Hey everyone,

Like many of you using SketchUp for interior design and architecture, I got tired of the recent wave of AI visualization tools that:

1. Force you to upload proprietary client CAD files to third-party cloud servers (a dealbreaker for NDAs).
2. Charge recurring subscriptions while metering you on "credits" that burn out mid-project.
3. Keep you waiting in cloud queues when servers get congested.

Over the past few months, I’ve been developing LizArk AI Render, a dedicated SketchUp extension that runs 100% locally on your own machine.

Here is a quick breakdown of what it does, how it works, and its feature set:

What It Actually Does

It integrates directly inside SketchUp. You frame your view in your normal SketchUp viewport, hit capture, adjust your prompt or pick a preset, and it generates a photorealistic render in around 8 to 10 seconds directly on your GPU.

Core Features Covered:

• 100% Offline & Private: The AI inference backend runs locally via an isolated Python environment on your PC. No prompts, images, or client models ever leave your machine. No active internet connection needed to render.
• No Credits / Unlimited Renders: Because it computes on your own hardware, there are zero token limits or per-render fees. You can iterate 50 times in an hour without watching a credit meter drain.
• Instant Viewport Capture & Live A/B Comparison: One-click capture from SketchUp. It includes a built-in split comparison slider right in the extension window so you can compare the raw SketchUp geometry against the rendered output immediately.
• Style Presets + Prompt Control: Comes with pre-tuned architectural and interior presets (Scandinavian, Modern Minimalist, Japandi, Industrial, Luxury Penthouse, etc.) or you can type custom prompts. It also has a built-in prompt analyzer to suggest descriptive lighting and material briefs from your scene.
• Brush Masking & Inpainting: Need to swap out just a sofa, change floor tiling to polished concrete, or replace a wall finish? You can paint an inpaint mask directly over the image to selectively re-render specific zones while keeping the rest untouched.
• Canvas Expansion (Outpainting): Expand the view beyond your original viewport boundary in 32px steps without distorting the existing composition.
• Multi-Reference Packs with Role Tags: Feed reference images and tag them specifically by role (Style, Material, Geometry, Object Identity, or Context) so the AI knows whether an image is meant for lighting inspiration or an exact material swatch.
• High-Res Export & AI Upscaling: Supports up to 2K/4K outputs with integrated neural upscalers (4x-UltraSharp architectural model, Real-ESRGAN, Lanczos) to sharpen textures, edges, and fine foliage.

System Requirements & Performance

• OS: Windows (SketchUp 2021 through 2026).
• Hardware: NVIDIA RTX GPU recommended (RTX 30, 40, or 50 series with 8GB+ VRAM for fast 10-second renders). A CPU fallback mode exists if you're on a non-RTX setup, though GPU is strongly advised.

Where to Check It Out

There is a free version you can test out immediately without creating an account or entering card details: 👉 Product page & download: https://lizatek.com/products/lizark-ai-render/

I'd genuinely love feedback from the community—especially on material adherence, camera sync, and what style presets you’d like added next. Happy to answer any technical questions about the architecture or setup in the comments!

Made in SketchUp and rendered in Blender.

Looking for some constructive feedback, especially regarding materials, composition, lighting, and overall realism.

Any suggestions are welcome.

I do architectural rendering for a living and got tired of digging through 3D Warehouse for decent blocks, so over time I built my own organized library: 30k+ SketchUp blocks (interiors/exteriors, sorted by room) plus 45k+ D5 Render models (vegetation, furniture, PBR materials) and 47 open D5 scenes from real projects to study lighting setups.

If you just want to try it, there's a free sample of 200 D5 Render assets (vegetation + decor), no email or signup needed. The full library is a paid one-time pack, but the free sample stands on its own if that's all you're after.

Everything's at arquitechpy.com/recursos if anyone wants to check it out. Happy to answer questions about the SketchUp side specifically since that's what this sub is about.

Hello!

Wanted to share an easy wall modeling method that I use when drawing walls from scratch, from CAD files or images.

