A Welcome Message to New SketchUcation Members

dabird

Hello Everyone:

I've been using sketchup off and on, mostly off, for several years. Now I discover that I have to use the cloud version, or the 2017 make version if I want to use it locally.

My current project is to use sketchup to document/plan a telescope that I'm making to house optics bought from Surplus Shed. (Hobby.) I got started by importing some 3D print files. Then I tried to use the cloud version to view them, but the delays made that impossible, so I switched to the 2017 version. Now, I've tried the free cloud version again, no longer using the 3D print files, and find it harder to use than the 2017 version. So much for that.

My first question is that it seems this thread hasn't got much traffic lately, and I'm wondering why? So, will asking anything here do me any good?

My real question has to do with getting help for the 2017 version. It seems that all the general online help is either obsolete, or strictly for the cloud product. Finding help for the 2017 version seems hard. At least that's my impression. I'm avoiding the official sketchup user forum for now under the assumption that there will be a bias against the 2017 free version because there's no money in it for Trimble.

So, here I am. Hoping to get some clarification, little my little, on how to run this really cool tool.

Dave

Dave R

Dave, welcome to Sketchucation.

The majority of the discussions you'll find here about using SketchUp will apply to 2017 Make. There are surely some that will apply to features that have been released for the pro users but you can probably ignore them. There's not as much, yet, on using the wed-based versions because those versions are newer. The web-based versions are very usable (on my computers the SketchUp Free and SketchUp Shop run very well even with large files) and have some benefits over the desktop client versions. If you need to be able to access SketchUp without an internet connection or you need to use extensions, though, the desktop version is the way to go.

Your assumption of a bias against 2017 Make is just an assumption and it couldn't be more wrong.

robinwallington

Hi!
My name is Robin. I am a new SketchUp user and I just signed up with sketchucation today. So far I love this software and I am looking forward to getting acquainted with all it's potential. I first did the 30 day trial of SketchUp Pro 2020. While I was in the middle of a SketchUp course my 30 day trial was up. Since then I have been using the SketchUp 2008 version to continue learning but I noticed that I cannot retrieve my classwork I was doing in the 2020 version. My questions are: How can I open files from the 2020 version, in the 2008 version? And, when I do decide to buy the SketchUp 2020 license, will I have trouble transferring models from the 2008 version into the 2020 version?

dabird

@dave r said:

Dave, welcome to Sketchucation.

The majority of the discussions you'll find here about using SketchUp will apply to 2017 Make. There are surely some that will apply to features that have been released for the pro users but you can probably ignore them. There's not as much, yet, on using the wed-based versions because those versions are newer. The web-based versions are very usable (on my computers the SketchUp Free and SketchUp Shop run very well even with large files) and have some benefits over the desktop client versions. If you need to be able to access SketchUp without an internet connection or you need to use extensions, though, the desktop version is the way to go.

Your assumption of a bias against 2017 Make is just an assumption and it couldn't be more wrong.

Thanks for the reply.

The attempt that I made on the web that failed was with an stl file that was intended to print. I had imported it into sketchup. Being from the stl may have had something to do with the difficulty; don't know. All I can say for sure is that it took so long between view changes with orbit and zoom that it locked up.

Thanks for correcting my assumption. This made me look elsewhere for some of my issues, and having corrected one of them, I'm having better luck now.

BTW, what is the relationship between sketchucation.com and forums.sketchup.com? Without my assumption of the heavy hand of corporate profit, why the seeming redundancy?

So lastly, where should I go from here?

Thanks again,

Dave

TIG

To interject...

The forums at Sketchup.com and SketchUcation.com are separate entities.

A quick history lesson...

SketchUp was developed by some guys who left AutoDesk [@Last]...
It had its own active forums - at that time many of us now here 'met' up.
They then sold Sketchup to Google.
Google weren't interested in the forums and that side effectively died out.
Meanwhile a group of enthusiasts set up SketchUcation.com to fill the void.
So SketchUcation's pages have existed much longer that the now 'official' forum.
At that time there was not good central repository for Plugins [later Extensions] - so we developed the SketchUcation PluginStore for RBZs, the Shop for models etc.
Meanwhile SketchUp itself changed hands again - to Trimble - and they relaunched their forums, and developed their own Extension Warehouse [turning down our offer for a join collaboration] and 3d-Warehouse.
Several authors like myself use only the SketchUcation PluginStore for our RBZs.
Many authors prefer the more friendly way our store works - but of course the corporate power of SketchUp has grown considerably in recent years and dominates in some areas...
Most of us here [like me and DaveR] are active on both forums - some of us are also 'Sages' involved in general problem solving, and also advising SketchUp 'behind the scenes', and of course we have a good relationship with SketchUp's guys, and meet at events like Basecamps and Devcamps.

Dave R

Sketchucation started shortly after Google purchased SketchUp from @Last Software. It was started to provide support to SketchUp users but is totally separate from SketchUp because Google was doing a poor job of that. The SketchUp Community Forum was is owned by Trimble.

Edit: TIG gave a better description of the situation.

As to where you should go from here, that's up to you. There's plenty of help available that will apply to SketchUp 2017 Make if you want to continue with it.

Dave R

@robinwallington said:

Hi!
My questions are: How can I open files from the 2020 version, in the 2008 version? And, when I do decide to buy the SketchUp 2020 license, will I have trouble transferring models from the 2008 version into the 2020 version?

The 2008 version would be SketchUp 8 which is ancient by software standards. Old versions of SketchUp can't open newer versions. Newer versions of SketchUp have no problem opening versions created in older versions. Recently I've had reason to dig up a couple of models I did in SketchUp 3. SketchUp does have an option to save back to older versions but with the 2020 trial finished, it's a little late now.

There's a fair amount of difference between SketchUp 8 and SketchUp 2020. To me it doesn't seem like the thing to use if you are going to go with 2020 anyway.

annanikolson

Hi everyone!
I'm a newbie here. I have a little experience in sketchup, but I will be glad to get additional experience when communicating with forum participants. Previously, I was engaged in the creation of custom-made furniture and created layouts in sketchup, but now I want to start making design projects. I understand that it is probably better to use other programs, which are simpler in this regard, but I think that at the first stage, with a rough sketch, it is much easier to work in sketchup.

Peace for everyone!

TSY69

Hi all, just a quick intro to a new Premium Member. I started using Sketchup in 2009, in my seventh year in professional practice. Got as much fluency as I could in the 14-odd months I used it within the limitations of the program then. Which was still a striking difference of approach, given my first introduction to the digital architect's world was Microstation when it still ran on Clipper workstations, sold as a turnkey solution by Intergraph much like SGI and Alias/Wavefront.

Returned to it in 2013, and successfully pitched a couple of mid-rise multi-family residential towers.

I often find myself back on it for some quick 'n' dirty modeling and progressively realizing that it's far more now with Enscape etc.

Rich O Brien

Welcome, be sure to get your Sketchucation Tools installed in SketcUp...

https://sketchucation.com/plugin/696-sketchucationtools

It's the portal we use to access 100s of extensions/plugins shared here. Plus your Premium membership unlocks shop discounts and free content along with discounts for licensed extensions

https://sketchucation.com/plugin-list.php