[Plugin] FredoSection - v1.5a - 15 Jan 26
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The information on FredoSection is maintained on the Plugin Home Page of FredoSection. This is also where you can download the RBZ file.
IMPORTANT: FredoSection is available for SU2026 and above.
- LibFredo6: v15.8a or above
- Sketchup version: SU2026 and above
- Platform: Windows and Mac OSX
- Usage: free till 01 April 2026 and then licensed
FredoSection provides several tools dedicated to section planes:
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Generation of section cut faces with hatching patterns at scale for section planes which are active in scenes. Patterns can be assigned by Container and/or by Tag
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Section box: create a configurable set of section planes (inside box, outside box, custom section line) for a selection of geometry.
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Door and window schedule: create a permanent companion model with selected views of doors and windows, which can then be mapped at scale in a Layout document. This will be released in a next version however.
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Pattern Manager: This tool is used to create / modify hatching patterns and assign them to groups and components to decorate their cut faces created by the other tools above. FredoSection comes with a set of built-in patterns, but you can create your own.
FredoSection is mainly oriented to support a workflow Sketchup + Layout. It only works on Scenes. The hatching patterns are scaled by scene, so that they always appear at the same size when printed on paper. This requires that you assign a paper scale to each scene processed.
Here is a short user manual for the generation of Cut Faces, the Pattern Editor and the Section Box.
FredoSection - User Manual - English - v1.4 - Jan 2026.pdf
I published a few videos to give an overview of the main tools:
Generation of Cut Faces: Overview
Pattern Editor: Overview
Pattern Modes: Overview
Section Box: Overview
Section Box: Modifying geometry
Video by The Sketchup Essentials on the cut face generation and pattern editor.
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Perhaps the best Fredo idea yet !
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NEW RELEASE: FredoSectiont v1.3b - 27 Dec 25
Requirements
- LibFredo6: v15.7a or above
- Sketchup version: SU2026 and above
FredoSection 1.3b is a maintenance release including:
- Adjustments for Section Boxes
Home Page of FredoSection for information and Download.
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Hi.
Is there similar tool for SU2017?
And it doesn't need to be so advanced. -
@Neodimium said in [Plugin] FredoSection - v1.3b - 27 Dec 25:
Hi.
Is there similar tool for SU2017?
And it doesn't need to be so advanced.My free SectioncutFace extension is compatible, it lets you apply a material to a simple section-cut face. If you unlock its group you can manually change its material. However, the material is not reliant on the cut container and manual changes are lost if the section is ever changed/remade. So this Fredo's new toolset is like its big, smarter brother...
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@Neodimium Yes, there is Curic Section Lite
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Thank you guys. And happy New Year.
I'm little lost since it was more than 10 years I used any plugins.
And I started now, just for fun. Lot of things changed. Not for the better. (trimble)
But at least community is still alive and that's what's keeping SU alive. -
@Neodimium Fredo Section is the most advanced and complete tool for sections in SketchUp, but... it is almost unusable at this time - one time works (barely), and 3 times doesn't work... at all...
It still needs a lot of work.! -
@FlorinAp said in [Plugin] FredoSection - v1.3b - 27 Dec 25:
Fredo Section is the most advanced and complete tool for sections in SketchUp, but... it is almost unusable at this time - one time works (barely), and 3 times doesn't work... at all...
It still needs a lot of work.!I'd be more specific with regards 'doesn't work at all'?
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Well, at first i didn't want to bother you with my answer, but then i said this may help improve extensions and SketchUp.
"at all" means nothing.!
First time it worked well, till the end, but i was just playing and testing...
But then, you see the mouse taking the commands from the toolbar, the prompt is correct, and nothing happens, nothing in your model/objects, the "gizmo" that Fredo created is visible, but it doesn't do nothing, sometimes you just have to open a new file, or restart SU, and it works again, but most of the times... DON'T work that way either (and the last version is totally null).This extension is a true spectacle that Fredo created, but i wouldn't use it, even when it will work, and i will tell you why.
This idea of coipes over copies over copies is a very bad one, Sim Joubert tried it first (with his Sectionbox), and his plugin works every time, except when you have more than one scene
I once had a 2-room kitchen furniture, each room with about 10 meters length of furniture, and all the doors had very complex profiles, everything visible was complex profiled.
Bottom line - at the end, i couldn't believe that by opening model info, i saw millions of entities, in only 2 rooms of furniture.
I dont even wanna try to imagine what would happen if i open that model, and create sections with Sectionbox, or FredoSection.
