Architectural_Design_with_SketchUp

Chapter 4 Using Plugins Effectively
Figure 4.2: Disabling a plugin in the Extensions tab
Once you have found the appropriate files, it might be a good idea to move them to a
separate folder (you could create a folder called “Inactive Plugins” for exactly this purpose).
The benefit of moving the files instead of deleting them is that if something goes wrong (or
you want to have your plugin back), you can always troubleshoot and move files back. You
also don’t have to search for and download the plugin again in the future.
If your plugin came as an installable EXE or DMG file, look in your operating system for
the uninstall function and uninstall it this way.
TIP
Another related issue is the messiness of the Plugins menu in SketchUp once you have
installed several plugins. Unfortunately, SketchUp does not give you a way to organize this
menu (it simply loads plugins in alphanumeric order based on filenames). If you want to do
any spring cleaning here, then a plugin by Smustard [4], the aptly named Organizer, might
be able to help you out.
Plugin Overview
The following sections present a selection of the most commonly used and popular plugins.
This list is by no means a complete reference. As I mentioned before, there are currently hundreds
of available plugins. Use these for the most common tasks but feel free to search the
sites mentioned previously if you have a special application that is not covered here.
Unfortunately, the standard for documentation for each of these plugins varies widely.
Commercial plugins and those by the more prolific creators (such as Fredo6 and TIG) are
usually well documented. For others, read the accompanying text on webpages where you
downloaded them.
Whenever I mention a plugin, the name (or alias) is that of the author. I also mention the
cost of a plugin (if known) and where you can find it. The number in square brackets refers
to the list of website(s) that appeared earlier in this chapter.
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