- The first is a radial shortcut toolbar that appears at the location of the cursor.
– If you’re using an Apple Pencil (2nd Gen) on an M2 iPad Pro, you have the option to double-tap the pencil, while hovering, to sprout the radial shortcut toolbar. When the pencil is further away from the screen, you still have the option to double-tap the pencil to cancel an operation in progress.
– If you’re using a Magic Keyboard trackpad, you can sprout the radial by two-finger clicking.
– If you’re using a 3-button blue-tooth mouse, you can sprout the radial by right-clicking. - You also have the option to turn on a linear shortcut toolbar (that can float around or be docked to the edge of the screen). The switch for turning on the Linear toolbar is located under the General tab of the Preferences panel.
Both toolbars are customizable. To customize the toolbars, simply long-press on any of the tool buttons. You’ll then have the option to drag any of the available tools into the toolbar, or rearrange any of the tools that are already in the toolbar.
Note that among the capabilities that are available to add to the shortcut toolbars, there’s a button that will allow you to quickly toggle between the two available pencil drawing modes (Just Draw and Click-Move-Click).
• NEW – We’ve added options that allow you to save components (and groups) from your SketchUp project as separate files. We’ve also added the option to reload components. The Save As and Reload options can be found in the … overflow menu that is available in the Context Menu toolbar and the … overflow menu that is available in Outliner. Components can be saved to or reloaded from 3D Warehouse, Trimble Connect, and/or the Files app.
• NEW – We’ve added a bunch of new tools!
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All of the Solid tools are now available.
– With Outer Shell, you can combine multiple solid objects together and automatically get rid of any unwanted interior geometry that exists within the resulting solid.
– The Union tool joins multiple solid objects together while preserving any interior voids.
– Subtract offers the option to subtract solid object A from solid object B. Solid object A is automatically deleted from the model.
– Trim uses solid object A to subtract from solid object B, but solid object A remains in the model so that you can use it to trim other objects.
– The Split tool will take two solid objects and cut them into 3 solid objects. The two original solids will be subtracted from each other, and a third solid object will contain the overlapping geometry.
– Intersect will retain only the overlapping geometry between 2 or more solid objects. -
We’ve also included a new Flip tool that makes the process of flipping stuff in SketchUp much easier and more efficient. When the flip tool is activated, you’ll see red, green, and blue planes that slice through the center of your selection (which can include single entities, like a curve or a face, or complex selection sets, like an entire room or building). Tapping any of the Flip planes will flip (i.e. mirror) the selection about that plane. You also have the option to drag either of the planes and set them in a custom location about which you want to flip your selection. The Tool Mode toolbar offers options to Flip a copy, and/or toggle between flip plane orientations that are based on either the object axes (when flipping a single group or component) or the model axes.
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We’ve added a tool for adjusting the camera Field of View.
• NEW – The Tags panel now supports Tag Folders!
• NEW – Last but not least, we’ve added a ton of video tutorials to the Learn tab on the Home screen.
IMPROVEMENTS
• We’ve added the option to select multiple items in the Outliner. Long-press on any one item and then let go to enter multi-select mode. Note: you can only select multiple items within a given context.
• Based on your feedback about using the line tool with the pencil set to Just Draw mode, and wanting to be able to draw individual line segments one at a time, the preferences panel now offers the option to disable continuous line drawing.
• We moved the toolbars at the top of the screen down a few pixels to avoid interference with the iPadOS split screen button.
• While in Presentation Mode, SketchUp now ignores scenes that are configured with the “Include in animation” property turned off.
• We made a bunch of improvements to “3-click tools” (e.g. Rotate, Arc tool, Pie Arc tool, Dimension tool, etc.) so that these tools now function more intuitively when using an Apple Pencil (2nd Generation) on an M2 iPad Pro, taking into account the ability to hover with Apple Pencil while in Just Draw mode.
• We made a subtle change to the behavior of the placeholder text that appears in the 3D Text tool panel so that it’s less annoying.
• We’ve included a series of warnings that appear when users are offline, and that are intended to help inform users about features that require access to the internet.
BUG FIXES
• We fixed a few bugs that were causing the app to crash when importing from 3D Warehouse; using the Move tool to copy a section plane; using the Divide command to split an edge into equal segments; and when importing STL files.
• We fixed bugs that were causing the measurements box to misbehave when in split screen; causing the USDz exporter to create models with dark faces; causing objects that were created using the AutoShape tool to sometimes end up at the model origin; and preventing users from sharing models that were stored in Europe and Asia Trimble Connect regions.
• We also cleaned up a handful of miscellaneous Dark Mode and translation glitches.
