SketchUp Tools Review in Recent Release

An update announced regarding the SketchUp tool after a 2021 launch in November and a Studio revamp in April which aims to improve the consistency of works of modelling from tool to tool, increased efficiency of workflow, and boost up the discoverability and learn ability of SketchUp most awesome behaviours. 

Alterations in SketchUp modeling modifiers  

In SketchUp 2021.1, a change is made in the jump in and out modifier state often core tools.

For instance, the SketchUp Move tool acts as a Duplicate tool, performing double-duty. And, with a Push and Pull modifier, it can generate new faces when extruded, saving extra clicks, speeding up 3D thinking, and reducing frustrating ‘undo’ moments. 

Modifier toggles

The most explicit modification is that more tool modifiers act as toggles that can be turned on and off by a key tap. The fewer press-and-hold modifier interactions for tools, more predictable is the modelling outcomes resulting in more efficient usage. 

With more modifiers working as toggles, its smoother to switch the tool state earlier to the completion of a given operation.  

Sticky modifiers

Continuing To modified tool states across multiple operations, which means either being capable of creating multiple copies of objects with Move or being able to hide batches of edges more easily with Eraser across multiple view changes.

The Move tool while in action.

iding edges with the help of Eraser tool.

Steps to back out of a modified tool state:

• Hitting the modifier key over
• Changing the tools. 

Pre-lock inferences

As known, many SketchUp (e.g. Rotate, Rectangle and Circle) feature the ability of ‘pre-locking’ an inference direction or drawing plane. In this release, patterns will be started to get applied to other tools, which enables pre-locking an inference direction before the first click with the assistance of Line, Tape Measure, and Move tools. 

Push/Pull polishing

With SketchUp 2021.1, some noticeable differences are marked with Push/Pull. In addition to creation of the Push/Pull Copy modifier a persistent toggle ,so that extrusions can be rapidly repeated, Push/Pull’s hidden modifier is further formalised, known as Stretch.

‘Stretch’ is a modifier state that has an existence in SketchUp for years, but has never received proper treatment until now. ‘Stretching’ a face is coarsely equivalent to moving a face perpendicular to its drawing plane. 

A modification is done to ‘front’ face orientation and extrusion when modelling in SketchUp. Here, SketchUp orients newly drawn faces with the front side facing up during drawing on the ground plane, and with the front face ‘facing’ the camera regarding other cases. 

This is a delicate modification, which is a lot less likely to end up extruding floor plans with mismatching faces. 

Performance development for big mesh extensions

Some SketchUp extensions are designed in a way to create large geometrical swaths. The bigger the mesh an extension adds to SketchUp, the longer it will take to generate. Hence announcement is made on an order-of-magnitude improvement to how efficiently SketchUp API generates large meshes. Once meshes above 20,000 polygons are generated, noticeable improvement is observed accordingly. 

For example, a large terrain map made with Bitmap to Mesh would normally take about two minutes, whereas now it takes nearly about fifteen seconds. 

Extensions menuUpdates

Heading of the extensions menu will always be visible, regardless of installed extensions. Also there is a relocation of extension management and developer tools to this menu. 

Developers aren’t forced to put extension commands in the Extension menu, but it is best practice. 

Translation of Unit for Live Components

Live Component parameters display in the same unit format now that is used in the respective SketchUp model. When a measurement is lined up with the Tape Measure tool, it’s much faster to type that measurement into a Live Component parameter.

2021.1 also include a modest advancement in the draw time of Live Component editing.

IFC 4 classification and export

Large construction project participants as a requirement for participation in a project are often required to alter model files via an IFC format. To support for the IFC 2×3 schemas and file format, SketchUp Pro now contains an IFC 4 classification set and the ability to export IFC 4 files. 

Improvements In Lay-Out

In 2021.1, an introduction to a faster way to set the scale of a viewport is done, where in the Camera tab it can be simply typed in the desired scale of the SketchUp model panel. This new way for input neatly analyses a number of inputs: 1:50, 1” = 50”, 1/50, .02, 2%, even 6” = 25’which quickly applies a 1:50 scale to a viewport.

An update which includes a modest performance improvement to Lay-Out’s ability to infer SketchUp view ports was released by ICYMI, in January.