SketchUp 2013 was released today. You can download the new versions, Pro and SketchUp Make (the free version) from the SketchUp site.
There are many under-the-hood improvements in the new versions as well as some obvious changes. A couple of key things relate to toolbars and to the handling of plugins. It is now possible to create customized toolbars for the native tools. this will allow you to make toolbars that contain the tools you use without consuming drawing space real estate with those tools you don’t use.
With the new toolbar setup there has been a change to the way toolbars are created for Windows. This will prevent the scrambled toolbars that some folks have seen in previous versions. It’s important to note that this new toolbar system only allows single columns of tools in vertical toolbars. If you’re used to the double column on the left side, you can recreate that by making two vertical toolbars and placing them side by side. I did this for my PC installations and effectively duplicated the tool arrangement I’ve been used to for nearly ten years.
For plugins, check out the Extension Warehouse under the Window menu. You can choose plugins from categorized lists and automatically install them. There’s also the Sketchucation Plugin Manager which I wrote about a few blog posts back. There’s a new version of that out, too.
For the users of the pro version, there’s a few big changes in LayOut 2013. You can now create automatically hyphenated dimensions if you wish and rendering times for Vector and Hybrid viewports has been dramatically shortened.
Check out the SketchUp website to see all the details.
I’ll be writing more on this in the next week or so, too.
There’s a list of some of the improvements they’ve made with SketchUp and LayOut 2013. You can read it here.
-Dave
Comments
So I just downloaded and installed SketchUp Make.
The installer installed all the pro version evaluations. The email I got when I downloaded Make from SketchUp appears to say that the version I downloaded was an evaluation and I have 8 hours to evaluate.
From this I assume free 2013 version is not an option
Regards
Harold
"From this I assume free 2013 version is not an option"
No. that's not correct. When your 8 hours of evaluation of the pro version has run out, you'll have a choice of either switching to the free version or paying for a license for the pro version. This is their way of giving you a taste of the pro version hoping you'll buy it. You can't blame them for doing a bit of marketing in an attempt to sell some copies of the pro version.
So, since you currently have the pro version, take a look at LayOut and play with the Solid tools and things like that. Right now you have the ability to import and export CAD files and do a lot of other things you can't do with the free version. Take advantage of the time and see if those things are useful to you.
-Dave
Thanks Dave. I could not see that on the main page of Make. Too bad they would not give more details.
Regards
Harold
The team was working hard on getting SketchUp ready for release. I expect they'll be adding more to the website over the next few days.
SketchUp seems to be fairly cagy about the cost of an upgrade. If I use the Pro version, do I pay $95 to upgrade my license and get a year's support, or do I have to pay $590, which is the new price for the Pro version?
I don't think they are trying to be cagy about it. Maybe it isn't as clear as it ought to be but I don't believe it is intentional. If you have the pro version of SketchUp already, you only need to pay the upgrade fee to get the 2013 license.
-Dave
I currently use the free version of SketchUp8, and I have a few questions before I download the new version.Does this install a completely new program, or updates to what I am currently using? I use the CutList plugin, as well as Wudworx for dovetails and mortise & tenon joints. Will I have to download these again and re-install them, or will they move automatically to the new version.
David, as with prior versions of SketchUp, you can keep V8 and install 2013 along side.They can both live on the same machine.
Plugins won't get loaded to 2013's Plugins folder automatically but you can copy plugins from one folder to the other. If you saved the zipped versions of CutList and Wudworx, the easiest way to install them is to change their extensions from .zip to .rbz. Then go to Preferences>Extensions and choose Install Extension. Navigate to the location for the .RBZ files and choose one. Follow the onscreen prompts to install.
You could move other plugins but I would suggest you use either the Extension Warehouse (Window menu) or the Sketchucation PluginStore to download the most recent versions of the plugins rather than copying potentially outdated versions.
-Dave
Installed SKU2013 and trying to install extensions, first one I'm trying to install is Cutlist 4.1.5. It seemed to installed correctly but when tested it produces an error message "The value of the property 'drawlayout' is null or undefined, not a function object'
What did I do wrong?
Harley130, remind me of your operating system. I installed CutList 4.1.5 on XP, Win7 and Mac OSX 10.8.3 and it works without errors.
My first suspicions are either a file didn't get put in the right location or you haven't got sufficient administrative rights to the Plugins folder. You could e-mail me with a screen shot of the Plugins folder and we'll see if something is out of place. If you need a hand setting permissions, I can help you with that, too.
-Dave
Dave, I'm running Win 7
You said, " It is now possible to create customized toolbars for the native tools. this will allow you to make toolbars that contain the tools you use without consuming drawing space real estate with those tools you don't use." But the old View-Toolbars-Customize menu is no longer available. So how do you move buttons onto custom toolbars?
In SketchUp 8, it was possible to dock toolbars on the side of the window (at least the left-hand side). Is that no longer possible? Also, in SketchUp 8, the Measurements/Length box was permanently located in the Status Bar - now it can be docked at the bottom of the screen, but this takes up drawing space.
"You said, " It is now possible to create customized toolbars for the native tools. this will allow you to make toolbars that contain the tools you use without consuming drawing space real estate with those tools you don't use." But the old View-Toolbars-Customize menu is no longer available. So how do you move buttons onto custom toolbars?"
