SketchUp 2014 Wishlist

numerobis

what I wish to stay as it is, is the Simplicity of Sketchup, only basics, no complicated features by default...

More than one viewport is complicated? Really?!?
They could keep the one-screen-setting as default to avoid scaring people with so many views...
Or release a plugin that has to be activated in the prefs... this way 90% of the users will never know that multiview is supported.

This simplicity thing is really a joke. You have to install a massive amount of plugins to make sketchup really usable. I have met many people who thought a bit push-pull is all what can be done in SU and dropped it...
But besides this... why couldn't it be an option to select more than one viewport? You don't have to use it, but you can if you need it!

derei

@numerobis said:

@unknownuser said:

This simplicity thing is really a joke. You have to install a massive amount of plugins to make sketchup really usable. I have met many people who thought a bit push-pull is all what can be done in SU and dropped it...
But besides this... why couldn't it be an option to select more than one viewport? You don't have to use it, but you can if you need it!

First, it's simplicity can be somehow intimidating at first, but I know a lot of different people who are using SU for very different purposes. For example I know somebody that uses SU to sell proffesional kitchenware and what he uses is a 3d warehouse library, rectangle tool, push-pull, measuring tools and sometimes paint tool. Yes, making SU "usable" for an architect or a 3d designer requires several plugins to install... but you only install them once. Then, why some to be privileged and others to be forced to accept tools that they dont't want to?

And second... here wasn't any talk about multi-viewport. It may be a good idea... in several (I must admit -very rare) occasions it seemed desirable. But again, Sketchup's nature and ease to navigate in 3d space doesn't require multiple viewports.

Chris Fullmer

I came from 3dsMax before I used SU. I sincerely feel like a multi viewport solution is a workaround to a single, well functioning viewport. To me, 3dsMax (and others) should improve their 3d modeling abilities to make it so that multiple viewports aren't required to complete a simple task like moving an object where you want it to go.

But that is just my personal opinion. It doesn't mean that multiple viewports are off the table. It just means I've never felt a need for them.

dacad

Hi Chris

I've been using Sketchup a little less in the last 1-2 years, and more 3DS Max (and Zbrush and Photoshop), and I understand your point in the viewports and agree with them even, but I think you're seeing this question (and maybe others) in the wrong way. Let me explain...

I also, in 3DS work, 99% of time work with just one viewport and I don't really think SK really needs that feature for what it does, but at least more viewports are really usefull when doing/testing any kind of animation, or even for just analysing results in modelling, and SK doesn't do that good enough to need it.
Besides viewports, you can apply the same logic to 64 bits/multicore. Example, in a project I did months ago I was having problems rendering FUR in 3DS, you see the fur is displayed as a preview in a simpler and with less hairs version, so that it can be used in real time, but at the time of render it as to be created, with the final size and quality, before starting the render itself and I couldn't fit this hair in 6Gb of RAM to even start to render the image, but after I update to 18Gb I could render it (6h total render time = 3h30 to create the geometry of the hair + 2h30 rendering the image). The calculated hair is stored at RAM (mine took ~16gb of use) as any result of things that have to be processed. Does SK needs it? No, because nothing in SK use it (maybe intersecting complex and heavy models...).

What I'm trying to say is that the SK team doesn't seem to see beyond what they already know. You shouldn't say "why do you need 64bits/multicore/viewports/GPGPU/etc if that isn't used/needed right now?" but rather "What can we do more/evolve with 64bits/multicore/viewports/GPGPU/etc?".

And one more thing, SK without basic plugins is useless for me, to the point that I'm faster modelling in 3DS than in SK, and that is saying something about SK's speed... It's beyond me why the SK Team thinks that basic stuff like welding a polyline or just push and pulling more than one face at the same time is something most casual or professionals (independent of what they do with SK) don't need so they should use a plugin, but a button for extension warehouse or for Google earth, or just Layout stuff, is more usefull for most of your Sketchup users... If Sk can't have nothing new, at least it should evolve what already have

Best Regards

David

P.S.: I don't think SK needs fur or viewports.

jo-ke

@kasias said:

It would be nice if Sketchup had views like other 3d modeling programs that can be tiled and enlarged when required + would be nice if it was possible to dock the floating windows with materials, components etc.

And of course the camera could work better when zooming in to detail while working on large model.

both things would be very useful for me!

