Ouch. How did you get in that predicament! How about http://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=38637#p341461. Granted it is a new thing to learn right-off and it is BETA. Can you find textures that are not too dense or dark when you print in grayscale? If you have time, all textures can be lightened using the materials browser (probably fastest), even edited in your pixel editor. I don't know if this is a method people use in layout. Textures are easier to apply in SU--as that is where your faces are. Look in the "construction drawings" thread. ( I don't think it is a sticky but should be).

I have a question to add to this point. Does anyone know if you can set the extension lines to a certain point as default. for example. I do kitchen plans all the time and would like my dimensions outside the wall which in general is 300mm thick and therefore would like the extensions to start from the outside of the wall as standard rather than the object just inside the wall. I do find myself laboriously chnging individual extensions all the time.

Many thanks, I've got it now.

Thanks Trevor, Still don't know why it happened but I figured out the fix in any case. The small window open in the png is the window that opens when the ReLink button is pushed. I just had to navigate back to the original SU file inside that ReLink window. I was afraid to do that since those reference files are inside several layers of double secretly coded folders with indecipherable names. Now I just have to fix all my dimensions in Layout. Charlie

@pbacot said: ...Never too late to be helpful or is it?... Never.

Agreed, Dave is a rockstar in my book!

Try exporting to PDF with the pixelated version. Pretty sure you'll be OK on the output side of things. If not, its a really weird bug. I have had no issues with PDFs exporting properly.

Great! That worked. Thanks

@jhauswirth said: And also have a plugin interface for external renderers.

You could make a dashed line style but you can't apply a style to only some lines so you'd have to do something with multiple image exports that you later combine in an image editor. There is a dashed line plugin from Smustard that could be used. I used to use it but since LayOut 3 came along, I don't use it anymore.

Yeah I've sussed the moving of the Anchor point for snapping, but having two, one to lock an anchor point and one to stretch / shrink a scene would be really handy. JP

The way I think about locating the standard views is to imagine the part is laying in the bottom of a bowl and you're looking down into it.. Let's say that's the front view. If you want the top view, slide the part up the side of the bowl away from you. For the right end view, slide the part to the right and up the side of the bowl.

On the Mac, the templates are located inside the app (more traditional Mac install) in /Applications/Google\ SketchUp\ 8/LayOut.app/Contents/Resources/English.lproj/Templates. That way, when you throw away the app the templates and scrapbooks get cleaned up as well, plus if we chose to localize them, they'd be there in a per-language basis. All stuff we were working on years ago at Google, then went other directions. But hey, we're back now, working on new, good stuff for Trimble. -b

Oh, and on Mac, it's command-t the same universal text box on all Mac apps, except we've added a few things at the bottom for anchor point and bounded/unbounded.

@Edson and everyone here, thanks for talking about this topic. I wish to have an open mind regarding other approaches to this problem that might be helpful (or better??) I agree with your points on this topic. The pros and cons are correct. However, there will always remain the need to deal with CAD-like detail in some way- whether it is dealt with in a pure CAD programme or in LayOut. I admire the efforts to take detail into the 3D realm and this is a worthy alternative that should be encouraged and advanced, e.g. Like Robertson & Walsh Design http://sketchupdate.blogspot.ie/2010/10/sketchup-pro-case-study.html Personally while I love creating neat documents in small/ medium doses, I hate the huge effort it takes to create construction documents which is why I created this methodology in the first place While I love efficiency, there can be an over-reliance on automation for an area that requires very close and careful monitoring and this is where I saw many of the problems that were evident in Autodesk AEC (now dead) and the overly complicated tools in some other packages. One source told me about a certain softwaRe that attempted to create a good workflow for construction documentation and didn't quite achieve it (due to the fact that it was a complete disaster- not my opinion) Tools should definitely be developed to assist in the area of 2D documentation. The world is tired of sad ol CAD http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=1a97699ccccefb478d83901d4c57a251 [image: download?mid=1a97699ccccefb478d83901d4c57a251&rtyp=lt&ctyp=other&ts=1254452187000]

Sorry for slow reply. I think I've sorted it now. I think my problem had more to do with me not understanding how SU & LO interact with each other. Making the changes to the shadows in SU then updating the scene via the Scene dialogue and then saving the model in SU seems to update the view/scene in LO. Thanks for your reply JP

Thanks guys! That did the trick.

The users library folder is hidden in Lion, in finder window go to view drop down menu at the top under GO hold the option key down and it will show.

Now I have found a way to use SU Layout also for other documents having pdf's: I have a pdf with paper size and scale as needed. Then save this image as a png file (with a high dpi resolution like 300). Then make the white color (for example the paperbackground) transparent. Then import this png in SU Layout, paper size must be same as the original pdf. Then scale the png in the upper left and under right corner. That'it, now the size is like importing a pdf. Maybe ohters can use this too... [image: gmnR_Screenshot2012_08_16_14_09_57.jpg]

I moved this post into the LayOut Discussion because the topic has nothing to do with a bugs in LayOut.