Change SketchUp UI from painful light to awesome dark

[cmoreink]

Or maybe it's been already done and someone can point me in the right direction.
Thanks

[Box]

It's pretty simple to adjust the workspace by editing the Style.

[cmoreink]

With all due respect, I wrote "to change UI" and not background or face colour.
Same idea as PS or 3D MAX and etc, so it's easier on eyes.

[Dave R]

Screenshot - 1_14_2017 , 6_13_24 AM.png

[Bob James]

Hey, that's pretty cool, Dave! How did you do it?

[Dave R]

Bob, I used one of the high contrast black themes from Personalization in the Control Panel. I didn't take the time to make any other modifications to the theme but things like the title bar colors could be adjusted more. And then I made a style with a black background and front face color in SketchUp.

Personally I prefer working with the white background and black lines. I frequently need to reference either printed matter or PDFs on a second screen that are on white. I'd find it very uncomfortable switching from a white screen to a black one.

[cmoreink]

Yes Dave, that's one way which I tried but it's not what I'm after. I know this needs to be done from inside by people who work on sketchup and I'm just wondering why it has not been done yet.
Anyways yesterday I found what I was looking for and I didn't bookmark so I'm looking again and once I find it I will post the link.This guy/girl had the whole UI and tools in graphite colour and it was amazing. So my request is for sketchup programmers/builders to change this.

[Dave R]

Well, it's certainly a rare feature request. But maybe they'll put it on their list of features to add. Of course it would then require every extension author to edit their toolbar buttons to have a dark version as well as the current version.

[Bob James]

I used one of the high contrast black themes from Personalization in the Control Panel

So that affects all programs. Too bad it can't be done within SU.

I like the black background for the toolbars: I agree that black is not very good for the main screen. I use a light orange.

[cmoreink]

Do you guys remember PS 7? The UI used to be light grey and the next version which was PS 8.0 or CS 1.0 was this dark graphite and you were able to change UI from light to dark.
I believe that you would have to change few lines of code since we are talking about only a colour of UI and as far as toolbars extensions go it would probably be overwritten by SU at least that's how I would desing a SU since I'm an engineer but I know some people do not look that far into the future.
Simple as this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0C-PzfJjJ8

[rv1974]

awesome thread title

[Pixero]

I really don't like dark interfaces.
Makes me think of old AutoCad. Even in Photoshop I always adjust the dark default UI to something lighter as it is much less straining to the eyes. Who wants to look at negative text all day?
And I don't think a UI should look "awesome". It should be close to invisible and let the user focus on his work.
Here is a link to good old Kai Krases Photoshop plugins if anyone remembers them.
Thats how it looks when a UI has form over function.

https://www.google.se/search?q=kais+pow ... ower+tools

[cmoreink]

re: Pixero
You do not have to like it, but I and many others do like it so let's have this option.
"Even in Photoshop I always adjust the dark default UI to something lighter as it is much less straining to the eyes" really?????????? so let me ask you this, if you have a dark UI with light area of work and/or a light UI with dark area of work, where do you think your eyes will concentrate more and be less tired? and one more thing, you just said you "always adjust" so once again why not have this option in SU where many of us can adjust UI just like you do in PS?
"Who wants to look at negative text all day?" I thought that SU was a modeling 3D softaware and not a writing (word) software. Yes Pixero, when I write and over 95% of people on this planet prefer black (font) on white (background) but SU is not a writing software is a 3D modeling software.
"It should be close to invisible and let the user focus on his work." well Pixero once again, where do you think your eyes will go when you have a light UI (toolbars) with dark area of work or a dark UI (toolbars) with lighter area of work??????? But you have already answered this question, light area with dark UI so you can consetrate on work and not on tools.
And the title supposed to be catchy "awesome" and I guess it caught your attention.

[Pixero]

Well in My SketchUp I have lots of words in menus and plugin GUIs.
So why would they suddenly be easier to read as white text on black in a 3D modeling app than in a word processor?
Can we just agree that we disagree.

[cmoreink]

I meant no disrespect to you Pixero but for the sake of the preferences let's have an option of switching between dark and light UI and that way everyone will be happy.