November 3, 2022 – v6.1.2 (1904)
Here’s what’s new in v6.1.2 (1904)
• NEW – Dark Mode has arrived! Limit eye strain when cuddling up with Sketchup on the couch in the evenings. SketchUp will default to the system-wide appearance theme that you have set, but at any time, you can choose your preferred appearance theme via the About tab on the home screen.
• NEW – We’ve added support for importing STL files. There are two paths available for importing STL files:
- From the home screen, choose Open From, and then choose the STL file that you would like to open. The STL file will be converted to an SKP file when opened.
- With a model open, tap the Import icon in the Main toolbar (top left of the screen) and then choose the STL file you want to import.
• Outliner now better supports locked items, and also offers the option to long-press and drag objects in the list to reorganize them.
• We made a series of improvements throughout the application’s user interface to support the newly available option to hover with Apple Pencil when using the newest M2 iPad Pro devices.
• We fixed a bug that was affecting the Tape Measure tool. The Tape Measure tool can again be used to resize models.
• We fixed a bug that was causing the app to freeze up when using the context Menu option to Combine Textures.
• We fixed a bug that was affecting image export. When exporting an image, the background color now exports properly.
• We fixed a bug that was affecting the Scenes Panel. Scene thumbnails now properly update when dragging and dropping scenes to reorder them.
• We fixed a bug that broke the ability to activate immersive scenes while viewing models in AR.
• Other misc. Bug fixes and improvements.
October 25, 2022 – v6.1.1 (1893)
Here’s what’s new in v6.1.1 (1893)
• NEW – We’ve added support for deep links! When another uses the new Link Sharing feature to share a model with you, you can tap the link on your iPad and open the model directly in SketchUp for iPad – in view-only mode, of course. Folks who do not have SketchUp for iPad installed will instead see the model open in their default browser app on their iPad.
• Based on your feedback about the last release, v6.1.0 (1885), we did some additional work to make Markup Mode scenes even more robust. In addition, we’ve also added the option to the Styles panel to toggle watermarks on/off as a backup for times when markup watermarks are turned off inadvertently.
• The Styles panel now includes options to set the section cut line width.
• In the last release, we did some work to improve Autosave behavior for models that were saved locally. We’ve also improved Autosave workflows for models that are stored in Trimble Connect. It is now the case that when you close a model and choose to discard unsaved changes, the app will appropriately discard any Autosave recovery backup files and you will no longer be asked about these files when quitting and relaunching the app.
• We fixed a bug that was causing the iOS text toolbar to delete not just the selected text, but also any selected items in the model. The iOS text toolbar now only deletes the highlighted text.
• We fixed a bug that was resulting in the Measurements box sometimes stealing focus away from the text input fields for dialog boxes.
• We fixed a bug that made it impossible to share a link to a new file without first returning to the home screen, saving the file, and then reopening it. It’s now the case that you are able to more easily share a link to a new model without having to close it and reopen it.
• We fixed a bug in the STL exporter that was causing issues when re-exporting a file. It’s now the case that you can reliably re-export an STL file from the same model, and choose to overwrite the previous export, or export an additional file with a different file name.
• We made some qualitative improvements to Italian language translations.
• Additional bug fixes, and performance improvements.
Sept 14, 2022 – v6.1.0 (1885)
Here’s what’s new in v6.1.0 (1885)
FEATURES:
• Presentation Mode. We’ve heard that you love being able to use SketchUp for iPad to present your designs to your clients, colleagues, and other project stakeholders. We’ve also heard about the challenges that you face while trying to get those sorts of jobs done. So with 6.1, we’re introducing Presentation Mode, (which you can activate from the overflow tool palette) and we’re excited to get your feedback!
While in Presentation Mode, the Context Menu offers the following new features:
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Laser Pointer. We’ve heard that it can be tricky to use SketchUp for iPad to present your designs to clients or other stakeholders over VTC or when using an external display, because without a mouse cursor, it can be a challenge to “point” to the thing in the model that you are wanting to talk about. The Laser pointer solves that. You can use the Laser Pointer in 2 ways:
Tap the laser pointer tool in the context menu to turn it on. Grab it (with your finger or pencil) and drag it around. Tap the icon again to turn it off.
Simply long-press with a single finger and drag your finger around. When you lift up, the pointer disappears. -
VCR Controls. While in Presentation Mode, the Context Menu toolbar offers controls for Previous Scene, Next Scene, and Play/Pause Animation controls so that you can present any pre-saved scenes and/or playing animation sequences. The controls require that a model has at least one scene and they work best if the model includes at least two scenes. As soon as you tap to play an animation, the UI will disappear so that viewers can focus on the project. You can then tap the screen to pause the animation and bring the UI back.
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Lock Screen. We’ve heard that while you’re on the job site or meeting with a client, other people might get a little grabby and want to hold your iPad. We’ve also heard that those situations can be anxiety-inducing because of the possibility of other people “messing up your model.” With Lock Screen, you can lock the screen before handing over your iPad – preventing others from inadvertently screwing things up.
