OS X Thumbnails for SketchUp files

samtsham

Thank you, Mr. Hammond!
I have huge respect for someone who responds with such detail to forum questions.

Now, wouldn't it be great if OSX could access these thumbnails to begin with. Aren't there quick-view plugins for all sorts of file formats? If there is a way to render Autocad previews in finder, there must be a relatively simple pipeline to display a thumbnail that's already in the file.

I suppose, this doesn't affect all too many people.
Thanks for the workaround!

Regards,
SAM from Vienna.

josephskibba

Thanks so much for your advice. Graphic Converter worked.

I sure do wish Finder would just display the thumbnail properly.

Go Steelers!
Joe

stuartmitch

Hi Jeff,

I have followed your advice regarding using Graphic Converter but my SU files still show the SU icon rather than a file preview. Has something changed in SU that prohibits GC from changing the icon image.

Hope you can shed some light.

Cheers....Scotty

benjisan

Version seems to be different. 7 performs as described but not 9

stuartmitch

@jeff hammond said:

yeah, the thumbnails are already in there (though 128px maximum)

you can also have graphic converter switch all the icons for you so when you view them via finder, you'll see the thumbnails instead of the generic icon or the custom SU icon thing with the pin..

How do you do this? It is not clear from GC User Guide.

Cheers....Stuart

driven

I'm not sure GC still works with skps, it stopped for a while at least, so I wrote a plugin...
I'll PM you this 'beta' plugin that lets you add icons to your skps that Finder/QuickLook can see, if you want?
icon View in Finder.
I use it to add an icon from the 'File Menu' or a tool button any time I want, i.e. not auto on close.
It does do batches as well, but I need to do a little more on that before I release it to public...
I've had no horror stories from the dozen or more users who are 'testing' it.
john

chrisjk

John,
I'd be very grateful to get a copy of your OSX thumbnail/icon plugin.
Thanks,
Chris

chrisjk

In OSX 10.10., having preview turned on in Finder is a nightmare if one clicks on an SKP file. After much beachball spinning a preview consisting of the Chinese alphabet repeated endlessly (or something like it) appears. For large files, I have to force quit the finder to stop the useless waiting.

Until now, I have kept Sketchup files in folders that relate to whatever project I am working on but it's too easy to accidentally click on a file this way. I am now consider moving all SP files to a separate location.

driven

@chrisjk said:

a preview consisting of the Chinese alphabet repeated endlessly (or something like it) appears. For large files,
try reseting QuickLook from Terminal.app

qlmanage -r && killall Finder

I'll PM my plugin...
john

chrisjk

John,
Many thanks for your help here and in PMs. Problem now solved by deleting a Qlgenerator that I installed recently and which I had clean forgotten all about - duh!

Chris

driven

@chris,
the posts from here have a massive delay, today...
glad you found the culprit,
batch_icons is in the help menu...
it's a little verbose and the instructions are on the first dialog you'll see...
do a small folder and post the results, maybe I should release it???
john

chrisjk

John,
I have now tried batching with SKP, SKM and Layout files. They all seem to work OK - very well in fact with the exception of a single glitch with one layout file that retained the image from another file. I need to examine the file tomorrow to see if it is indeed a glitch with the plugin or more likely, something on my part…

I'd say the plugin is definitely release worthy!

driven

@chrisjk said:

...a single glitch with one layout file that retained the image from another file. I need to examine the file tomorrow ...

.skm and .layout just grab the referenced image in the file [it just a zipped folder], so have a look at why it has the wrong referenced image...
glad you like it
john

Luds

@driven said:

I'm not sure GC still works with skps, it stopped for a while at least, so I wrote a plugin...
I'll PM you this 'beta' plugin that lets you add icons to your skps that Finder/QuickLook can see, if you want?
[attachment=0:a5t9bzkz]2014-11-04 07.55.41 pm.png[/attachment:a5t9bzkz]
I use it to add an icon from the 'File Menu' or a tool button any time I want, i.e. not auto on close.
It does do batches as well, but I need to do a little more on that before I release it to public...
I've had no horror stories from the dozen or more users who are 'testing' it.
john

Hello John, I too would be very grateful to get a copy of your OSX thumbnail/icon plugin please. Luds