@anssi said:

SU exports only vector PDFs, to get a raster PDF you will have to print using some PDF printer and with "Use High-accuracy HLR" DISabled.
Layout can export either vector or bitmap, and also a hybrid file (with vector lines on top of the bitmap textures and shadows).

Anssi

What do I have to specify in LO in order to export the vector type only? I'm making possibly a big assumption that LO's vector PDF exporter is different (bug-free) than SU's...

Wait... you're saying the "PDF" from LO is actually a PNG? Comparing the outputs it looks better than PNG, or maybe I'm imagining things.

I left it at medium just to see how it would turn out, and yes, I went back in and resized it successfully. Timewise I should probably leave all figures as PNGs just to get on with things, then when the manuscript is done, bite the bullet and convert all figures into PDFs.

Again, thanks a lot guys. It's good to know it can at least be done, warts and all.

[edit] Oh, and if anyone's interested, the figure is part of a tube-frame chassis of a sports car. If you ever considered building a car from scratch, check out http://www.midlana.com/

Okay, my bad, I didn't have a paper sheet in the LO workspace. Now File>Insert is active so I selected it and Inserted the .skb file. It did it but took a long time... anyhow, I then exported it, put it in the manuscript and printed it out. Looks better, though the picture is now about half-size... huh?

Well okay, so it is possible to make it work, squeeling like a pig bent over a barrel, but I digress. Thanks for all the help guys.

@gaieus said:

No. You don't "Open" an skp file in LO but "Insert" it from the same, main File menu (just lower). There you can select image files to insert as well. It's like importing in SU.

I don't follow. Is the above when I'm in LO? If so, "File>Insert" is grayed-out.

@gaieus said:

It must be some system problem then. The two apps work very fine (and interactively) together, really.

Understood, could be. However, it doesn't get Google off the hook since they claim it works with Vista.

@gaieus said:

Or you should be able to just drag the skp file onto the LO icon and it opens automatically.

I just tried that and while it does open LO, the workspace is blank.

I also made sure I'm running LO in Admin mode (which can cause trouble if not done) but it made no difference.

Oh no, I have no problem opening LayOut. However, once I'm in it, I can neither view nor load SU files. They simply don't appear in the directory because LO is looking for only .layout files. If I then switch to . file types I can then of course see them, but attempting to load a .skb, I get an expected message box, "Error reading LayOut file".

This is wierd; It's almost like I have a different version of code than you guys...

Regarding all the tricks that can be done to make it work, like I said before, I have dozens of drawings to deal with. I just don't have time to babysit a bugged application to make it work. If it was one file, sure, fine, but for all of them? No.

Please understand I appreciate the help and you guys are just trying to find a way to make it work for me. It's just too much work do do the same on every drawing.

Hmm, no. The .skp file is months old; I just open it in SU then immediatly select File>Send to LayOut and nothing happens. I don't see any rotating icon to indicate it's busy chewing on it, and don't hear any harddrive access going on.

I even tried selecting the figure first but that didn't matter.

Not that this should matter but I'm on a PC running Vista. SU seems to have the same worts that everyone else has so I think it's working okay.

I'm only halfway kidding when I say I feel like asking for my money back. If I can have the same non-functionality with the free version, why bother paying $$$ for it? I've seen similar issues with other software. Companies keep adding features yet users plead to just make it reliable and not keep changing it.

Doh, never saw that... okay, I pressed that button and... nothing. I found no file of .layout type.