nEVEn: RESCAN

1. The Core Problem: Why SketchUp Models Bloat and Lag

Architectural SketchUp projects frequently suffer from severe viewport lag, slow autosaves, and sudden BugSplat crashes. In most cases, these issues stem from invisible model bloat:

• CAD Import Fragments: Thousands of stray, zero-length, or detached edges left behind by imported 2D DWG drawings.
• Fragmented Meshes: Coplanar faces split into excessive triangular seams by modeling operations or imported 3D Warehouse assets.
• Orphaned Memory: Unused component definitions and high-resolution materials that remain loaded in RAM even after being deleted from the viewport.
• Hidden Plugin Dictionaries: Invisible attribute tables and bloated texture caches (> 1 MB) injected by third-party extensions that native SketchUp tools cannot detect.

Running SketchUp's native Window > Model Info > Statistics > Purge Unused often fails to reduce file size or improve viewport frame rates. The Workflow & Rescan pipeline solves this by uniting intelligent geometry healing, deep asset purging, physical file reduction, and real-time re-auditing into a single automated workflow.

2. Dual Operational Modes: Instant Audit vs. Deep Sanitization

Accessible via the [RESCAN] button in the Results Dashboard footer, the engine operates in two distinct modes based on user intent:

A. Instant Re-Audit ([RESCAN])

• When to Use: After manually moving objects, deleting a group, or making minor modeling adjustments when no automated cleanup is needed.
• Behavior: When zero cleanup options are checked, clicking [RESCAN] immediately recalculates all model metrics, Load and Health scores, texture budgets, and stability indicators without modifying active geometry.

B. Automated Model Sanitization ([APPLY & RESCAN])

• When to Use: After completing modeling stages, finishing a texture optimization pass, importing heavy 3D Warehouse assets, or preparing a model for presentation/rendering.
• Behavior: When one or more hygiene options are activated, the button dynamically updates to [APPLY & RESCAN]. nEVEn executes the selected cleanup stages in sequence, auto-saves the project to disk, and displays an itemized breakdown of removed clutter and reclaimed storage.

3. Geometry Cleanup: Standard Edge Cleanup vs. Deep Cleanup

Stray lines and excessive triangulation degrade viewport orbit speeds by forcing SketchUp’s graphics pipeline to draw unnecessary vector profiles. nEVEn provides two levels of geometric sanitization:

Standard Edge Cleanup (Single Click)

• What It Does: Scans every group and component container across the active model to identify and eliminate orphan edges, zero-length segments, and floating line fragments that do not form valid faces.
• Safety Architecture: All locked groups and components - such as structural gridlines, site boundaries, and imported survey CAD drawings - are strictly protected and excluded from modification.

Deep Cleanup (Double-Click Escalation)

• How to Activate: Clicking the active Edge Cleanup card a second time elevates the operation to DEEP CLEANUP, triggering a confirmation dialog.
• What It Does: In addition to removing loose edges, Deep Cleanup performs intelligent coplanar face merging. Adjacent faces sharing identical planes, normals, and materials are merged into single clean surfaces. Redundant seamlines are eliminated, and hidden internal partition wall fragments are healed.
• Material & Boundary Protection: Faces assigned distinct materials, textures with different UV projections, or edges that define model silhouette boundaries remain untouched.

4. Unused Asset Purging: Native Purge vs. nEVEn Absolute Purge

When assets are deleted from the SketchUp viewport, their definitions, materials, and layers remain stored inside the .skp file header.

Native Purge (Single Click)

• What It Does: Executes SketchUp’s native purge routine, removing unplaced component definitions, unassigned materials, empty tags/layers, unused tag folders, inactive styles, and orphan scenes.
• Best For: Routine maintenance during standard drafting sessions.

nEVEn Absolute Purge (Double-Click Escalation)

• The Native Purge Limitation: Built-in SketchUp purge tools only clean basic asset lists. They cannot access or remove hidden attribute tables, legacy extension databases, or orphaned caches left behind by uninstalled rendering or modeling plugins.
• How to Activate: Clicking the active Native Purge card a second time elevates the operation to ABSOLUTE PURGE, opening an explanatory confirmation overlay.
• What It Does: Performs a deep forensic scrub of the entire model database, safely stripping orphaned third-party dictionaries and bloat (> 1 MB) that inflate file size.
• Active Data Preservation: Active rendering settings (such as external renderer materials, lighting setups, and environment configurations) are identified and protected.

5. Pre-Scan Auto-Save: Locking in Physical Disk Space Recovery

A common frustration among architects is cleaning a model only to find that the .skp file size on Windows Explorer or macOS Finder has not decreased.

• The Reality of SketchUp Storage: SketchUp does not rewrite its internal file structure or release freed disk clusters until the model is physically saved to disk.
• The Role of Action 3 (SAVE): When selected, nEVEn automatically saves the project immediately after geometry cleanup and purging finish, but before the fresh diagnostic scan executes.
• Physical Space Recovery: This ensures that purged materials, compressed textures, and removed geometry are flushed from disk, allowing nEVEn to calculate and display the exact physical megabytes saved.
• Untitled Project Guard: If working in an untitled, unsaved SketchUp session, the Save option is set to read-only ("Save is available only after the project has been saved to disk"), preventing unintended save dialogs from interrupting background processing.

6. Post-Cleanup Verification & Reporting

Upon completing the workflow, the modal transitions into the Rescan Complete report, providing transparent, empirical proof of model optimization:

• Geometry Cleaned: Exact numerical counts of loose edges deleted, coplanar edges dissolved, and partition walls healed.
• Assets Purged: Itemized totals of removed component definitions, materials, tags, styles, and orphan dictionaries.
• Physical Disk Space Saved: Displays the exact storage difference:
• Space saved: XX.XX MB
• Direct comparison: Before: XXX.XX MB | After: YYY.YY MB
• Health Advisory: Confirms whether the model has reached a Stable operational state, or highlights if further actions (such as texture downscaling) are required.

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