SketchUp 2023 introduces major updates including a Revit importer for Studio, as well as tangible improvements to core modelling and documentation tools in SketchUp Pro and LayOut.
Plus, there are two new scale figures to celebrate the new design year – Heather and her fierce but sweet cat, Lily.
Scroll to the bottom of this article for compatibility notes.
Studio Advances Interoperability
Shave hours off your Revit to SketchUp Workflow
The new import feature within a SketchUp Studio subscription allows you to accurately and efficiently convert your Revit models into SketchUp geometry for deeper collaboration across project phases, teams, and stakeholders. Various workarounds exist to export Revit models to SketchUp, but this new importer saves the most time, is more accurate in geometry conversion, and leads to much lighter models.
By preserving model structures between Revit and SketchUp – Revit families and layers neatly translate to groups, components, and tags in SketchUp – you can save hours or even days of model cleanup and progress your project with accuracy. A smoother transition between design phases allows you to focus on what’s essential: fine-tuning your vision.
“The Revit Importer sped up my importing and cleans up workflows from a couple of days to a few hours, even with complex models.” – Carl Goodiel, VDC Manager
Why use it?
- Improve collaboration with project stakeholders who create Revit deliverables.
- Preserve model structures between software for less cleanup.
- Move Revit models into SketchUp to iterate new ideas quickly.
- Build efficiencies; the imported Revit file is automatically optimised for easier geometry manipulation in SketchUp and significantly reduces file size.
- Create compelling visuals; Revit material colours and transparencies are respected during import to speed up visualisation workflows.
- Translate Revit levels to SketchUp section planes.
- Precise context detail for accurate model development via import/export options including satellite imagery, images, PDFs, DWGs, IFC, and point clouds.
“We love the Revit Importer. It has saved us lots of time, and to my amazement, the converted file sizes are much smaller than other methods. This importer has become essential to our workflows.” – Shyam Singh, GLMV Architecture
Trimble has made the Revit Importer a native functionality in SketchUp’s desktop application. Customers with Studio subscriptions can access this feature as soon as they update to the 2023 version. Customers with Pro subscriptions can install the Revit Importer in SketchUp 2023 and then initiate a trial to evaluate this new workflow. No Revit licence is required.
To get going, just drag/drop a .rvt file into SketchUp. (If you are using a Pro subscription, you’ll be prompted to activate a Studio trial. When that trial is over, you can upgrade or choose to continue working with your current subscription). Check out the video below to see it in action!
Discoverable and connected workflows
Using Studio’s new common installer, you can discover, download, and install all the tools you need for advanced workflows and complex projects. The subscription also includes V-Ray 6 for creating cutting-edge visuals and Scan Essentials for importing point cloud data – both were enriched with new functionality in late 2022. Please note that Studio is a Windows-only subscription. Scan Essentials is English-only, and V-Ray offers English and Chinese versions.
Breakthroughs for desktop
Build faster with new modelling and documentation features and improvements in SketchUp for Desktop. Explore a brand new Flip tool that replicates design elements predictably, manage DWG files in LayOut, and more.
Flip Along
With all versions of SketchUp 2023, including SketchUp Go, users no longer have to guess if the Flip Along command will reverse object in the desired direction. They can perform flip and mirroring actions confident that the results are as they intended, saving modelling time and reducing frequent undo’s and back-and-forth clicks.
Previsualise the plane you want to flip your selection along, then hover over the red, green, or blue planes to confirm the proper orientation. Fewer clicks and undoes means you can focus more of your valuable energy on developing a symmetrical relationship, evaluating it, and modifying it.
Pro Tip: Want to set up a quick, mirror relationship in a model to build more efficient components or make symmetrically-oriented copies? Toggle the Flip tool to activate Copy Mode, and you’ll flip a copy that is symmetrical to your selection.
Referencing in LayOut
In LayOut, Trimble is fortifying interoperability by adding the ability to manage imported DWG files as references. It’s the same process for managing referenced files in LayOut, but now they’ve expanded it to apply to all images, text files, or AutoCAD drawings. View all external file references, receive notifications if a file reference is outdated, and update, relink, or remove a file reference using the File Reference Manager.
Better still, all your custom style edits (line weights, scale, and viewport positions) stay intact even when reference files are updated. Document and present your work confidently, knowing that all your references are up-to-date without wasting previous layout and styling work.
Overlays
SketchUp 2023 also marks the debut of Overlays 71. In brief, Overlays let SketchUp (and SketchUp extensions) draw information in the modelling window as you work with other tools. To get an idea of how this works, download the updated Solid Inspector2 24 extension where you can now shift into a state of constant solid monitoring.
Plugin Compatibility
Correct as of 28th Feb 2023
Compatible:
Podium v2.6 – Installing SU Podium for SketchUp
V-Ray 6 – Downloads
Enscape 3.4 – Enscape™ Version History
Enscape for Mac currently isn’t compatible with SU2023. This is due in the next update.
At the time of writing the below don’t have live link plugins available for SU 2023:
D5 Render – Download
Twinmotion – Datasmith Exporter for SketchUp Pro
Both Twinmotion and D5 can accept 2023 SKP files via their import menus.
3DConnexion Space Mouse is not yet compatible.
SketchUp 2023 is available now at CAD Software Direct .com