Start with the faces you want to cover. These are your source surface: the original SketchUp faces that SurfaceLayout uses to arrange your boards, panels, or tiles. Make your selection

1. In SketchUp, select the faces you want to cover.
2. Close group or component editing before selecting the source faces. Detection currently works on faces directly in the main model. Selecting a group or component itself does not select the faces inside it.
3. Open Extensions → SurfaceLayout, or click the SurfaceLayout toolbar button.
4. Click Detect.
5. Check the flat drawing and the Current Surface list. Confirm that they contain the area you intended.

If your faces are inside a group or component, you can prepare a separate copy: copy the required faces, close group or component editing, and use SketchUp’s Paste in Place in the main model. Select those copied faces for detection. SurfaceLayout can follow connected faces across smooth edges and across edges between faces lying on the same flat plane. On a simple curved wall, selecting one face may therefore detect the connected curved surface. Across a sharp corner, select the adjoining faces yourself. Check the result even when you selected only one face: smooth connections can bring more of the model into the detected surface than you expected. Avoid selecting an entire connected object when you only want its sides. Detect prepares a 2D layout. It does not create the covering in SketchUp. Each new detection starts with one fresh layer and default settings, so detect before setting up your materials and layers. To continue an existing layout, open it from Saved layouts. Follow one continuous run For a wrap around a box or a set of walls, select the faces that follow each other around the sides: Select: front → right → back → left Leave out: top and bottom faces The four sides form a band. Imagine opening it at one corner and laying it flat as a long strip. Adding the top or bottom closes or branches that band and requires a different arrangement of cuts. SurfaceLayout does not provide a general tool for opening every face of a closed object into one usable sheet. The arrows show the route around the object, not the order in which you select the faces. Apply the same idea elsewhere: Top and bottom faces are useful surfaces in their own right. Detect them separately when they need their own covering. A simple open run can also turn from one flat surface onto another; the issue is adding caps or extra branches to a wrap. Separate, disconnected selections appear as separate entries in Current Surface. They can share a layout, but a pattern is not automatically continuous between disconnected surfaces. Flat surfaces, corners, and openings Flat walls, floors, and panels are the simplest starting point. Connected flat faces can also turn around corners when they form a suitable open run or band. SurfaceLayout can follow irregular outlines and openings, such as a window hole in a wall. The opening must be an actual opening in the selected faces. A window object placed in front of an uncut wall does not create one. If detection fails, try a smaller, simpler selection. Check for overlapping faces, unwanted faces, and edges shared by more than two faces.

Curves that can open into a flat sheet Think of a sheet of paper rolled around a tube. It curves around the tube but remains straight along its length. Unroll it and it becomes flat again, without stretching. A cylindrical wall, a simple curved ramp, or a barrel-shaped surface can work in this way. SurfaceLayout can lay out suitable surfaces like these, subject to the shape and quality of the SketchUp model. Some tapered surfaces can also flatten, but complete cones and pointed shapes need particular care. Do not assume that every cone will produce a continuous usable layout; inspect the drawing and any development warning. Limits of spheres and double curves A double-curved surface bends in two directions at the same place. A sphere, dome, or bowl is an everyday example. Saddle shapes and many free-form surfaces also have double curvature. Try wrapping a flat sheet of paper tightly around a ball. It wrinkles, overlaps, or needs cuts. It cannot lie smoothly against the whole ball without stretching or compressing. The same problem applies to a flat covering. Avoid spheres, domes, and other double curves when you need an accurate, continuous layout from flat stock. SurfaceLayout does not calculate the stretching, forming, or material allowances needed to make that covering fit. SurfaceLayout may still display these shapes as separate flat panels. This is a way to examine individual faces. The drawing does not confirm that the pieces meet as one continuous covering or form a smooth sphere. If you intend to build a faceted shape from separate flat panels, plan and check those panels and their joints individually. Dividing a double curve into smaller areas does not, by itself, make those areas exactly flat. A smooth-looking model still contains flat faces SketchUp represents curves with small flat faces. SurfaceLayout measures those faces. A circle with few segments can look rounded on screen while its measured perimeter differs from a true smooth circle. Use enough detail to describe the intended curve while keeping the selection manageable. Smoothing the appearance does not improve the underlying dimensions. Check curved layouts against the actual surface and material before using their cuts. Read the development warnings Development means opening the selected surface into a flat drawing. Open Surface development warnings when a warning is shown. Maximum deviation describes differences found while flattening the modeled faces. It does not measure how far the model differs from a real smooth curve or how well a material will bend. A small value, or no warning, is not a guarantee of physical fit.

