Tutorials Archives | SketchUp for Design

Realistic Material Reflections for Interiors with SketchUp 2025 (it’s possible with a TRICK!)

February 28, 2025March 5, 2025 by Alex SchreyerNo Comments

Interior reflections like these (on the floor) can easily be done right inside SketchUp with this little trick SketchUp 2025 introduced some very nice visualization capabilities: PBR (physically-based rendering) materials and environments. While those are great (especially for exteriors), indoor material reflections are a bit trickier since objects cannot be reflected even with the new PBR materials. In this tutorial I'll show you how you can create some good-looking reflections (in e.g. floors or mirrors) with a simple trick. Check out the video below for a walk-through of the process. But in short, here's what you need to do: Step 1: Create an inverted copy of the model As a first step, turn your entire model (or at least what will be visible) into a group - or even better: a component (to retain the live link between the two copies). Then flip it along the reflective surface either using the Flip tool or by copying/scaling it. In my case I need a floor...

Now You Can Have an AI ‘Copilot’ (Assistant) for Ruby Coding in SketchUp

May 30, 2024May 30, 2024 by Alex SchreyerNo Comments

In this tutorial I cover one specific use case for my OpenAI Explorer SketchUp extension: A coding 'copilot' (assistant) for Ruby code. This is one of several use cases for this extension and it has the potential to at least save you from a ton of web browsing. When I write SketchUp Ruby code, I frequently need to look up code snippets. With the approach presented here, I can use AI to provide such snippets for me instead. This works well with my Ruby Code Editor extension where you can then past, edit, and run that code. But it will also work with the built-in Ruby Console. Tutorial Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwhD5reOkoo Links OpenAI Explorer SketchUp extension Ruby Code Editor extension...

Getting Started with SketchUp: My Top 10 Tips

February 7, 2024February 15, 2025 by Alex SchreyerNo Comments

This post's video tutorial features a list of my standard SketchUp beginner tips and tricks. SketchUp has much more functionality (see my book to learn about the rest!) but these ten tips will get you started with SketchUp for desktop, web, or iPad and clear up some typical confusions. TIP:New to SketchUp? Give the free web app at app.sketchup.com a try. Happy SketchUpping! What are good "next steps" after these first steps? I would recommend working through Chapter 2 in my book, which features a great refresher exercise. Tutorial Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HD4NODwJDjQ My Top 10 SketchUp Tips This list shows my key tips. Watch the video for further detail. Tip 1: Toolbars and the Large Tool Set The first thing I do in SketchUp is set up my workspace to my liking. This includes turning toolbars on and off and arranging them on your screen. Tip 2: Understanding units in SketchUp It is important to understand the unit system ("inch is default") and the various ways to enter precise values and...

Modeling a Log House

March 16, 2022February 23, 2024 by Alex SchreyerNo Comments

In this video tutorial I show how useful SketchUp's Solid Tools (especially the Trim tool) are when modeling a log house. The process as shown here makes it easy to create clean log overlaps and door/window cutouts. Of course, the log portion of this is just an example - you can use the technique for much more than that. Note: I am not showing the entire modeling process here, just the basic principles based on two walls. You can easily expand this to other walls and windows, etc. Tutorial Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rokkx7EmZXM Did you design your own log house this way? Let me know below in the comments....

Construction Site Logistics Planning with SketchUp

March 4, 2022March 10, 2025 by Alex SchreyerNo Comments

In this tutorial I cover various approaches for construction site logistics planning in SketchUp. This begins with importing an accurate geolocated site, constructing a rough building model from a plan, and then laying out the construction site with pre-made components from the 3D Warehouse. This is then followed by crane location planning. As I mention in the video, the goal here was to use the 3D environment for rough (but realistic) logistics planning. Adjust the techniques as needed for your projects. Also, for more documentation options, check out SketchUp's LayOut software. Tutorial Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdXnFYDpens Links The Turner Construction Logistics Collection that I mention in the video can be found here. One example (a site trailer) is embedded below as an interactive 3D model. SketchUp also has some of their own models here. Did you like this tutorial? Got any images of your construction sites that you planned this way? Let me know below in the comments....