On the PC, Go to View>Toolbars. A window will open. There's a button labeled 'New'. Click it, type a name and click on OK. You'll have a blank toolbar. Now you can drag tools from the native toolbars onto the new toolbar.
"In SketchUp 8, it was possible to dock toolbars on the side of the window (at least the left-hand side). Is that no longer possible?"
Why this question? Yes, of course you can dock toolbars on the left. They did change the way toolbars are managed to eliminate issues with toolbars getting scrambled. That new system doesn't allow the native toolbars (or custom toolbars) to have two columns. To deal with that most people are making two vertical toolbars that sit side by side. Mine look like this: http://flic.kr/p/enF137 and essentially duplicate the arrangement of tools as I had them set up on SU8."
'Also, in SketchUp 8, the Measurements/Length box was permanently located in the Status Bar - now it can be docked at the bottom of the screen, but this takes up drawing space."
In SU8, by default the Measurements box is in the status bar but it can be placed elsewhere. In SU2013 it is exactly the same. I like it on the status bar because I got used to it there in earlier versions that didn't allow moving it. If you want it on the status bar don't select it from the list of toolbars.
You wrote, "On the PC, Go to View>Toolbars. A window will open. There's a button labeled 'New'. Click it, type a name and click on OK. You'll have a blank toolbar. Now you can drag tools from the native toolbars onto the new toolbar."
OK, I finally figured it out - it's not a regular click & drag (at least on Windows 7), it's an alt-click & drag. Not documented.
I could not get any native toolbars - regardless of the number of columns - to dock on the left-hand side. Custom toolbars will dock there.
"If you want [the Measurements/Length box] on the status bar don't select it from the list of toolbars. OK, that's a bit counterintuitive, but I deselected it & now it's right where it belongs.
Thank you!
... and now I see that while the Toolbars window is open, a simple click & drag will work for moving buttons around
FWIW, the default setup for SketchUp regarding the Measurements box is that it shows in the lower right corner and to get it to show elsewhere, you have to select 'Measurements' from the toolbars list. It was that way in previous versions as well.
I guess I should have included leaving the Toolbars window open while making the custom toolbars.
Toolbars will dock on the side of the screen. Give it a firm "push."
Dave - when I run Cutlist on SU13, I get a Script error, apparently the same as Harley130 talked about. I am using Win8.
I'll be happy to send you a screen shot.
Randy
Hi RVH, No need for the screen shot. The author is working on fixing the plugin so it doesn't throw up that error. It only affects the lay out windows so if you disable lay outs, you won't see the error and you can at least get the cutlist.
-Dave
One additional question: I note at the top of the screen, the file name followed by "... SketchUp Make [ EVAL ]".
Does this indicate I am still evaluating SK? Will it ever away??
RVH
It sounds to me as if you've used up the 8 hour trial period for SketchUp 2013 Pro. when that happened, it reverted to Make (the free version). It continues to show [Eval] because you could still buy a license for pro and enable the pro features including LayOut and Style Builder.
You can ignore 'eval'. It won't change anything for you.
Dave, I have two of the plugins you mention in this blog, Wudworx and Cutlist and have problems with them working in 2013. For Wudwox I wrote the developer, because I could not get the plugin to show up in the toolbar. He provided a procedure to get the plugin in the toolbar.
1. Quit SketchUp if running
2. Move SketchUppluginswudwordwwxtool.rbs to ypur desktop.
3. Start SketchUp. SketchUp will give message that it cannot load the Wudworx plugins, click OK.
4. Quit SketchUp
5. Move wwxtool.rbs from desktop back to the SketchUP 2013pluginswudworx.
6. Start SketchUp. Wudworx Tool bar should be available. If not unckeck Wudword and recheck and it will be on the toolbar.
Also would you let us know when the developer get Cutlist completed so that the layout can be used.
Thanks for helping use get better at using SketchUP.
Steve
Steve, thanks for that. I will let you know when the next version of CutList is available. It shouldn't be long.
As to Wudworx, I didn't have any problems with it but SketchUp 2013 had an issue where once in awhile a toolbar wouldn't show despite being checked in the toolbars list. If you removed all other toolbars from the top row(s), it would appear. There was a maintenance release uploaded on Thursday, I think, and you should update to that current release at your earliest convenience.
--Dave
I have been using Sketchup for at least a year now and I really like being able to construct my projects in a model before trying to build in the shop. I have learned to draw pretty much all of the different woodworking joints but so far I haven't been able to draw pocket holes to my liking.
I am sure that there must be a simple solution and I am getting closer but I still haven't figured it out yet, I was wondering if anyone would like to help find a good solution to making accurate looking pocket holes?
I could sure use the help!
NYWSfan, regarding pocket holes, first, consider the return on your investment in time. Will adding the pocket holes give you needed information or will they add unneeded detail at the expense of time? If you must have them, you might first search the 3D Warehouse. I think you'll find both pocket screws and the holes as downloadable components.
If you would rather make them yourself, draw the shape of the hole and make it a component. Then you can place the component as needed, explode the hole components and use Intersect Faces to make the intersections. Delete the unneeded parts of the geometry and Bob's yer uncle.
some time ago I did a post showing how to make slots for biscuits. The process is really the same for pocket holes. See https://www.finewoodworking.com/item/33032/biscuits-and-gravy
Dave
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