Hi I built this plugin for hatching different patterns for various materials in sketchup itself,

How to use:
- create tags of different material and assign the respective group to those tags
-open the plugin and assign the hatch patterns for each tag

thats it

this can be easily saved as a scene and updated to layout to create section drawings

I would like some suggestions to make this more better and if we can add some good additional features to it

Wanted to circle back since I posted the beta here and got some really useful feedback from you guys and a few people who work in design.

The idea is still the same. I didn’t want another cabinet extension that feels like learning a whole separate piece of software with tons of setup, configuration, and drag and drop systems.

for the extension, you model the cabinet boxes and countertop however you normally would. EZ Cabinet is for that annoying final push: creating the doors and drawers, placing the hardware, and getting the design intent across quickly so the cabinets are render ready.

you just hover your mouse over a face and click, and in my timed test that part of the workflow was reduced by over 90% compared to doing it manually.

No account required either. Install it, activate the license, and use it.

V2.0 is live now at inveltools.com.

I’ve also submitted it to the SketchUp Extension Warehouse, but it’s still going through review. It is taking forever... so if any extension developers here have tips for that process, let me know.

Still very open to feedback, especially from anyone using SketchUp for kitchens, interiors, or visualization. I want to keep it lightweight and focused on speeding up the repetitive parts of the normal SketchUp workflow.

Thanks!

I’ve been comparing some of the main 3D modeling tools for beginners lately, and I feel like the answer really depends on what you actually want to create.

My take would be:

• SketchUp → probably the easiest all-round option for architecture, interiors, furniture and spatial design
• Tinkercad → easiest if you literally just want to discover 3D
• Blender → insanely powerful, but definitely a bigger learning curve
• Fusion 360 → makes more sense for mechanical/technical design
• FreeCAD → interesting if you specifically want open-source parametric CAD

I ended up putting together a more detailed comparison here:

https://www.adebeo.com/quels-sont-les-meilleurs-logiciels-de-modelisation-3d-pour-debuter/

Personally, I think SketchUp has a pretty strong advantage for beginners because you can get something decent on screen very quickly, but you’re not stuck with a “beginner-only” tool once you improve.

Curious what people here would recommend to someone opening a 3D modeling program for the first time in 2026.

Would you still recommend SketchUp, or start directly with Blender/Fusion and accept the steeper learning curve?

Heres a selection of SketchUp models and LayOut drawings from various films including "Cruella", "Avengers: Infinity War" and End Game. If you are interested in Learning SketchUp and LayOut or improving your current workflow then I just want to let you know that my SketchUp and LayOut Masterclasses are currently half price until midnight. Use the code BANK50 at checkout on any and all courses, from stand alone beginners course to the Ultimate Bundle. Leave a comment if interested and I'll send a link. Thanks

Hi, I’m new to SketchUp extension development. I use Linux as my main PC, but I don’t have SketchUp installed.

I want to build a SketchUp extension using Ruby and VS Code. I have a friend who has a Windows PC with SketchUp, so I’m thinking of using Git/GitHub to develop on Linux and then test the extension on his PC.

Is this a good workflow? Can I do most of the development on Linux and only use SketchUp on Windows for testing and debugging?

What would be the best setup/workflow for this situation?

Hi, I’m new to SketchUp extension development. I use Linux as my main PC, but I don’t have SketchUp installed.

I want to build a SketchUp extension using Ruby and VS Code. I have a friend who has a Windows PC with SketchUp, so I’m thinking of using Git/GitHub to develop on Linux and then test the extension on his PC.

Is this a good workflow? Can I do most of the development on Linux and only use SketchUp on Windows for testing and debugging?

What would be the best setup/workflow for this situation?

I was modeling this sports complex, saved and closed it to continue the next day, but when I opened it again, it looked like this. What could have happened? How can I recover it?

I am making a woodworking bench and I am planning on using dog holes and Matchfit system for for the top I have created the horizontal tracks for the Matchfit system but I can not seem to do the vertical ones as I can not make it go through all of the other tracks. I am the free version if that makes a difference.

Last post for a while on this subject but I wanted to share these Layouts from my work designing Sets for Brand New Day. I always get asked or told "Yeah but you must have used rhino or auto cad at some point" no! Everything you ever see from me is modelled in SketchUp and "Drawn" in LayOut. I have a very simple system with minimal plugins, I do everything on a Mac mini. I rarely get any lag or performance problems and I'm able to keep my models relatively small in MB because of the system I use where I'm extremely fastidious about modelling well. By that I mean ensuring everything is solid, on a layer and that my scenes are set up without unnecessary shadows and ambient occlusion. I also make sure anything in the scene that is not visible has its layer turned off. These two sets were integral to the film - firstly the rooftop set where we open on Spiderman upside down on a steel beam. Using only layers that are switched on or off am I able to layer up my layout to show the set extension in black and white, the set build in colour and the blue screen elements all from one scene with different face styles applied. It's a great trick and saves me having to take it into photoshop. you'll also see the 4 main plan and elevation sheets I did for the DODC again, really quick to put together with scenes in the model. Then when i've put all my dims on I then turn on shadow ambient occlusion and make all viewports hybrid. This workflow is one I use everyday and is very easy to learn and apply to any project. if your interested in learning it and would like some info on my courses feel free to message or leave a comment and I'll happily respond. I hope you enjoy looking at the details.

