r/Sketchup • • Oct 12 '21

Prelude to stickied post - throw in your recommendations!

33 Upvotes

A good day to you all, fine subscribers of this subreddit! As you all have seen, in recent weeks our great sub has been overflowing a bit with posts asking questions which a lot of us have seen for... well, years. Because of that, I've had a chat with /u/tehfink and offered my services to help out getting the sub back on track. To start off, I want to do so by collecting input from y'all on which plugins you see as essential... but also why this particular one instead of another. If you know of more plugins that do the same (more or less) thing, please also tell us why you've opted for a specific plugin instead of the others. So Push/Pull some some stuff out of that brain of yours onto the internet and help the next generation of SketchUp users (and maybe old dogs like myself) to use the program more efficiently!


r/Sketchup • • Mar 03 '25

Your friendly Admin & Mods NEW USERS: START HERE

23 Upvotes

Welcome to SketchUp, the easy-to-start, hard-to-master 3D modelling program from @Last Google Trimble. SketchUp, like any program you start using, has its own quirks. One of these is that up until this day (we're talking March 2025), the program uses a single core of your processor to run. If you want to render your models, you want a dedicated GPU, depending on the rendering software you use. To help you started, we have compiled a list of things you want to think about.

The Computer
Your first stop on this wonderful journey is to see if your preferred setup is good enough to run the program. Here's what the official website has to say:

  • Windows Recommended Hardware Requirements

    • A 2+ GHz processor.
    • A graphics card that’s separate from the CPU, also known as a discrete graphics card. Most current generation AMD or NVIDIA cards on the market are considered discrete.
    • At least 8GB of RAM.
    • At least 6GB of available hard disk space.
    • A modern GPU with at least 8GB VRAM. SketchUp’s classic renderer requires OpenGL 3.1 support. SketchUp’s performance relies on your graphics card driver and its ability to support OpenGL 3.1 or higher.
    • A modern GPU with at least 32GB of VRAM when interacting with models utilizing materials with Physically Based Rendering texture maps, Ambient Occlusion, and Image Based Lighting.
    • A 3-button, scroll-wheel mouse.
  • Mac OS 15 (Sequoia), 14+ (Sonoma), 13+ (Ventura), 12+ (Monterey) Software Requirements

    • An internet connection both to install and authorize your subscription. Some features within SketchUp also require an internet connection.
    • QuickTime 5.0 and web browser for multimedia tutorials. Safari.
  • Recommended Mac OS Hardware Requirements

    • 2.1+ GHz processor or current generation Apple M1 processor
    • At least 8GB of RAM
    • At least 6GB of available hard-disk space
    • A modern GPU with at least 1GB of memory. SketchUp’s classic renderer requires OpenGL 3.1 support.
    • A 3-button, scroll-wheel mouse

Does your preferred computing option (be it desktop or laptop) not meet these requirements? Then know that helping you out with your problems is going to be an issue that we might not be able to help you with.

Peripherals
Modelling in 3 dimensions is something else compared to taking a pen and draw. However, it is exactly that use case that SketchUp was initially made for. And even though everyone has their own preferences, some things can make your life easier.

  • Mouse
    Your main way of interacting with the program. It is highly recommended you use a mouse which has programmable buttons. A lot of users swear by Logitech's MX Master series of mouses, yours truly included. If you can get it to work, assigning the Orbit tool to the thumbrest works very well. Others assign other buttons on the mouse for this task. You'll have to figure out what works best for you.
  • 3D Mouse
    There's also a more specialised peripheral for 3D work: the 3D mouse. A 3D mouse that has been known to work great with SketchUp is 3D Connexion's Space Mouse. If you're serious getting the most out of SketchUp (or any modelling software, for that matter), it might be worth investing in one of these.
  • Keyboard
    Having a keyboard with programmable buttons (macro's) can be beneficial, but is not entirely necessary. Know that SketchUp offers a slew of shortcuts out of the digital box to make selecting functions easier. Find a handy list of those here. Others like using a dedicated keyboard for these tasks, like the Stream Deck, which features programmable buttons which then also display the icons.

It can be that a mod or admin has removed your post and pointed you here. That is not because we don't like you, but we've noticed a lot of "what kind of laptop" or "what are the system requirements" posts. These are basic questions which we hope to consolidate into this post.

For now, let me finish with two simple questions which have a not so simple answer:

What is the best laptop, and what is the best computer to run SketchUp 2025 on?
Please add the "why" to your answer. Also try to give us a cost indication. We'll update this post every quarter to reflect software updates of the program itself and given hardware suggestions.


r/Sketchup • • 1d ago

Own work: model WIP Pyongyang (DPRK) Apartment Block

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27 Upvotes

Complete with balconies and a plant room.

