Shortcomings of SU 6 I hope are solved in SU 7
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I've been building this list for a while. There are more, but thought I could add on to them here later. My apologies in advance if these are covered in other 'wish' topics already.
Shortcomings of SU 6 I hope are solved in SU 7:
1. Architects need an option to SELECT AND MOVE the entire model INCLUDING CAMERAS(SCENES).
Currently, if I really want north to point up (in plan view), and someone has built the model 90 degrees the wrong way and just told SU to look at north as 90 degrees to the right, I cannot select the whole model INCLUDING THE CAMERAS to rotate them, or if they built the model way far away from the origin, and I want to move it all to the origin, I cannot move the model + cameras to the origin, nor can I just tell SU to move it's origin to a new location... perhaps thats another solution, to be able to completely re-specify the SU origin... then one could move it to a new location, and rotate it in any direction, achieving the same effect.
2. Architects need an advanced scene/animation dialog.
Currently, it's not uncommon for me to have 50-100 scenes. Renaming 20 scenes at once, doing complex reorganization of scene placement, and all their options is way too difficult. Even using the Scene Transition ruby from Smustard.com is clunky, and only some-what solving the problem. I'm sure it's as well done as he could do it with the current tools avail. to him, but the scene management tools in SU need vast improvement.
Multiple rows of tabs should show up, they could be a bit smaller. The ability to drag-n-drop the tabs to re-organize, select multiple tabs using shift and ctrl to select/deselect multiple at a time, rename, include or exclude from animation, etc.
3. Architects need an advanced Xref capability of models.
Linking a large site model and a large building model together in a way that does not combine the size of them together, yet lets one add selective things from that xrefed scene (cameras only, certain layers only, etc.) Being able to select an object in the xreffed model INTO the current model with a copy nested object tool would also be great.
4. Being able to easlily organize one's plugins into folders.
This would give the user the ability to create subfolders in the plugin directory so that each folder name becomes a sub-flyout within the plugins pull-down menu, which would allow easier more 'intuitive' organization of plugins. Allowing professional offices, or someone working in multiple computers in SU to take their plugin folder organization, pack it up, and take it eleswhere (home) easily without breaking their workflow.
5. An advanced/more comprehensive portable SU profile. That will bring all SU shortcuts, menu setup, toolbar locations, etc.
Currently, when one loads their preferences they have saved from work onto their home computer, the default SU shortcuts they had changed do not replace the SU defaults... this is incredibly inconvenient and time-wasting when someone like me has pretty much made up all their own shortcuts replacing most of the SU defaults with my own. It would be good if the menus/toolbars setup would also carry over with the same preferences file.
6. An advanced user-friendly batch exporting feature that allows one to export multiple scene views all as .jpgs in one 'shot'. ...and choose their resolution, plus an advanced watermarking feature so a firm can have their logo or copyright info automatcally positioned on the exports, eliminating need to do this in post-pro. (I currently use 2 different ruby scripts written for this, but they still fall short of expectations regarding ease of use and exporting options.)
7. Better Anti-aliasing options, and better ability to choose the 'thickness' of 'edges'.Currently, when running an animation, one must export the animation at 2x the desired resolution just to get crisp lines.
8. Integrate 2D CAD format export from 3D SU model.
Yes, you can save your model as ACAD file! I know! I do it all the time. And currently a ruby script will accomplish 2D CAD format exports... in a bit of a clumsy way (It only works for cameras, but does not remember all other cam parms like hidden line and section cuts. HOWEVER - If one has 12 scenes, and 4 of them are interior section/elevation views of a model. Now you want to export only those section/interior elevation views to 2D ACAD drawings without deleting your other scenes first there's no quick/easy way of choosing the scenes one wants exported to CAD.
9. Lock the area of a face, and lock edges, so that one can drag an edge of the face, and SU will dynamically re-size the face, yet maintain the desired area.This would be a powerful Schematic Design tool for architects arranging space.
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Funny...being an architect myself, I don't seem to share the same needs you have (except maybe nr. 2).
My wishes would be much more oriented to having a more stable and speedy Sketchup core.I very often import .DXF or .DWG (which I export from Vectorworks), but I haven't really experienced trouble with that, as long as I explode them before import in SU.
Exporting 3D to a 2D .dwg is something I have no need for, as I like to keep my 2D drafting seperate from 3D.
