Charlotte Lee, Author at Elmtec Sketchup

Diving into concept design for Oscar award winning films with Chris Rosewarne

Posted on May 27, 2022July 14, 2023 by Charlotte Lee

“Artemis Fowl: Safe design Lovely prop to work on, super detailed as it was built and automated by the talented folk in the propshop!

Meshing gear, dials and Swiss clock like automation, allot of visual movement in this. I wanted it to look like the inside workings of a pocket watch, ticking mechanisms just visible behind the decorative face” – Chris Rosewarne

Chris Rosewarne, involved in designing props for Oscar award winning films that have taken the industry by storm as we rise out of lockdown in 2022 has now opened up about his SketchUp and concept designing journey, how he creates complex designs from concept to completion and some exciting new projects coming up this year.

Chris, studied Art at St Martins College of Art and Design and went onto do a Model Making Degree Course at Bournemouth. Spending his childhood building things such as Lego, his desire to be hands on with creating and building things, alongside his interest in comics and movies led his path to becoming a model builder for the film industry.

“James Bond: Spectre – cool little prop to design, a laser microphone gun attachment! 🚀 Had a couple earlier designs rejected in favour of the more utilitarian aesthetic which work well for the feel of the series. It’s hard to sometimes play-down a design, but that’s also a look all unto itself, very good lesson to learn!” – Chris Rosewarne

While Chris was studying he was lucky enough to secure a work placement with Artem, a visual effects company in London. As time past, he then begin to move into the design space and away from building, creating storyboards, illustrations and concept art.

Working on Tim Burton’s Dark Shadow was Chris’s first exposure to SketchUp. After learning the basics of 3D modelling in college, his career had been in total 2D until now.

Speaking to other art directors, SketchUp was described as ‘Extremely Simple‘, they can scan elevations and import them as technical drawings. They then give Chris screen grabs to paint over and bring them to life. Gradually Chris begun to start using SketchUp and build his knowledge over time.

Soon after, Chris started a job on Die hard and decided to try designing in SketchUp, he watched some tutorials online thinking “how do I do this!?” Thankfully Google and YouTube came to the rescue, people had created tutorials, the support system for SketchUp was great and he was finally able to start building on his knowledge.

“Tim burton’s Dumbo circus prop designs. Giant circus cannon. It’s always nice to switch genres in film projects, I love tech and sci-fi but a period movie project is a good “palette cleanser”, I really enjoy doing the historical research for these designs, fascinating to see what was made and built before!” – Chris Rosewarne

Over the years Chris has really begun to push the level of detail on SketchUp, as he begun to render designs to being the concept to life so that the complexity of the 3D model was mirrored in the final render.

When Chris was a child, building Lego was a large part of life and enjoyment. Thus now designing models for award winning films he used his theory of building Lego models in SketchUp. Creating more complex designs geometrically so, when these designs are rendered, the detail was there. To save time, Chris would often create a detailed component in quarters, once the first quarter was done all he needed to do was mirror this component, so the software really does alot of the heavy lifting.

SketchUp has everything in the tool box early on that means designers like Chris can think simplistically, the flow between ideas and screen becomes a lot more streamlined.

I love that SketchUp has a simple viewing port so when other designers need to view my work it displays good graphics simplicity. I often find half-baked ideas present and communicate the concept well throughout the design journey.

Chris Rosewarne

“Death On The Nile (spoiler alert!) lovely little brief, designing Jacqueline de Bellefort’s 22 calibre pistol. Based on a Sharps Model 1A Pepperbox. The script described it as being heavily engraved in the design of a serpent.

I created a cover to dress over the 4 barrels to give us a surface to engrave into, the prop makers did an amazing job with this one!” – Chris Rosewarne

At SketchUp 3D basecamp, people wanted to know how Chris does what he does. He opened up and admitted he actually probably one of the worst technical modelers at the event. He specialises in design work which is polar opposite to technical designers.

Chris flows ideas and aesthetics from mind to software using a lot of detail but overall creating pretty simple designs. The distinction between himself and technical designers is the method of design. Chris will focus on the visual aspect, technical designers take a more practically approach to the design, ensuring objects are water tight etc.

“Star Wars archives: casino droid, went though various designs with the only constraint that it had to look similar to BB8 This one reminded me of Vincent from Disney’s The Black Hole another strong childhood favourite of mine!” – Chris Rosewarne

A lot of what I am comes down making items look aesthetically pleasing, it often comes down to composition and framing, you could spend a week modelling a robot for example but the way it appears on screen is cropped, with the lightning and framing edited to give it a cinematic effect.

Chris Rosewarne

Finally we asked Chris for some of his proudest works, it was a hard job to decide, Chris mentioned there are two types of proud for him, the projects he enjoyed creating and designing, and the end results most popular with the audience.

One of they key favourites was the design of Quills gun from Guardians of the Galaxy, there are some images below, but if you would like to see the full workflow, click here for a short video from concept to creation.

Other personal favourites for Chris included the Sniper Rifal for Skyfall and the star wars casino drones.

Jurassic World is the next release Chris has been working on recently alongside up and coming films DUNE 2 and Meg 2 awaiting a release date in 2022/23.

To see more of Chris’ work, 3D modelling designs and renders, you can find them on social media here:

So who is Chris?

Our brand new SketchUp top trumps give you a speedy breakdown and the 411 on everything you need to know about Chris…

From where he calls home in the digital design space, to his secret SketchUp power, you’ll find the ins and the outs of his SketchUp Journey here…

If you want to have a personalised SketchUp top trump made for you, email us at marketing@elmtec.co.uk and let’s get the ball rolling!

How to Classify Objects, Organise Models and Place Moving Cameras in SketchUp

Posted on May 26, 2022July 06, 2022 by Charlotte Lee

Classifying Objects

The SketchUp Classifier lets you add detail to components and groups to create an object that you can then manage.

Objects have various details that you can use to count, measure, dimension and tag as well as generate reports, analyse a model and export the objects too.

You’ll need to be a SketchUp Pro user to do this.

How to classify objects

Before you start, check the following:

Make sure that the object that you’d like to classify begins as a component
Check that the classification system is loaded into the template
Make the Classifier tool visible on the toolbar

Now you can select the component and choose the classifier tool. Click on the arrow next to your classification system and choose the object type. You can then go ahead and classify the object by inputting any of the necessary info.

Generating a report

Using SketchUp’s generate report service, you can report all of the listed attributes in the form of a .csv file.

These reports are particularly useful for getting a snapshot of how many of each component is needed when it comes to the construction stage. This helps with planning and costing the final project.

Go to File > Generate Report and create a new template. You can now choose which components to include in the report.

When you’re happy that you have everything you need, go ahead and click on Run Report.

Organising Models

Using the array of organisational tools lets you keep your model tidy. Not only does it help for finding everything when you come to use them, but also for generating reports as well.

Organising geometry into groups and components. This allows you to separate smaller parts of your model and work on specific areas individually.