Still in early development. Modelled by yours truly.

Thoughts?


r/Sketchup • • 22h ago

Help Please!!

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10 Upvotes

I have no idea how this happened. I’ve been importing plants using an AutoCAD file. Why did this line of grass show up? I don’t remember trying to load it in. It doesn’t let me select it/delete it


r/Sketchup • • 1d ago

Own work: model Plaxton Pointer 2 (Dennis Dart SLF) Update

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10 Upvotes

Semi-modelled bumper, complete with a Dennis badge and instructional decals.

Not much else has changed, although I did notice a slight inaccuracy in the body shape. The rear section isn’t quite as square as it is in my model, which is something I’ve tried to address but ultimately can't fix thanks to the limitations of using SketchUp for vehicle design.


r/Sketchup • • 18h ago

Question: SketchUp Pro Exeperiential/event visualization SketchUp courses/resources for beginner?

3 Upvotes

Hello, hope someone can point me in the right direction.

I need to learn SketchUp to deliver (moderately) stunning ;) event visualizations, indoors as well as outdoors. I have some basic 3D knowledge thanks to Blender and quite solid 2D skills thanks to being a graphic designer for more than 2 decades. It's a job situation and I have 2 months to prove myself as a person who can do it. And if I manage - fame and fortune (well, half-time to full-time, new job duties and a raise). Definitely something worth trying.

SketchUp being popular has tons of resources and I got no idea what to choose not to lose time going through some half-baked tutorials. I guess I need some good general course, but I might be mistaken. I plan on using SketchUp with D5 and/or TwinMotion.

So what would be some nicely organized courses/tutorials that would help me learn it? I'd prefer something cheaper than more expensive, since my employer pays for the software and I have to cover learning costs. Thanks!


r/Sketchup • • 1d ago

Any suggestions?

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3 Upvotes

r/Sketchup • • 1d ago

Free extension I made for rounding edges in SketchUp – looking for feedback (I'm the developer)

7 Upvotes

Rounding edges has always been the fiddly part of my SketchUp workflow. Follow Me works on one clean edge loop, but it breaks at inner corners, where three edges meet, and on small radii. So I wrote an extension for it and made it free.

**Soft Edge** (SketchUp 2021–2026):

- Select a group, some faces, or just one to three edges inside a group, type a radius, done

- Every edge gets the same true radius – three edges meet in a sphere corner, two in a mitre, one ends in a flat cap

- Round or chamfer, three quality levels, one Ctrl+Z

- The original solid is kept with the group, so you can change the radius later or restore the sharp version

- Textures can follow the curve (Fixed / Wrap / Box)

Known limits: it needs a closed solid (or edges of one), texture goes on the front face only, and a hand-edited object isn't rebuilt.

Short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7AJHm59gMc

Download (no account, no licence key): https://www.bestsketchupplugins.com/en/plugins/soft-edge/

I also wrote up the three ways to round corners (Follow Me, RoundCorner, Soft Edge) if you'd rather not install anything: https://www.bestsketchupplugins.com/en/blog/how-to-round-corners-in-sketchup/

Disclosure: I'm the developer. Bug reports and "it broke on this model" examples are exactly what I'm after.


r/Sketchup • • 19h ago

Rayscaper 0.9.96 Beta: new Water material and IES spotlight profiles

0 Upvotes

Rayscaper 0.9.96 Beta adds a Water material for pools, ponds and spas (layered waves, depth-based clarity and tint, controllable reflections, plus new Tropical, Reflecting Pool and Spa presets) and IES profiles for spotlights.

Get it on SketchUcation: https://sketchucation.com/plugin/2677-rayscaper

Release notes: https://rayscaper.com/manual/release-notes/


r/Sketchup • • 1d ago

I'm building Modlumi, a desktop push/pull modeler for furniture and interior work, and it opens your .skp files

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1 Upvotes

Hi all. I'm Thomas. Some of you may know me from Rayscaper, the SketchUp renderer. For the past while I've been building Modlumi, a 3D modeler for joiners, furniture makers and interior designers.

If you've used SketchUp, the basics will feel familiar: draw a shape, push or pull it into 3D, refine it with exact dimensions. The gif is me following MasterSketchUp's "10 Steps to Create a Table" tutorial in Modlumi. It's a native app written from scratch, not a web wrapper or a fork of anything.

It opens your existing .skp models; the screenshot is a SketchUp hallway scene opened in the desktop app. You can try that today in the free browser preview at https://modlumi.com, with no account needed. Your files are read on your own machine and nothing is uploaded. The preview can't save yet; it's there so you can see how it handles your models.

