wellinger
2009-02-22 20:24:49
- #1
Create, edit, and use 3D models collaboratively with others.
Google SketchUp is software that allows you to create, present, and share 3D models with others. Whether you are designing a new terrace for your house, developing models for Google Earth, or teaching geometry to your students—SketchUp lets you view your ideas in 3D. And when you’re done, you can export an image, make a movie, or print a view of what you have created.
What makes SketchUp so great
Google SketchUp is a tool that lets you create, edit, and collaborate on 3D models. The "secret ingredient" of SketchUp is a unique set of powerful features designed to be easy to learn and apply:
Edges and faces: That’s it.
Every SketchUp model consists of just two things: edges and faces. Edges are straight lines, and faces are the 2D shapes formed when multiple edges create a flat loop. For example, a rectangular face is framed by four edges connected at right angles. If you want to develop a model in SketchUp, you draw edges and faces with a few simple tools that you can learn in no time. It’s that easy.
Push/Pull: Quickly switch from 2D to 3D.
With SketchUp’s patented Push/Pull tool, you can extrude any flat surface into a three-dimensional shape. Simply click to start extruding, move your mouse, and click again to finish. You can push/pull a rectangle into a box. Or draw the outline of a stair and then push/pull it into 3D. Want to create a window? Push/pull a hole through your wall. SketchUp is known for its ease of use, and the reason is the Push/Pull tool.
Accurate measurements: Work with precision.
SketchUp allows you to work quickly and freely in 3D, but the program is more than just a fancy electronic pencil. Because you’re working on a computer, everything you create in SketchUp has precise dimensions. When you’re ready, you can build models as accurate as you need. If you want, you can print scaled views of your model. If you own SketchUp Pro, you can even export your geometry to other programs like AutoCAD and 3ds Max.
Follow Me: Create complex extrusions and twisted shapes.
With SketchUp’s innovative "Follow Me" tool—which can do just about anything—you can create 3D shapes by extruding 2D surfaces along predefined paths. Model a curved pipe by extruding a circle along an L-shaped line. Create a bottle by drawing half the outline and then extruding it around a circle with the "Follow Me" tool. You can even use "Follow Me" to round edges (molding) on things like railings, furniture, and electronics.
Paint Bucket: Apply colors and textures.
SketchUp’s Paint Bucket tool lets you paint your model with materials such as colors and textures. Even better, SketchUp already includes a handsome collection of photo textures like brick, roofing materials, and stones, allowing you to make your model look as detailed as you want. You’ll find thousands more textures online, and if you know how to use a photo editing program like Photoshop, you can even create your own textures.
Groups and Components: Develop smarter models.
By "gluing" parts of geometry in your model into groups, you create sub-objects that are easier to move, copy, and hide. Components are very similar to groups, but there’s a handy twist: copies of components are linked. Any change you make to one component is reflected in all other copies. Windows, doors, trees, stairs, and millions of other things benefit from this behavior.
Shadows: Conduct shadow studies and add realism.
SketchUp’s powerful real-time shadow feature lets you conduct accurate shadow studies on your models. Want to know how large the awning over your terrace should be? Set a geographic location using Google Earth. Then use simple sliders for date and time to see how the sun affects your design. Even if you’re not using SketchUp for architecture, adding shadows is an ideal way to give your models more depth and realism.
Sections: See inside your model.
You can use SketchUp’s interactive section tool to temporarily cut away parts of your design so you can see inside. Use sections to create orthographic views (e.g., floor plans), export geometry with SketchUp Pro to CAD programs, or simply get a better view of your model while working. You can move, rotate, and even animate section planes using SketchUp’s scene feature.
Scenes: Save views and create animations.
We created scenes so you can easily save precise views of your model to return to later. Need to create an animation? Just create some scenes and click a button. SketchUp automatically "flies" from scene to scene, adding smooth transitions you can fine-tune to get the results you want. You can also export your animations as standalone movies. SketchUp produces AVI files on Windows and Quicktime MOVs on Macs.
Look Around and Walk: Explore your creations directly.