Nesting groups and components. Giving hierarchy to these items allows you to easily select what you need in a logical way. When creating reports, you can choose components that fall within a certain level of the hierarchy. And this allows you to report on the specific objects with matching data.

Changing group and component visibility. You don’t need to see everything all of the time. In fact, when working on your SketchUp model, it’s always advisable to only have the screen present relevant groups and components to keep you focused on the task at hand.

Viewing a Model

Viewing a model from every aspect is essential to ensure that your design continues to meet your spec.

It is possible to orbit, zoom and pan to check out your model from various angles.

Orbit. You can move around above and below your model to get a general idea of how it looks from every side. Select the Orbit tool and click on the drawing area. You can now move the cursor to orbit around the central point of that area.

Zoom. Zooming in lets you focus on a specific element when you don’t want to be distracted by the rest of your model. And zooming out offers you a snapshot of your vision to include everything together in your design. Select the Zoom tool. Then click and drag up or down to zoom in or out.

Pan. Panning simply sends the camera angle to the left or right to get a better idea of how things are looking on both sides. Go to Camera > Pan. Click and hold the scroll wheel and the left mouse button to pan left or right.

It’s possible to switch each of the views on and off as you wish.

You will find that using a three-button scroll wheel mouse makes this job, and modelling in general, a whole lot easier.

How to preview a model in Google earth

After preparing your model, you can go ahead and export it as a .KMZ file. This is the format that Google Earth will recognise. You can open the file with Google Earth and the map will appear with your model in place.

You can zoom in and move around the site to see how the design feels in its chosen surroundings.

How to place models in the ocean

Sometimes you’ll need to see how a structure fits into ocean surroundings. And this can be done through Google Earth thanks to its ocean layer addition.

In SketchUp, go to Window > Extension Warehouse and select the Ocean Modelling extension. After installing the extension, you can now preview your model in the ocean by following the above steps.

How to save a model in Google earth

Google Earth loads into Temporary Places by default. But you may wish to save the preview for future reference. To do this, context-click on the model name in the Temporary Place folder and choose to Save to MY Places instead.

Camera menu

The Camera menu includes standard views of your model. These are Top, Bottom, Front, Back, Left, Right and Iso.

In addition, there are also 3 perspective options.

Parallel projection. This allows lines to appear parallel in 3D and 2D.

Perspective. Here, lines disappear to the Horizon point to give perspective to the items on your model.

Two-point perspective. This is often used for creating 3D buildings. This gives a linear perspective along the width and depth of the objects as they meet at two individual points on the horizon.

Placing Movie Cameras in a Model of a Production Set

If you are designing sets for a film, then SketchUp Pro will let you access all areas using the Advanced Camera Tools (ACT). You can access this by going to Tools > Advanced Camera Tools.

It’s possible to place cameras anywhere in the model of a production set to show you a preview of real camera angles.

Once you have placed your cameras on the set, you can then view the previews from each of them in separate frames. It gives you a different perspective of the same scene and this can help when deciding where to utilise the cameras during the filming of the movie.

You may need to install the ACT extension from the Extensions Warehouse before you begin.

To add a camera using ACT, choose Select Camera Type from the toolbar and go to Categories and then Camera. The camera view will now appear and the area within any shaded bars to the top, bottom or sides will be your visible area through the camera.

To choose that camera view and add it to your design, click on the Create Camera button. You will now see a dialog box where you can add the name of the camera. Click done.

The crosshair will now show you the central point where the camera is aiming and you can see the properties of that camera in the bottom-left corner. You can edit these properties as needed.

You can also use the Orbit, Pan and Zoom tools to change the position of your camera. And the arrow keys will also come in useful for making any fine adjustments to your camera view.

Click Lock Camera when you are happy with the view to make sure that it doesn’t move around.

Now, you can contact-click and choose Done.

Delete an ACT camera

If you decide that you no longer require a certain camera angle, then you can go ahead and remove it permanently. Make sure that you are no longer in the camera view mode and zoom out to make the camera visible on the screen. You can then delete the camera. Beware that this will remove any corresponding scenes and tabs as well.

How Can I Access SketchUp for iPad?

Posted on May 25, 2022July 14, 2023 by Charlotte Lee

SketchUp for iPad offers a full-featured 3D modeling experience that enables you to design on-site, on the go, and in the office. Create, edit, and mark up 3D projects anywhere with SketchUp for iPad.

What You Need: SketchUp for iPad works with a wide range of iPad models and requires at least iPadOS 15 or higher. For more information, take a look at the System Requirements.

Your Models, Anywhere: SketchUp for iPad makes it easy to open, share, and manage your models. You can use Trimble Connect to access your files from other versions of SketchUp, save files locally on your iPad, or use your favorite cloud storage app. Take a look at our Working With SketchUp Files page for more information on how you can manage your models across multiple devices and apps.

Let’s Go! If you’re ready to dive in and start creating on iPad, our Getting Started page introduces you to the basics of SketchUp for iPad.

Create when inspiration strikes

Brilliant ideas don’t always hit you when it’s convenient — but a mobile 3D drawing space makes it possible to get work done wherever you are.

Sketch anything in 3D. Simple.

With support for Apple Pencil, multi-touch gestures, and of course, mouse and keyboard, you can easily draw, swipe, and click to give form to your creative vision.

Mark up & move projects forward

Quickly redline 3D models, make field edits on the fly, and sync all of your changes to the cloud to keep stakeholders aligned while on the go.

Always connected

A robust integration with our cloud-based collaboration platform, Trimble Connect, keeps files in sync across devices so you can move seamlessly between SketchUp for iPad, SketchUp for Web, and SketchUp Pro desktop design apps. Whether you’re connected to high-speed internet, or you’re working offline, take your work with you wherever you go.

How to Print your Models and View them in Google Earth

Posted on May 17, 2022July 14, 2023 by Charlotte Lee

Printing Views of a Model

Getting your design ideas onto paper is as trouble-free as you’d expect. There are various ways to customise the results including scale changes, orientation and desired quality to name but a few.

Straightforward model printing is possible on both Windows and Mac OS X. And both contain a similar range of options to bring your designs from screen to paper.

Printing views of a model in Microsoft windows

Windows users can take advantage of several Print Setup and Print Preview options. The majority of setup choices and additional preview features are quite familiar.

Print preview

Before you begin, it’s worth noting that to print your model to a different scale, you need to click Camera > Standard Views to make the changes prior to printing. There are various views to choose from. It’s also important to change to Parallel Projection view from the default Perspective view.

Reaching the Print Preview dialog box requires 2 simple clicks: File > Print Preview. The dialog box now appears with an array of optional functions.

Tabbed Scene Print Range – the Current View radio button is selected by default. Change this to Selected Scenes Only by checking the Scenes button. Enter a value ‘from’ and ‘to’ in order to select the scene numbers.

The Copies function lets you simply choose the number of copies you need.

