The story of the Toolbar Editor extension is one of solving a long-standing frustration for SketchUp power users: the "cluttered workspace" problem. For years, users who relied on dozens of plugins—like FredoScale, RoundCorner, or JHS Power Bar—found their screens shrinking as each extension added its own bulky toolbar. The Solution: Consolidating Chaos
While SketchUp has a native way to create toolbars, it famously lacks support for non-native tools, meaning you couldn't easily mix and match buttons from different third-party plugins into one clean row. The Toolbar Editor (developed by @Aurelius) changed the game by offering a dedicated drag-and-drop interface.
Customization: Users could finally create a single "Master Toolbar" named something like "Daily Workflow" and populate it with only the 4 or 5 buttons they actually used from much larger plugin sets.
Organization: It introduced the ability to add separators and line breaks, allowing for visual grouping of tools that otherwise had no business being together.
Searchability: A built-in search filter allowed users to sift through hundreds of installed commands to find exactly what they needed to pin. A Legacy of Utility
Toolbar Editor for SketchUp refers to a popular extension designed to overcome native SketchUp limitations, allowing users to create fully customized toolbars that combine both native tools and third-party plugin commands. Toolbar Editor Extension (ae_ToolbarEditor) Created by the developer
, this extension provides an intuitive interface for managing your workspace. Customization
: You can create new toolbars from scratch and populate them by dragging and dropping tools from a complete list of available commands. Search Filter
: It includes a search function to quickly locate specific tools, which is especially useful if you have many plugins installed. Availability : You can download it from the SketchUcation PluginStore
. Note that some users have reported compatibility issues with SketchUp 2024, though unofficial fixes often circulate in the community forums. Native SketchUp Toolbar Management
If you are looking for the full set of tools without using an extension, you can use SketchUp’s built-in options:
To get a "full" toolbar experience in SketchUp, you typically want to enable the Large Tool Set, which replaces the basic "Getting Started" bar with a comprehensive set of modeling tools. For more advanced customization, you can use the built-in Toolbar Editor or specialized extensions to create your own icon layouts. 1. Enabling the Full "Large Tool Set"
The quickest way to see all standard tools at once is to switch to the vertical Large Tool Set: Go to the top menu and select View > Toolbars.
In the dialog box that appears, find and check the box for Large Tool Set.
Uncheck Getting Started to remove redundant icons and save screen space.
Click Close. You can now drag this toolbar to "dock" it on the left side of your screen or leave it floating. 2. Customizing Your Toolbar Layout
If you want to create a custom mix of tools from different sets:
Open Customization: Navigate to View > Toolbars and click the Customize button. toolbar editor sketchup full
Add/Remove Icons: While the "Toolbars" window is open, you can hold Alt (on Windows) and drag icons from one toolbar to another, or drag them off the bar entirely to remove them.
New Toolbars: Use the New... button in the Toolbars dialog to create a blank bar, then drag your most-used commands into it from the Commands tab. 3. Advanced Editing Extensions
For users who find the native SketchUp toolbar system limited (especially on Mac, where customization is handled differently), these third-party extensions are popular:
LordOfToolbars: Allows for creating highly organized, nested toolbars and custom icons.
Fredo6 - LordOfTheToolbars: A powerful extension available on the SketchUcation Plugin Store that provides a searchable, customizable interface for all your plugins and native tools.
3D Text Editor: If your "write text" query refers to editing 3D objects, this extension allows you to modify the font, height, and content of 3D text after it has been placed, which the native tool cannot do. Summary of Toolbar Options Feature Native Method Extension/Plugin All Basic Tools Enable "Large Tool Set" Custom Layouts View > Toolbars > New LordOfToolbars Editable 3D Text Create new 3D Text 3D Text Editor EDITABLE 3D TEXT IN SKETCHUP with 3D Text Editor
Mastering the toolbar editor allows you to create a workspace that fits your specific workflow, saving you clicks and making modeling faster.
Customising the workspace in is essential for high-level efficiency, especially when dealing with dozens of extensions. While SketchUp has native customisation tools, professional workflows often rely on the Toolbar Editor (also known as the Custom Toolbar Editor by ) to overcome default limitations. 1. The Core Limitation: Why use an Editor?
SketchUp’s native "New Toolbar" feature allows you to group basic tools, but it often struggles to integrate complex commands from third-party plugins. The Toolbar Editor extension addresses this by allowing you to: Consolidate Tools:
Mix native SketchUp tools with those from various extensions (like FredoScale or Joint Pushpull) into a single, cohesive bar. Custom Icons: Assign your own image files as icons for specific commands. Searchability:
Use a filter to find specific tools by name rather than scrolling through endless menus. 2. How to Use the Toolbar Editor (Full Steps)
To set up a "proper" custom toolbar using this extension, follow these steps: Access the Interface: Open the editor via Window > Toolbar Editor Create a New Bar: "+" button on the left to create and rename a new toolbar. Search & Populate: Type the tool name into the search field. Drag and drop
the desired tool buttons from the "Available Buttons" list into your new toolbar panel.