With SketchUp, you can use a set of simple navigation tools designed to give you a first-person view inside your models. Click "Position Camera" to place yourself standing somewhere in your model. Use the Look Around tool to turn your virtual head. Then switch to Walk and explore your creation on foot. You can even climb stairs and ramps as if playing a video game.
Dimensions and Labels: Add information to your designs.
With the completely self-explanatory measuring and labeling tools, you can add dimensions, comments, and other wonderful details to your work. Once applied, SketchUp’s dimensions are dynamic, meaning they automatically scale with your model. Labels are what we call "2.5D," meaning they stay visible no matter how you rotate your model to view it but always appear flat.
The Instructor: Understand everything quickly.
SketchUp’s Instructor dialog box, which you can activate anytime, provides contextual help. Depending on the tool you’re using, the Instructor shows step-by-step instructions, animations, helpful keyboard shortcuts, and other practical tips to help you get the most out of SketchUp.
Layers and Outliner: Stay organized.
When developing a large, complicated model, things can quickly become confusing. SketchUp offers two helpful ways to manage your geometry: In addition to layers, there is the Outliner dialog box, which shows a collapsible list view of all groups and components in your model. You can use the Outliner to reorder the nesting of these elements and control visibility without digging through your model to find them.
Google Earth: See your models in context.
SketchUp and Google Earth are part of the same product family. That means you can easily exchange information between the two programs. Need a site for your project? Import a scaled aerial photo, including topography, directly from Google Earth into SketchUp with a single click. Want to view your SketchUp model in context in Google Earth? Click a different button, and there it is. Anyone can use SketchUp to develop models that anyone can then view in Google Earth.
Sandbox Tools: Edit terrain.
The Sandbox tools let you create, optimize, and modify 3D terrain. You can generate soft landscapes from imported contour lines, add slopes and hills for drainage, and create a block of houses and a driveway.
3D Warehouse: Find models of almost anything you need.
The 3D Warehouse is a huge online repository of 3D models you can browse when you need something. Why create something when you can download it for free? There are thousands of cars, trees, sofas, bridges, pomegranates, and all sorts of other things under the sun—all contributed by people and manufacturers worldwide, and you can use all these models however you want. If you create a model you want to share with others, you can upload it to the 3D Warehouse so everyone can use it.
Import DXF, DWG, and 3DS: Get a head start on modeling.
You can import DXF, DWG, and 3DS files directly into your SketchUp models. This makes it very easy to start with drawings or even other 3D models. Got a floor plan of the space you need for your model? Import it and start modeling directly on top of it.
Import images: Paint walls with photos.
SketchUp lets you import image files like JPGs, TIFFs, PNGs, and PDFs. You can use these images like posters or attach them to surfaces to create photorealistic models of buildings, packaging designs, and more.
Export TIFF, JPEG, and PNG.
SketchUp can export raster images up to 10,000 square pixels. This makes generating an image to use in email, publish in a document, or project onto a wall very easy. Just select some options and click "Export." If you own LayOut (included with SketchUp Pro), you can create 2D documents embedding SketchUp models. That means you don’t have to export images at all. Either way, you can produce views of your model that anyone can use.
Export DXF and DWG: 2D line drawings and 3D models (Pro only).
With Google SketchUp Pro, you can export DXF and DWG files. This lets you move plans, sections, views, or even your entire model into your preferred CAD program. Exported geometry remains at 1:1 scale, and layers are preserved.
Export PDF and EPS: 2D vector images (Pro only).
With Google SketchUp Pro, you can export views of your models in PDF and EPS formats. This allows you to continue working on them in vector editing programs like Illustrator and Freehand. For 2D images that must be resolution-independent, nothing beats exporting in these formats.
Export 3DS, OBJ, XSI, FBX, VRML, and DAE (Pro only).
If you use Google SketchUp Pro, you can export your models in a range of useful 3D formats. Pro uses a variety of functions. These exporters enable integration of SketchUp into the most professional workflows by offering interoperability with virtually every known 3D modeling program out there.
New features in Google SketchUp 6
Google SketchUp 6 includes many new features, such as new ways to view your model, modeling from photographs, creating 3D text objects, performance improvements, and more. The Pro version of Google SketchUp 6 also includes LayOut, a brand-new feature that lets you create professional 2D presentations of your SketchUp models.