Sketchup is not accurate enough I think to be converting it and using it as 2D plan material.I am sure some of the features you want can be useful, but I think SU has more urgent things to adress (= performance on big models).
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Fletch, I completely agree with you. most of these points would mean a great enhancement for SktetchUp.
especially number 5 would come in handy. I imagine having a file (with an icon close to the SU.exe) that you hid instead of the SketchUp executable to open the software. you can start this from a usb-stick.
this personalized SketchUp start up file loads all your prefered toolbars/shortcuts but doesn't overwrite the ones that are saved on this computerbut I also agree with you, kwistenbiebel, that a much more capable version (high polycount, multicore support...) is the most important thing for SU7.
and of course advanced control over SU for the ruby scripters
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high polycount, multicore support... these have been mentioned a thousand times my friends... nothing new here guys... I have no fear that Google has heard our request there. ...and I requested them a looooooooong time ago as well.
just because your workflow may be different from another's workflow, doesn't mean they are not useful requests. obviously you do not rely as heavily on straight sketchup as I do, KB.
... and wouldn't my request number 3 give you a more speedy SU?
@unknownuser said:- Architects need an advanced Xref capability of models.
I do tons of animation and live walk-thrus with SU... and in fact modeling in real-time with the client next to me these days... or in a room full of clients... so my requests are very real and useful for architects
I also don't tend to hit the poly wall a lot of users such as yourself hit... because I have learned of SU's quirks and taught myself to work around them carefully. not that I don't wish/hope for more power all the time, but it's not such a thorn in my side.
But when the client wants me to rotate the building (or flip it 180 degrees on the site), or worse - I get some guy's model and I need to rotate it around, and I can't because I'll lose the 30 cams (Scenes) already set up... now THAT'S a time killer I could do without.
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Hi,
Slightly off topic, but I just took a look at your "Small Gallery" link.
Those are very nice images.
Do you only use Kerkythea for rendering in SketchUp?
Do you import SketchUp models in to Viz and use Mentalray to render or do you model from scratch within Viz?
I agree with all the suggestions you have made for improving SketchUp.
I also like many of the other suggestions made by other posters.
However, I have a feeling that Version 7.0 of SketchUp will turn out to be a bit like Vista. Some nice graphical enhancements, a few extra tools added, a few bugs eliminated and a few new ones added.
But no "Wow" factors that will really a big difference from previous versions.Regards
Mr S.=========
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one easy way to be able to move the camera positions alongside with the model would be a checkbox in the scene window
"show cameras".if enabled, all the scene views in the model are represented by small camera-models, which you can select and check all the details in the entity info window (like, focal length, position, orientation...)
that would not only be useful for architects (in terms of moving a model with all the views) but as well for cinematographers to check their camera settings in every scene!
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never used it either. interesting thing to investigate in a free minute. if you really can move the cameras with the geometry (thus changing the scene vies as well), it will be something worth considering to take in my every day's work...
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@fletch said:
high polycount, multicore support... these have been mentioned a thousand times my friends... nothing new here guys... I have no fear that Google has heard our request there. ...and I requested them a looooooooong time ago as well.
You're absolutely right.
So you're thinking another step ahead and indeed , anything that speeds up workflow towards animation and walkthrough control is welcomed.@Plot Paris, I don't use it , but isn't the 'film&stage' plugin capable of showing cameras in your viewport?
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Not to stick my head too far above the parapet but there is an xref ruby knocking around, haven't used it that much. I might provide a temp solution?
But I do agree with all of it even though i might not come into contact with them
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I think what Fletch is after, is a reference tool that only refers to external files, but does not include them into the SketchUp file (like the xref ruby does).
thus you can save a lot of disk space. -
yes Toby, I use the xref ruby... but it does add the file.
plus, if you're on a machine without the ruby ... then... oops! you're stuck!
so it needs to be 'part' of the operation of the program.I think you can show cams... haven't used that tool... but if you move them, does the scene update with it?
will have to investigate.thanks for understanding, KB
I'm trying to figure out who's 'tougher' the guy in Jakob's avatar... or the guy in mine.
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@fletch said:
I'm trying to figure out who's 'tougher' the guy in Jakob's avatar... or the guy in mine.
obviously the one in yours - has a much more determined look.
will change mine soon though (after frieday, where I am going to watch "The Dark Knight"
)
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