At first i thoughtt that this is the only way (copies over copies...), until i bought Curic Boxview - i don't know what this guy did (because is totally counteintutitive.!), but the model is clean, this extension doesn't create any extra geometry, only a hidden group of sections, and it works easy and simple, every single time, and works in scenes... -
@FlorinAp
Thanks for signaling the problem which was inadvertedtly introduced with version v1.3b, only for the Section Box Outside. I have fxed it and will publish an update soon. It works fine for the Section Box Inside.Note that all plugins doing section box have to pile up a hierarchy of dummy groups to enclose the 6 section planes. However, there is no copy of the original geometry, but instance of it, so that any change in the section box mode is done on the original geometry. This is illustrated in the video:
At least this is how it works in FredoSection, and most likely in Curic SectionBox (I don't know for SJSectionBox).
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NEW RELEASE: FredoSectiont v1.4a - 08 Jan 26
Requirements
- LibFredo6: v15.8a or above
- Sketchup version: SU2026 and above
FredoSection 1.4a is a major release including:
- Bug fixing for Section Boxes
- Introduction of Pattern Modes (container and/or Tag) and the possibility to assign patterns to tags, as shown in the video below.
Home Page of FredoSection for information and Download.
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NEW RELEASE: FredoSectiont v1.5a - 15 Jan 26
Requirements
- LibFredo6: v15.8a or above
- Sketchup version: SU2026 and above
FredoSection 1.5a is a maintenance release including:
- Major bug fixing (issue with displaying the Color Selector)
Home Page of FredoSection for information and Download.
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I've been working with the plugin today on a series of drawings for some cabinetry.
Curious if there's a way to add to the Vector hatching library or if that's not something that can be customized? There are a number of materials (plywood, solid wood, stone, etc...) that I'd like to have Vector hatches for.
Thoughts? -
Currently, the Vector hatching is not customizable but I can easily add any type of hatching, including with dashed lines, multiples, etc.....
For a general customization of vector patterns, this should be possible based on providing a repeatable component.
However, I am interested in seeing the kind of patterns you want for plywood, solid-wood and stone, and why raster images would not work.
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Adding more standard vector hatch types (ANSI) would be a huge time-saver for me. Currently, LayOut doesn't export them as vector entities, which I need when collaborating with other offices
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There are a lot of ANSI vector hatch patterns...
Here are 900+ paid -
https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1602392539/900-autocad-hatch-library-2d-cad?ls=r&external=1&rec_type=cs&ref=landingpage_similar_listing_top-5&pro=1&dd=1&content_source=c2a30f16a8732b6e51f219c67c46c892%253ALTc4ad72921e17107e0a3f67f035a6ecc77a3039a0&logging_key=c2a30f16a8732b6e51f219c67c46c892%3ALTc4ad72921e17107e0a3f67f035a6ecc77a3039a0
These are free -
https://www.cadblocksdwg.com/hatch-patterns-download.htmlPerhaps suggest a base set of say 16 patterns ?
If they can add their own patterns it's then down to each user ? -
I am not familiar with the DWG export from layout.
My understanding is that:
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Sketchup only uses Raster material. There is no such concept as Vector pattern. Otherwise, this is just linework.
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Layout renders the Sketchup model based on these Raster materials and treats them as images. I am not aware that Layout would convert them to vector.
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Layout seems to have a concept of Pattern which can be used for filling shapes. That may well be converted to vector patterns (.pat) when exporting to DWG. However, my understanding is that this only applies to shapes created and painted in Layout, not coming from the 3D model.
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FredoSection Vector Hatching is just a set of edges and faces, as the rest of the geometry. So, it renders as such in Layout. But I don't think it will end up as CAD patterns when the Layout document is exported to DWG.
I don't know if I am correct....
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Thank you, all, for picking up this dialogue.
First off, I should give my thanks and gratitude to Fredo6 for making this plug-in happen. Thank you!
For my workflow, I avoid using anything but the Vector setting for scenes in Layout, and I don't use a style that shows the textures unless it's abosolutely needed . Raster doesn't handle lines well and is 'fuzzy'. The Rastor materials included look great in Sketchup, but don't translate over to Layout. When I tried a hybrid compromise, the Rastor section fills become blurry and not very useful.
I'd be more than happy to give examples of hatch patterns I'd love to see available for the types of materials I use creating drawings for cabinetry (in addition to the Vector patterns currently available at least four different types of sheet goods, three types of solid wood, plaster/gypsum and stone countertops would all be fantastic).
If it's something that's doable with relative ease for you, Fredo, how can I help?
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