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Full Screen. Full Screen offers the option to make ALL of the app UI disappear. You can then exit out of Full Screen by tapping the button in the top-left corner of the screen. Alternatively – we’ve introduced a four-finger tap gesture for entering into or exiting out of full-screen. The full-screen gesture is available within both Presentation Mode, as well as when you’re in the modeling window. The full-screen gesture also works in the iPhone version of the SketchUp Viewer app.
• Link Sharing. We’ve added the option to create and send a view-only link. Recipients of the link will be able to view your project in SketchUp for Web, in a view-only mode. They will not be required to sign in to SketchUp for Web to view the model. They will not be able to make or save changes to the file, nor will they be able to download a copy of the file.
The option to share a link lives in two places:
- From the home screen, you can tap on the “…” icon in the bottom right corner of the model and choose Share from the list. You’ll have the option to either share a copy of the actual SketchUp model or share a view-only link. In order to share a link to a model, the model will need to be published to Trimble Connect.
- From within the modeling window, you can tap the new Share icon in the main toolbar (to the right of the Home icon). The only option offered here is the option to share a link. Files that are not yet stored in Connect will have to be published there first.
- After sharing a view-only link for a model, you can then continue to make and save changes to it. The people you shared the model with will then be notified (in SketchUp) when the model is updated and will be able to refresh the page to see the latest changes.
- After sharing a view-only link for a model, you can then choose “Share” a second time to find the option to stop sharing a link. Once you stop sharing a link, others will no longer be able to access the project.
• The Outliner is Back! Version 6.1 re-introduces Outliner. In addition to many of the Outliner features that you would expect, we’re experimenting with having Outliner carry features that have historically been made available via the In Model library of SketchUp’s Component browser. For example:
- From Outliner, you have the option to tap the “…” icon of a component and choose the option to edit the component’s details (following the same pattern we’ve established for editing the details of a Tag, Scene, or Material).
- From the “…” menu, you can choose to insert a new copy of a component or group.
- When the last remaining instance of a component definition is deleted from the model, the definition will be listed in the Unused Items bucket at the bottom of the Outliner. These unused, In-Model components, can be reinserted or purged individually.
• More Export Options. We’ve added options to export STL and OBJ. You can find these options alongside the existing options to export USDz, PNG, and MP4 by tapping the export icon in the Scenes panel. You also have the option to tap the “…” icon that is available in the Model cards on the home screen, and choose “Export…” to access the option to export USDz, STL, or OBJ files. (note: the option to export OBJ does not yet support exporting textures)
• More Tools. We added the 3D Text tool and the Rotated Rectangle tool. We also added 2 additional options to the Selection sub-menu in the Context toolbar for Deselect Edges and Deselect Faces.
• Navigate while drawing. The response to working in SketchUp for iPad, with Apple Pencil, using the “Just Draw” mode has been incredible. We’ve taken your feedback about ways to make it better, and in 6.1 we’ve introduced the option to navigate the model using multi-touch gestures, while you’re in the middle of a drawing or modification process. For example, you can start drawing a rectangle, and then, while drawing that rectangle (with the pencil on the screen), you can Orbit/Zoom/Pan with your other hand using multi-touch gestures.
• 3-finger swipe gesture for controlling scenes. When you swipe left with 3-fingers, you’ll advance to the next scene, when you swipe right, you’ll back up to the previous scene.
• 4-finger tap gesture for entering or exiting full–screen.
IMPROVEMENTS:
• The Eraser tool is now totally rad, and capable of erasing whatever its path crosses on the first swipe. No more ‘scrubbing’ with the eraser to erase a pile of edges. One swipe. Done.
• We made improvements to all of the Arc tools to allow for measurement box input at each stage of the process when drawing an Arc. Regardless of whether you’re drawing with touch, Apple Pencil, Mouse, or Trackpad, you now have the ability to input a length for the arc radius or chord, and then input either the bulge or arc length (expressed in length or degrees).
• Improvements to Entity Info. We heard your feedback about needing to make the font size for text and dimension entities larger so that drawings are legible when exporting higher-resolution images. You now have the option to choose from a longer list of default sizes (up to 288 points), or input a custom font size for selected text and dimension entities.
• We made a couple of functional improvements to Markup Mode scenes:
- After creating a Markup, the Markup scene will be inserted after whatever scene was active when Markup mode was activated.
- The Markup scene will inherit the name of whatever scene was active when Markup Mode was activated.
- You reported that sometimes, your markups were disappearing from your Markup scenes. We figured out why and we fixed it. It’s now the case that when activating a Markup scene, SketchUp (for iPad) will check to make sure that the Display Watermarks property is always set to ON.
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