Yeh, Its so much better now, much faster!

Are you on Windows?

You could try registering the SketchupViewer.dll- LO probably can't find it.
Open a DOS box, and cd to here-
C:\Program Files\Google\Google SketchUp 6\LayOut
or where your layout.exe is installed.
Then do-
regsvr32 SketchUpViewer.dll

This should popup a dialog saying succeeded. If it doesn't say succeeded, then reinstalling is best.

@jamexcel said:

Is there a solution to this problem in Sketchup 2013; or maybe the question is how does one load the Aspect-Ratio-Script in SU-2013?

Copy the downloaded .rb file to the Plugins folder. You'll need to do it manually and before doing so, make sure you have full permissions established for the folder.

@jamexcel said:

The only extensions that SU2013 sees end in RBZ.

That's actually not true. RBZ files are only ZIP files with the extension changed so the Install Extension function can detect them.

Come on, Barry, you are leaking all kinds of info while getting others to sign NDA's
😄

(but I'm glad it's fixed, thanks)

i'd love to get on that invite list.

I have trouble with snap as well. Often times i can't get objects or windows to size exactly as i like. It seems as though the setting do not allow granularity of window size beyond say a few centimeters in some cases. This is problematic when one is trying to be exact with placement of scrapbook items and or text positioning.

my two cents,

Larry

You're right Juan I meant 0.1mm..... 😳

My work generally presented on A3 landscape. I apply a 10mm grid, divided into 5. [2mm minor grids]

This way when I don't need to snap to grid I know I am still drawing in 1mm increments.....

Ditto - auto page number with option to start page numbering at page X or as Gaieus said excluding the first page. Thanks

Hi,

I'm on a Mac 2.4 Ghz MBP.
As I noted, I tried changing the style to wireframe. Whereas I have no problem using orbit in SketchUp, the one in Layout only works occassionaly.

Yes, it is not helpful that sending a view to Layout is not the same window aspect ratio. Can you scale the view at all without zooming the image itself? I can resize the window but the image stays the same size.

Anyway I have view that is tricky at the sides. Show too much and the entourage looks awkward; too little and the building looks cramped in the drawing. As I noted, I try to pull in the side of the window just enough and it pops back to the wider view or too far in.

At least it is clear that Layout is useful for most people. The Basecamp demos are encouraging but they never seem to confront the problems I come across. I will try to experiment with very simple model, to see what works.

I have had SketchUp for a long time but I am just returning to using it regularly. What I find lacking in the (very generous) help materials is real explanation of how to output an acceptable finished picture (without going to a renderer program). I now know that I must save as graphic (.png works for me, .pdf gives bizarre results) and adjust the resolution in that process. Otherwise a direct print from SU model is jagged and crude. I assumed part of LayOut's function is to complete the output process.

Thanks for the info. I mainly use Sketchup at the office and that is in Windows. I will play around with the PDF import in OSX at home 😄

Just to point out an item that Tobobo mentioned above, Layout has settings to allow you to design and arrange your models at a low res state, to allow for better performance, and export at a higher dpi/res.

All this is done through the Document Setup/Paper... Rendering. See attached image

Cheers
CMD

Layout Rendering Level Options

@anssi said:

For viewing and printing DWG files, I think the best solution is Autodesk's DWG TrueView. It has almost all the printing features of the full Autocad, it can translate files to different DWG versions, and it is a free download.

Anssi

Thanks for the info. But I was really making a rhetorical statement. The request was made to have dwg in LO. I find that most 3rd party programs make a rough version of dwg (ports not models) at best and this is a tall order, not an easy or minimal requirement for LO. TrueView, being made by AutoDesk is an example of my point.

@unknownuser said:

I hope that in the future release of LayOut we have the ability to set a layer specific to a page. [as with ACAD] If it is, it will provide another function to visibilty to a LayOut file without duplicating layers for each page...

Try LO 2 and see if it does what you want.

@utiler said:

...I think arranging items on screen should be able to be manipulated in isolation; not based on the layer dialogue structure...

I tried this, too, and indeed the order of layers dominate the focus primarily and arranging the entities only secondarily.
I second that - layers are supposed to separate entities and to allow "arrangement" of them to show/hide elements not the order of display by the focus (is it called that way anyway?)

j_forrester, right click on the model you bring into LayOut....

Dammerel, the dashed line script runs in SketchUp, not in LO. To create dashed lines you'll need to do it in SketchUp.

I have found that dimensions and screen/leader text is difficult to read once the model is imported into LO. I replace or cover the SU dimensions and text with text boxes in LO. This seems to work pretty well for me.

Andrew,
Todd Burch has a ruby script that does dashed lines if thats what your after. I think its on Smustard

The ruby is called DashedLines. There are tutorials for making styles. Search this forum.
Wyatt

3d first

To get LO to render what SU is rendering, create a Scene in SU and select the Scene in LO.

If you have 3d components for these objects here is a solution.

For each object component, have duplicate versions on different layers (top, front, left, . . . , 3d). By default use the 3d view, and have other layers set to off. But when you are in top view for example, disable the 3d layer, and turn on the top layer. I've thought about this for working with trees. 3d for perspective, but plan version for plans or as working object to speed things up.

If you want an easy way to see all of these views in Layout, Just setup a paired SketchUp and Layout file with views already setup. Then just drop component into your SketchUp file, goto Layout and Adjust the scale as needed for that specific component.