Modelled in SketchUp

Rendering in Enscape

I kept running into the same documentation problem: one person needs a readable PDF sheet, while the CAD handoff needs clean geometry that can continue in AutoCAD. Treating those as the same output usually creates extra cleanup.

The workflow that has worked best for me is:

1. Name the SketchUp groups/components that actually need drawings.

2. Select only the useful orthographic, isometric, or exploded views instead of exporting every projection.

3. Decide whether each piece should fill its sheet or whether every piece needs one shared scale for visual comparison.

4. Build the issued sheet with paper size, orientation, title block, overall dimensions, scale bar, and material specification.

5. Export the composed sheet as DXF and, when needed, a matching PDF.

6. Treat native DWG as a separate Windows workflow that creates individual view files rather than pretending the annotated sheet and each CAD view are the same deliverable.

Here is the current 59-second workflow: https://youtu.be/0zRAze6lU0Q

Full workflow notes:

https://mashplugins.com/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=organic_social&utm_campaign=mash_workflows_202608&utm_content=exporter_sheet_vs_views_rsketchup#exports

If anyone wants to test it on their own file, the public Extension Warehouse listing is here:

https://extensions.sketchup.com/extension/8fb51dbf-45ef-4ace-a434-d7d34a4538b2/mash-exporter

One honest limitation: dense imported furniture or excessive geometry can take much longer or become impractical. The useful limit depends on the model and workstation, which is why testing a real file matters.

For people issuing drawings from SketchUp: do you need the PDF sheet and CAD handoff to match exactly, or do you deliberately prepare them as different deliverables?

Disclosure: I am the developer. Specific workflow criticism is welcome.

Hi everyone,

For a long time I felt SketchUp was missing quite a few functions I needed on a daily basis as an architect — a proper grid, quick unit switching, better length snapping, and more. Instead of working around it every time, I decided to build it myself, and the result is Engineering ToolBox: a full extension with tools grouped into six categories, covering surface and curve operations, selection and filtering, and a bunch of other functions useful in everyday modeling.

Here's a short overview of the plugin:

🎥 https://youtu.be/_zN8k6L3Tgo

A couple of the individual tools, if you want to see them in action:

- Grid: https://youtu.be/3L_UbkJpYy8

- Quickly Switch Unit: https://youtube.com/shorts/yni7WKKmxKk

Project: Filip ArchTrainer

Plugin: Engineering ToolBox

I'll be adding the rest of the tools one by one, so more videos are coming soon. Happy to answer any questions about specific tools, and would love to hear your feedback!

Hi! I'm new to SketchUp, and I'm trying to change the floor on one of my models because I don't really like any of the ones that come with the program, but I can't seem to find a way to do it or download new ones. I would really appreciate it if someone could respond to me, thanks.

I just got the SketchUp for iPad update and now when I draw lines with the pencil when I tap the top to enter a value it draws another line. I now have to use my finger to tap the value box.

Any help?

Using v2017 on a newish Mac (M2 Air) with MacOS 26.6.2. When I lay out some measurements using the Dimension tool, some of the measurements render normally, some are whacked!

I don't recall seeing this behavior, but then again, I haven't been in Sketchup on MacOS 26.x before, so don't know if that's new to this version of the OS, etc. Thoughts?

Note on why I'm (still/again) using v2017... I love Sketchup, but the new pricing that doubled the monthly is asinine, and I'm conflicted about it; my day job is as a software developer. I get wanting to solidify earnings, but come on... a 2x increase out of the blue is just dumb.

This is my broad strokes work flow, I'm wondering if anyone can recommend extensions for this process.

Newer to sketchup, very grateful for the help!

I'm developing software to calculate energy performance and environmental loads of new and existing homes.

Rendering isn't as much a priority as delineating structural elements, envelope details and mechanical distribution/design.

I'm hoping to streamline the process of analyzing plans without having to manually draw them to extrude.

Thanks!

I am having an issue when placing text on an object with the text reversing when I try to place it on the guide line. A simple workaround is placing the text first on the object and then moving it onto the line but I would like to understand why this is happening and how I can avoid it in the future.

Main section length: 200cm

Right side section length: 137 cm (including the main section)

Main section depth: 60cm

Right side section depth: 50 cm

Thickness: 18 mm

My plan is using just melamine for the build. Feel free to give recommendations or opinions

I've been using Sketchup's AI Assistant to generate 3D models from images lately and it has proven extremely useful. I can generate anything from furniture to ornamental carvings. But the native AI Assistant has difficulty when using multiple input images and high detail elements, or elements with a lot of "air" (like webbing/fretwork at the back of a rattan chair).

Google tells me that SUAPP is the best or most popular in-app Sketchup plugin for generating 3D Sketchup models from multiple images. SUAPP's pro plan is $299.25/yr, while Sketchup's AI Assistant monthly plan is $144/yr ($12/month). Does anyone have experience with SUAPP, or any other advice on this topic. I know there are out-of-program tools like Tripo AI, but I would really prefer to keep this workflow in Sketchup.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

For my work I have to make renders of kitchens for clients and my boss wants me to get them as photo realistic as possible. I wasn't properly trained on SketchUp or anything like that so im kinda struggling. Ive gotten to the point that the renders look fairly realistic but just cant get all the tiny details because the pc at work is old and crashes anytime I add to many PBR materials. Is it even possible to get super realistic renders on a dating pc?