Print Size options include Fit To Page and Use Model Extents—both are checked by default.

Fit To Page will automatically make your image fit on the selected paper size. Uncheck the box to enter your own values. Now you can also select a specific scale for the printer to use.

Use Model Extents will zoom to the model extents and ensure that it fits the entire model in the print. This is only possible if the whole model is visible in the current view. If it isn’t, then you won’t have this option.

Print Quality options let you choose from Draft, Standard, High-def and Large formats.

When your model includes a slice, you can check the 2D Section Slice Only box to print it.

Selecting the Use High Accuracy HLR box will transmit your image to the printer in a vector format.

Print Setup

Setup choices include printer selection and paper configurations and to access these options click File > Print Setup.

- Select your printer from the list of available devices
- Select Properties to make any changes to your printer configuration
- Select the paper size required and the source
- Choose the Portrait or Landscape printing button
- Click OK to begin printing

Printing views of a model in Mac OS X

There are 3 areas where you can perfect your print output using the Mac OS X system. These are Page Setup, Document Setup, and Print dialog.

Page Setup

Head to File > Page Setup where you can apply any current settings to Any Printer. Alternatively, you can select another printer from the list.

You can also select the paper size and choose portrait or landscape print results. The Scale box lets you increase or decrease the scale of your printout. Save these settings as the default from here if you wish.

Document Setup

Click on File > Document Setup where you can Fit View to Page or change the height and width.

As with Windows printing, you’ll need to go to Camera > Standard Views and select a view before printing. Again, change from Perspective view to Parallel Projection view.

Set the scale using the In Drawing and In Model options to change the measurements of your printout and model respectively.

Print Dialog

To finally send your image to the printer, you need to select File > Print. There are a few adjustments you can make to the potential results at this stage.

Firstly, select the printer you wish to use
Input the number of required copies
Change the print quality to either Draft, Standard, High or Extra High
Select Vector Printing if needed
Decide which line weight is necessary for your printout
Click Print

Viewing Your Model in Google Earth

Within SketchUp, you can preview your model in Google Earth to see how it sits in its natural surroundings when construction begins. To do this, you’ll need both SketchUp and Google Earth installed on your computer.

How to optimise a model for display from Google earth

Before viewing your model in Google Earth, you’ll need to optimise the model. The following steps will show you how to get your design ready.

Set your model geolocation. With the Add Location function, you can choose to either import a terrain or display it on Google Earth. SketchUp will locate your model ready for previewing.
Create accurate model dimensions. This is essential if the scale of your model is going to be comparable to the map.
Minimise model faces. Complex models will take up a lot of processing power to display on Google Earth.
Face orientation. Keep your front faces pointing outwards to avoid losing textures when shown on a map.
Add images to faces. Import and apply images of a building to add to your model when previewing in Google maps. And if you need to see through certain faces, then check the transparency options for the image.

How to preview a model in Google earth

You can zoom in and move around the site to see how the design feels in its chosen surroundings.

How to place models in the ocean

Sometimes you’ll need to see how a structure fits into ocean surroundings. And this can be done through Google Earth thanks to its ocean layer addition.

In SketchUp, go to Window > Extension Warehouse and select the Ocean Modelling extension. After installing the extension, you can now preview your model in the ocean by following the above steps.

How to save a model in Google earth

Renovation & Rendering With Mackenzie Paige Interiors

Posted on May 12, 2022June 13, 2024 by Charlotte Lee

Hi Mackenzie, thanks for joining us!

Hello! My name is Mackenzie, and I have my own Interior Design business Mackenzie Paige Interiors. My business started in 2020 and I’m thrilled to say that it has gone from success to success – through lots of hard work! Creating a business in lockdown was a great experience for me. I offer a variety of Interior Design services to clients, from hourly advice to complete re-designs, and SketchUp plays a large part in the majority of my work. Being able to create 3D designs are models for clients has made a huge difference to the customer experience and my ability to create great concepts for them.

Being able to use Enscape and SketchUp to create ultra-realistic designs helps bring my clients ideas to life before work begins.

So, when did you start using SketchUp?

I started getting to grips with SketchUp after completing my degree in Interior Design. I feel that SketchUp is the perfect tool to help me convey my design ideas to my clients and it was simple to start using and pick up skills as I went along!

Once you get to grips with the system and how to use it, it is a straight forward and quick way to create designs without the faff and complexities of other more intricate software’s. Using Sketch Up alongside the rendering software I am able to create stunning, realistic visuals. It also helps me to map out and ensure all measurements of items that I want to include work within a space – before I even start to make the models look pretty!

Taking before photos allows me clients to really see the transformation at the end of a project. It gives me such fulfillment when I can look at the before and after.

Creating interior design concepts is so simple in SketchUp and Enscape. I love it!

I use a couple of extra extensions with SketchUp. I use Enscape to do my rendering – it’s such a great software to use and like anything, at first I struggled to get to grips with it, but now I wouldn’t be without it! The quality of the renders, how quick it works, the inventory of items and all the effects that you can do on it are mind blowing.

I also use SU Podium Browser for additional items to add into my model that Enscape or the SketchUp Warehouse don’t have – I’ve found this invaluable when looking for digital items to represent actual items that I’ve recommended to clients for their design models.

Taking photos throughout the process and comparing them to our render designs helps the client and us to stay on track during the build.

I’d say to anyone who is tempted to get Sketch Up but isn’t sure, to go for it. Once you understand the controls and how to use the software it really is an amazing tool to have when you’re in the industry. It will provide you with invaluable resources to help convey your designs or concepts to clients. With the free SketchUp available too, there is no harm in having a play before committing to the Pro package!

To see more of Mackenzie’s work, 3D modelling designs and renders, you can find them on social media here:

So who is Mackenzie?

Our brand new SketchUp top trumps give you a speedy breakdown and the 411 on everything you need to know about Mackenzie…

From where he calls home in the digital design space, to his secret SketchUp power, you’ll find the ins and the outs of her SketchUp Journey here…

If you want to have a personalised SketchUp top trump made for you, email us at marketing@elmtec.co.uk and let’s get the ball rolling!

Communicating Your Designs in SketchUp

Posted on May 10, 2022June 10, 2024 by Charlotte Lee

SketchUp’s 3D modelling software is robust yet simple to use. And thanks to a wealth of clever features, it’s even easier than you think to share your design ideas with other people.

Whether you want to slice your 3D creations and share cross-sections of key aspects or offer your audience animated scenes from every angle, it’s up to you. Share your SketchUp model your way.

Add shadows to showcase your ideas at distinct times of day. Or perhaps view your project on Google Earth to truly bring your creation to life.

Need to document your design elements?

LayOut with SketchUp Pro lets you create presentations using your designs with added extras to give documents a professional and branded feel. Add your own images, text, labels and more.

And the best way to store and share these files is via Trimble Connect.

