Updating model reference

[pmolson]

My use of layout has always been fairly simple. Insert rendered images and a fairly light weight model in floor plan view.

As of late I have been using layout with very large complicated models.

My computer is very robust and should not be considered the problem when thinking about this.
I use latest version of sketchup pro.

question: I am wondering how long it should reasonably take for a model to update when I make changes and click on update model reference. It has always takes several minutes as I often times have Hybrid set for the inserted model view. But as of late it may take 20 or 30 minutes to update.

Is that off the charts? Should I be thinking that is normal or is something wrong?

I guess I maybe figured it out...Am I right in thinking that one should not use hybrid until you are completely done with changes? I switched to raster and it updates in a blink. I guess one needs to build in a large amount of time at the end of changes prior to creating a pdf set to allow the hybrid setting to do its thing....? I got to say though that waiting 30 to 60 minutes for a model to update, even in hybrid, just does not seem right. is it?

[Dave R]

Hi Paul,

What version of SketchUp and LayOut are you using?

Hybrid rendering can be quite slow depending on what the model is like. Lots of edges will take longer than few edges. Larger textures, shadows, etc. all add to the time required.

How many viewports do you have in your document. It used to be that LayOut would only update/render the viewports on the current page but in later versions they changed that so LO will update the viewports throughout the document without requiring you to make each page active.

It might be that you don't need to have all of your viewports rendered as Hybrid. Leaving them as Raster will speed things up. You should make test PDF exports to see how the quality is. Also try with high quality PDF export. In LO 2023 they added a feature to render viewports as you export to PDF. The idea is to leave viewports rendered as Raster to help keep the speed up while you are working and then automatically render all raster viewports as Hybrid or Vector (your choice) at export. You can turn that off in Document Setup>Rendering. Untick the Output Override box.

[pmolson]

HI Dave,
I have latest versions.

I have up to 7 or 8 viewports usually and they all need to be hybrid.

I usually keep auto update off & lock the viewports that I don't need to update. Then manually update the views I need.

The pdf thing you mentioned may explain why when I opened a layout that I had not worked on in 5 months and went to create a pdf it locked up. Never finished. Always worked before.

So seems like I need to turn that pdf render option off if I am choosing to let layout do it? or I guess I could try leaving as raster and letting the pdf gizmo do it, but I have a sneaking suspicion I wont like the results.

I really need to be able to have a hybrid viewport update in a reasonable amount of time...

If I cant, I may have to break the chain and go to a separate cad file for floor plans & elevations which I have been trying to avoid.

[Dave R]

The render thing I was referring to only renders raster viewports as Hybrid (or Vector depending on your setting) as you are exporting to PDF. That allows you to leave them rendered as Raster while you are working. Might seem like the export has locked up but it's really just going through to render those Raster viewports. If you manually render them as Hybrid then it won't need to do it at export. If you are going back and forth between SketchUp and LayOut a bunch while you are working, the updates will be much faster with Raster rendering. Defer the Hybrid rendering until you're done going back and forth. Then either manually render as Hybrid or let LayOut do it during Export. Go away and eat lunch or something.

I think you should at least try exporting viewports as Raster but set the export quality for the PDF to High. You might find you get acceptable results. I can think of several architects who do that even for large sheets.

[pmolson]

Thanks Dave as always you're a great help. I will try as you suggest.

[Dave R]

Thank you. I hope it helps. It might be that there are things you could do in your SketchUp models to help reduce render times in LayOut, too. It's not uncommon that models have more stuff to render than they really need. One of these days after it warms up maybe I'll just darken your doorstep and see first hand.

[pmolson]

That's a great idea Dave, after all these years of being just down the road from each other we really should meet. Let's put that on the short list maybe after it warms up

[Dave R]

Yeah. It's kind of silly that we've never met in person. After we get through this cold spell and my feet warm up, I'll drive up there.