Match Photo: Use photos to develop 3D models.
SketchUp 6 includes a new Match Photo feature that lets you create 3D models by tracing photos. You can use multiple photos to develop a model, and you can even use your photos to "paint" your model once it’s done. The Match Photo feature also lets you match the viewpoint of an existing model to align with a photo’s perspective. This is handy when creating a composite image of an unbuilt project in a photo of the construction site.
Styles: Refine the appearance of your model.
The latest version of SketchUp includes Styles—a completely new way to control the look of your SketchUp model. Using Styles, you can change your background, edges, and face colors. You can choose from a library of sketchy edge styles to make your lines look hand-drawn. You can use watermarks (also new in SketchUp 6) to add your logo or paper textures as backgrounds to your model views. Even better—styles can be saved and shared across projects to give all your company’s work a consistent look.
Watermarks: Add logos, backgrounds, and more.
With SketchUp’s new Watermark feature, you can add 2D images to your SketchUp models. You can place these behind or beneath models, in front of or above them. You can place watermarks under your model to add a sky background or make it look like your model is drawn on a textured surface like watercolor paper. By placing a watermark over your model, you can easily add logos or other graphics to your model views. Watermarks are found in the new Styles dialog box.
Sketchy edge effects: Make your models look hand-drawn.
The new Styles feature in SketchUp includes sketchy edge effects that make your model views look like they were drawn by hand. A comprehensive built-in library of sketchy styles includes pencils, pens, markers, charcoal, and more. If you’ve ever printed a SketchUp model and traced over it by hand to make it look less "computerized," you’ll appreciate the new sketchy edge effects in SketchUp 6.
Fog: Add depth and visual significance to your work.
In SketchUp 6, you can add a fog effect to your models. This feature is ideal for adding depth and nuance and is very easy to apply: just click a button, pick a color, and move some sliders to adjust how "foggy" your model appears.
3D Text: Create 3D text for signage and more.
We are proud to introduce our long-awaited 3D text feature in SketchUp 6. Now you can create 3D objects from any text string you type—in any font installed on your computer. You can also control what kind of objects SketchUp creates: simple vector outlines, filled 2D faces, or fully extruded 3D letters.
More improvements: Faster, easier to use, and more reliable.
In addition to the new features added to Google SketchUp 6, we have improved the program’s performance. SketchUp runs faster and is more fun than ever. See the full list for details.
LayOut: Create professional 2D presentations
Google SketchUp Pro 6 includes LayOut (Beta)—a powerful new feature that lets you create impressive multi-page 2D presentations of your SketchUp models. It is a fully separate program that we designed for seamless collaboration with SketchUp. LayOut saves you the time and effort you would otherwise spend creating 2D presentations—both print and digital.
Update: No more exporting images from SketchUp.
In LayOut, you can insert as many views of the same SketchUp model into your presentation as you want. If you make changes to your model in SketchUp (and you will), you don’t have to export a whole new set of images—just click a button in LayOut. Then all your model views update automatically to reflect the changes. Simple.
Navigate: Rotate, pan, and zoom your models right in LayOut.
After inserting a SketchUp model view into your LayOut presentation, you can change your viewpoint anytime. Just double-click and use your mouse to rotate, zoom, and pan until you like the view. Right-click to open a menu with display options for your model: shadows, specific scenes (if you set them up), toggling perspective on/off, and more.
Scaled views: See your models at any scale.
You can display SketchUp model views you inserted into a LayOut document at any drawing scale you want. This lets you generate orthographic views such as plans and elevations directly from your SketchUp model. When your model changes, your views in LayOut change too.
Full screen: Use LayOut to present digitally.
With LayOut, you never have to build a PowerPoint design presentation. You can display your presentations fullscreen. Use arrow keys or your mouse to move from page to page and even write notes directly on your pages during the presentation. You can also orbit your SketchUp model views and play animations you set up in SketchUp—all without leaving your LayOut presentation.
High-resolution printing and PDF exports: Showcase your work.
From LayOut, you can print your presentation at any resolution you need: high-resolution for small design packages and low resolution for things like posters and boards. If you need to share your presentations digitally, you can even export them as PDFs from LayOut.
