Been using SketchUp Make 2017. Self taught. I am creating some woodworking plans and would like to print and assemble several dimensioned 2D views. In searching on the subject, it seems that exporting to LayOut is the best way to go. The biggest issue I am having is the background show up as an opaque color. I would like it to be transparent so I can place several views near each other without a background. In my search, I have found suggestions to check mark “transparency” in the Export>2D Graphic>Options>rendering dialog box. Unfortunately that option does no exist in SU Make 2017. Any suggestions on another way to “make” the transparency work? I would also like to import only the linework to LO, and not the SketchUp logo. Any ideas there? Note that this is for personal use only, not for any business purposes.
Thanks in advance for any help and insight you may be able to share.
First problem I see is you don’t have access to Layout as it is pro only.
I’m not sure about when it was introduced, may not be available in 2017, the 2d export options transparent background needs to be a .png, so check the options in the export dialog. Edit: Just checked and it is an option in 2017 make.
I would agree with this. I find SketchUp and LayOut ideal for creating plans for woodworking projects. As Box points out, though, as a SketchUp Make user, LayOut isn’t an option.
In LayOut you can turn off the background in SketchUp viewports so you can place viewports so they overlap without obscuring the model on the lower one. There are cases where stacked viewports are useful so of course you would want no background in those cases as well.
If you were using LayOut you wouldn’t need to export images from SketchUp.
Even though this is for personal use, the benefits of using LayOut for your projects could make SketchUp Pro and LayOut worth the cost.
The switch from .pdf to .pnd did the trick. The background is now white. Any way we can make it transparent? I do have 30 day access to Layout. After that I’ll have to come up with another idea to assemble the plans.
Thanks again for the quick and extremely accurate answer to my issue.
I think you need to make a decision on how you want to proceed, learning to use Layout is a great option but if you don’t plan on buying it it’s not the best use of time. Mind you if this is commercial work you need to be using Pro.
On the other hand you could be looking at exporting the images and compiling them in an image editor. Personally I would be going with Layout but if it’s just hobby stuff and you have access to suitable image editors…
You hit it on the head. I do not want to waste any more of your or Dave’s time on questions related to Layout given I will only have it for 11 more days and will probably never purchase Pro (given I do not need any additional expenses to maintain my hobby). I will go the image editor route.