A closed band needs an opening in its flat drawing. This is where the layout starts and ends, like the two ends of a label wrapped around a jar. On supported bands, Start / end offers Automatic or Select edge…. The surface needs two open boundary rims, such as the upper and lower edges of an uncapped cylinder. To choose the opening yourself:

1. Click Select edge…. SurfaceLayout temporarily exposes the source edges in SketchUp.
2. Select an edge running from one rim to the other. If it consists of several segments, select the complete connected chain, with no gaps or branches.
3. Click Use selected edge.
4. If asked, confirm Change seam.
5. Check both ends of the drawing and their cuts.

Use Cancel to leave edge selection and restore the previous view. Choose a source edge along the side, not an edge around the top or bottom rim. All layers on that surface share the opening. Changing it repositions the pattern and restores previously excluded pieces on that surface in every layer. Review your exclusions afterward. It does not cut the original SketchUp surface, and the generated covering changes only after Sync 3D. An opening does not guarantee a seamless pattern repeat around the object. Check the last course, end cuts, and closing joint. Complex networks of opening cuts are unavailable; smooth openings and Lap closures do not receive automatic closing-corner construction.

Use up to three layers, each with its own thickness, stock, and pattern. For example, you might place a finish layer over a backing layer.

• Click Add layer to create a fresh layer.
• Click a layer row to edit it.
• Click the pencil button to rename the layer.
• Drag its reorder handle to change its position in the stack.
• Click the trash button to remove the layer. At least one layer must remain.

The Source Surface marker shows the end of the stack nearest the original faces. Each layer sits beyond the thickness of the layers before it. Reordering changes that arrangement after Sync 3D. Surface side (Front or Back) chooses the side of the source on which the whole stack is built. This follows the SketchUp faces’ orientation; on recognized cylindrical bands, Front is outside and Back is inside. Inspect the result if some source faces point in different directions. Each generated layer is a separate group in the main SketchUp model, with surface and piece groups inside it. You can select, hide, or edit the layer groups independently. Know which settings you are editing Select the layer first, then choose Current Surface or click that surface in the drawing. Stock dimensions, ordinary gaps, and offsets can differ between surfaces in the same layer. Shape, pattern, rotation, thickness, and surface fit apply across the layer. Use Per edge for individual corner settings. Surface Name names the whole layout and immediately renames existing output. Source Body shows or hides the original connected body; it may affect more than just the detected faces, including geometry sharing its visibility tags.

Stock is the original board, panel, or tile before cutting. Enter the size you actually have. You can type a unit, such as 600 mm or 24 in; a number without a unit uses the SketchUp model’s units. Check the dimensions after changing shape. Some shapes have linked sizes, and changing shape can apply a different preset. Pick the arrangement

• Grid: align pieces in straight rows and columns.
• Fixed stagger: repeat an offset of 1/2, 1/3, or 1/4 between neighboring courses.
• Free stagger: vary where courses begin in a repeatable sequence. You cannot edit individual starters separately.
• Herringbone: alternate rectangles in a zigzag arrangement. Use Centerlines for alignment guides.
• Basketweave: alternate blocks of 2 pieces or 3 pieces. Width is calculated from Height, gap, and piece count so the blocks fit together. Check that the calculated width matches available stock.

For staggered patterns, Stagger along (Width or Height) chooses the direction of staggering. Rotation turns the whole pattern. Set the spacing Uniform uses one Gap. Split gives separate Gap width (U) and Gap height (V) values. U and V are the two directions of the flat layout; they turn with the pattern. Diamond and Basketweave use Uniform spacing only. Changing from Split back to Uniform keeps the width gap. Check the result when switching. For shapes with sloping sides, directional spacing is not necessarily the distance measured straight across every sloping joint. Stock sizes and thickness must be positive. New stock dimensions must be at least 1 mm and thickness at least 0.1 mm. Gaps and overhang can be zero, but cannot be negative. Offsets can be positive or negative. If an entry is invalid, leaving the field can restore the previous value; check it before syncing. Stock size is a firm limit The complete finished piece must fit within its configured stock, including its front and back faces, bevels, and overhangs. A corner setting does not permit a larger board. If a joint cannot be completed within that size, review the warning and choose joint settings, placement, or material dimensions that you can build. Do not treat an incomplete bevel as a finished joint. Older saved layouts may show Continuous stock with zero length. This means no regular end joints along that direction. For ordinary finite boards, enter a positive Height. New zero-length entries are not accepted, and Continuous stock is unavailable for Herringbone, Basketweave, and Lap.