Text: You have full control.
With LayOut’s powerful text tools, you can create callouts, headers, notes, and entire paragraphs. And of course, you have full control over fonts, colors, and alignment of everything you create.
Callouts: LayOut makes labeling easy.
LayOut includes a unique labeling tool that lets you quickly and easily create callouts. You can even design your own leader lines by combining settings for color, weight, and endpieces. Using the labeling tool is easy: just click the anchor point of an endpoint, click again at the end of the leader line, and enter text for the callout.
Example: Quickly duplicate graphic and text attributes.
Copying graphic styles from one object to another is simple in LayOut. Just use the eyedropper tool. It even works on text objects. This lets you change the look of your presentations as quickly and effortlessly as possible.
Scrapbooks: Keep everything you need in one place.
Scrapbooks are libraries of graphic elements (e.g., north arrows, scale bars, logos, and other symbols) you use frequently in your presentations. They appear in a handy dialog box and are ready to use whenever you need them. LayOut comes with some starter scrapbooks, but you can also create your own and share them with your team.
Master Layers: Work smarter and achieve professional results.
In LayOut, you can work with two types of layers: regular and master layers. Anything placed on a master layer automatically appears on every page of your presentation—except those where you’ve set the master layer content not to display. This lets you easily create multi-page presentations with elements like logos, headers, and other graphics that always appear in the same place on every page. Editing is also easier—as soon as you make a change, it updates everywhere immediately.
Vector graphics: Draw beautiful vector graphics.
LayOut provides a smoother, friendlier approach to drawing vector graphics. The tools are more user-friendly than others you may have tried. Draw shapes and color, scale, rotate, stretch, and combine them. You’ll be surprised how easy it is to create beautiful vector graphics in LayOut.
Templates: Make life easier for you and your team.
LayOut makes it easier for your team to create presentations that are consistent no matter what project you are working on. Set up a template with your company’s graphic identity—logo, colors, cover page, header—and use it every time you start a new presentation. You can even share your template with your team. This makes your workflow more efficient and ensures your company’s output looks uniform and professional.
Google SketchUp is software that allows you to create, present, and share 3D models with others. Whether you are designing a new terrace for your house, developing models for Google Earth, or teaching geometry to your students—SketchUp lets you view your ideas in 3D. And when you’re done, you can export an image, make a movie, or print a view of what you have created.
What makes SketchUp so great
Google SketchUp is a tool that lets you create, edit, and collaborate on 3D models. The "secret ingredient" of SketchUp is a unique set of powerful features designed to be easy to learn and apply:
Edges and faces: That’s it.
Every SketchUp model consists of just two things: edges and faces. Edges are straight lines, and faces are the 2D shapes formed when multiple edges create a flat loop. For example, a rectangular face is framed by four edges connected at right angles. If you want to develop a model in SketchUp, you draw edges and faces with a few simple tools that you can learn in no time. It’s that easy.
Push/Pull: Quickly switch from 2D to 3D.
With SketchUp’s patented Push/Pull tool, you can extrude any flat surface into a three-dimensional shape. Simply click to start extruding, move your mouse, and click again to finish. You can push/pull a rectangle into a box. Or draw the outline of a stair and then push/pull it into 3D. Want to create a window? Push/pull a hole through your wall. SketchUp is known for its ease of use, and the reason is the Push/Pull tool.
Accurate measurements: Work with precision.
SketchUp allows you to work quickly and freely in 3D, but the program is more than just a fancy electronic pencil. Because you’re working on a computer, everything you create in SketchUp has precise dimensions. When you’re ready, you can build models as accurate as you need. If you want, you can print scaled views of your model. If you own SketchUp Pro, you can even export your geometry to other programs like AutoCAD and 3ds Max.
Follow Me: Create complex extrusions and twisted shapes.
With SketchUp’s innovative "Follow Me" tool—which can do just about anything—you can create 3D shapes by extruding 2D surfaces along predefined paths. Model a curved pipe by extruding a circle along an L-shaped line. Create a bottle by drawing half the outline and then extruding it around a circle with the "Follow Me" tool. You can even use "Follow Me" to round edges (molding) on things like railings, furniture, and electronics.
