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The Mobile Viewer I’ve Always Wanted – Introducing V3.0!

I’ve been excited about the latest release of SketchUp Mobile Viewer (available now on iOS and Androidfrom the moment I got the first developer build that allowed me to view dimensions. In fact, here's the model I created that same day just so I could play around with it!

SketchUp Mobile Viewer

I’ve also had the pleasure of having the SketchUp Mobile Viewer app with me during a recent trip to the hardware store and used it to make sure I had all the right parts and all the right sizes for a DIY project I’ve been working on. I even used the app to measure a couple of things that I hadn’t dimensioned. All on my PHONE! It was one of those times when I found myself not only excited about how incredibly cool technology can be but also proud to have played a role in building something that is so useful and fun!

Support for dimension strings and text annotations were certainly among the most widely requested features that are included in Version 3 of the SketchUp Mobile Viewer app, but they’re not the only ones.

So it goes that V3 includes a bunch more great stuff, including animated Scene transitions and the ability to play Scene-based animations, support for Section Planes(!), support for Edge Styles and Watermarks(!!), and a Tape Measure tool for pulling measurements off your model(!!!).

The app we’re releasing is not only the result of countless hours of hard work and dedication to deliver an awesome, mobile-friendly SketchUp experience, but also the result of the comments and feedback that we’ve received from YOU! Thank you for cheering us along, and for letting us know about the qualities you’re looking for in a mobile companion. As we settle into the family reunion that is 3D Basecamp 2016, I find myself reflecting on the phenomenal user community we have guiding and supporting our products along the way. Very thankful.

Heard enough? Head on over to the Google Play Store to get your copy for Android, or to the Apple App Store for iOS.

Note: We made some major changes in Version 3. You will need to re-download/save/import any SketchUp models that you had previously stored on your device before you can open those files in this version of the app.

What’s that? You want to learn even more about this latest update to SketchUp Mobile Viewer? Well, I thought you’d never ask. :-)

The Tape Measure Tool
V3 includes a Tape Measure Tool that’s nestled in the new Tools menu. It works much like the Tape Measure tool you’re used to using in SketchUp. To choose Point 1, you can either tap the screen or press-and-hold. Holding will pop up a magnifying loop that will assist you in the selection of just the right point to start measuring from. Then tap or press-and-hold a second time to pick Point 2. The app also supports axes inferences and from point inferences so you can get pretty clever about the types of measurements you’re able to pull from the model.

The Tape Measure Tool

Animations
The app now supports animated Scene transitions. When you open the Scenes Menu you’ll see some fun controls that give you options to play/stop your fly-through animations. You can also click buttons to go to the Previous or Next Scene.

Animations

Section Planes
This one’s for all my people – nothing says “I design stuff like it’s my job!” like whipping out your phone or tablet and showing off some (dimensioned) plans and sections. Not only does V3 support the active section planes and active section cuts that you have saved in your Scenes, we’ve also added the ability to move section planes in your model. Say you’ve got a scene in your model with a section that’s cutting through the first floor. You can choose that scene from the Scenes menu in the Mobile Viewer app, then open the View menu and toggle on the Section Planes, and then take the Move Section Plane tool from the Tools menu. You’ll be able to press and hold to drag the active section plane up to the second floor or down to the basement. See where we’re going with this?

Section Planes

Now wipe that drool off your chin and give it a GO! Get the SketchUp Mobile Viewer today.

For more information visit the SketchUp Help Center or submit questions on the SketchUp Forums.

About the Author

As the Product Manager for the SketchUp Viewer family of apps, Mike is obsessed with delivering awesome products for SketchUp users the world over. When he's not busy sifting through feature requests or otherwise staring at brightly lit screens, Mike enjoys spending time with his family and pedaling hither and thither. Go Bears!

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