Take advantage of the Trimble Connect for Business capability when you sign up for a SketchUp subscription. Storing your files online and auto-syncing them between devices is fast and secure. And you can even view and recover previous file versions and gain access to a host of additional project management tools too.

This guide will not only show you how to share a SketchUp model with your clients but also highlight some of the visual options you have at your fingertips as a SketchUp user.

Sending a SketchUp model to LayOut
Using Trimble Connect with SketchUp
Slicing a model to peer inside
Walking through a model
Creating scenes
Animating scenes
Casting real-world shadows
Using the credits feature
Watermarking a model
Printing views of a model in Microsoft Windows & Mac OS X
3D printing a model
Viewing your model in Google Earth

Sending a SketchUp Model to LayOut

Sending a SketchUp model to LayOut is easy. Simply click on the ‘Send to LayOut’ button on the Large Tool Set or Getting Started toolbars. But knowing how to make the most of the fantastic set of tools when you’re there is key to documenting your ideas perfectly.

3D models are amazing reproductions of your architectural visions, but they aren’t much use to a building contractor waiting to lay the foundations. Orthographic projections get your ideas across in an accurate and functional way.

2D CAD drawings, elevations and floor plans are necessary for mapping out the exact footprint of a building design. And that’s where LayOut comes in.

But before sending your 3D models across to LayOut, you need to be sure to create your scenes first. SketchUp and Layout files link seamlessly to automatically update the designs. Setting specific scenes lets LayOut show you exactly what you want to see rather than the last saved version from your model.

After creating your scenes and sending a SketchUp model to LayOut, you can now input as many viewports as you need to showcase the design from various angles. Then it’s time to dimension and document the drawings.

LayOut’s documentation tools allow you to produce 2D plans based on the original design. From here, you’re able to produce a set of precise construction drawings that you can save and share with those who need them.

Any changes that you make to the original design are quickly applied to the 2D plans. Your clients can then access these updates as soon as you’re finished making the necessary adjustments.

Using Trimble Connect with SketchUp

Sharing your SketchUp model changes is fundamental to keeping all parties in the loop. And with Trimble Connect you can achieve this effortlessly.

This functionality comes with a paid SketchUp subscription and opens the door to a world of collaboration opportunities.

Save and store an unlimited number of creations and associated files
Share updated designs through the open BIM viewer
Grant teams access auto-sync data any time, any place
Recover previous file versions
And more…

How to sign in to the Trimble Connect website

Using Trimble Connect with SketchUp allows you to manage your designs in a simple yet productive way. And it all happens through the Trimble Connect Website.

The site stores all of your files on the cloud and gives you and other linked collaborators access whenever you need it. It’s available for Mac and Windows and is compatible with their mobile operating systems and Android too.

Signing into this common data environment is easy. Simply head to the Trimble Connect site and enter your subscription email address and password.

Once you’ve accessed your account, you can add your projects and begin. Select the subscription from the drop-down menu to grant access to the full range of tools and give your project a name. You can now start to add the files that you wish to share and publish your models using the Trimble Connect extension in SketchUp.

The Trimble Connect 2.0 extension

In SketchUp, head up to the main menu bar at the top of the screen and click File. At the bottom of the drop-down list, you’ll see the expandable Trimble Connect options. These include Open Model, Collaboration Manager, Publish Model, Publish As, Import Reference Model and Launch Trimble Connect.

Open Model

This is where you can open any existing SketchUp files stored on Trimble Connect. Each file opens in a separate model window for you to view.

Collaboration Manager

Once you’ve opened your model file, you can now begin to collaborate with other users. Assign them tasks, control your ‘to do’ list, respond to comments and update reference models as well as open a Trimble Connect pane within SketchUp.

Publish Model

To share a SketchUp model, you can add it to an existing project over on Trimble Connect. Details of the new model are now available for collaborators to view and work with.

Publish As

In much the same way as a ‘Save As’ command, you can save your SketchUp files with a new name or add them to another folder.

Import Reference Model

Importing multiple files to use as a reference in an open model file is simple in the following formats:

.skp
.ifc
.dwg
.dxf

Other members collaborating on the project can work on their own design files and integrate them into a master drawing set. Any updates to those files can then be viewed within the main file by simply updating each added element.

Launch Trimble Connect

You can open the Trimble Connect web app directly with this option. From here, you can complete any necessary tasks and adjust any of the configurations as needed.

The Trimble Sync facility

Trimble Sync lets you keep your PC, laptop and mobile constantly updated with the latest project info—giving you complete access to real-time project info. Simply log in on another compatible device and pick up where you left off.

Slicing a Model to Peer Inside

Section planes in SketchUp make slicing a model to peer inside extremely simple to achieve. Planimetric views, either horizontally or vertically, give you visual access to floor plans and sectional views of multiple floors at the same time.

How to add a section plane

The first step is to deselect all other areas of the model to ensure that you aren’t working on the wrong area. Next, open the object that you wish to slice and input any height measurements for your plane.

Select tools from the menu bar and select the Section Plane tool. Or go straight to the icon on the Tool Set palette if you’re a Windows or Mac user.

Using the plane cursor, select the face where you wish to create the slice. Your section plane will appear along with a dialog box for you to name the section.

Finally, you can make any necessary adjustments to your plane by changing the placement, reversing the cut direction or aligning the camera view. You can also select an active cut if multiple planes are present and hide/show planes as needed.

How to fill voids in section cuts

Depending on the type of object that you choose to slice, your cut may result in open voids appearing. To fill these voids in a closed loop, you can open the Styles panel, click on the Edit tab, select Modelling Settings, and check the Section Fill box. You can also change the fill colour if required.

How to create a new geometry from a section plane

To create a new geometry from a new section plane, simply context-click on the section plane and select Create Group from Slice. You can now move that group to where you need it in your model.

You can also divide your model by exploding the group.

How to hide section planes and cuts

SketchUp comes complete with a versatile set of controls to adjust the visibility of a plane and cut independently. It’s possible to:

Hide a single section plane by right-clicking on the section plane and select ‘Hide’
Hide all section planes by clicking the Display Section Planes tool
Hide all section cuts with a click on the Display Section Cuts tool

How to export section cut effects

Showcasing and sharing your section cuts is possible with both SketchUp Make and Pro versions. But with SketchUp Pro, you can also export a 2D vector image known as a Section Slice.

You can use these 2D slices to create scaled drawings and edit them in other programs that work with vectorised images.

To do this, select the appropriate plane and head to the following: File > Export > Section Slice.

Now all you need to do is select the folder where you want to save the file, give it a name and click on ‘Export’.

Walking Through a Model

Getting up close and personal with your designs is the only way to check every intricate part of your model. Browsing an image from afar gives you a great idea of how it all feels in general. But you need access to all areas to give you complete confidence in the final product.

Walking through a model using a few of SketchUp’s additional tools will open the door to your design and let you step inside.