Paint Bucket: Apply colors and textures.
SketchUp’s Paint Bucket tool lets you paint your model with materials such as colors and textures. Even better, SketchUp already includes a handsome collection of photo textures like brick, roofing materials, and stones, allowing you to make your model look as detailed as you want. You’ll find thousands more textures online, and if you know how to use a photo editing program like Photoshop, you can even create your own textures.
Groups and Components: Develop smarter models.
By "gluing" parts of geometry in your model into groups, you create sub-objects that are easier to move, copy, and hide. Components are very similar to groups, but there’s a handy twist: copies of components are linked. Any change you make to one component is reflected in all other copies. Windows, doors, trees, stairs, and millions of other things benefit from this behavior.
Shadows: Conduct shadow studies and add realism.
SketchUp’s powerful real-time shadow feature lets you conduct accurate shadow studies on your models. Want to know how large the awning over your terrace should be? Set a geographic location using Google Earth. Then use simple sliders for date and time to see how the sun affects your design. Even if you’re not using SketchUp for architecture, adding shadows is an ideal way to give your models more depth and realism.
Sections: See inside your model.
You can use SketchUp’s interactive section tool to temporarily cut away parts of your design so you can see inside. Use sections to create orthographic views (e.g., floor plans), export geometry with SketchUp Pro to CAD programs, or simply get a better view of your model while working. You can move, rotate, and even animate section planes using SketchUp’s scene feature.
Scenes: Save views and create animations.
We created scenes so you can easily save precise views of your model to return to later. Need to create an animation? Just create some scenes and click a button. SketchUp automatically "flies" from scene to scene, adding smooth transitions you can fine-tune to get the results you want. You can also export your animations as standalone movies. SketchUp produces AVI files on Windows and Quicktime MOVs on Macs.
Look Around and Walk: Explore your creations directly.
With SketchUp, you can use a set of simple navigation tools designed to give you a first-person view inside your models. Click "Position Camera" to place yourself standing somewhere in your model. Use the Look Around tool to turn your virtual head. Then switch to Walk and explore your creation on foot. You can even climb stairs and ramps as if playing a video game.
Dimensions and Labels: Add information to your designs.
With the completely self-explanatory measuring and labeling tools, you can add dimensions, comments, and other wonderful details to your work. Once applied, SketchUp’s dimensions are dynamic, meaning they automatically scale with your model. Labels are what we call "2.5D," meaning they stay visible no matter how you rotate your model to view it but always appear flat.
The Instructor: Understand everything quickly.
SketchUp’s Instructor dialog box, which you can activate anytime, provides contextual help. Depending on the tool you’re using, the Instructor shows step-by-step instructions, animations, helpful keyboard shortcuts, and other practical tips to help you get the most out of SketchUp.
Layers and Outliner: Stay organized.
When developing a large, complicated model, things can quickly become confusing. SketchUp offers two helpful ways to manage your geometry: In addition to layers, there is the Outliner dialog box, which shows a collapsible list view of all groups and components in your model. You can use the Outliner to reorder the nesting of these elements and control visibility without digging through your model to find them.
Google Earth: See your models in context.
SketchUp and Google Earth are part of the same product family. That means you can easily exchange information between the two programs. Need a site for your project? Import a scaled aerial photo, including topography, directly from Google Earth into SketchUp with a single click. Want to view your SketchUp model in context in Google Earth? Click a different button, and there it is. Anyone can use SketchUp to develop models that anyone can then view in Google Earth.
Sandbox Tools: Edit terrain.
The Sandbox tools let you create, optimize, and modify 3D terrain. You can generate soft landscapes from imported contour lines, add slopes and hills for drainage, and create a block of houses and a driveway.
3D Warehouse: Find models of almost anything you need.
The 3D Warehouse is a huge online repository of 3D models you can browse when you need something. Why create something when you can download it for free? There are thousands of cars, trees, sofas, bridges, pomegranates, and all sorts of other things under the sun—all contributed by people and manufacturers worldwide, and you can use all these models however you want. If you create a model you want to share with others, you can upload it to the 3D Warehouse so everyone can use it.
