Its the greatest time-wasting issue for me ; working with others who use different software and they are able to send each other “proper” arcs and circles, whereas I can only import them as “exploded” into 99 tiny edges.
Very frustrating. And very damaging to modelling accuracy, since there can be two arcs overlappng or resting on top of each other (common if you’re modelling outdoor things like footpaths and kerbs). When the arcs each “explode” they produce different sets of overlapping edges…then the model becomes a mess to try and work with.
And even worse to send back to those other team members who use different software.
I have the impression that the ergonomics of FormZ have improved a lot recently, perhaps with the automatic drawing (or construction) plans depending on the view, probably linked to the end of the SketchUp patent in 2020. It is also very easy to program in a few lines.
This “poll” is being run completely independently of this forum and of SketchUp itself - this is something I’m running separately on my own and will be sharing the information with the SketchUp developers.
At least two of them already have full access to the results, which I will also be summarizing in an update video so that everyone else knows the results as well.
Again, this poll has nothing to do with the SketchUp forum system. It’s completely independent
Yes, that is understood. I was just pointing out that my hope is in the future of Sketchup, they will provide polling for people like you that is integrated into their product development. Personally, I appreciate you creating your poll and I hope it generates some action on Trimble’s behalf.
This is the most important for me, strictly because the web and iPad versions tend to follow the desktop version and do not have the ability to use extensions at all. Should the desktop version of SketchUp add more “basic functions” to help elevate the functionality, I believe all the versions would greatly benefit, but ESPECIALLY the versions that people feel are truncated by a lack of extension ability.
This is a VERY solid point, and honestly one I probably should be articulating more in these discussions. SketchUp has opened up the “Pandora’s box” of having versions that don’t allow extensions, so I think the point of “well you just use extensions to add the features you want” loses a lot of its validity.
This is especially true for the IPad version of SketchUp - it’s a paid version of SketchUp and I would really like to see it grow and develop from a modeling standpoint moving forward.
I just checked the patterns in layout in 2025 and was happy to see that standard material hatches have been added. I am hoping that there could be other hatch pattern packages that could be imported that show wood grains and more materials for architectural detailing and drafting. Huge improvements already though.
Is there any possibility that the web based and iPad versions ever get the ability to install or use extensions? Would developers like myself has to reprogram our extensions to work on these different platforms?
I think the answer to this is currently unknown as no one knows how it would work, though I really wish they could figure it out on the web version.
I’m not 100% sure on this, but there might be some limitations on the Ipad, IOS, the App Store, and external scripts/extensions from a security standpoint that make this challenging (I’m sure someone will be along to correct me if I’m wrong )
Apple official position is that extensions on apps would cause security issues.
The real position, judging by what happened with epic games and other cases, is thatvextensions would open up the door to untammed marketplaces that would escape apple control and hefty share of the profits.
They have a strict policy, Trimble employees are not allowed to tell about their road map publicly, so you won’t see any specific response on any of this kind of threads, however, there are employees watching the forum and social media to see what the sketchup users want, It would be great to have a public roadmap though.
Fastest way to get the right answer on the web is to post the wrong answer, even if what you posted is 99% correct the pedants will arrive to correct you with white papers, footnotes, charts, graphs, manifestos, and technical documentation on why you are wrong.
I’m liking the positivity. There were past years where it felt like SketchUp developers/product owners were not listening to the community.. thankfully things have been changing in that regard so that newer versions of SketchUp and LayOut incorporate many of the improvements we’ve been asking for.
The key takeaway for me is “professional work demands professional software”’
SketchUp may have originally been developed as an amateurish product, but the user base and the software have evolved considerably (along with the pricetag).
There’s clearly a market for a well-sorted version of SketchUp for architecture, interiors, landscape and construction.
You’re correct that it’s often about Optics… as most full time professional SketchUp pros will tell you - there is always a lot of other people in the wider industry proclaiming that “SketchUp isn’t accurate” or "SketchUp isn’t professional-grade’ or “SketchUp can’t do XYZ”.
If I only had a dollar for everyone that told me things like..
“just have a play around with your design” or “throw something together quickly in sketchup and then we’ll do it properly in revit” or “we’ll have to completely redraw everything, and that’ll cost the client a lot.”
All the things on your list (except maybe Dark Mode) would help with both optics, and with making the outputs of our work look more refined.
Then we just need to focus on being able to receive and transmit data to others to a more “professional” industry standard.
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