Thickness gives the covering its depth. Surface fit controls how the pieces sit on the source:

• Conform follows the modeled surface across supported curves. Use it to represent a covering that follows the surface’s shape.
• Rigid keeps pieces flat. Use it to represent boards or panels that do not bend. On a curve, a flat board can bridge across the surface or stand away from it.

Neither choice checks whether your material can bend, carry a load, or be installed as shown. Conform also does not make a double-curved surface suitable for an exact flat cutting pattern.

The EDGES controls describe how pieces meet at recognized sharp corners. The small faces making up a smooth curve do not each receive a corner joint. Butt or Mitre Butt lets one panel cover the end of its neighbor. Use the Switch covering panel side arrow in the drawing, where available, to swap which panel covers the other. Butt offers four Cut choices:

• Bevel: an angled end through the panel thickness.
• Recessed: a square end at the shorter, recessed limit of that bevel.
• Proud: a square end at the farther, projecting limit.
• Open joint: square ends with an opening at the corner.

Mitre cuts both meeting pieces to a common joint. The angle follows the corner; it is not always 45°. Gaps, overhang, and Weave Edge gap separates pieces at the corner. It is separate from the ordinary pattern Gap. Overhang extends the covering Butt panel past its neighbor. Allow inside overhang also permits it at inside corners. Stock limits still apply. Weave alternates the covering side from course to course. It is available with Rectangle or Square stock and Grid, Fixed stagger, or Free stagger, where the corners align with a common pattern direction. If the corners do not align, some contacts may keep one covering side; read the warning and inspect them. When available, turn on Per edge to give corners different settings. Click a numbered edge marker in the drawing to open its matching controls. Turning Per edge off returns to the shared settings. Review both sides of the corner after Sync 3D. Tight turns, changing curves, and complicated contacts can leave unresolved joints or incomplete pieces.

Under Construction, Gap keeps pieces separated. Lap overlaps one course over the next, adjusting their slope and spacing for thickness. Lap is available on the outermost layer only, with finite Rectangle or Square stock and Grid, Fixed stagger, or Free stagger. Both Conform and Rigid are available where the contacts can be resolved. Set Lap to the overlap amount and End gap to the separation between neighboring ends. The overlap must be positive and smaller than the stock height. If surfaces use different sizes, the smallest relevant height sets the limit. Check any automatically reduced value. Lap uses Mitre or Butt with Open joint at corners. Lap Mitre has zero edge gap. Weave, covering-side switches, the other Butt cuts, and overhang are unavailable. Keep the Lap layer outermost when reordering. Switching between Gap and Lap clears that layer’s exclusions. Excluding a Lap piece also changes the remaining overlap arrangement. Review the construction again after either change. Lap pieces do not receive automatic offcut reuse.

Move and rotate Activate Move layout, then drag inside the surface drawing. You can also type Offset U and Offset V for a precise shift along the layout’s two directions. While moving:

• Begin moving along one direction, then hold Shift to lock to it.
• Hold Alt (Windows) or Option (macOS) to snap movement to whole pattern steps.
• Use Unified to move across the current surface’s connected zones.
• Use Per zone, where available, to move the area under the pointer. With Weave, movement is restricted to keep courses aligned.

Per-zone movement is additional to the surface offsets; the Offset U and Offset V fields do not show it as a separate value. Open Rotate Layout and use its angle field or slider. Rotation applies to the active layer’s pattern across its surfaces. Move and Rotate arrange the pattern as a whole; they do not reposition individual boards. The drawing recalculates after the gesture ends. Press Escape to cancel an unfinished gesture. Exclude and restore

1. Activate Exclude pieces.
2. Click a piece or drag a selection box.
3. Click Exclude.

Drag left to right to select pieces fully inside the box. Drag right to left to include pieces the box crosses. Shift adds to the selection. Hold Ctrl (Windows) or Command (macOS) to toggle pieces. Press Ctrl+A (Windows) or Command+A (macOS) to select all pieces in the displayed layer. Excluded pieces remain visible so you can select them and click Restore. Deselect clears the selection without changing the layout. Selecting a piece alone does not exclude it. After you refresh the layout, SurfaceLayout leaves excluded pieces out of the generated covering and cut-list quantities. Compatible exclusions normally follow the pattern when it moves, but changes to shape, sizes, pattern, or rotation can clear them. Check exclusions after those changes and after changing the opening of a wrap. Navigate the drawing Drag to pan when no editing tool is active. During Move or Exclude, use Space + drag or the middle mouse button to pan. Zoom with the wheel or the − and + buttons. Click Fit to show the whole drawing. Navigation, alignment guides, and collapsing the window change the view only.

