Creating Documents in LayOut

Creating Documents in LayOut

LayOut is packed with tools and features to help you create high-quality documents and presentations of your SketchUp models.

Tip:  If you’re new to LayOut, check out  the introduction to the LayOut interface , the basics of creating and saving a LayOut document , and tips for selecting elements on-screen . To give your document visual appeal and organize elements on each page, you can  draw lines and shapes  using shape tools that work similarly, but not exactly, to the way SketchUp’s drawing tools work. The key difference is that, in SketchUp, you’re drawing in three dimensions, whereas in LayOut, you’re drawing in only two dimensions. When you want to select a color for a line, shape, or other element, LayOut’s color picker gives you several ways to select a color, including a color wheel and RGB or HSB sliders.  Choosing Colors  explains all the ways you can select color in LayOut’s color picker. LayOut enables you to do all the basic editing tasks, such as  copying, pasting, erasing, and more . You also have several ways to  view your presentation  and  manage and navigate all the pages  in a LayOut document.

Tip:  One of LayOut’s most powerful features is the ability to  insert SketchUp models into a document . LayOut enables you to orbit or pan to change how your model looks in the document. Even better, if you need to make updates to your model in SketchUp, LayOut enables you to update the model references so your LayOut document reflects your model updates — without your doing any extra work! In addition to SketchUp models, you can also  insert images , such as a company logo or other branding. Text often emphasizes key information you want your audience to take away from a document. In LayOut, using tools similar to those you find in SketchUp, you can  add text, labels, and dimensions . To organize elements in your document, LayOut enables you to  move, arrange, and scale entities . You can also  group entities  or  separate elements on different layers . LayOut has several features that enable you to reuse settings and content you use repeatedly.  Styles  enable you to save and apply settings to elements with a single click.  Scrapbooks  enable you to save elements, such as a specific arrow style you want to use consistently across all presentations, in one handy place.  Templates  store document settings, titles, or other elements you use in many or all of your presentations.
    • Related Articles

    • LayOut

      LayOut and SketchUp Pro are designed to work together. After you insert a SketchUp models into a LayOut document, you can design the document to highlight your 3D model's best features. If you ever need to change or update your original SketchUp ...
    • Fixing an Issue in LayOut

      When an error occurs as you create documents in LayOut, the error reporting system, BugSplat, may ask you to send information. Also, LayOut occasionally has trouble rending hardware-accelerated vector graphics. The subarticles in this section ...
    • Extracting Source Content from a LayOut File

      Creating a LayOut document is mostly about bringing content into your document. But if you ever want to reuse or update a document’s referenced content in another format or program (and you don’t have the original file or updated the content after ...
    • Exporting or Printing Your LayOut Document

      After you work hard to create and polish a LayOut document, you want your document to go out into the world and make its mark. You can present your work on-screen, but that isn’t always enough. Here are other ways you can share your document: Upload ...
    • Presenting Your LayOut Document

      If, like most people, you feel jittery about giving a presentation and public speaking in general, hopefully, LayOut’s simple-to-use, interactive presentation features can help to put you at ease. To access LayOut’s presentation features, select View ...