PS: I don't have 3dsmax

ArCAD-UK

I've got TIG's brilliant Section Cut Face plug but there are times when exporting a slice in .SKP format would be a quicker solution for some graphic work. It should be simple enough to implement as the options are already there for DWG & DXF, why not .SKP?

jo-ke

@dukejazz said:

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

This would give much more action to skectup

Hmm. I can remember an older post, that there is a plugin, that makes it possible.

Rich O Brien

http://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=293677#p293677

TIG's Image Animator

mwm5053

I'd be happy if they fixed this bug that they have known for the longest time on Mac maybe windows too when you press the space bar (shortcut for select) it opens model info window very annoying.

Chris Fullmer

Hi Walt, I don't see that on my Mac. It sounds like it might be a plugin you have or something that does that? Though, I'm not even sure if a plugin could make that happen.

Are any other Mac users seeing this?

Chris

mwm5053

@ Chris thanks for the reply From this it seems they know about it with a work around

http://support.google.com/sketchup/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=166485

jeff hammond

@mwm5053 said:

@ Chris thanks for the reply From this it seems they know about it with a work around

http://support.google.com/sketchup/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=166485

that's not a workaround. you have your system prefs set up weird (well, not necessarily 'weird'.. just something other than the default OSX behavior.. and I've yet to find an app which benefits from the behavior but there must be some reason for that functionality)

mwm5053

@unknownuser said:

@mwm5053 said:

@ Chris thanks for the reply From this it seems they know about it with a work around

http://support.google.com/sketchup/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=166485

that's not a workaround. you have your system prefs set up weird (well, not necessarily 'weird'.. just something other than the default OSX behavior.. and I've yet to find an app which benefits from the behavior but there must be some reason for that functionality)

I guess I don't understand what your saying my system prefs? I haven't changed from OSX standard pref and I didn't mention this but it's not a all the time thing only occasionally that the space bar opens model info most often when paint bucket is used, also SU pref shortcut key for Tools/select is spacebar.

jeff hammond

@mwm5053 said:

I guess I don't understand what your saying my system prefs? I haven't changed from OSX standard pref and I didn't mention this but it's not a all the time thing only occasionally that the space bar opens model info most often when paint bucket is used, also SU pref shortcut key for Tools/select is spacebar.

hey walt.. the preferences is :
System Preferences -> Keyboard -> Keyboard Shortcuts

at the bottom, you'll see 'full keyboard access'.. the default is to use the tab key for 'text boxes and lists only'

you may have inadvertently pressed control-f7 which changes the behavior to allow the tab key to cycle through icons etc.. when it's set this way, the geo-location icon at the bottom left of the sketchup window is highlighted then the spacebar activates it.

mwm5053

Thanks Jeff it was on all controls I'll change it should work now

mariocha

@arcad-uk said:

My top two:

SU - Real arcs/circles.

Layout - Entity creation tools that retain their layer setting.

+1

rizkylp

More Cloud capability, like Plugins in 2013.

User can store component, material, style, template (SU/LO), scrapbooks, on the cloud.. without having to leave SketchUp. When user use SketchUp elsewhere on another machine, they just sign in with their google account, and they will get all their cloud stuff on all interface. "Cloud button" could be add on Component browser, material properties, style window, etc... that will list all their cloud stuff.

Cloud Component could be linked to 3dwarehouse stuff.

SU team should think their own sign in system, such as SUID (Sketch Up ID) to handle all of this, and to identify whether they are Make or Pro user (SU team can control their cloud feature from this identification). Because google is not part of SketchUp anymore, and this will be huge on the future.

On Pro feature, this SUID can be used as collaboration. Pro user can start Collaboration project, setting security (open public or private), invite other SUID, and they can coordinate each other through chat system inside SketchUp while working through cloud. SU only need to update geometry, material, layer, and user can monitor every progress through log screen (such as "SUID just added layer named ....", "SUID just created component named .... ", etc).

I believe with this kind of development, SketchUp users will be increasing significantly, especially on country which has fast internet connection.

Thank you.

Rizky LP
SketchUp Pro Indonesia

jo-ke

To handle all my components on different places, I'm using dropbox. It works perfect.

jiminy-billy-bob

Undo (or at least cancel) Match Photo modifications.

Aerilius

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