Open Cut list and select a layer. The Full pieces table lists pieces that need no boundary cut. The Cut pieces table shows the pieces that do. Matching pieces share a row, so read the quantity in Qty. Cut diagrams show the piece reference, dimensions, and available corner or angle details. White is the part to keep; gray is the offcut. A blue dashed outline may show the back face at a corner. Follow the dimension labels: the report may show Length and Width in a different order from the editor’s Width and Height. Sort the columns or use the table pages to inspect the list. Save PDF exports all pages for the selected layer in A4 landscape. Repeat for the other layers. On Windows, use a new filename if an existing file cannot be replaced. The cut list can describe current settings before they have been built in SketchUp. To report the covering you intend to use, finish Sync 3D, resolve incomplete-piece warnings, and compare the result first. Reports do not identify every failed 3D piece or repeat every surface-development warning. Offcut reuse In the Layout view, Cuts shows the cut and reuse overlay. Blue identifies cuts and green identifies reused pieces; use the legend to read the remaining outlines. SurfaceLayout suggests reuse for certain matching cuts within the same layer and stock specification. It does not move the pattern. SurfaceLayout does not automatically reuse corner-cut pieces, Lap pieces, or Continuous stock. Treat reuse as a planning aid. It does not account for saw-blade width, grain direction, defects, or the order in which you make the cuts. It is not a complete cutting plan or a guarantee of the minimum material purchase. PDF diagrams fit the page, so they are not full-size cutting templates. SurfaceLayout does not provide CSV, DXF, SVG, or machine-cutting exports.

Sync 3D stores the generated layout and its settings in the SketchUp model. Save the SketchUp model to keep them on disk. To continue later:

1. Open the model and SurfaceLayout.
2. Select the layout under Saved layouts.
3. Check the name, source, and selected layer.
4. Make your changes and review Sync 2D.
5. Click Sync 3D to replace that layout’s generated pieces.
6. Save the model again.

Opening a saved layout does not rebuild it. Sync 3D is also the update command; there is no separate Update button. Changes made directly to pieces inside generated output are replaced on update. This includes moving or deleting individual pieces and adding custom geometry inside those groups. Keep work you need to preserve outside the generated output. Where existing layer groups can be matched, SurfaceLayout retains their overall placement, material, and hidden state. Drafts Unbuilt layouts appear as Draft. SurfaceLayout attempts to keep your unapplied settings locally when you switch layouts or close the dialog and to restore your last available layout when you reopen it. A draft can be newer than the generated covering. Review it before syncing. Local drafts belong to that model’s location on that computer; moving or copying the model does not carry the local drafts with it. Unsaved models have session recovery only. Save the model before relying on a later reopening. If SurfaceLayout says draft saving was not confirmed, keep the dialog open and retry. Do not assume the edits were saved. If the source has changed When you see Source changed. Run Detect again to refresh the layout, refresh the detection before relying on another update. An existing drawing can still refer to the earlier source even while sync controls remain available. Note the settings you want to keep, select the complete intended source, and click Detect. Reapply your settings and inspect the new drawing. Detection starts a fresh layer setup and may create a new draft instead of reconnecting to the previous output. Check the active layout and keep the old output until you have compared them. If the source was deleted, a saved drawing may still be visible, but it cannot replace the missing faces. Restore them with Undo or from a saved model copy, or detect replacement faces as a new layout. Delete a layout The trash button beside Surface Name deletes the selected whole layout after confirmation. For generated layouts, this includes any manual additions inside the output. It keeps the source and attempts to show it again. For drafts, it removes the unbuilt draft and its settings. The trash control on a layer row removes only that proposed layer; apply that change with Sync 3D.

Current limits The current limits include three layers, 500 processed faces and 10,000 corner points per connected surface, and 10,000 calculated pieces across the layout. Faces containing holes may count as several faces during calculation, and complex work can reach a calculation limit sooner. Undo and redo The SketchUp Undo and Redo commands cover model operations such as generation, update, and output deletion. They do not provide the same recovery for local draft edits or deleted unbuilt drafts. After using Undo or Redo, inspect the model and reload the intended layout before updating it again.

If you need help, include the SurfaceLayout and SketchUp versions, your operating system, the exact message, the steps you followed, and a screenshot of the source, settings, and result. For a cutting question, include the selected layer and relevant report page.