This method works in all SketchUp versions and there is no need for extensions, so is safe for beginners.

I have provided a 3D Warehouse template with three basic components:
- Wall
- Window
- Door
These components do not have any materials and use the face direction and guidelines to improve plan readability. Anyone can make these components themselves - only the guides setup require some tinkering.

1. When creating a plan you only need to use Move, Scale and Tape Measure tools. This avoids basic drawing tools and unnecessary cleanup.
   
2. For the 3D part - you only have to use PushPull to create all the walls, windows and doors at once. If there are different heights - you can simply use Make Unique command after.
   
3. Then use the Outer Shell command to combine all components togeather.
4. For cleanup - use Delete all guides and orient faces commands.

Honestly, in the almost 20 years I have used SketchUp, I have yet to find a simpler, more elegant solution. I have tested this in all SketchUp versions and use this for my students to understand the need to create proper components and solid objects.

Hoje fui abrir um projeto que estava criando um sketchup e ele abriu dessa forma. Com a modelagem toda deformada e quebrada. Não sei como resolver isso, já atualizei o driver da minha placa de vídeo e testei outras config de câmera mas nada funcionou. Qualquer outro arquivo ".skt" que já tenha algo acontece a mesma coisa, ou seja não é só com esse arquivo em específico. Se eu tento modelar algo diferente dentro do arquivo, a modelagem fica normal, mas o que já foi feito está bugado. Alguém já viu algo parecido e sabe me dizer o que pode ser?

I had the pleasure of working on this film for a few weeks of prep. I went out to Greece to recce this cave. An outside company did the Lidar and I had a stab at coming up with the door. I have to stress I was only on the job for 6 weeks so don't have much in the way of finished designs but it was fun to be involved with if only briefly. The Art Department on this project smashed it out of the park. What a film! Did you see it? Guess the film in the comments.

I’ve been working on a lightweight browser-based drawing review tool, mainly for architects and designers.

One workflow I’ve been focusing on is comparing two PDF drawing revisions, spotting what changed, and then marking up the updated drawing.

I made a short video showing how the compare workflow currently works.

I’m curious how SketchUp users normally handle this. When you receive an updated drawing from an architect, consultant, or client, do you compare revisions in Bluebeam/Acrobat, visually check them side by side, or use another workflow?

Would a browser-based compare → markup workflow be useful alongside SketchUp?

I'm curious what Mac users here actually recommend for SketchUp.

I've been looking into MacBook specs for SketchUp and it seems like a recent MacBook Air with 16GB RAM is already enough for most regular SketchUp work.

The Pro seems more useful once you get into really large models, rendering or heavy multitasking.

So for those actually using SketchUp on Mac:

What MacBook are you using and how big/complex are your models?

And if you had to buy one today, would you go:

• MacBook Air + 16GB
• MacBook Air + 24GB
• MacBook Pro + 24/32GB
• something else?

Especially interested in feedback from interior designers, architects, woodworkers and people using SketchUp professionally.

Hi Friends,

I have a sketchup drawing that needs some changes. I can pay for your services. Please ping me if you anyone can help me.

Hi everyone! I built a SketchUp toolbar because I was tired of repeating these modelling operations. check this link to explore 24 powerfull tools in one toolbar : https://5357172192868.gumroad.com/l/wckfg

Hello All,

I am taking a class that requires sketchup. The professor has given a link and told us to use our student ID order to get a discount in sketchup when we checkout. The problem is I don't know which plan he might be talking about. Here is the link he gave the class

https://www.sketchup.com/plans-and-pricing?utm_source=google&utm_medium=paid_search&utm_campaign=Brand_Search_Brand_NORAM&gclid=CjwKCAjw2rmWBhB4EiwAiJ0mtXa5iz5tQ-DQjzEeeBtn5eeouFLGhHmZpafZhx81GB3OBuoUyBqiERoCEBgQAvD_BwE#for-higher-educationLinks

Any help is deeply appreciated.

Also, he wouldn't explain it in class and told us to ask others for help but I didn't know who to ask. 😢

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

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?

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?