2024 offers a new layer of realism and innovative visual styles directly within the SketchUp interface, along with updates that amplify productivity.
Enhancements to level up your team
Both new users and long-time experts have reasons to be excited about 2024. Quicker, smoother, and more accurate tools – helping your team drive creativity, streamline workflows, and win more work.
A faster, more responsive SketchUp
Navigating and orbiting complex models will now feel considerably lighter and faster with Desktop’s robust new graphics engine. Help your clients embrace your vision by keeping preferred styles, line types, and shadows turned on when navigating models in meetings.
Elevate your 2D documentation in LayOut
LayOut supports Ambient Occlusion styles, which adds realism and depth to your creation. Turn on Ambient Occlusion in the SketchUp Scenes you use in LayOut, and the visuals will automatically update throughout your LayOut file.
Enjoy more precise terrain data and simplified imports
Simplify adding site terrain to your model with new Add Location enhancements. Adjust contour and tessellation density to suit your needs with the mesh density slider. Select low density for lighter, faster files and higher density for more detailed and precise terrain.
Build consensus quickly with Link Sharing
Instead of exporting one-off, flattened visuals or spending time documenting, formatting, and exporting project updates, simply use Link Sharing. Show your whole model or Scenes you’ve selected to an unlimited number of people – no subscription required to view links.
Quickly turn point clouds into terrain meshes
The Ground Mesh tool automatically extracts terrain information from point clouds into an accurate terrain mesh with a chosen resolution. Choose from Fit Cloud, Rectangular, and Bounded options to create the right mesh for your project.
Trimble Connect in Desktop
Our cloud-collaboration platform, Trimble Connect, is now available directly in Desktop to amplify your sharing opportunities and simplify the path to project alignment.
Designing for success in SketchUp
Our customers love how these developments have amplified their SketchUp experience:
“I love how SketchUp performs with the new graphics engine. I have been actively trying to break it for the past few days with no success. Many modeling-related crashes that used to happen are gone; lovely UI, too. I love this release!”
Juan Carlos Uribe Ortega
Architect,
[Beta Tester]
“Add Location’s UI features are greatly improved. The ability to pan the area while not changing the origin, move the four selector bounds independently, and perform additional imports accurately are HUGE.”
John Clements
Engineer,
[Beta Tester]
“Ambient Occlusion makes the core tool no longer look like just a “sketch.” Before, I needed to always consider rendering it in some other app before presenting my model. I no longer have to worry about that — 95% of what we need to convey is ready to go in SketchUp.”
VDC Director
[Beta Tester]
Introducing Ambient Occlusion
Add visual emphasis and perceived depth at model edges with a new global style setting called Ambient Occlusion. This new feature can be tailored to produce stylized visuals similar to clay or white models and is available on Desktop, iPad, and LayOut.
Advanced visualization workflows
From conceptual design to advanced BIM and visualization work, take your team’s SketchUp models further in the design lifecycle.
USDZ and gITF file format support
Critical file types for emerging workflows in AR/VR visualization and interactive digital experiences. From immersive walkthroughs to product design, take SketchUp further with new ways to move between advanced digital creation tools.
IFC4 import & export improvements
Improvements to IFC import and export boost SketchUp’s effectiveness in advanced BIM workflows. Benefit from enhanced mapping to IFC class attributes, and maintain data-rich models for improved project performance and BIM exports.
LayOut New Graphics Engine [Labs]
LayOut’s new graphics engine brings the on-screen drawing of SketchUp and LayOut entities into a more modern infrastructure and improves performance in file navigation and responsiveness.
Unlock the potential of your team’s workflow with these powerful features from previous SketchUp releases. From enhanced collaboration tools to streamlined design processes, discover how these features can elevate your projects and supercharge your team’s productivity.
Revit Importer
Accurately and efficiently convert Revit models into SketchUp geometry for deeper collaboration across project phases, teams, and stakeholders.
Snap a photo of an object and upload it into the new image search bar. Let AI swiftly sift through millions of pre-built models to curate your closest matches.
Get a clearer picture of how SketchUp could work for your team with our online demo. Or schedule a personalized session to discuss your business requirements.
