Tips to Install Plugins for SketchUp

If you want to enhance the functionality of the SketchUp, then get downloading plugins! Plugins, also called ‘Ruby Scripts’, are the part of ruby code. Keep in mind their purpose. You will have to first decide on which plugins you want to download and integrate with SketchUp. After choosing the right plugin, go to the relevant web page for that particular plugin to download it.

On every plugin page, there is a link to download the plugin, for example: ‘To Download the file Click Here’. There will be a .rb file, and by right clicking on it you will get the message ‘Save Link As’ or ‘Save Target As’. This message is for saving the plugin to your computer. After saving the file, name the file in the ‘Save’ menu. You may change the name of the plugin according to your wish. But never change the extension which is .rb for all SketchUp plugins.

You can find the default location of the Plugins folder on a Windows computer by double-clicking "My Computer" and choosing "Local Disk," "Program Files," "Google," "Google SketchUp 7" and "Plugins." 

The default location of the folder on a Mac can be found by clicking "Macintosh HD," "Library," "Application Support," "Google SketchUp 7" and "SketchUp."

For SketchUp 6 and higher on PCs, the path will be something like:
C:\Program Files\Google\Google SketchUp 6\Plugins\
(replace the '6' with the corresponding version of SketchUp you are using)

For SketchUp 6 and higher on Macs, the path will be something like:
Macintosh HD/Library/Application Support/Google SketchUp 6/SketchUp/ 
(replace the '6' with the corresponding version of SketchUp you are using)

After saving the file to your computer move that file into the SketchUp Plugins folder. Once the script is saved in the correct location, it will load automatically the next time you start SketchUp.

TIP: When downloading a plugin .zip file, save it to your Desktop or My Documents folder, or another convenient location.  Then open the .zip file and drag the entire contents to your Plugins folder.  The reason for this is that .zip files often have subfolders which are essential for the plugins to work correctly.

After completing the installation, click on ‘Plugins’ or the ‘Tool’ menu to locate and use your plugins in SketchUp. Many SketchUp plugin developers prefer to put their plugins into the Tools ‘Menu’ instead of ‘Plugins’ menu like Joint Push Pull, Make Faces and many other Plugins. So you have to check all the menus to find out the new features. You will find some plugins like PageExIm.rb in the ‘View’ menu. Sometimes you have to activate them under ‘Window’ then ’Preferences’ and finally ‘Extensions’.

To discover which ‘Menu’ the plugin may appear in, you have to open the zipped .rb script file you downloaded. There usually is an extra file with the description of it and installation instructions (sometimes even a pdf!) which some plugin developers include.

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Published By

Arka Roy

www.sketchup-ur-space.com

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