Import DXF, DWG, and 3DS: Get a head start on modeling.
You can import DXF, DWG, and 3DS files directly into your SketchUp models. This makes it very easy to start with drawings or even other 3D models. Got a floor plan of the space you need for your model? Import it and start modeling directly on top of it.
Import images: Paint walls with photos.
SketchUp lets you import image files like JPGs, TIFFs, PNGs, and PDFs. You can use these images like posters or attach them to surfaces to create photorealistic models of buildings, packaging designs, and more.
Export TIFF, JPEG, and PNG.
SketchUp can export raster images up to 10,000 square pixels. This makes generating an image to use in email, publish in a document, or project onto a wall very easy. Just select some options and click "Export." If you own LayOut (included with SketchUp Pro), you can create 2D documents embedding SketchUp models. That means you don’t have to export images at all. Either way, you can produce views of your model that anyone can use.
Export DXF and DWG: 2D line drawings and 3D models (Pro only).
With Google SketchUp Pro, you can export DXF and DWG files. This lets you move plans, sections, views, or even your entire model into your preferred CAD program. Exported geometry remains at 1:1 scale, and layers are preserved.
Export PDF and EPS: 2D vector images (Pro only).
With Google SketchUp Pro, you can export views of your models in PDF and EPS formats. This allows you to continue working on them in vector editing programs like Illustrator and Freehand. For 2D images that must be resolution-independent, nothing beats exporting in these formats.
Export 3DS, OBJ, XSI, FBX, VRML, and DAE (Pro only).
If you use Google SketchUp Pro, you can export your models in a range of useful 3D formats. Pro uses a variety of functions. These exporters enable integration of SketchUp into the most professional workflows by offering interoperability with virtually every known 3D modeling program out there.
New features in Google SketchUp 6
Google SketchUp 6 includes many new features, such as new ways to view your model, modeling from photographs, creating 3D text objects, performance improvements, and more. The Pro version of Google SketchUp 6 also includes LayOut, a brand-new feature that lets you create professional 2D presentations of your SketchUp models.
Match Photo: Use photos to develop 3D models.
SketchUp 6 includes a new Match Photo feature that lets you create 3D models by tracing photos. You can use multiple photos to develop a model, and you can even use your photos to "paint" your model once it’s done. The Match Photo feature also lets you match the viewpoint of an existing model to align with a photo’s perspective. This is handy when creating a composite image of an unbuilt project in a photo of the construction site.
Styles: Refine the appearance of your model.
The latest version of SketchUp includes Styles—a completely new way to control the look of your SketchUp model. Using Styles, you can change your background, edges, and face colors. You can choose from a library of sketchy edge styles to make your lines look hand-drawn. You can use watermarks (also new in SketchUp 6) to add your logo or paper textures as backgrounds to your model views. Even better—styles can be saved and shared across projects to give all your company’s work a consistent look.
Watermarks: Add logos, backgrounds, and more.
With SketchUp’s new Watermark feature, you can add 2D images to your SketchUp models. You can place these behind or beneath models, in front of or above them. You can place watermarks under your model to add a sky background or make it look like your model is drawn on a textured surface like watercolor paper. By placing a watermark over your model, you can easily add logos or other graphics to your model views. Watermarks are found in the new Styles dialog box.
Sketchy edge effects: Make your models look hand-drawn.
The new Styles feature in SketchUp includes sketchy edge effects that make your model views look like they were drawn by hand. A comprehensive built-in library of sketchy styles includes pencils, pens, markers, charcoal, and more. If you’ve ever printed a SketchUp model and traced over it by hand to make it look less "computerized," you’ll appreciate the new sketchy edge effects in SketchUp 6.
Fog: Add depth and visual significance to your work.
In SketchUp 6, you can add a fog effect to your models. This feature is ideal for adding depth and nuance and is very easy to apply: just click a button, pick a color, and move some sliders to adjust how "foggy" your model appears.
3D Text: Create 3D text for signage and more.
We are proud to introduce our long-awaited 3D text feature in SketchUp 6. Now you can create 3D objects from any text string you type—in any font installed on your computer. You can also control what kind of objects SketchUp creates: simple vector outlines, filled 2D faces, or fully extruded 3D letters.