Methods for positioning cameras

You can choose to view your work from specific points by simply changing the camera position. Using the Position Camera tool will initially place the camera 5’ 6″ above where you click. After that, you can adjust the eye height to view from a different perspective.

To make this happen, choose the Position Camera tool from the toolbar, click and hold where you wish to place the camera and drag the cursor to the point that you would like to view. To adjust the camera height, just enter the figure in the Eye Height box.

How to use the look around tool

After positioning the SketchUp camera, you will automatically trigger the Look Around tool.

You will now begin to view your model from the preset height. Make your height adjustments as necessary and bear in mind that it is relative to the ground plane regardless of the surface height of your model.

Click and drag the cursor in any direction to turn your head and view your design.

How to walk through a model

You can easily walk through your 3D model by using your mouse or trackpad. Select the walk tool that is represented by a pair of shoes and place your cursor on the screen to show the direction in which you would like to start walking.

Click and drag upwards to move faster and downwards to slow down again.

The tool also has automatic collision detection to prevent you from walking through walls and other geometry. You can toggle the collision detection off to make it easier to pass from one side of the design to the other if necessary.

A Beginner’s Guide to SketchUp & Enscape Lighting

Posted on May 06, 2022June 10, 2024 by Charlotte Lee

You already know that visualizing your SketchUp model in Enscape is simple. You click a button, and ta-dah, a high-quality render of your project appears within seconds! But there’s so much more that you can do to add more depth to your visualization with just a few tweaks to lighting.

We’ll guide you through the basics to help improve your SketchUp and Enscape workflow and brighten up your visualizations. We’ll cover how to:

Change the position of the sun
Place different light types into your model
Add colored lights, self-illuminated materials, and skyboxes

Before we get started:

Make sure you’re using the latest versions: Enscape 3.3 and SketchUp 2022.
Download the free sample project and follow along.
Check that your GPU drivers are up to date.
New to real-time visualization? Sign up for a free 14-day Enscape trial.
New to 3D modeling? Sign up for a free 7-day trial of SketchUp.

Adjusting sunlight in Enscape and SketchUp

Sunlight can impact the look and feel of your project. Therefore, it’s essential for you to know how to adjust it. It’s possible to move the sun’s position in the Enscape rendering window, and Enscape can also take the geolocation and time of day/year settings from the Shadow and Location toolbars in SketchUp.

You can adjust these settings and see the real-time changes in the Enscape window. Set the time of day per scene, and then when you switch scenes in Enscape (via the view management tab), you will see different times of the day. You can change the time of day inside of Enscape by holding down the shift + right mouse button and moving your mouse left and right to the desired time of day. Pressing the HOME button will reset the sun back to the settings from the Shadow and Location toolbar in SketchUp.

TIP: You can also adjust the sun in a few other ways:

Time of Day: Press U or I

Solar Angle: Press Shift + U or I

Solar Rotation: Press CTRL + U or I

TIP: For softer shadows and a more natural diffused look to your scene, try increasing the density of the clouds and changing other settings in the Clouds section (under Visual Settings > Sky) to block out the sun (like clouds do in the real world).

Before cloud density was increased.

After cloud density was increased to block out the sun. Now softer shadows have been achieved.

Adding lights in SketchUp and Enscape

Five lighting types come with Enscape: Sphere, Spot, Linear, Rectangular, Disk. They can all be found under the Enscape Objects button on the Enscape toolbar.

It’s important that the light source is not placed on the surface of your geometry, as setting it directly on an object’s surface could result in the light being obscured. Instead, place the light source just next to it. The click system (each type of light has a different system; see below) ensures the light source is placed away from an object’s surface. You can also set the axis direction by using the left, up, and right arrow keys between the first two clicks.

Let’s look at how to add each type of light to your SketchUp model.

Spotlight

When placing a spotlight, you’ll need to make four clicks to position the light.

TIP: When placing lights, draw a reference line of where you would like the light to be and hit.

1st click: This will determine the base point for the light. Click on the surface or axis of the object you would like the light to be placed.

2nd click: This will determine where the light will be placed on the surface. Move the light along the surface or reference line to the desired location.

3rd click: This will determine the surface the light will be hitting. Click on the surface you would like the light to hit.

4th click: This will determine the position of where on this surface the light will be hitting. Click and move the light to the desired place on the surface.

Once the light is placed, you will notice some red dots at the end of the light beam. These are here to give you control over the “Focal Point,” “Target,” and “Beam Angle.” You will also notice that you now have more options in the Enscape Objects tab for this spotlight.

These controls will allow you to adjust the Luminous Intensity and Beam Angle. Notice you will also get the option to load an IES Profile.

TIP: The maximum length of the spotlight cone is 23 meters.

IES Profiles

IES files describe how a specific light is distributed throughout a space. These files can help add more realism to the model and give an accurate representation of what the actual space will look like when it is built.

Here are some resources where you can find IES profiles:

TIP: You can tell when a light has an IES profile assigned to it by how it looks:

Without IES profile.

With IES profile.

Sphere light

When placing a sphere light, two clicks are required to position the light.

1st click: Will determine the base point for the light.

2nd click: Will place the light.

Once the lights are placed, you will see the options to adjust the light settings in the Enscape Objects window:

Sphere light and self-illuminated material.

Line light

When placing a line light, there are two clicks you will need to make to position the light.

1st click: Will determine the base point for the light.

2nd click: Will place the light.

Once the lights are placed and rotated correctly, you will see the options to adjust the Luminous Intensity and Length in the Enscape Objects window.

Rectangular/disk lights in Enscape

Place these lights using the same four-click process as the spotlight:

1st click: Will determine the base point for the light.[GFDS1] .

2nd click: Determine where on the surface you want to place the light. Then, simply move the light along the surface to the desired location.

3rd click: Click on the surface you would like the light to touch.

4th click: Click and move the light to the desired place on the surface.

As with the other light types, once you place the rectangular/disk light you can see the adjustment options available. For the rectangular light, it’s possible to change the Luminous Power, Width, and Length. For the disk light, the Luminous Power and Light Source Radius can be changed.

TIP: For optimal workflow efficiency, it’s possible to copy and paste all of the different light sources. Once you have placed a light, select and copy it using CTRL-C or the Copy option in the Edit menu. Then paste the copied light using either the CTRL-V or the Paste option in the Edit menu.

Changing light colours in Enscape

TIP: To change the color of a light, pick the color you would like from the SketchUp materials and paint bucket the light.

White light underneath a kitchen cabinet.

Use the paint bucket to adjust the color of the light.

Colored light applied and visible.

Self-illuminated materials

Self-illuminated materials are another way to impact the lighting of a scene. A designer can use them for custom lighting fixtures, TV screens, fireplaces, and more. Use self-illuminated materials in combination with Enscape lights to give the appearance of the light being on during the day. To make a material self-illuminated, open the Enscape Material Editor.

