@measuredmove said:

Not sure if these links are still viable but I don't think a serial number will be needed.

Download Google SketchUp 8.0.4811 for Windows - OldVersion.com

OldVersion.com (www.oldversion.com)

Trimble SketchUp 8 Free Version Download | Sketchup 8 Free Download

Google just launched a new updated version of it's most intuitive 3D modeling software, Sketchup 8. Google sketchup 8 can be download for free.

(www.sketchup4architect.com)

Thanks, MM
I tried these, but only the non-pro version is available without a license number. So, I seem to have two options : use SU8 Pro on my old outdated PC, or use the few free hours in the Trimble version. Or option 3, hope I can stumble upon the install CDs from back in 2010, along with the license number info.

@pixero said:

I found a link here: https://forums.sketchup.com/t/sketchup-pro-8-installer-download/43749

Thanks Pix

I downloaded the SU8 files from the site linked at • SketchUp Pro 8-EN 7.8k f. Windows XP/Vista/7. It installed without problems, and seems to work properly. But my old serial number didn't work for the license. And it asked for an authorization number that I don't have. Apparently Trimble has taken over from Google since I last used SU. Any ideas?

@dave r said:

SU8 is far from the latest version. Since you are using it just for "funsies" now, you could install SketchUp 2017 Make. You'll likely get better performance, problems related to toolbars have been fixed since then, and you'll be able to access and use models and components from the 3D Warehouse.
[/quote]

Thanks Dave. But I have Pro versions of SU 5&6, which would probably be more appropriate for my architectural funsie projects than SU Make. Besides, I'm most familiar with SU8, and some tools are missing in the older versions. I should have the SU8 install files around here somewhere, but so far haven't found them on old PC or CDs.

I've been retired for the last 8 years, and didn't have a need for SketchUp until lately. It's just for funsies -- no money involved.

I have SU version 8.0.4811 on my old computer. Now I want to install it on my new computer. Unfortunately, since I moved from my office to a home office years ago, I can't find a CD or the original installer files. I have CDs for versions 5 & 6, but I'd prefer to use the latest. I doubt that I could simply transfer the program files from Windows XP to Windows 10.

Is there a way to download install files for an old version of SketchUP? I have the serial number.

Thanks for the response. I googled TECLA, but didn't find anything related to sun angles for SketchUp. Can you provide a link?

I'm looking for a tool or script to set the sun angle (shadow setting) interactively. I'm not interested in the Time, Date, or Location. I want to be able to set the sun azimuth and altitude directly for presentation rendering of the model. I don't want photorealistic rendering, just more control over the sun position. I want to arrange the highlights, shades & shadows arbitrarily for the best lighting of the building regardless of the real world situation. I didn't find anything on the Plugin sites, so any suggestions would be appreciated.

Off Topic :

FYI, for the benefit of anyone else struggling with a large background model, such as an urban area, here's a tip I learned the hard way.

The urban model in its own separate file was 6MB. After exploding most components in order to change the face material (manually & locally, as it turns out) the file size ballooned up to 11.5MB. When added to my own building model that produced a filesize apparently too large for my system to handle.

So I exported the urban model from SU8 to 3DS format. That step reduced the file size back down to 2.3MB. Unfortunately, it also undid most of my laborious material changes. So, next time I'll export the complex background to 3DS before I attempt to make material changes.

PS---The Global Material Changer script still didn't work on the 3DS file. Instead it caused a lockup & shut-down. Maybe even the reduced total file size is just too big for my system. 4MB of physical memory (plus 256MB of graphics card memory) should be enough for most SU models. But I noticed that my Task Manager showed almost no Virtual Memory in use, even when the CPU was maxed-out. The system Page File is set for Windows to automatically adjust to memory demands. But it doesn't seem to be taking much of the load off the physical memory.

Now that I have exploded almost all components in the Bondi Beach file, and laboriously changed the face colors one-by-one, I have a very large file size. Originally a 6MB file, it is now 12MB. The city blocks are grouped, but not made components. Every time I do anything to components the file locks up. I have used the Polyreduce script several times to reduce the total number of polygons. But I can't tell if it actually does anything. The script doesn't give you a before & after poly count. The SU8 Model Info shows 37, 906 faces. But that doesn't seem to translate into polygons, because as I exploded each of the many sub-components, some of them noted more than that many polys in one component.

Shouldn't SU make it easier to reduce the poly count of complex urban models that might go into Google Earth? I'd appreciate any suggestions, before I import this stripped-down backdrop into my original building model. Thanks.

Well, I finally just gave up on global changes, and started selecting blocks of sub-components within the major component. But this relatively small and simple urban model is like handling nitroglycerin : any slight mis-step and bam! It even locked up on a selection of 231 smaller components such as simple roof faces when I tried to explode them all at once, just to change the color.

I'll eventually get this thing done. But it's a good thing I'm unemployed. Because I could never bill for the spinning wheel time on this minor update from an old 2005 model done in SU5.

My Windows XP system is running on a Pentium 4 dual processor @ 2.8ghz, with 4MB of fast memory, and a Quadro FX graphics card with 256 MB memory. I suppose that SU8 is not set-up to use dual processors or a graphics card.

Thanks for your support in these trying times.

Unfortunately, I am now stuck in a rut. The original file with imported urban backdrop component, "Bondi Beach", has been hanging up since I first tried to use Global Material Changer. So I saved the component to a separate file, and again tried to use GMC, and again it hung up. So I deleted that file and opened a new one, then imported the same model into an empty file. It also hung up. I pasted a couple of the system error comments below.

The Bondi Beach component is perfect for my needs, and I haven't found anything else even close. All I want to do is change the default color. But that was hours ago, and I seem to be getting farther from that simple goal, down a series of branching side paths to nowhere. Has anybody else been there?

I'll try to go back to any earlier file, and start over again. Maybe the GMC will work this time.

Errors :
<< Resolve Partial Assembly failed for Microsoft.VC80.DebugCRT. Reference error message: The referenced assembly is not installed on your system.>>

<< Dependent Assembly Microsoft.VC80.DebugCRT could not be found and Last Error was The referenced assembly is not installed on your system.>>