SketchUp 2014

Dan Rathbun · 12 Mar 2014, 17:44

@Pixero: In the Ruby Console (even in SU2013 if you cannot start SU2014,) try:

Kernel::test(?d,"C:/ProgramData/SketchUp/SketchUp 2014")

If that returns true,

File::exist?("C:/ProgramData/SketchUp/SketchUp 2014/SketchUp14.lf")

If that returns true, try:

File::writable?("C:/ProgramData/SketchUp/SketchUp 2014/SketchUp14.lf")

and

File::writable_real?("C:/ProgramData/SketchUp/SketchUp 2014/SketchUp14.lf")

Lately, are you running SketchUp2014 in Administrative mode ?
Right-click your SketchUp2014 icon, choose "Properties" > "Advanced" button.
Is "Run as Administrator" checked ?

Pixero · 12 Mar 2014, 17:52

First, thanks for the hands on help.

I get true for all of them.
I haven' changed anything. It's a brand new machine.
So SketchUp should be run in admin mode? I thought the new locations of files were a fix for that?

AndrewS · 12 Mar 2014, 20:00

@pixero said:

So SketchUp should be run in admin mode? I thought the new locations of files were a fix for that?

The answer is that it's complicated, but yes, running in admin mode may be advisable. You're right that we've invested a lot of effort trying to straighten out plugin paths and whatnot to work without admin privileges. Licensing is a separate issue we haven't fully addressed yet. Our ancient licensing code can be a real source of frustration, which we hope to alleviate someday by completely reworking it, but it's difficult to find time for everything at once.

We tested licensing on Windows 8.1 without having to do anything special regarding admin privileges and never saw this issue. Nevertheless, we have some ideas...

Try uninstalling SketchUp 2014. Then re-run the installer, making sure to choose "Run as Administrator" when you do. The installer is supposed to automatically elevate to admin privileges (I should know; I wrote it), but perhaps it's not doing so on your machine.

After installing as admin, try running SketchUp, at least the first time, with admin privileges. Maybe that'll make a difference.

The other note I got from our licensing expert is that although you're seeing a very specific message about the license file not being writable, there are unfortunately a few other esoteric reasons why that message may arise which aren't exactly a result of the named file not being writable. That's certainly confusing, and obviously something we need to try to work out in the future.

Please try the reinstall and let us know how it goes.

Andrew

Frederik · 12 Mar 2014, 20:24

Jan, FWIW, I had the exact same issue with both SU8 and SU2013...
Asked the SU support, but didn't really help...
As soon as I entered the serial number, that message disapeared...

Dan Rathbun · 13 Mar 2014, 04:38

..and despite the popup, does the eval time decrease or stay the same ?

Frederik · 13 Mar 2014, 06:35

@Dan: It decrease the time...

Edit: I found the e-mail from SU Support...

@unknownuser said:

Thank you for your note. I understand you sometimes get an error message that SketchUp is unable to update the evaluation time. Note that this message should only occur with the Pro trial of SketchUp as it occurs when the trial time decrements. The reason the error occurs is because the software was never opened by an administrator and the user doesn't have the proper permissions to be able to edit system files or registry entries. You should be able to get past this error by opening SketchUp as an Administrator at least once allowing the necessary files to be created. After opening in this manner then non-Admins can use the software without further intervention. Once the license is successfully applied by the administrator then the error should go away.

Thanks for taking the time to write.

Regards,
Jody
The SketchUp Team

Although I don't recall if the first advice helped (or if I didn't manage to do it correct), the latter made it disappear...

What I've never understood is, that I'm the only user of the computer and I'm running as Admin, so why this occured in first place, I don't know...

Philw · 5 Apr 2014, 16:56

I have upgraded to SKU14 and thanks to this forum installing plug-ins have been a breeze. But for some of the plug-ins I am being asked for a Google account, ok. But the next screen is asking me to give them permission to scan my emails?

“SketchUp and Google will use this information in accordance with their respective terms of service and privacy policies”

I thought Trimble was not attached to Google, so why would I give them permission to pry into my life for a add-on?

TIG · 5 Apr 2014, 17:44

There's the rub !
Complain to Trimble...
and use the PluginStore AutoInstall whenever you can.
BUT some extensions are only available from their EWH !

Trimble and Google did separate, but they obviously need some way of keeping track of you and your downloads, unfortunately your Google account then opens you up to much more that is needed...

SCF must also collect a limited amount of data about 'you' - like your SCF user=name and what you've downloaded, but that is simply fed-back to help you to keep track of your installed plugins - as the new My Installs > Bundles function demonstrates...

If you are paranoid enough...
For the EWH - why not set up an 'unused' email account, register with Google, and use that for the EWH ?
Then there'll be nothing much to pry into...

Philw · 5 Apr 2014, 18:41

Thanks Tig,

I understand collection information for the purpose of the company use, but it seems a bit much to be forced to give them access to areas that have NOTHING TO DO WITH THE PROGRAM I AM USING just to download some items?