Select a material, change the Type to Self-illuminated, and you will notice you now have a new option to control the self-illumination parameters of this material:

On the left side of the screen in the Materials section, the material icon will change to a lightbulb. This determines what type of material each one is. Check out this article for more information on self-illuminated materials in Enscape and SketchUp.

Skyboxes for lighitng in Enscape

Another way to light a scene and add more realism to a rendering is to use a skybox, which acts as a background image for your project. Pre-loaded skyboxes can be found in the Enscape Visual Settings tab > Sky > Horizon > Source > Skybox:

You can choose from one of the skyboxes listed above or upload one you have created or downloaded.

No skybox applied.

Skybox applied. Notice how the brightness and shadows have changed.

In the Visual Settings tab, under Sky > Horizon, the ‘Normalize the average brightness to the value set below/Brightness’ slider will darken or brighten the overall brightness of the skybox.

Using the ‘Brightest Point as Sun Direction’ option will connect Enscape’s sun to the brightest point of the skybox (which in most cases will always be the sun) and add more realism to the scene.

One thing to remember when using skyboxes is that they will block out the Enscape sun, and you will not be able to change the time of day.

Here are some free resources where you can find HDRIs (custom skybox files) to download and add to your scene:

Final thoughts on SketchUp and Enscape lighting

By simply adjusting the sun’s position and time of day, as well as adding the right lights and a skybox, you can make a difference to the look and feel of any project. We hope this basic guide to lighting in SketchUp and Enscape has provided you with some tips and ideas to implement within your own projects.

There are many great tutorials on YouTube, depending on your level of experience, and additional resources contain other best practices. Here are a few worth checking out:

Have fun exploring lighting in SketchUp and Enscape! We can’t wait to see what you create. Remember to tag us on social.

P.S. Enscape for Mac and SketchUp will be available soon! Sign up to our dedicated Mac mailing list to hear the news first.

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How to Set Up Templates and Improve Sketchup’s Performance

Posted on May 03, 2022June 13, 2024 by Charlotte Lee

Setting up Templates

There are several templates to choose from that will help speed up your design setup. Having the model’s default settings predetermined makes it much faster to get started.

You can add your own elements to a template and create your own if you wish. These include changing settings in the Model Info dialog, Geometry info, Styles and Shadows.

The Model Info dialog box allocates the model defaults and your template should reflect these settings
Saving existing geometry to a template means that it can be instantly available when you create a new model
The styles browser presents sets of styles or the alternative is to set an individual face, background and watermark value
Shadows aren’t switched on by default but you can add them along with their own preferences to a new template

How to change the default template

To begin, head to Windows > Preferences for Windows users and SketchUp > Preferences with macOS. Next, choose the template you would like to set as the default and click OK.

How to create a new template

Many of the designs that you create may well have a familiar group of settings. Setting up your projects is a matter of personal preference and depends on the type of models you often work on. Customising SketchUp by creating templates that match your individual needs is extremely useful.

You can use your existing default template to get started.

Simply make any of the changes you want to include in a template and select File > Save As Template.

Improving Sketchup Performance

There are 3 key elements that combine to create the peak performance for your modelling design experience.

When you have everything working in harmony, you can expect fast and efficient results that won’t break your flow of concentration.

These areas are optimising your modelling techniques, adjusting any necessary computer settings and changing OpenGL settings.

How to optimise modelling techniques for improved performance

As you create more faces and styles etc., SketchUp will continuously render the results. This is the workload pressure that the software is constantly putting on your system and can have big effects on the overall performance.

By keeping models light, you reduce that pressure and help keep things running smoothly and effortlessly.

Here are a few fundamentals that you might want to focus on to strip things back and lighten the load a little.

Use simple styles. Shadows and textures add plenty of weight to a design in terms of processing power. If they aren’t essential, then keep them turned off.

Create components. Turning elements into a component lets you use them many times if necessary. So rather than adding the same thing over and over, make it a component and simply replicate it.

Use .jpeg instead of .tiff. Importing images as a JPEG will result in far less data being transferred as the files are much smaller.

Hide unused geometry. Everything that is visible needs to be rendered. Try grouping certain elements together in layers and turn them on and off as needed.

Purge unused data. SketchUp keeps copies of old styles and components after you remove them just in case they are needed in the future. If you don’t need them again, then you can always remove them to speed things up a little. Go to Window > Model Info. Choose Statistics and Purge Unused.

How to verify the computer meets Sketchup Hardware and Software requirements.

Your hardware setup is one of the biggest factors worth considering when it comes to SketchUp performance. Even with the most organised workstation and light designs, you can’t make things faster if your computer isn’t up to the task.

You’ll need to ensure that you’re using a suitable graphics card, have enough RAM to perform any assigned processes and an adequate processor for the job.

For Windows 10 versions, for example, it’s recommended to have at least a 2GHz processor, 8GB of RAM, AMG or NVIDIA graphics card, 2GB of free disk space and 3D class video card.

Finally, always use any available SketchUp software and operating system updates.

How to adjust OpenGL settings to improve performance.

The Open Graphics Library is the SketchUp API which renders 3D graphics within the program. This along with the Anti-aliasing of jagged edges can cause performance issues for your system. So it’s good to know that it’s possible to adjust the preferences for both if necessary.

OpenGL

Go to Windows > Preferences or SketchUp > Preferences on masOS to begin making adjustments.

Select OpenGL and you’ll have a couple of options.

Use Maximum Texture Size – SketchUp doesn’t render graphics with anything over 1024 x 1024 resolution. This should be the default setting. But if your software feels sluggish, then it’s worth checking that this hasn’t been enabled somewhere along the line.

Use Fast Feedback – This setting can help improve performance, especially when working on larger models. It should be on by default but check that it is still switched on, just in case.

Anti-Aliasing

If you notice issues with the SketchUp performance or the visual appearance of your model, then you might want to check this setting.

Head to Window > Model Info and choose Rendering. Try deselecting the Use Anti-Aliased Textures feature to see if this helps to improve things.

Developing Tools with the Sketchup Ruby API and Console

SketchUp’s Ruby API allows you to create tools and menu items along with a host of other functions. Ruby is an open source programming language that makes it possible to integrate various changes to simplify processes for the user.

Naturally, you’ll need to be au fait with programming in this scripting language to add to the ongoing development.

The Ruby Console is also available for trying out any additions to see how they function within SketchUp.

SketchUp doesn’t offer any support for this at present. However, the developer’s forum is a great place to start if you have any questions.

SketchUp for iPad: Capture your creativity on the go

Posted on April 30, 2022July 06, 2022 by Charlotte Lee

SketchUp for iPad is the new, versatile way to create, edit, and view 3D models whether you’re on a job site, on the go, or in the office. With support for Apple Pencil, multi-touch gestures, and mouse and keyboard, you can harness the power of 3D your way. Quickly draw, swipe, and click to bring form to your creative vision.

For those who already know you need SketchUp for iPad in your life, you can download it if you’re an active subscriber, or try it for free now.

