Only SketchUp Pro 6 includes LayOut (beta)*,a brand-new tool for creating and sharing professional presentations made from your SketchUp models. LayOut lets you place, arrange, title and annotate SketchUp models, photos and other design elements to assemble presentation graphics and design documentation for print and screen. LayOut lets you work more efficiently by radically reducing the amount of time you have to spend composing and updating 2D presentations.
LayOut lets you do everything you'd expect to be able to do in a professional 2D layout package: create multi-page documents, use layers, create custom drawing symbols (icons and graphics), and create templates to lend consistency to your work. When you insert a SketchUp model into your LayOut file, you can orbit, zoom and pan it around until you like what you see. You can apply styles, turn perspective on and off, and even control shadow settings without leaving LayOut. Best of all, you can assign different drawing scales to each of your model views.
Your LayOut file is linked to the SketchUp models you insert into it , meaning LayOut "knows" when one of your models has been modified since you last worked on your presentation. With a couple of clicks, you can automatically update your SketchUp model references so your LayOut file reflects the changes. You can take advantage of this to generate all your orthographic views; you might even be able to stop drawing plans and sections. And since every firm has a library of symbols – north arrows, scale figures, trees – that it uses consistently, LayOut lets you create libraries (we call them scrapbooks) that can contain all the graphic elements you use on a regular basis. Everything you need, all in one place.
Ever end up having to create two presentations – one paper, one digital – every time you need to present your work? LayOut was designed to eliminate the redundancy in most workflows by letting you create a single document for print and screen presentation. Simply put, LayOut lets you go full screen. And while you're there, you can orbit your models, play animations and even make annotations directly on your drawings.
See a list of powerful features in SketchUp and LayOut.
Watch a video that shows LayOut in action.
If you'd like, you can purchase a SketchUp Pro 6 license (which includes LayOut). To ask questions before purchasing, contact our sales team.
*Note: LayOut features of Google SketchUp Pro 6 are currently in beta. For information on known issues, read the Google SketchUp 6 Release Notes.