Aerilius · 5 Apr 2014, 19:19

Actually what they do is using "OpenID" technology to check that you are real, and that you are the person to whom the account belongs. Advantage is they don't have to store and protect passwords on their own servers. But the idea of OpenID is to work with whatever OpenID provider you already have (can be a Yahoo, Hotmail or your own server), and not to bind people to a specific provider like Google.

We once asked whether there are plans to transition further independent from Google, but as you can imagine, only future knows the answer.

Philw · 5 Apr 2014, 20:01

Thanks

Bryan K · 12 Apr 2014, 00:18

Just flagging for auto email updates.

Dan Rathbun · 13 Apr 2014, 01:19

Usually you'd click the "Subscribe Topic" link at the bottom of the page.

Bryan K · 13 Apr 2014, 02:09

@dan rathbun said:

Usually you'd click the "Subscribe Topic" link at the bottom of the page.

Ah ah! Did not see that before. Thanks.

cotty · 13 Apr 2014, 07:40

And you can choose to be notified upon replies by default in your board preferences:

Migmat · 14 Apr 2014, 23:01

After several checks oabout Sketchup 2014 I should say that I am unsatisfied and decpcionated.

Perhaps I expect more than I should about the new version, but I feel that SU2014 long away of the spirit that google creates Sketchup.
Ther are several improvements but there are other problems that make me feell disapointed with this version.

For example the plugins. Why I sould renounce to the set of useful plugins tha I have in SU2013 or SU8.

New version, but only two superfluous tools?, Who needs the Pie tool or the new Arc tool?.
That's no what I expect of a new version. Shure that there is no other useful tools that we need?

Is true, now the graphic system works with the GPU, but in a low level power. I have a Nvidia Qadro 5000, but SU2014 seems like to work at the tenth of the full power of the card (the card are perfectly recognized by SU2014).

Well, I was waiting a new version with truly improvements and no so many drawbacks, that let me working with the faulty older SU2013 version.

This is the future with trimble?

jeff hammond · 15 Apr 2014, 01:50

@migmat said:

New version, but only two superfluous tools?, Who needs the Pie tool or the new Arc tool?.

i think the value of the new arc tool is going wholly unrecognized.. it does offer a way to draw arcs in more of a compass style (which, to me, is a lot better in many situations than start-end-bulge).. but that aside, it finally makes some pretty basic geometry stuff possible in sketchup..

for instance, try to do this in sketchup 2013 or below:

you just couldn't do it.. not accurately or precisely.
previously, you could not draw a triangle when the knows are the hypotenuse + one side.. you can do that now using the new arc tool and to me, it's a pretty important capability to have in a drawing app.

@migmat said:

but I feel that SU2014 long away of the spirit that google creates Sketchup.

heh.. i though @last was the glory days of sketchup.. then google messed it up.. now trimble is messing up the google spirit?
this is getting confusing

TommyK · 21 Apr 2014, 09:39

@migmat said:

After several checks oabout Sketchup 2014 I should say that I am unsatisfied and decpcionated.

Perhaps I expect more than I should about the new version, but I feel that SU2014 long away of the spirit that google creates Sketchup.
Ther are several improvements but there are other problems that make me feell disapointed with this version.

For example the plugins. Why I sould renounce to the set of useful plugins tha I have in SU2013 or SU8.

...

This is the future with trimble?

The way I see the small changes with sketchup is very different to yours. I have seen other CAD programs, for example Vectorworks become bloated and difficult to learn, as they pack new features in with every release to justify their yearly fee. Vectorworks was originally a 2D CAD program, and they have morphed it into having 3D features, which is frankly quite clunky.

The evolution of Sketchup has been very different. There were people crying out for 2D drawing features in sketchup, and instead of adding it to sketchup, they created layout. Instead of adding useful native tools, sketchup produced an API to allow developers to create new tools that users could pick and choose, depending on their use case.

I do agree that there are improvements to be made, and the easy transfer of plugins between versions would be an obvious one (especially when they will be creating a new version every year). However, I have felt that the spirit of sketchup is still alive and burning brighter than ever. Easy 3D - I think this is the mantra. This is of benefit to beginners for lessening the learning curve, and to advanced users for their productivity.

I don't feel let down. Small steps are good - less likely to fall over.

Box · 21 Apr 2014, 14:58

I'm must admit I'm sick and tired of people complaining about SU2014 and even 2013, generally it is people who have never bothered to try the new versions that have the strongest negative opinions. Mostly from ignorance. The plugin transfer for one is getting easier by the update, but because people don't bother to read anything they think it is harder.
Get off your high horses and go with the future or go use something else.

dedmin · 21 Apr 2014, 15:46

@box said:

I'm must admit I'm sick and tired of people complaining about SU2014 and even 2013, generally it is people who have never bothered to try the new versions that have the strongest negative opinions. Mostly from ignorance. The plugin transfer for one is getting easier by the update, but because people don't bother to read anything they think it is harder.
Get off your high horses and go with the future or go use something else.

Yes, I did it. Went with "the future", saw the same past and found something else