SketchUp 2014 Wishlist

matt.gordon320

I'm sure I'll have to edit this as I think of more "wishes", but here's one:

A more accessible way to work with large (100+) numbers of scenes. I frequently have to create views for lets say 10 different homes with a view from 4 different rooms. I typically export linework, shadows, textures, false Z-Buffer, and other maps separately so I can comp them in photoshop. Obviously, this leads to a LOT of scenes. Scrolling through the scene manager or the scene bar gets a little tedious.

dukejazz

In 2014 sketchup I want is see an animated gif as a texture, so essentially it will be a animated movie texture. just like we apply normal textures.

This would give much more action to sketchup

Box

Perhaps you'll find this layer plugin by jiminy-billy-bob useful.
http://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=323&t=53906

matt.gordon320

@box said:

Perhaps you'll find this layer plugin by jiminy-billy-bob useful.
http://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=323&t=53906

Hi Box, could you share what way you'd recommend using it to manage scenes? I'm mildly familiar with the the Layer Panel Beta, but I can't seem to figure out quite what you meant. I was more speaking to scrolling through either the scene bar/scene dialog box and updating scenes, but if there's something I missed or you have a cool tip, I'd really appreciate it! Thanks!

Box

My mistake there Matt, I was thinking scenes but got layers. I'm sure there is a good scene manager somewhere, but I can't get my brain to it just now.

jiminy-billy-bob

I was thinking of adding a "scene" tab to my plugin, with the same sort/nest features than for layers. Now seeing that it could be usefull to some people is motivating

(Don't expect this soon, but maybe one day...! )

JClements

@aerilius said:

Undo scene changes/creations (especially to make plugin actions fully undoable).

++1

Anton_S

Currently on MS Windows web-dialogs use Internet Explorer Server, I don't know about Macs. It would be nice to have the user to decide which browser server should the WebDialog use when they create their own WebDialog. For instance, the chrome server, opera server, or internet explorer server (default).

tt_su

@anton_s said:

Currently on MS Windows web-dialogs use Internet Explorer Server, I don't know about Macs. It would be nice to have the user to decide which browser server should the WebDialog use when they create their own WebDialog. For instance, the chrome server, opera server, or internet explorer server (default).

I'm afraid it is not possible to let the user decide. To use other engines we would have to bundle frameworks for them. We cannot just pick up whatever the user has installed.

notareal

@kaliphegtu said:

why not replace photo match by video match !!
Ex:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vda2RAEuW_g

+1

Bob James

For large projects, I often have multiple complex SU files open. This means I have multiple Layers, Entity Info, etc. windows open. But there’s no way to quickly tell which SU instance they belong to.
Would it be possible to have the file name appear in each window?

For example:
Layers - Airlock
Layers - Highbay
Layers - Transfer Tower

Entity Info - Airlock
Entity Info - Highbay
Entity Info - Transfer Tower

etc

bigstick

@unknownuser said:

More than one viewport is complicated? Really?!?

Yes, really. The single viewport principle employed by SU is one of the big reasons for its success. It's central to the way SU works. In fact it's the antithesis to the 4 view approach. If that's what you want, you are missing the whole point of the application.

@unknownuser said:

This simplicity thing is really a joke. You have to install a massive amount of plugins to make sketchup really usable.

No it's not, and no you don't. The main reason you need plugins is to improve productivity. It's true that plugins enable you to model things that would be extremely difficult without them. But this statement is kind of absurd.

My main wish list items are:-

Fix the distorted texture scaling issue in DCs
Implement much better texture/UV mapping in SU
Improve performance with large/complex models. Because it's so easy and so much fun, you find yourself adding detail to your models almost without thinking. This means you need a high end graphics card to work effectively. However, even then, performance is so much worse than an app like Maya, Lightwave or 3ds max.
Improved scene management. A means of organising scenes by tabs, or having a series of scene tab sets would be really excellent. Imagine a way of managing groups of scenes where you have tabs which act as hierarchical containers, so that you could have a tab which contains scenes for display styles, another for elevations, another for interiors, another for exteriors, another for sections, another for animations. So much more powerful.

JClements

For example:

when clicked, trigger the model animation.
a print this scene option

dane.teegardin

Improvements to export and import for CAD and Revit.
Generating faces. Often Ill attempt to break up a surface by drawing a box on it, but it doesn't form a face. I end up having to run the through the model using plug-ins to create the faces.
Support for working in small detail models. Trying to create a small detail like a door knob is nearly impossible in perspective view. The only way I can zoom in and create it is to switch to parallel, and that often cuts out much of the viewport.
64 bit version and multiprocessor support. My models average 100mb, and using renders within SketchUp such as Vray, the memory reaches over 1.5gb and becomes unstable.

Play404

More functionality with the "Entity Info" window like:

able to change the volume or area to m2 or cm2 (mm2 has too many decimal places to be useful unless your designing jewellery)
adding height, length & width so I can see overall dimensions of group/component at a glance.
3)Check boxes in preferences to add, subtract or change the functions of entity info.

Control of SU layers in Layout

Ability to delete multiple scenes at once rather than 1 at a time

Support in preferences to change anti aliasing on mac like on windows

tt_su

@play404 said:

Ability to delete multiple scenes at once rather than 1 at a time

You can do that in the Scenes tool-window.

FBPrescher

Would like to have a way to keep a journal to each project. Without having to search for it each time i return to a project. I work with many different projects daily and i spend a lot of time searching to keep up with references or to create an outline to work from on projects.

Maybe under Windows a link to open WordPad... but then automatically set the file name to the same as the project open. It would be operable each time you return to the project. And, not have to search for it.

I have something set up to open WordPad, but I would like it return to the immediate project and not open a new WordPad.

A ruby would be ideal as well. i agree that we want to keep SketchUp simple.

studio43

Would like to see grips function added to line segments, in order to grab a line at the end or mid point for quick edit of line work

Yishmeray

I am sorry that I am very late to this party, not least because 2014 is already out!

But in case it matters - you can open multiple models under windows, and have been able to do so as long as I can remember (at least since SketchUp 6). It's not perhaps in the obvious way (from sketchup use file -> open while another model is already open) but it works all the same - just double click a model file while another is open.

pibuz

Has anybody mentioned a better system to handle SketchUp materials? Some sub-folder-ing system, or something more customizable would help a lot, much better than a simple list of used materials..

Another dream of mine is support for reversible operations, such as dinamic redistribution of elements over a line, or different patterning of 3d-generated meshes without re-doing it (floor planks e.g.)..