I have tried a little doing something like this on the Mac but it doesn't work for me. However in the last post TIG, it seems that the update would not be automatic anyway. Do I understand that correctly? In that case a method that I have used is print or save the excel file to a pdf file that has been inserted in LO. update the pdf by over-writing to the same file and LO will update. But as I understand it the holy grail is to have auto update from SU to Excel to LO. You can probably script some of the process.

Now I wonder if anyone knows why inserted graphics are not at proper size, or is there some rule they follow?

@dave r said:

@david. said:

@dave r said:

The trick is you need more than one entity to create a group.

That's interesting. I've heard other people say the same thing. However, I am able to group a single line entity in both Layout and SketchUp.

In SketchUp you can use a keyboard shortcut or Edit>Make Group (or Edit>Make Component) on a single line entity but Make group doesn't show in the Context menu when only a single line entity is selected. In LayOut, with a single line entity selected, There is no Context menu item for Group. In the Edit menu, Group is grayed out and not thus not available and the keyboard shortcut doesn't make a group either. At least that's the behavior I am seeing on my Mac with LO3

I'm running on Win 7. The Make Group option doesn't show up on the context menu in SU or LO. I am able to make a group of a single line entity on both SU and LO using a keyboard shortcut.

Most of the projects I do in LayOut are dimensioned drawings of furniture for others to build from. I would use dimensions on perspective views more if I didn't need to use this work around. As you say, for a few it's not so bad. I wind up using mostly tags for dimensions in perspective views instead.

Let's hope the next version of LO would be able to create these dimensions automatically.

Ah yes, I didn't understand from your first post that you had the default background visible in the overlay nor that your "terrain" was an image from Google Maps. I was thinking you wanted some of the model to be transparent or translucent. It does appear that you've got it, though. That's good.

👍

I agree that it would be nice to share scrapbooks.

As to the line quality of lines from SU to LO, the quality can be high. You can create curves with very high segment counts if you wish. Render them as Vector, too. Text could be added in LO.

It would be nice if one could just download a scrapbook but someone somewhere will have to make it first.

Hi Peter. There's always some little tidbit. I always work with a full white background for the projects I send to LO so I don't run into the thing of the background not being transparent.

@adrw2001 said:

I'm having a sporadic issue that is quite disruptive to the Layout workflow... any help is greatly appreciated!

Occasionally, I can't control the front/back order of elements, especially lines/dimensions drawn over the model. I can select the line and say 'bring to front', I can select the model/drawing and say 'send to back', but no matter what, the line/dimension will stay hidden behind the model...

suggestions?!

thanks!

Be sure to check your layers... layers at the top of the list appear above layers at the bottom.

Gai,

Today it works as I would expect. The pdf file comes in clear, with a surprise. The background is transparent instead of white. That's nice. So what was happening before? 😒 I am going to edit my previous post.

Still does not come in at the correct size, but has to be re-sized (Hey Google team! ❓ ).

And if I update the pdf file (save in same name from my CAD file) LO will do the update at the size I have made it in LO. This is just one step from updating direct from my CAD. 🎉

Thanks for the idea, Gai! Although changing the paper size did not affect the insert size.

For window users including OP, you can do the same with .png, just save at a high enough resolution. Your background might not be transparent so put it on a bottom layer. It will also update.

Peter

LayOut cannot import DWG/DXF. You can either export the titleblock as an image from AutoCad (use the raster "plotter") or recreate it in LayOut.

Anssi

@jhauswirth said:

LayOut documents won't render the text the same moving a document from one OS to another.

I just re-read this - do you mean that LO won't display (on screen) the fonts in the same way on different OS's. If that what you meant then I understand that PC's and Mac's display the font differently - the issue I have is that the formatting is different so when I save a doc on the PC that uses a light version of a font, when I open it on the mac its bold, and if I save a file on a PC then open it on a mac then the text is bigger. Ive just tested and saved a document with Arial 12pt text on a PC and opened it on a Mac and its still Arial 12pt but the text is bigger - in other words 12pt text on the PC is smaller than 12pt text on Mac which surely can't be right. The attached image shows a paragraph typed on a PC. The red arrows mark points as they appeared on the PC and the green arrows show where they have moved to on the mac. The formatting is shot to bits? Ive just done the same test in word and this does not occur, the formatting stays the same. Most other programs I've ever come across are able to retain text formatting regardless of the platform (indesign, word, powerpoint, vectorworks, outlook to name but a few . . . .)

Formatting between PC and Mac

A ruby API would be AMAZING!!

Doug, just create your scenes with geometry actively viewed as needed then bring into Layout. KEY: make sure you have background ground, sky OFF so only the model shows.
From there make a copy of each scene and 'Arrange them as you want to view them. ie: stack the views to show one behind the other...

I think that's what you want to do, yeah?

Saw tooth 😄 , Yeah that describes it even better.

You should be able to set default text style, but for some reason your fonts are not being picked up. I'd follow up as others suggested: create an RTF document in TextEdit on both Macs and make sure it works there. You can even embed the RTF documents in LayOut so updating them will get updated in the LayOut document. File->Insert.

Changing font face on multiple text objects with multiple font sizes may lead to some surprising results, and I have a bug filed on this a while back. The workaround, if you can do it, is to put the text in one text object or in a single RTF file.

b

Hi, I had I think the exact same problem ans solved it clicking on SCALE button in Cotation Style Tab

http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=39874&p=352439#p352439

cotation.jpg

Oups, I found the button!!!!

I clicked on the SCALE button in Cotation Style Tab and it works!

Click SCALE button for dimensions working correctly

It's a pretty clever program, Sally. Dimensioning has been enhanced somewhat as well as precise move options which allow you to format elements on your page exactly how you want...
see here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWCve65JJhI
oh, and exporting to DWG!!!!
👍

@dave r said:

you can import them into SketchUp and then add them to a LayOut document which you then save as a Scrapbook.

[Bang. Bang. Bang] That's my head banging on my desk.

And of course you can do hybrid components; import stuff drawn in SU, explode them and then edit the resulting LO lines before saving as a scrapbook.

It won't automatically make dashed lines. You have to set them to be dashed.

You didn't ask but if the section view is coming from SketchUp, explode it and then change the desired edges to dashed lines.