[Pixero]

You have a point. Choice is good, but with the (lack of) speed in development I would like the SketchUp team to focus on more important issues instead of cosmetic ones. I would hate to see the next version come out and have a dark UI as it's main feature.

[cmoreink]

Well to me this is the most important issue because when I work in SU it's what I'm looking at non-stop. Ok Pixero please click on the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0C-PzfJjJ8 it's that simple and when you set up your own workspace and UI and you open next time that's how it's gonna look so you don't have to worry about being dark. I mean come on man, why would you even think that this dark UI would be a main feature? Like I said "let's have this as an option" for others and me so others and I can work and not getting our eyes tired.

[Pixero]

I mean come on man, why would you even think that this dark UI would be a main feature?

If you look at what new features SketchUp has released with each new version there are typically less than a handfull and at the best one or two of them has anything to do with fixing problems in SketchUp.

It took loooots of years before we finally got the fix for the dreaded shadow bug.
Now it's been years of complaints for things like camera clipping and better texturing. Quad faces workflow built into SketchUp. Better materials with reflectivity and such.

(I have several SketchUp ideas that I think would be nice but I've intentionally been holding them back because I'm a bit afraid they would actually find them great and do them instead of more important stuff.)

I guess everyone has his own wishlist.

[eneroth3]

I wouldn't mind having an option for a dark interface but I wouldn't use it myself. Something that's strangely quite unique for SketchUp is how it feels like you are working with a real, physical object when many other programs make it feel like you work with a diagram. Besides the good camera control I think the light colors are the reason for this. Also the light gray background in the user interface follows the well established conventions which is another great thing about SketchUp. You don't have to learn and get used to something different, you have File, Edit, View etc and it looks as you are used to from other software. As an optional setting I approve of a dark theme but I think the default look and feel should be kept just as it is.

[DesertRaven]

Well here we are again discussing to death what a user in today's world should be expecting from a pro software. As usual, the old timers have a hard time with change, but why are you guys so set on making the rule for every one else? Why does it have to be the same appearance to the end of all times?
There are very good arguments brought up and it being an option to choose from to fit your needs, why the heck not? And alleging it is a a feature that's not much asked for is not at all true. Just because some old timers here talk any progressive idea down, doesn't mean there aaren't enough who would appreciate the request.
I support this 100%.

[rv1974]

why the heck not?

Because nowadays CG software companies tend to issue 'updates' with zero new features, just some cosmetic icon jerking. Requesting things like this one would potentially support this unhealthy trend.
P.S. Adding things like autosave in background\true curves\max-like edge extrusion is over 9000 more important then UI whims.
P.P.S. I wouldn't mind to see an 'Expert mode' (=toolbars\trays on\off) toggling in the next version though.

[pbacot]

But this could be a real problem for some people, more than whim. I don't feel that way myself. But calling people old timers isn't helpful, implying they don't support progress. Actually the norm was dark (DOS and AutoCAD) before it was light. Also why not have choice for all palettes and windows to be dark, but leave the main window as it is (if you like)?

[Glenn at home]

Would love to have the option in SU as well. Just saying

[Vizan]

It would be very good, at night the eyes get very tired of the white bright light from the monitor.

[Vizan]

I meant no disrespect to you Pixero but for the sake of the preferences let's have an option of switching between dark and light UI and that way everyone will be happy.

I would also like to have such an opportunity. It seems to me that this will only improve the attitude towards the program.

[GD3Design]

Uuuuuggghhh....this just kills me. Why is Sketchup the only program I use that has this awful eye-killing white interface...? I search for this every couple months and always come across this thread. I know they can barely manage to eek out a few minor updates & bug fixes with each year's 'new' version...but come on? (but I still keep paying them every year because push pull is king) I know all of us Dark UI lovers have seen other people's screens that magically have a dark UI. I guess they are computer programmers...? If you're reading this....hook me up, I'll pay!

I'd hate to take resources away from SU fixing a bug that should have been fixed years ago,... but I'm a +1 for a dark UI option.

[zubenelgennubi]

My theme for Skethup. Actually, this is a Paper win 10 theme I’ve found on Deviant. Tile of undock icon can’t read but it’s not a big deal, icon and text clear enough… enjoy