I am an architect who models interiors in SketchUp. I have been prototyping a Ruby tool for placing generic switch and socket assemblies as reusable components, and I would appreciate feedback on the modelling workflow.
The current approach lets me configure modules in a frame, choose a mounting height, and click a face to place an assembly. N1LESH tried it on a real project and pointed out several useful problems: the preview should remain visible while scrolling, it should represent the final geometry more closely, and repeated placement should be faster. Editing an assembly after placement is another important case.
For people who place many accessories in one model: should Place leave the tool active with the previous configuration, or should it return to selection? When editing one placed assembly, should it become a unique instance by default, or should changes propagate to matching instances? How much geometry detail do you keep in large interior models?
My hands-on testing so far is in SketchUp 2026 on macOS. I have not verified the other desktop versions or Windows yet. The assemblies are generic visualisation geometry, not electrical design or certified components.
Really nice work! I actually came across this because I needed switches for one of my own projects, so I gave it a proper try. I really like the idea behind it. It solves a very repetitive interior-design task in a simple way, and the UI is clean and easy to understand.
A few things I’d personally love to see:
A way to keep the preview locked while scrolling through the settings. It would be nice to keep seeing the assembly while changing the options below.
After clicking Place, it would be great if the tool stayed open and ready for another placement. For repetitive work, placing several assemblies one after another would be much faster.
A more detailed visual preview of the final switchboard would be nice too. Since this is a technical tool, it would be great to see more clearly how the final installed assembly will look.
An option to edit or replace an already placed assembly would also be useful when something needs to be changed later.
The face snapping is handy, and overall I think this is a really good start. Looking forward to seeing where you take it!
Thanks for trying this on a real project and for the concrete workflow notes. The sticky preview, a more faithful representation of the final geometry, and faster repeated placement are useful priorities.
I am evaluating whether Place should keep the tool active with the previous configuration and how an edit of one placed assembly should interact with other copies of the same component. Your example helps test those decisions against actual interior work.