SketchUp for iPad in practice

We knew sketching on an iPad would be a game-changer for various workflows, so we were eager to get the inside scoop from several of our SketchUp for iPad beta users.

Our lucky betas fancy everything from exploring designs on a job site to being able to jot down early-stage concepts quickly. Other notable callouts include easily reviewing and marking up designs from team members, studying the details of a design, and cutting down the back-and-forth time it takes to go from RFI to an on-site solution. We’re going to pause here and let you read for yourself a 🔥 sampling of the inbound we’ve received from the SketchUp-verse.

Here’s what some of the beta users had to say:

“I have been using SketchUp for iPad a few different ways. It helps me get ideas out digitally instead of sketching on paper during the conceptual design phase. During design development, it’s useful because I can go back and forth between iPad and desktop. I also use Markup mode with Apple Pencil to sketch directly on top of 3D models. This is useful in meetings with clients, contractors, collaborators, and consultants. Lastly, it has been valuable to use SketchUp for iPad on construction sites. Typically, contractors have SketchUp on a laptop, and I have to sit down with them and help them understand how things are supposed to be built. Now, I do this work with my iPad. It’s very fluid and fast.”

João Queiroz e Lima Designer

“We use SketchUp to design all of our architecture projects. We even take our models out in the field to help the contractors during the build phase. SketchUp for iPad has many more viewing capabilities that I need when going to a job site. I can now zoom in on specific sections and take more precise measurements using Apple Pencil. It helps me communicate more efficiently with our general contractors. They love seeing the model on an iPad versus paper because it’s more detailed. I enjoy SketchUp for iPad because it’s like a digital piece of paper; it’s so much more flexible than bringing your laptop out in the field.”

Guy Wydouw Designer

“I use SketchUp every day in the film industry. Now, I use SketchUp on my iPad and take my work wherever I go – the train, on set, etc. Before SketchUp for iPad, I would hand sketch on sets and jot down dimensions on a piece of paper. Now, I can do it right there with the Director on my iPad. It’s saved me a lot of design time – about half a day’s work. Plus, I don’t lose any modeling space with the way the UI has been developed. All of the menus are dropdowns, so it saves a ton of space.”

Luke Whitelock Designer

Let’s dive deeper into a specific case from beta user Omar Calderon Santiago, Design Principal at Perkins Eastman. Perkins Eastman is a global architecture, interior design, urban design, planning, landscape architecture, graphic design, and project management firm. Omar handles front-end conceptual design work and prefers to work exclusively in SketchUp.

“SketchUp helps me communicate my initial design ideas to other team members and clients. Something unique about Perkins Eastman is that we work within design groups. So everyone works together throughout the entire design process.”

How do you use SketchUp for iPad in your workflow?

We’ve been exploring and experimenting with SketchUp for iPad in our workflow, and the possibilities are endless. I use SketchUp for iPad during the initial conceptual design phase. To unleash your creativity at the start of a concept, you need tools that are easy to use – tools similar to sketching on a physical piece of paper, and SketchUp for iPad is precisely this.

My workflow typically starts by importing a geo-referenced location to get the scale correct, and from there, I create massing models. This helps me and the team understand the building’s scale and the surrounding context. And, since there’s a seamless integration between desktop and iPad, I can work across both on the same project.

Another SketchUp for iPad use case is carrying out detailed studies of aspects of a particular design. For example, I can import an image clip or floor plan and extrude objects, or focus on one area and detail it out.

I’m also excited about being able to easily import 3D Warehouse models into my iPad designs, which has helped speed up my workflow.

What benefits have you gained from using SketchUp for iPad in your workflow?

It’s been liberating. I enjoy the mobile aspect because I can take my design work anywhere. The past couple of years has brought a new perspective to how we work and fast-tracked our ability to work away from the office. Work needs to be easily transportable, and with SketchUp for iPad, it is.

Experience SketchUp in a new way

To solve the trickiest design problems, you need the right tools. Here’s why SketchUp and iPad are the perfect (design) pair:

work on the go whether you’re connected to high-speed internet or working offline;
create in 3D with the ease of drawing by hand without sacrificing precision using Apple Pencil;
access your projects anywhere with iPad’s inherent mobility;
And share your way via AirDrop, text, email, or sync files to your favorite storage app.

We’ve also got all of your core modeling bases covered with a few old friends you’ll be happy to see – Entity Info, Shadows, Styles, Materials, Add Location, Tags, Scenes, Image export, Animation export, access to 3D Warehouse…and so much more. After all, this is the SketchUp you know and love, just on an iPad.

On top of all of that, this completely new interface incorporates robust, intuitive modeling capabilities developed specifically for iPad 🔥. SketchUp for iPad has the professional features you need with the simplicity you desire. Explore the highlights:

Autoshape: This new machine-learning feature enables you to turn doodles into 3D shapes instantly. Even better, you can pull in Live Components: parametrically configurable objects that redraw themselves in real-time. Talk about a time saver!

Markup mode: Are you a person that likes to edit designs with a red pen? Well, we’ve got your back. Using Apple Pencil, you can mark up and sketch over top 3D models with different styles, colors, and strokes. When you’re ready to turn those redlines into reality, you can iterate quickly in 3D using the Apple Pencil.

AR viewing: Experience your projects in the context of the real world with iPad’s powerful augmented reality viewing capabilities. While in AR, you can cycle through any pre-saved scenes and explore your model at a fully immersive 1:1 scale.

Draw your way: Create in 3D with Apple Pencil, mouse & keyboard, or multi-touch gestures. Whatever works best for you!

Add Photo Texture: Bring inspiration from the real world into your projects using your iPad’s built-in camera. Take a picture, and apply it as a texture to any surface in your model. Simple.

Always connected. Trimble’s cloud-based project management solution, Trimble Connect, is now available at your fingertips. With Trimble Connect, you can work on whatever device you need – from SketchUp Pro, SketchUp for iPad, and SketchUp for Web. You’ll always have access to the latest file, so whenever work calls, you’ll be prepared to answer.

Cross-app functionality. SketchUp for iPad also plays nicely with other apps. With USDz export capability, you can create in 3D on SketchUp for iPad and then draw or paint in various other apps, including Procreate and Morpholio Trace.

Take a peek inside SketchUp for iPad…

How to access:

Great news. SketchUp for iPad is available to anyone with a paid subscription. Yup, you read that right: Go, Pro, Studio, Higher Education, and Non-Profit subscribers can start creating SketchUp models on an iPad today!

Prefer to try it out first? You can take it for a spin using our free 7-Day trial

Getting started:

Once you’re in the app, check out the ‘Learn’ tab on the left-hand side of the Home screen. We’ve developed in-app tutorials to help get you up to speed, fast. Whether you’re just starting, or you’ve been around the SketchUp block a time or two, you’re sure to pick up some helpful iPad modeling tips.

Want to learn even more about the features and how to get started? Check out our Help Centre for the full scoop.