More improvements: Faster, easier to use, and more reliable.
In addition to the new features added to Google SketchUp 6, we have improved the program’s performance. SketchUp runs faster and is more fun than ever. See the full list for details.
LayOut: Create professional 2D presentations
Google SketchUp Pro 6 includes LayOut (Beta)—a powerful new feature that lets you create impressive multi-page 2D presentations of your SketchUp models. It is a fully separate program that we designed for seamless collaboration with SketchUp. LayOut saves you the time and effort you would otherwise spend creating 2D presentations—both print and digital.
Update: No more exporting images from SketchUp.
In LayOut, you can insert as many views of the same SketchUp model into your presentation as you want. If you make changes to your model in SketchUp (and you will), you don’t have to export a whole new set of images—just click a button in LayOut. Then all your model views update automatically to reflect the changes. Simple.
Navigate: Rotate, pan, and zoom your models right in LayOut.
After inserting a SketchUp model view into your LayOut presentation, you can change your viewpoint anytime. Just double-click and use your mouse to rotate, zoom, and pan until you like the view. Right-click to open a menu with display options for your model: shadows, specific scenes (if you set them up), toggling perspective on/off, and more.
Scaled views: See your models at any scale.
You can display SketchUp model views you inserted into a LayOut document at any drawing scale you want. This lets you generate orthographic views such as plans and elevations directly from your SketchUp model. When your model changes, your views in LayOut change too.
Full screen: Use LayOut to present digitally.
With LayOut, you never have to build a PowerPoint design presentation. You can display your presentations fullscreen. Use arrow keys or your mouse to move from page to page and even write notes directly on your pages during the presentation. You can also orbit your SketchUp model views and play animations you set up in SketchUp—all without leaving your LayOut presentation.
High-resolution printing and PDF exports: Showcase your work.
From LayOut, you can print your presentation at any resolution you need: high-resolution for small design packages and low resolution for things like posters and boards. If you need to share your presentations digitally, you can even export them as PDFs from LayOut.
Text: You have full control.
With LayOut’s powerful text tools, you can create callouts, headers, notes, and entire paragraphs. And of course, you have full control over fonts, colors, and alignment of everything you create.
Callouts: LayOut makes labeling easy.
LayOut includes a unique labeling tool that lets you quickly and easily create callouts. You can even design your own leader lines by combining settings for color, weight, and endpieces. Using the labeling tool is easy: just click the anchor point of an endpoint, click again at the end of the leader line, and enter text for the callout.
Example: Quickly duplicate graphic and text attributes.
Copying graphic styles from one object to another is simple in LayOut. Just use the eyedropper tool. It even works on text objects. This lets you change the look of your presentations as quickly and effortlessly as possible.
Scrapbooks: Keep everything you need in one place.
Scrapbooks are libraries of graphic elements (e.g., north arrows, scale bars, logos, and other symbols) you use frequently in your presentations. They appear in a handy dialog box and are ready to use whenever you need them. LayOut comes with some starter scrapbooks, but you can also create your own and share them with your team.
Master Layers: Work smarter and achieve professional results.
In LayOut, you can work with two types of layers: regular and master layers. Anything placed on a master layer automatically appears on every page of your presentation—except those where you’ve set the master layer content not to display. This lets you easily create multi-page presentations with elements like logos, headers, and other graphics that always appear in the same place on every page. Editing is also easier—as soon as you make a change, it updates everywhere immediately.
Vector graphics: Draw beautiful vector graphics.
LayOut provides a smoother, friendlier approach to drawing vector graphics. The tools are more user-friendly than others you may have tried. Draw shapes and color, scale, rotate, stretch, and combine them. You’ll be surprised how easy it is to create beautiful vector graphics in LayOut.
Templates: Make life easier for you and your team.
LayOut makes it easier for your team to create presentations that are consistent no matter what project you are working on. Set up a template with your company’s graphic identity—logo, colors, cover page, header—and use it every time you start a new presentation. You can even share your template with your team. This makes your workflow more efficient and ensures your company’s output looks uniform and professional.