OK, so I’m still a newbie when it comes to Sketchup and am probably doing something wrong, so bear with me…
I have unsuccessfully looked for the offline Help File or any basic documentation for Sketchup but simply can’t find it. A Google search turns up nothing! I can’t imagine that such a basic document was never published by the developers… Did everyone just find out the hard way by fumbling and then posted tips haphazardly online for others? Does anyone that needs information HAVE TO connect to this forum or other places online to find the simplest of information? Surely, a basic guide must have been written?
So my question is, where can I find a help file for download? I would prefer CHM for its interactive nature but a PDF would do in cinch.
I am using V. 2014 if that helps (I have tried newer versions without success on my older computer).
The official user guide for an older version of SU (version 6) is attached for your use. It is unfortunate that no more recent version is available but frankly, the commands remain the same and should be helpful. This document is capable of offline use and is searchable.
Thank you for the quick reference score card, it’s a great addition, but like the title of the thread says, I was looking for Offline Help Files.
Surely you wouldn’t want to have to drive to the store to get groceries for every meal you cook? Having to connect online every time one needs help is just as absurd.
And don’t get me started on the sorry state of software documentation - I’ve been using computers for more years that I care to state here and even wrote HLP files myself back in the days where when a user pressed F1 in the middle of a procedure he wasn’t familiar with, he would get immediate hypertext context sensitive help.
I understand things have changed and that everyone is expected to be online 24/7, but having to be connected and seek help with Google or a search on the forums simply doesn’t cut it in terms of helpfulness.
As for icons being different in old manuals - the point is to get the information on how to get things done. The fact the icons used are different in the newer version is, quite frankly, secondary. In any case how difficult would it be to edit the old version document to reflect the new software version’s differences?
Sorry for what appears to be a rant - it’s nothing personal, it’s just that the very fact there is no integrated, offline help, especially for software of this magnitude, is to me unconscionable. And the fact others responded to my quest so quickly and kindly shows I’m not the only one to consider this lacking, to say the least.
Sorry for not having any quotes in this post - for some reason I couldn’t get them to work when answering this post
I know what you were looking for, and why. I have no problem with that or anything you “ranted” about.
I take issue with the suggestion that everyone else should be FORCED to download a ten year old, out of date User Guide, just because YOU like it.
Do what YOU like and use what YOU need. Let others take care of themselves.
Others of us are connected via broadband 24/7, and prefer to reference the latest guide online.
Perhaps you might not be aware that there are website copier applications that can copy a website to your local harddrive, so you can access it offline ? I have not tried it with the SketchUp Help Center guides, but used to do it with the old SketchUp API dictionary website.
Man! (slaps his head for not realizing the obvious)… I guess I’m just too used to the F1 procedure…
I remember seeing it when I opened Sketchup for the first time - just couldn’t stand it distracting me “looking over my shoulder” so to speak and turned it off and didn’t remember how I did it… … I guess Sketchup wasn’t developed on Windows… (In case other complete newbies - or folks who have been using Windows for too long like me - were wondering, it’s in Window, Instructor, NOT in Help)
And for those who haven’t figured how to reply with a quote, it’s that little bubble on the left of the editing window. I must have been using forums where replying to a post automatically brings up the post as a quote, or that have a “quote” button for too long…
Thank you, eneroth3, for showing this old curmudgeon where the path is
I used to use it, but it would take forever to download as it would basically try to download the whole internet. The problems is, most websites link stuff to other websites to unknown level depths and it quickly gets out of hand.
I’ll take a second look at this, perhaps that problem was solved since I first tried it many moons ago.
John shows you the partial highlighted quote method.
You can then go back up into the previous posts (by anyone) and partial quote from somewhere else, from some other post, by anyone. The quote will be inserted where you left the cursor last in the edit box.
I guess I’m just too used to the F1 procedure…
