Which version will allow me to export and print at quarter inch scale?

Hello! I’ve been working on a project in the free trial of Sketchup Pro 2023. I am ready to export it as .dwg and print in quarter- and half-inch scale. I’ve found that I can’t print to scale unless I am paying for a subscription. (Or if I import my project to web, but then it seems I can do some scales, but not quarter-inch?).

I don’t mind paying for a subscription, but I am having a really hard time trying to tell which subscription level I need to print at the scale I want. Does Sketchup Go allow quarter-inch scale printing? Or, because it is only the web version with some features unlocked, do I need to go with Sketchup Pro because that uses the desktop version?

Thank you so much for help on this topic!

If you are wanting to create paper documents - you want to pass your model across into Layout, which will allow you all the control that you need for printing and scale.

I’ve been trying to use layout, but I can’t ever get the framing to work how I’d like?

I go to my model, use parallel projection, front view. Then, send to layout. And then when it opens in layout the framing is always messed up!

Share your SketchUp file so we can see what you’ve got.

You should start with learn.sketchup.com

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The framing needs to be done inside of Layout itself - as it will change along with the viewport as it does in SketchUp

nemo 3d.stage.skp (3.7 MB)
This is my file.
Do you have advice on if I should purchase Go or Pro? Thank you so much!

I’ll look at your file. What size paper do you want it on?

For what you described wanting to do you should go with Pro.

I’m trying to make printable files for A3 paper. Once I figure out what I’m doing I need to make a plate frame for it and other areas for text info.

The views of your model aren’t going to fit on A3 paper at 1/4 inch scale. Here I have viewports for plan and front views of the stage at 1/4 inch scale/ The white area with the blue grid is the A3 paper space.

Do you mean page borders and title block?

Sorry, it’s hard to explain all the plans in my head. I’m intending to just take a front view of the stage and borders, not the entire rendered theater. And yep, I mean borders and title block!

Ultimately I’m trying to get several different front views, moving on and off different set pieces and fly units.

I have a 2D ground plan and section that I deleted from the uploaded file for cleanliness of upload. I’m planning to make several plates of the different GP configurations of the set.

Really appreciate talking through this, thank you!

In a nutshell, you would create scenes in the SketchUp model that show what it is you need to see. Then use those scenes for viewports in LayOut where you can set their scale and arrange them in the paper space. Add your title block borders, other text, labels, dimensions, etc. Then export a PDF document and you’re off to the theater.