SketchUp for Design

Create geometry, work with components, use SketchUp's many extensions, or script your design with Ruby.
Learn more...

SketchUp for Rendering

Create polished renders in SketchUp with the rendering software of your choice. Combine materials and beautiful lighting in efficient setups.
Learn more...

SketchUp for Making

Go from digital to physical with SketchUp. Use 3D printing, laser cutting, CNC, and learn to prepare your models for fabrication.
Learn more...

Tutorials and News

Alex' collection of SketchUp tutorials and news posts that talk about all SketchUp topics: modeling, rendering, scripting, extensions, fabrication, etc.

A companion to the book “Architectural Design with SketchUp”. These pages provide updated links, free resources, downloadable SketchUp files, videos, corrections, and more. Browse this section by chapter while you are working with the book.

News Dashboard

Discover SketchUp news and tutorial blog posts from all over the web in one place and keep up with forum discussions and tweets.

Tutorial Selection

Making a 3D-Printable Patterned Panel (with Scale By Tools)

This tutorial revisits a parametric 3D printable panel that I created a while ago using plain Ruby code. You can explore the original 3D model with the viewer below. Just click the image to start it.

Creating an Undulating Wall with Scale By Tools in SketchUp

This week’s video tutorial shows an application of my recently published Scale By Tools SketchUp extension. Specifically, the Move Vertices by Image tool allows you to modify a mesh based on image data, which as a result embosses the image on that surface. This can then be used to create terrain, but it has many […]

Designing 3D-Printable Pendants with SketchUp

In this tutorial I cover several approaches and techniques for creating 3D-printable pendants from SketchUp. This includes designs that need to be hanging in the balance (for pendants, earrings, mobile elements, etc.) as well as those with multiple support points (e.g. for name necklaces). The extensions and websites that I mention in the video are: […]

Yes, you can use OpenAI’s GPT AI to Create Geometry in SketchUp

Just like everyone else these days I have been trying out OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Bing (which now also uses the same AI engine). One of my lines of exploration (beyond “what does this thing know about me?”) was the question whether it can auto-generate SketchUp Ruby code. And – as it turns out – […]