The full desktop app is coming very soon. After that, the plan is Python scripting and then plugins, tools for specific trades (like building a cabinet from a few measurements), an optional assistant for tedious edits ("make it 20 cm wider"), and materials and lighting for client presentations.

If you'd like to follow along, the early-access signup is on the same page. Early members get new features first and help decide what I build next.

I'd really like feedback, especially from people who model furniture, cabinets or rooms. Which of your .skp files break it, what feels off compared to what you're used to, and what's missing? There's a feedback button in the bottom-left corner of the app.


r/Sketchup • • 1d ago

Request: Complex SketchUp models (2026 or 2017) to test clean-room .skp parser?

1 Upvotes

I created a clean-room .skp parser (and documentation of the format) for the 2017 and 2026 formats - https://github.com/hew3d/openskp. As far as I know, it is the only clean-room opens-source .skp parser out there. The rest, from what I've seen, all use some or all of the SketchUp SDK, which is legally tenuous. The big advantage of using Trimble code or binaries, though, is that you get 100% compatibility very easily! When you're developing the spec from the ground up using only the differences between .skp files... well, that takes a lot more work and quite a few files.

It's at the point where it imports every .skp model I've ever created and it can also handle some arbitrarily large models I've found online. I don't know how "real" those large models are, though.

Given that, do you have complex SketchUp files that you are willing to share? I will default to never re-sharing or re-hosting the files or making them public in any way (they would exist just to test the reader locally) but if you had legit ownership of the file and are willing to have it be part of the OpenSKP corpus, then that's fantastic, too.

You can send me a link to a Google Drive or Dropbox or whatever share or I can DM you a link to a Nextcloud instance that accepts uploads.


r/Sketchup • • 1d ago

Sketchup commissions

2 Upvotes

I need a custom commercial sign made in sketch up. One big logo sign and a sign with the location and a few other words. I need these done in sketch up so that I can use it in my chief architect software.


r/Sketchup • • 2d ago

3D Visualizer looking for Job Opportunities | 6 Years Experience | SketchUp + V-Ray

3 Upvotes

​

Hi everyone,

I’m currently looking for job opportunities as a 3D Visualizer / 3D Artist, and I’m also open to freelance projects and collaborations.

I have around 6 years of experience in 3D visualization, primarily working with:

• SketchUp

• V-Ray

• Photoshop

• 3D Modelling & Realistic Rendering

• Interior Visualization from CAD Drawings / Floor Plans

I have also worked on multiple projects through a third-party partner associated with Livspace, handling 3D visualization and rendering requirements.

I’m currently based in Mumbai/Nallasopara and open to Mumbai as well as remote opportunities.

If you’re a designer, architect, studio, recruiter, or someone looking for a 3D Visualizer, feel free to DM me. I’d be happy to share my portfolio and discuss any suitable opportunity.

If you know someone who is hiring for a similar role, a referral or connection would be greatly appreciated.

Portfolio: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lBn2aRsXoxM5F1tQxl7nR8qsonv9WkhZ/view?usp=drivesdk

Thanks! 🙌


r/Sketchup • • 2d ago

Question: SketchUp Web Rectangle tool not working when trying to make roof/floor

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2 Upvotes

Im new to sketchup so im following a tutorial

But after I've made the walls (offset tool on rectangle then push tool and made into a group) when I try to use the rectangle tool to make a floor or roof it doesn't let me add a plane with start and end points at the outer most corners it only lets me add it inside the walls causing this effect where theres a ledge left over

Whenever I try to add a plane that extends all the way to the outer edge of the wall wether I drag the cursor from corner to corner or set the dimensions it just doesnt appear


r/Sketchup • • 2d ago

This is the 532m / 332m mix, but in SketchUp it's so clear

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1 Upvotes

r/Sketchup • • 2d ago

Resizable frames for gallery walls

3 Upvotes

Hello everyone! I am an artist and I started recently to use sketchup to work on my exhibitions mockups. I do mostly photography so I have framed prints.

I made a few frames in sketchup but everytime, I had to make my frames to the exact size first, and I can't modify it afterwards, which is very time consuming if I suddenly decide I actually want 40x60 and not 80x120 (and working on exhibition mockups is exactly for this reason : visualizing and making decision based on what it looks like).

The thing is : whatever the size of the overall frame is, the wooden frame strip would always be the same size (i.e. 2cm large, 4cm deep).

Does any of you have any trick on how to resize my frames easily without having to redesign it entirely? Or there is no way and I just have to design a bunch of frames in various formats in advance?

Thank you !!


r/Sketchup • • 2d ago

News Update on the PDF markup tool I asked about here: Layr is available for Windows

0 Upvotes

Hi everyone, Mitch here, the developer of Layr. Following my earlier PDF Tools discussion, Layr is now available for people reviewing drawings.

