I can't seem to remember how I made my custom toolbars.

eg. Here is one I made with buttons that toggle Perspective/Parallel views, Display Profiles, Ungroup, and Unhide selected Geometry. I use these a lot. How I got access to those icons/functions I don't remember.

I worked very hard to get my 2015 the way I like it. I've made toolbars that are close in their layout to my AutoCad and other software I use. I've also configured shortcuts to the same functions across platforms. I'm now setting up SU2016. I found I was able export my shortcuts to 2016. Is there a method to do the same for my several custom toolbars?

I have not installed 2016 yet. However, I've just read this thread and there much talk about the LO styles "Tray" in SU. This has me very apprehensive. (I do not like the tray system of LO.)

I have a Dual 30" monitor set up. In the software packages I use, my Right monitor is for the actual work screen, and the Left has all my panels open. e.g components, materials, layers etc. Am I understanding correctly that the trays can only be docked to main work space (my Right monitor) and I can't move them to the second monitor? As it is, I don't expect much from Trimble. But really, for me anyway, the trays are a backward step.

I've tried many different packages for modeling and 2D drafting. For my work, nothing beats the speed of exporting DWGs from SU to AC. I purchased Skalp hoping it would improve LO enough for me to consider dropping AC. (I have no problem with AC except the price). I'm still not nearly as fast. I've seen great work done with LO, but compared to a real (and some quite INexpensive) drafting programs, it doesn't come close. I only use LO for small simple models, like a sign or table.

I have 2015 with my plugins, my Tool bars, my shortcuts, everything set up, not only the way I like it, but with customizations that I've made consistent across my 3 main software packages. Will moving to 2016 mean I will have to redo all this again. Are there any options to cut down on the work?

My wish list at this early stage of using LO:

1. An automatic tag that reads Viewport scale. I have this in AC, find it very useful.

2. Dimensions update when Model updates. Without this, LO will never become very useful to me.

@otb designworks said:

I just tried the same process with Layout 14 and it is the same.

Are you perhaps remembering dimensioning in Sketchup and displaying in Layout? Because dimensions do update with geometry in Sketchup.

I am pretty sure layout has never worked like Sketchup does with respect to dimensioning.

It was certainly never a deal breaker for me,, but it definitely and source of frustration, inefficiency, and also greatly increases the likelihood of sending a drawing out with an incorrect dimension.

I have a very intense crosscheck protocol that I use with my drawings to help ensure that things like that don't slip through

Chuck,
I emailed Matt Donley who wrote "Sketchup to Layout," (which I bought) and he said he also thought the dimensions "attempted to stay attached" in previous LO versions. But do not do so currently. In my work, this makes LO substantially slower for me to use than AC. I guess I'll be sticking with AC.

@otb designworks said:

Calypso, you are seeing the reality of dimensioning in Layout. That is exactly how mine works and the render method makes no difference.

I just started using LO again recently. However, I used it for a few projects about 6 months ago, and I'm almost certain the dimensions updated. I'd like to believe it is something I'm doing or some simple configuration switch. I though the Render method might be the answer. Sorry to hear you're having the same problem. LO is useless to me if I can't solve this.

@yorik1984 said:

Use vector or hybrid graphics in viewport

Changed to Vector. No difference. Dimensions do not update.

@dave r said:

If both ends of the dimensions are anchored to points in the model, they should update automatically.

Not working for me. I've made a model of simple boxes. I dimension in LO, the adjust the sided in SU. When I Update the model in LO, the model resizes but the dim do not.

1. Is there away to lock viewports? I keep inadvertently selecting wiewports that I'm done with and draging them by mistake. Is there a "lock viewport" somewhere?

2. I thought when I updated a model in SU, the dimensions in Layout would be updated to the new values. (After the model reference update in LO) Recently that has not been the case. What am I doing wrong?

I work in Film and Television. I have used Maya, Solidworks, Rhino, Sketchup, Autocad and a few other packages. I've abandoned all but Rhino, SU and AC. In my TV work we have to design sets, put out drawings, and get them built in days, and sometimes hours. For modeling, nothing is as fast as SU. Period! However, in my workflow, it is much faster for me to section through the SU model and export to AC than to use Layout. Layout just does not have the tools.

I will use Layout when I just have a small element to complete, and lots of time. Granted, I'm sporadically using Layout and by no means well versed. But even just moving around in Layout on my computer it is much slower than AC. I recently worked with someone who only worked in Layout and was considered fast with the program. I was doing the more complicated pieces, and my SU>AC export method was at least 2 twice as fast if not more.

Perhaps as I use Layout more I may discover methods that help me pick up the pace, but I'm still skeptical.

@box said:

See if this helps.

Thanks, that helps. But now, how do I get the bundle on my other computer? Is the bundle save in a file I must copy to the other machine the install with the SF tool. If so, where is that file stored?

@dave r said:

When I set up a new computer with SketchUp, I just install the bundle using the SCF Plugin Store tool. No need to export a list at all.
[attachment=0:1dzmp3fd]<!-- ia0 -->Screenshot - 9_8_2015 , 8_56_50 PM.png<!-- ia0 -->[/attachment:1dzmp3fd]

I have the SCF Plugin tool, but I don't have any menu image that looks like you image. What am I missing?

@box said:

You should be aware that there people are still having issues with Win10. Your setup may work perfectly, but then again it may not. Technically speaking, Sketchup isn't yet supported on Win10.

Well it loaded fine and opened fine, but I really haven't tried doing anything yet. I expect Trimble will want another $99 from everyone to make it compatible.

For the record I am liking Windows 10. It is beastly fast compared to my Win 7 on dual boot.(I've been very happy with win 7) And this on a 1st gen i7 laptop that's over 5 years old.

I'm setting up my laptop that I recently converted to a clean install of Windows 10. I'd like my Sketchup to have an identical setup with toolbars and plugins placed and as they are on my laptop. Is there any way to export the plugin list? That might be a good thing to add to the "Sketucation Plugin Store" plugin. Anyway, if anyone has suggestions to help with this?

First, Is Layout capable of accepting plugins? If not, read no further. If yes.....

I use AC for my 2D drafting, but have been playing with Layout. I made some custom toolbars adding icons for commands that don't have any. I could not find anywhere to "save" the toobars, and was told on the Layout forum that they cannot be saved.

I used the JF Toolbars plugin by J. Foltz in an earlier version of SU. That plugin created text files of the Toolbars that could be saved and copied. Is it possible to make something similar, or convert that to a plugin for Layout?

Also, in Layout, scale is set for the viewport display. I would like to have an Auto Text Tag for viewport scale like I have in AC. It seems that it should be possible, since somewhere in the program the viewport info and the scale of that viewport are reconciled. It seems to me that result could be turned into an Autotag?

Answers? Suggestions?
thanks

@krisidious said:

Don't you just wish? And when you update it will break them all too...

That sucks. In my work it I find it quicker to click an icon than mouse over to a tab, pull down the menu, etc., until I get to the command I want. So I made the icons/toolbars in the attached image.

I know there is a plugin in SU (JF Toolbars I think) that lets you save toolbars. They create a simple Text file. I wonder if that could be ported to work in Layout?

Does Layout have an auto-text tag that can read the scale of a viewport? e.g In AC, if I have three viewports in a layout at different scales I can link a tag/field to the viewport so it displays the scale view in that viewport. That would be quite usful to me.

was trying to find something in tool bars and hit the reset(I think) and lost all my custom toolbars. I've now remade them and done a lot more giving icons to several commands. However. I'm wary of losing them again. Can layout store custom toolbars? In other words, after I've created the toolbars is there a file of some sort stored somewhere Than I can backup?