Alternatively, get started by following one of the links below:

Download the App
Start a 7-Day trial

Buy From A UK Reseller for round the clock email and phone support with your SketchUp subscription

How to Create and animate Scenes in SketchUp

Posted on April 26, 2022June 10, 2024 by Charlotte Lee

What are Scenes in Sketchup?

Creating scenes in SketchUp allows you to generate various views of your work and save them as independent images.

The benefits of doing so include quick access to different angles, seeing parts of your design with various textures or rendering applied, showing your model in parts to break down a presentation, adding additional views to shared models and creating animated sequences.

How to create a scene

Creating scenes is a simple three-step process. However, you should ensure that you set the view exactly how you want it with styles etc. applied for each before you begin.

Step 1. Head up to the Windows tab and select Scenes from the menu.

Step 2. Click on the Add Scene option.

Step 3. A new scene will appear and you can now change the name and add any other details as necessary.

How to manage scene properties

Each new scene comes with various preset properties. You can adjust these by unselecting the options from the Scenes dialog area.

Camera Location. You can adjust the point of view and zoom distances to suit your requirements.

Hidden Geometry. Everything will remain hidden when you load a new scene. Uncheck the box to display hidden elements.

Visible Layers. If you have used layers to control which parts of the document are visible, then you may wish to continue showing these throughout your saved scene.

Active Section planes. As with the visible layers, you may have created various section planes for your model. If you don’t want these to appear in your scene, then simply uncheck this box.

Style and Fog. Any of the scenes that you create will have their own style settings. When you edit these, you can decide whether or not you want to save the changes.

Shadows Settings. Creating Shadow settings for each of your scenes allows you to view shadow aspects at various times of the day. You may or may not want these saved with a newly created scene.

Axes Location. If you do not want the axes display info included in your scene, then you can toggle this off as well.

How to update a scene

To update your scene, select Windows from the menu bar and then click Scenes to open the dialog box.

Select the scene that you wish to work with and make sure you check the Show Details option to double check any of the properties that you want to save.

Finally, click on the Update Scene Button.

How to manage scenes

The scenes window will present all of your scenes in order of their creation time.

But sometimes you may wish to adjust this order and organise them in a way that makes more sense to you.

To do this, context-click on the scenes tab that you would like to move and shift it to the left or right as appropriate. You can also move the tabs up and down by selecting the Move Scene Down option and choosing the appropriate arrow.

How to delete a scene

Over time, it’s possible to build up a lot of scenes associated with your model. And you may not wish to keep all of them in the long term. To delete them, simply select the scene from the dialog and click Remove Scene.

How to customise scene thumbnails

Choosing your scene thumbnails is a matter of personal preference. It is possible to remove them altogether by clicking on the Details icon and unchecking the Use Scene Thumbnails option.

Other options include Small Thumbnails, Large Thumbnails, View Details or a List option that provides just the names of the scenes in a list.

How to view scenes in models imported from the 3D warehouse

Downloaded models from 3D Warehouse into SketchUp arrive in the form of a component. These will not have any scenes attached to them. The solution is to open it as a model by selecting No when asked if you want to load it directly into your SketchUp model.

Next, choose to open the file and use any of the scenes associated with that model.

Animating Scenes

Animating scenes is a fantastic way to show how your creation looks over a period of time. This could be with people coming and going, for example, traffic or perhaps shadows moving across a building throughout the day.

All of this is possible after creating your initial set of scenes and can be played as an animation in SketchUp, exported as an .MP4 or as an image set.

How to animate scenes in SketchUp

You can animate your scenes in the Scenes Manager by selecting the scene and clicking View > Animation > Play. Alternatively, context-click on the scene tab and choose the Play Animation option.

You can also customise the animation by clicking View > Animation > Settings.

How to export video animations

To export your animations, head up to the main menu and click on File. Select Export, Animation and finally, select Video.

Select or create a new folder, give your creation a name and file extension type.

You can make any final tweaks to the animation via the Options tab and click Export when you’re ready.

How to export image sets

Exporting your scenes as an image set is simple. Follow the path: File > Export > Animation > Image Set and the Export Animation dialog options will appear.

Enter the root name for your images and select an image type from either .jpg, .tif or .bmp.

To make any changes to resolution etc., click on Options. Click OK to finalise the changes and select Export to complete the process.

Casting Real-World Shadows

Your project comes to life as shadows are cast across the design at various points of the day. Based on the geographical coordinates, orientation and time zone of your model, shadows show you exactly what to expect when a building takes on its constructed form.

How to enable and use the shadows feature

By default, casting real-world shadows is automatically disabled while creating your designs. But to turn them on only takes a couple of clicks.

Select View > Shadows to turn the feature on. And now you can begin to customise your options.

Make any necessary changes to the following setting as you need:

Time Zone
Light intensity
Shadow intensity
Use the sun to simulate shaded areas regardless of turning shadows on or off
Cast shadows on other faces
Cast shadows on the ground plane
Cast shadows from edges

A transparent face with an opacity of less than 70% doesn’t cast shadows. Increase the opacity to above 70% to reverse this.

Using the Credits Feature

As they say, ‘credit where credit’s due’. And that’s exactly why SketchUp allows designers and those who have contributed to a model to add their names to a project using the Credits feature.

This feature is a basic attribution for those creating components for each model and not does not grant legal ownership for Digital Rights Management Purposes.

You will need a Google account to use this feature.

How to claim credit

Open the desired SketchUp component model file and follow these steps to claim credit on a design.

Click the Sign In Account button
Enter your Google account login details
Now go to Window > Model info > Credits
Click the Claim Credit option and ensure that your username is in the Model Author field
Save the file
Import your component into any other model file and your credit will appear

Watermarking a Model

Watermarks are fantastic for keeping your designs secure and avoiding unauthorised copies after you share your SketchUp model. And they’re also powerful marketing tools as well.

Company names, logos and other images can appear in front of your images and documents or behind as necessary. And watermarking a model in SketchUp is incredibly easy for whatever purpose you may employ them.

How to add a watermark to a SketchUp model.

To add a watermark, select Window > Styles. The Styles browser will now open. Click Edit and then select the Watermark Settings icon.

You can now head to the saved image that you wish to use as your watermark and open the file. The possible file formats are .jpg, .png, .psd, .tif, .tga and .bmp.

The Creative Watermark dialog will now open and you can enter a name for your watermark. Click on the Background or Overlay buttons to place the image in front of or behind your model.

Go ahead and click on Next and you will now have the option to create a vignette mask and adjust the transparency of your watermark.

Click Next and select the position of your watermark. You can now expand the image to the desired size. You can also uncheck the Lock Aspect Ratio to allow your image to cover the whole screen.

When you are satisfied that the watermark appears exactly as you want it to, click Finish to end the process.

You can use the Edit Watermark Settings icon to make any alterations after you have inserted your image. Alternatively, you can delete it and start again if you wish.