You can move buttons around to change their order or drop them out to the right to remove them. Apply & Restart: to save. Note that some changes require a restart of SketchUp to fully update the visual interface. 3. Professional Alternatives
If your needs go beyond simple custom bars, consider these pro-level alternatives: Lord of the Toolbars (LOTT): Developed by
, this is a more advanced workspace manager that allows for palettes, folders, and highly organized "super toolbars".
A quick-search "launcher" (similar to Spotlight or Alfred) that executes commands instantly by typing, reducing the need for visible toolbars entirely. 4. Native Tool Management (Quick Tip) For simple cleanup without extensions: The story of the Toolbar Editor extension is
EASY Custom Toolbars in SketchUp with Custom Toolbar Editor! 11 May 2021 —
For users who want more control than SketchUp's default settings allow, the Toolbar Editor extension on SketchUcation is the top choice.
Create Custom Bars: Click the "+" button to create a new, empty toolbar and give it a unique name.
Drag-and-Drop Tools: You can drag individual command icons from the "Available Buttons" list directly into your custom toolbar panel.
Combine Extensions: It allows you to group tools from different plugins (like Joint Pushpull or CurveLoft) into one single, efficient bar.
Save Changes: Always click Apply to save. Note that some changes might require a SketchUp restart to appear. 2. Native SketchUp Toolbar Setup (Windows)
If you prefer not to use extensions, SketchUp has built-in customization via the View menu.
EASY Custom Toolbars in SketchUp with Custom Toolbar Editor!
In SketchUp, "Toolbar Editor" generally refers to either the native customization settings or specialized extensions that allow for more advanced control over your workspace. Native Toolbar Customization
SketchUp includes a built-in feature to manage and modify your visible tools. This is often the first step in creating a "full" or optimized workspace:
Accessing the Dialog: Navigate to View > Toolbars (on Windows) to open the Toolbars Dialog Box.
Enabling the Full Set: For a comprehensive workspace, many users check the Large Tool Set option, which provides a vertical strip of common tools including selection, drawing, and modification functions.
Customizing Buttons: While in the Toolbars dialog, you can click the Customize button. This allows you to drag individual icons to or from any visible toolbar to create a custom layout tailored to your workflow. 3D Text and Editable Solid Text
If your focus is specifically on editing solid 3D text rather than the UI toolbars, SketchUp's native 3D Text tool can be limiting because once the text is placed, it cannot be edited.
3D Text Editor Extensions: Many users install extensions like the 3D Text Editor from the Extension Warehouse.
Key Features: These tools allow you to type text and see a live preview. You can toggle whether the text is "filled" (creating solid faces) and adjust the "height" or extrusion in real-time, essentially creating editable solid text. Organizing Extensions
For those using a "full" suite of plugins, managing multiple toolbars can get messy. 6 Customising the workspace in is essential for
Advanced Toolbar Management: Extensions such as LordOfOfTheToolbars or Fredo6's Custom Toolbars allow you to create custom palettes. These are often used to consolidate tools from different extensions into a single, organized bar.
The Toolbar Editor (by Aerilius) is a powerful SketchUp extension designed to overcome the limitations of the native toolbar system, specifically the inability to combine third-party plugin tools into a single custom toolbar. Key Features & Benefits
Consolidate Tools: Mix and match tools from various extensions (like JHS Power Bar or QuadFace Tools) into one personalized palette to save screen space.
Drag & Drop Interface: Easily add, remove, or rearrange buttons within the editor window.
Search Filter: Quickly find specific tools from a long list of installed plugins using the built-in search field.
Keyboard Shortcuts: Assign shortcuts directly within the extension's manager. How to Use Toolbar Editor Open the Editor: Navigate to Window → Toolbar Editor.
Create a New Toolbar: Click the "+" button on the left panel and give your toolbar a name.
Add Tools: Locate tools in the master list on the right. You can use the Search field to filter by name. Drag and drop items from this list into your new toolbar panel.
Organize Layout: Rearrange buttons by dragging them. You can also right-click to insert line breaks or separators to group tools logically. Apply Changes: Click the "Apply" button to save your setup.
Note: Some changes may require you to restart SketchUp before they appear in your workspace. Where to Get It
The extension is available for download on the SketchUcation PluginStore . Ensure you are running the latest version (currently 1.1.8) for compatibility with newer SketchUp releases.
Creating a "full" guide for the SketchUp Toolbar Editor requires looking at both the native interface (which is functional but basic) and the professional method (which gives you the truly "full" control you see in expert workflows).
Here is a comprehensive guide to mastering the Toolbar Editor in SketchUp.
A standard SketchUp install is powerful, but a full editor includes your extensions. If you use V-Ray, Skalp, Artisan, or 1001Bit Tools:
This integration transforms your toolbar from a basic input device into a command center.
Window → Preferences → Shortcuts).A single, massive toolbar with 50 icons is not "full"—it is messy. The "full" editor allows for modal toolbars.
Workflow: Use the Toolbar Editor to assign keyboard shortcuts to toggle these toolbars on/off.
1 to turn on "Modeling" and hide "Drawing."2 to turn on "Camera."SketchUp does not natively do this with keystrokes, but you can use the "Context Menus" tab in the Toolbar Editor to create right-click radial menus that shift depending on what tool you have selected.
Beyond simple drag-and-drop, the full version offers nuanced controls: