How to Install Old Plugins in Sketchup New Versions? (Solved)

I have been using Sketchup as a modeling tool for many years, more than a decade, during that time I have been able to collect some plugins that have been extremely useful for a long time.
The problem I have encountered is that with new versions of Sketchup, some of those plugins essential to my use can no longer be used because of the type of extension. In addition, the way plugins are installed in newer versions of the SketchUp program is different from later versions.
If you are looking for a way to install old Sketchup plugins in new versions of the program I can quickly explain to you my experience, I know several methods to do it.
First method: install the plugin from the computer to SketchUp
Just download the plugin and place the file in your downloads folder or wherever you have it.
If you want to install older plugins in newer versions of SketchUp without having to use the program’s Extension warehouse you must paste the plugins directly into the program’s plugins folder.
Copy or cut the plugin and paste it into the following path:
C:\Program Data\SketchUp SketchUp (year or version)\SketchUp (again)\Plugins
Paste the plugin in this folder and when you open SketchUp the plugin will be installed.
You must take into account that the Program Data folder is a hidden folder in windows.
To be able to see this folder you must enable from the windows file explorer the option to see hidden folders and drives.
Open File Explorer from the taskbar.
Select View > Options > Change folder and search options.
Select the View tab and, under Advanced Settings, select Show hidden files, folders, and drives and OK.
Second Method: install the plugin from the extensions manager
To install plugins from the extension manager, you must have the plugin downloaded to your computer in RBZ format.
In SketchUp look for the “window” tab, select the “Extension Manager” option, click on “install extension” and look for the plugin you have downloaded, select it and click on open to install the plugin.
Incompatibility of some plugins with new versions of Sketchup
Not all older plugins are compatible with newer versions of SketchUp, some may work, while others may not.
The plugin signing process in SketchUp is performed by parsing the rbz plugin through the program’s servers.
When a user installs your extension, SketchUp reads that signature file and compares it to the contents of your extension to verify that nothing in your extension has been altered since you signed it on our server.
If the signature matches, your extension can be uploaded. But the plugin may not load in the program if the signature and the extension content do not match, or if the extension is not signed.
An unsigned plugin may be because it is distributed through a different website or because the user has chosen a different loading policy for the plugin.
Some recommendations when installing plugins in SketchUp
1- Recommended is to have each plugin separately in a folder (one folder for each plugin).
2- Perform the installation according to the processes indicated here, depending on their type.
3- Install one plugin at a time, not several in a row.
4- Confirm if the new plugins installed do not generate any problem in SketchUp or conflict with other plugins.
5- If after the installation a bug is observed, preferably remove it and report it; or in such a case follow the usual procedures suggested.
How to install plugins in Sketchup with different extensions (Windows)
When we access a plugin download link we can find five different types of files:
1.- Files with .rb extension
2.- Files with .rbs extension
3.- Files with extension .rbz
4.- Files with .exe extension
5.- Files with .zip, .rar, .7zip extension
Type 1 is a file recognizable by Sketchup, it is editable with a text editor to change its content.
If you have Windows you must copy it to the following location
C:\Program Files Google SketchUp #Plugins in case you have a 32-bit operating system and to (I don’t think anyone uses 32-bit version anymore)
C:\Program Files(x86)\Google SketchUp #\Plugins in case you have a 64-bit operating system.
In case you have Mac OS X you must copy it to the following location:
[Your User Name]/Library/Application Support/Google SketchUp #/SketchUp/plugins
Type 2 is a file of the same type as the previous one but with the particularity that it is protected so it cannot be edited.
The location is the same as indicated in the previous section.
Type 3 is a compressed file type, It can be installed on older versions of SketchUp such as 8 as follows:
If the plugin has a standard extension (.zip), you can simply rename the extension from .zip to .rbz.
It seems that if you do not have any plugins installed by you sometimes the install extension option does not appear in the Extensions panel, if this happens to you install a plugin from any of the other options, you can always delete it afterward.
To install a SketchUp 8 Ruby plugin script in the .rbz format, follow these steps:
We recommend that you log in to your computer as an administrator before installing a Ruby script. This will make the installation process smoother and ensure that the files are installed.
Ensure that the files are installed in the correct locations:
Select Window > Preferences (Microsoft Windows) or SketchUp > Preferences (Mac OS X). The Preferences dialog box will appear.
Click Extensions. The Extensions panel appears.
Click the Install Extension button. The “Open” dialog box will appear.
Locate the Ruby compressed file you want to install (.rbz).
Click the Open button. The Ruby plug-in will appear in the list of extensions.
If you have problems and cannot install it from the Extensions panel you can change the .rbz extension to .zip, unzip it and copy its contents to the plugins folder, as described above
C:\Program Files Google SketchUp #Plugins in case you have a 32-bit operating system and to
C:\Program Files(x86)\Google SketchUp #\Plugins in case you have a 64-bit operating system.
In case you have Mac OS X you must copy it to the following location
[Your User Name]/Library/Application Support/Google SketchUp #/SketchUp/plugins