The SketchUp Workflow for Architecture: Modeling Buildings, Visualizing Design, and Creating Construction Documents with SketchUp Pro and LayOut

Chapter 11

The Professional’s LayOut Environment

A professional’s work environment is streamlined, logical, and organized. LayOut provides a default environment that is great for getting started, but ultimately it is not adequate for a professional. Fortunately, you can customize the LayOut environment in several different ways to make it work best for you. You can customize toolbars, optimize system resources, and remove visual clutter. By adding your own set of shortcuts, you can even access all of your frequently used commands with just a few keystrokes. In this chapter, you will learn how to use all of the settings needed to increase productivity, computer performance, and quality of design.

New Presentation

To get started and create a new presentation, follow the steps detailed here (Figure 11-1).

Figure 11-1: The Getting Started window

1. Open LayOut.

2. If you see the Getting Started window, move on to the next step; otherwise, click on the File drop-down menu and choose New.

3. Select Default Templates > Paper > Plain Paper.

4. Select the Letter Landscape template.

5. Click the Open button to begin.

System Preferences

System preferences do not travel with a model, but they will be the same for every LayOut presentation you create on your computer. To set your preferences, click on the Edit (LayOut on Mac) drop-down menu and choose Preferences. Take a moment to optimize ...