Feature Request: Add Tape Measure Tool to SketchUp LayOut
Dear SketchUp Development Team,
I am a civil engineering professional and a regular SketchUp user. I would like to request the addition of a Tape Measure Tool in SketchUp LayOut, similar to the one available in SketchUp Pro.
This feature would significantly improve the efficiency of 2D drafting by allowing users to create temporary guide lines directly within LayOut. At present, users must rely on lines, rectangles, or circles for layout marking, which can interfere with the drawing, reduce clarity, and sometimes appear in exported PDF files.
A built-in Tape Measure Tool with temporary, non-printing guide lines would provide several benefits:
Faster and more accurate 2D drafting.
Easy alignment of objects, dimensions, and annotations.
Cleaner and more professional PDF output.
A workflow similar to professional CAD software.
Increased productivity for architects, civil engineers, and designers.
Many professionals use LayOut for preparing construction drawings, and this feature would make the software even more powerful and competitive.
Personally, the availability of this feature would be a strong reason for me to purchase and maintain a SketchUp Pro subscription.
Thank you for your continuous efforts to improve SketchUp. I hope you will consider adding this highly requested feature in a future update.
It’s never occurred to me to use LayOut for 2D drawing, although I can certainly see how it could be useful.
I just gave it a try and drew a random line, then added a dimension, which came out at 45 mm. This may seem like a basic question, but is there a way to change the drawing scale? If I wanted to draw a line that was, say, 4,500 mm long, I can’t currently see how I would fit that onto an A3 sheet.
Start by clicking on Make a Scaled Drawing in the Scaled Drawing panel. Then set the scale as desired. Then as you are drawing you’ll enter the real world dimensions instead of paper scale dimensions like you would in SketchUp.
