When it is half on and half off a page it's telling you to zoom in closer to fit the page or use larger paper.

Make sure you have paper large enough to accommodate the design which it sounds like you have but only just, so it is also crucial to have the paper the correct orientation ie landscape or portrait. I would design with the long end running left to right so the 8" fits on the 11" length and 1"-2" on the 8" height. You would then choose landscape under the printer properties. Also ensure you zoom in as close as you can to fill the screen before printing when the size is tight.

Kenny

Make sure you have the high quality settings on in the print dialogue box. The highest quality setting is the vector based HLR. Check the 'use high accuracy' HLR
box when printing. The only problem with this is that it doesn't
display textures or shadows. If using the non HLR settings to display
textures and shadows, for best results be sure to set the print quality to ultra high defintion.

Kenny

I've made the point about imported DWG text on a few occasions to Google, it's a glaring omission at the moment. A separate window in CAD has to be opened to read the text and you have to keep referring back and forward. This also brings with it a margin for error in a drawing where you misread the text in relation to a spot height or site feature when you click back on to the Sketchup file. Hopefully Google will address this.

Kenny

I've looked at Modo in the past but found it a bit daunting after using Sketchup and didn't have the time to look at it any more detail. I might test the new version again when they get round to making a free demo available, as the renders look great. I have to say though that the projects in the link could all be done very easily in Sketchup, there was no organic modelling involved. Personally speaking I can hardly think of a single project where I needed to do 'organic' modelling. It's talked about a lot as a shortcoming of Sketchup, but for those involved in architecture/urban design, organic modelling is rarely required unless you're Frank Gehry!

Having said that there is a modeller called MOI which is meant to be easy to use for curvy stuff which might be worth a trial: http://moi3d.com/index.htm

Kenny

I'd definitely want this if it was reasonably priced. I tried Revit years ago and this was a feature I wished SketchUp had. It could be a real time saver.

Kenny

For me Sketchup PRO really has to earn its title. That isn't with rendering as there are more than enough capable rendering packages out there that integrate very well with Sketchup. My votes would be for:

-Hi poly modelling and faster handling of large models is the number one priority.
-Related to this is the ability to handle large models when it comes to actions such as exporting 2d DWG files, HLR pdf's and draping on to terrain. I've had many instances lately with large files I work with where it wasn't possible as it crashed. This has to be addressed for a pro application.
-Again related to above, the ability to use multi-threading and 64 Bit. This would enable the harnessing of already available technology to improve the handling of large models.
-Support for line weights and hatches
-Rock solid stability. It is much improved and rarely crashes but it could still be improved.
-Some parametric features such as roofs, doors, windows etc. Whilst it is easy to build a model, changing it is another story. If I decide that I actually want a 45deg roof rather than 35 I have to redo the whole roof. If I could just type in 35 deg and it instantly updates it would be a huge timesaver. The only problem is that Sketchup isn't Revit and it then starts to move away from its main idea. Some kind of add on would be worth considering however.
-Enhanced terrain tools particularly for reshaping such as a road tool
-Importation of Google Earth snapshots in colour
-Additional modelling tools may be beneficial for many but it mustn't be at the expense of the sketchup ethos of simplicity. If it was implemented it should be like the sandbox tools where it is a separate tool collection that has to be activated.
-The fat face tool sounds very useful too

As for Layout there was lots of speculation before it came out that it would be an easy to use CAD package with titles like 'draftup' being thrown around. I think there is a huge market for this and Google may do well to move Layout in that direction. I'd certainly use it as I still haven't found a CAD package I like and tend to do everything in Sketchup.

Kenny

I really hope you can get this to work. I have loads of Rubys and it's a nightmare trying to find the one I want. It would be good if a folder system could be added with user definable folders and it's then up to the users to drag and drop into the folders so copyright is not an issue.

Kenny

If the units are set up correctly and it still doesn't import properly it is very simple to rescale. Apologies if you know this already, but simply use the measure tool to measure between 2 known points and then type what that distance should be e.g if the width of a house was 6m and the measure tool was initially scaling it at 600m then simply type 6m after clicking between the 2 points. It will ask if you want to rescele the model, click yes and you are done. I often find I get CAD files at different scales and do this a lot.

Kenny

If I have a question it is here I will post it and not on the Google forum. I still however miss the uncluttered look of the old Google/@last forum. If you are changing the appearance then simpler is better for me.

Kenny

Aesthetically these look very good although it would be nice to see the context around the building.

Kenny

Just zoom in on screen to the area you want to print. It's not quite as good as being able to highlight an area but it should be fine for most purposes. You can always crop it further in Photoshop to get the exact area you want.

By the way you don't just have to be in front view. Any of the set views will print to scale e.g. top, left etc.

Kenny

At the risk of sounding repetitive, done!

Kenny

Craig, I'm using the latest windows XP 6.0.1099. I've also emailed the file to technical support to look at. Thanks everybody for looking at this.

Kenny

Could some of you do me a favour and try the attached file with the drape command? I'm trying to drape the 2d plan on to the terrain which is created from Simuterra. I get a crash every time. I'd be interested if others also get it to crash.

301 Moved Permanently

(www.sketchucation.com)

Kenny

Marc, I tried to save files to a USB key (1GB PNY) for myself and I'm actually experiencing the same issues. A 3MB file took 3 minutes to save and I gave up on a large 35MB file after 12 minutes. Drag and drop to USB is fine as is saving other file formats. A 4MB PDF only took a few seconds to save. It therefore must be a SketchUp issue. Anyone else care to try?

Kenny

If your computer uses USB 1.1 then it will be slow. USB 2 should be fine although a bit slower than the main hard drive but faster than you are experiencing. If you have got USB 2 then try your USB stick on another PC to make sure it isn't the USB key. Large models can however take a while to save even on a fast PC.

Kenny

Is this the thread you mean? http://www.sketchucation.com/forums/scf/viewtopic.php?f=127&t=1875
I've checked the website http://www.cadnomics.com/index.htm and it mentions being available in October, at least for Autocad.

Kenny