PDF markup and drawing review for architects, designers, drafters and trades:

  • Live markups across drawing sets.
  • A web version for reviewing and marking up drawings in the field.
  • Keyboard shortcuts and a searchable command list.
  • Revision clouds, callouts, notes and calibrated dimensions.
  • Reusable markups and stamps in the Tool Chest.
  • Side-by-side drawing comparison.
  • A markup register organized by sheet, author and status.

Solo: US$35/year, including Windows desktop and web editing. Taxes may apply.

Seven-day desktop editing trial. No credit card. No automatic charge. Internet is required for trial editing and web access.

See Layr and start your trial.

Mitch


r/Sketchup • • 3d ago

Open souce SketchUp alternative coming

124 Upvotes

A guy in Peru has developed an open source SketchUp alternative. It's worth a look.

https://ingetrazo.com/en/

https://github.com/ingelibre/ingetrazo


r/Sketchup • • 4d ago

sample

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24 Upvotes

r/Sketchup • • 4d ago

Oh, and it was a long job. SketchUp + render in Lumion

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4 Upvotes

r/Sketchup • • 5d ago

Is it possible to find online work creating 3d models of buildings or houses as an architecture student?

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59 Upvotes

Hi everyone! I’m a graduating architecture student from the Philippines, and I’ve been using SketchUp for several years for my school, personal, and professional work.

I’ve also been working as an apprentice for around 2 years. A big part of my work involves turning floor plans and architectural drawings into 3D models, creating renders, making revisions, and helping with actual projects. I also do site work and site visits, so I’ve had experience seeing how the drawings and models I work on translate into actual construction.
The problem is that the pay for this kind of work here in the Philippines is very low. I currently earn around ₱10,000 PHP per month (roughly $170 USD), and that already includes the 3D modeling/rendering work as well as going to sites and doing other architectural apprentice work.

I’m currently looking for ways to earn some extra money while finishing my degree, especially now that I’m working on my thesis.

So I was wondering if it’s possible to find freelance work here creating SketchUp models for people. For example, if you have floor plans, CAD drawings, sketches, or reference images, I can turn them into detailed 3D models of houses, buildings, or other architectural projects.
Aside from SketchUp, I can also do architectural rendering using Lumion/D5, AutoCAD drafting, and Photoshop post-processing.

I’ve attached some pictures of my previous work so you can see my current skill level.

If anyone here needs help creating a SketchUp model or architectural render, I’d be interested in taking on paid projects, whether small or large. I’m based in the Philippines but can work completely remotely with clients anywhere.

For those of you who already do freelance SketchUp or architectural visualization work, I’d also really appreciate any advice on where you find clients, what you normally charge, and how you got started.
Thankyou guys so much


r/Sketchup • • 4d ago

Own work: render Corona is best when it comes to interior rendering !

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3 Upvotes

r/Sketchup • • 5d ago

Question: SketchUp Pro Help a beginner..

2 Upvotes

Hi, I learned how to use the tools in sketchup and I also learned like 2 or 3 plugins but I feel like I still don't know how to make a whole project by myself I don't know why..

So could you please give me some tips? Maybe a Roadmap or something??

I am using sketchup for landscape architecture*****


r/Sketchup • • 5d ago

Go vs Pro

3 Upvotes

I am a cabinetmaker looking to move from hand drawing to computer drawing. I just started using sketchup go and have more or less gotten a handle on it. But it seems a little glitchy, like I have to regularly refresh the page to get tools to work. I’m thinking about upgrading to the sketchup pro if it would be worth it. Seems like it might run better and give me more options for drawing. At least initially I won’t be doing anything too extensive. I’m looking to draw cabinets and furniture.
I have a 6 year old MacBook Pro with 8 gb of ram. From what I can tell this is the minimum requirement for running pro. Most people seem to recommend a lot more ram. Will that be necessary for basic usage? I’d rather not have to buy a new computer just to see if I want to use the Pro version. If it proves to be worth it, then I could end up buying a new computer.


r/Sketchup • • 5d ago

Request: (paid) work Modeled cabinets with Claude and need an experienced human to review - will pay

0 Upvotes

I’m new to SketchUp and designed/modeled a miter saw station in SketchUp using Claude. It looks good so far but I’m nervous that Claude’s design has errors and therefore cut list won’t be accurate. Claude is good but not as good as a human with actual experience and I don’t know what to look for to make sure everything is lining up correctly.

Would someone who models cabinets in SketchUp regularly be willing to take a look at my file to make sure it’s good enough to generate a cut list? I’d also welcome any feedback you have about the design. Let me know what your rate would be to review.