SketchUp Pro 2020 Feature Request - Model on Grid to improve Precision, Tilde is EVIL!

SketchUp Feature Requests
1

I have my units set to snap at 1/8 increments but some how the “tilde” always manage it’s way back into my drawing.

Sometimes if I’m modeling a small furniture I can do it carefully enough to avoid tilde, but when I’m modeling something big like a whole house the tilde is like inevitable… it will sneak in on you, and one will lead to another, and another, until you have to nudge a whole bunch of things and spend a whole day adjusting the model to remove the all tildes.

1 tilde actually won’t do much harm, but when you add a bunch of them your dimensions will be off, and in the construction industry precise dimensions can be crucial.

I’ve yet find a “snap all points/vertex onto unified grid” plugin, if there is such plugin I’m more than willing to pay for it.

But if the next SketchUp upgrade can just implement a “grid system” in the model space it would be a tremendous breakthrough. There’s a function in AutoCAD and Rhino that can snap all endpoints and quadrants onto the grid…

2

A grid won’t help if you aren’t modeling with precision in the first place. Learn to enter precise dimensions as you are modeling and turn off Length Snapping as that just tends to get in the way.

The tilde only means you’ve set dimension display precision to coarse too show the actual dimensions you’ve modeled.

3

Also, length snapping is widely misunderstood. If you start drawing an edge and click to end it without any inference snap, the length will snap to the nearest multiple of the snap to length setting. That is, a length measured from where you started the edge. It will not snap to a fixed grid, which is what people often mistakenly expect.

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4

There is some plugin tool for drawing grids. Nathaniel Wilkerson (@medeek) is always using it in his demo videos.

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5

TIG has one available at SketchUcation.

6

I find that enabling length snapping in SU introduces more problems than it solves. Using the inference engine well and entering exact dimension is much better at keeping a model exact

Also I introduce the unit tolerance later in the process, unless I’m modeling for direct output to a Digital Fabricator (CNC, water jet, laser…). For construction drawings I compile in Layout and set the dimension precision there. Then you can tailor the precision to fit the need. For a big site map I might set the unit precision to 1 foot increments, or 1/2” for a detail piece.

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7

Thanks! I’ll check out Nathan’s videos and subscribe to his Youtube channel!

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8

Grid Tool Here:

https://extensions.sketchup.com/en/content/grid-tool

Very useful extension, I use it all of the time for laying out floor plans, etc…

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9

Thank you! I’ve downloaded and subscribed to your channel!

10

Big thanks to all that provided an answer, it also shows how relevant this topic is, I hope the developers sees this post and make a grid system for the next SketchUp Pro.

I guess the real challenge and solution for my problem is how to fix a complex model that already has a million points off by 0.1 inch in random directions and random locations.

It would be nice to have a plugin kind of like CleanUp3 that will automatically scan the whole model and snap any points to a fix grid (ex: 1/2 inch) that runs to both the X,Y, and Z direction.

11

They did a long time back, that is the link @medeek gave you, the Sketchup Team Grid tool.

12

A plugin would be nice, meaning as a plugin that I don’t have to use. It would be a complete disaster that could ruin your entire model this way. Unless every vertex is already on a (virtual) x/y/z grid.

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