Using fractions for input in the scale tool

Whether or not that might work in future, I don’t know.

But I and others on the forum I’ve seen use x as a shortcut for Xray view. It’s why in Move/Copy, I always use 3x (or 4x or however many copies I want, rather than x3 etc.)

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How about /1/3, so you can also do 2/3 and so on? using the forward slash would be highly intuitive

  • / ==> this indicates the incoming expression is to be used as proportional scailing
  • 1/3 ==> this is the proportion I want my model to be scaled by…

Or how about /2,3

  • / ==> indicates proportional scaling
  • 2 ==> indicates numerator
  • , ==> indicates the separation between numerator and denominator
  • 3 == indicates denominator

or 2:3
or :2,3

If you use /2/3 you could use /3/2 to increase the scale by 50%, /2/1 to double up, and so on.

In reality, scaling is always intuitively thought of (at least in Spanish) as an equal and proportional increase or decrease in the dimensions of an object - like we do when scaling models to paper-space, not as using an additive value to increase or decrease the object which, by the way, I think is awesome we can do in SketchUp.

I’ll stop now :slightly_smiling_face:

I was suggesting x2/3 because that’s consistent with making arrays. With an array you can type x4 to extend four more copies, or /4 to spread out four in between copies. With scale, x2/3 would multiple the existing scale by 2/3. /2/3 ought to multiply the scale by 1.5.

So, instead of using / as a special indicator of what you mean, it would be the normal divide indicator, as would x, only modifying the scale in this case.

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There is no need for a complicated “syntax” here. SketchUp could very well just parse 2/3. Since the Scale tool by default interprets the values as factors, not lengths, there is no ambiguity to 2/3".

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An example of this would be, say, if you wanted to set construction lines either side of a central one. You know the overall dimension between outer lines. Let’s say it is 2789, an awkward one to divide in your head reliably. So instead, you type in 2789/2 (assuming mm is your default). That works.

You can do it, just have to think outside the box a bit…multiple decimal places probably works fine…but fine is for chumps…math…nuff said.

Here is an example, I have a 3D warehouse part that had 4 1/2" radius, and I need it to be 1 1/2" What can one do? Give up? Type in a ■■■■ ton of 0.33333…? NEVER!

You take beast and draw two 1.5 inch perpendicular lines at its center parallel to the face, then you scale it about center to those lines on the flat sides…but wait, ■■■■…now its long and skinny…and its 10 1/8" long…

MATH!!! 10 1/8 divided by 3…= 3 3/8" Now sketch up WILL let you draw a line that is 3 3/8" long no decimals…draw that orthogonal like a boss and scale that last dimension…perfection…own it.

Now granted this will take like 5 million times longer than typing the decimals, but that doesn’t matter…you will know…rest well fractional warrior, you’ve earned it.

You do know that the scale tool also accepts absolute dimensions, not just scale factor? I think I would just type 3” into scale around center in x and y, instant 1.5” radius.

I’m sure there’s tons of ways to go about it… My comment was satire, the point was that it’s easier to just use the decimal…SMH