Here are seven ways to use SketchUp in your 3D modeling workflow to deliver better projects —faster — to clients.  Rendering in SketchUp of a commercial office building and surrounding courtyard. In the fast-paced world of design, efficiency is vital. Whether you're an architect or interior designer, having the right tools can make all the difference in streamlining your workflow and bringing your creative visions to life with minimal friction. SketchUp, a leading 3D modeling and design software, has powerful tools that help millions of professionals speed up their project development. Here are seven ways SketchUp can help you achieve your goals. 1. Intuitive and easy-to-use 3D modeling software SketchUp's user-friendly interface is for both beginners and seasoned professionals. The simplicity of its tools allows users to start modeling quickly without a steep learning curve. This intuitive interface means less time spent learning the software and more time focusing on your design projects. On the independent review site G2 , customers rated SketchUp's ease of use at 92%, well above the industry average for architectural drawing tools.  "What sets SketchUp apart is its incredible intuitiveness. As someone who struggles with visualizing concepts mentally, SketchUp allows me to explore ideas freely."-Brad Holley, Design Director  Brad Holley, a professional designer who uses SketchUp daily, creates custom pool designs for high-end homes. He loves how the easy-to-use tools allow him to design unconstrained and let his imagination run wild .  Brad Holley's Million Dollar Pool Design 2. Robust 3D visualization tools Visualizations are more than pretty pictures—they play a crucial role in design and construction workflows. Designers who have stronger visuals can better show how their designs come to life and improve their clients' spatial understanding. Using 3D perspectives helps identify potential design issues early, saving time and resources. Check out the top benefits of using solid visuals for architects and designers.  SketchUp Diffusion rendering One struggle designers face is that they want to deliver high-quality visuals but are on tight deadlines and need more time to add realistic details. That's why it's important to choose quick-to-use rendering software solutions. SketchUp's software engineers have built robust AI tools within the interface to help architects and designers create visualizations quickly. For example, Diffusion brings easy-to-use generative AI into SketchUp, offering a novel way to generate images that spark creativity and support design narratives. 3. Easy collaboration and sharing Design projects often require collaboration among various stakeholders. The bigger the project, the more stakeholders are involved, and it can quickly become challenging for architects and construction professionals to align expectations across teams. SketchUp has many tools to facilitate communication, from presentation mode on iPad to untethered VR experiences with Meta Quest . Sharing models with clients and colleagues is easy through Trimble Connect , a cloud-based collaboration platform designed specifically for the construction industry. Trimble Connect ensures that everyone involved has access to the latest version of the model, facilitating real-time collaboration and feedback. Image one: SketchUp model linked in a Revit project. Image two: original SketchUp model.  SketchUp makes it easy to collaborate across different software in the AEC industry, so designers don't have to choose between architectural software programs. The Revit to SketchUp workflow is a well-known and heavily used workflow that is streamlined with the Revit Importer. However, there are also collaboration workflows for structural engineers, construction professionals, and surveyors that many people don't know about that leverage other Trimble technology such as Tekla, Site Vision, and Trimble Business Center. 4. Expansive library of free, pre-built 3D models A crowd-favorite is SketchUp's 3D model library, 3D Warehouse , where you can download manufacturer products or model entourage so you don't have to build every piece of every model from scratch.  One of SketchUp's highlights is 3D Warehouse, which hosts millions of pre-built models. With it, we can access anything; if I need to include french fries in a project, I'll find them." -Thiago Rodrigues, Partner An AI-powered search engine helps sort through the millions of models available on 3D Warehouse so you can find what you need rapidly. You can also use image search to find real-world textures and ready-to-use objects.  Screenshot of a 3D model of an iron and brass ceiling lamp, modeled by Isolina Mallon and uploaded to SketchUp's 3D Warehouse. 3D Warehouse includes actual products from manufacturers, so you can move from design to client approval to specification faster. Isolina Mallon, the founder of an interior design studio in San Francisco, is a massive fan of 3D Warehouse. She loves that she can find and specify models from furniture companies and has even uploaded her own models to 3D Warehouse to share with other users. Learn more about how Isolina pulls inspiration from 3D Warehouse to speed up her workflow and share her vision with clients.  5. Support for advanced workflows and interoperability with extensions SketchUp integrates seamlessly with other design and construction tools. Extensions available through Extension Warehouse expand its functionality, allowing for tasks such as rendering, estimating and advanced modeling shortcuts. These integrations enable a more cohesive workflow, eliminating the need to switch between software. Using Eneroth Face Creator to generate faces from CAD linework. The hardest part about working with extensions is knowing which ones to use! A good rule of thumb is that if you think a process is taking too long, there is probably an extension to shorten it. Here's a great place to start for standard extensions to use in your workflow. Matthew Valero uses hundreds of extensions for his advanced workflows, which range from using V-Ray for powerful visuals to Scan Essentials for importing point clouds, which help reduce rework and improve accuracy.  6. Quickly design sustainable and energy-efficient buildings   SketchUp helps designers create projects that are aesthetically pleasing, energy-efficient, and environmentally responsible. Image of the Scion Innovation Hub building, designed by RTA Studio RTA Studio used SketchUp to design the sustainable, world-renowned Scion Innovation Hub, the first sizable steel-less timber building in New Zealand. The 3D software's geometric modeling capabilities perfectly aligned with the repetitive timber components, facilitating rapid design iterations. Learn more about what went into creating this building.  Many architects use PreDesign to design energy-efficient buildings. This tool gives architectural designers valuable data insights at the very beginning of projects. You can use PreDesign to identify the most effective shading strategies, pull climate insights, and build efficient daylighting strategies. Sefaira is another good tool that many architects use for measuring building performance. 7. Precision and accuracy with 3D modeling SketchUp's architectural drawing tools enable precise measurements and accurate modeling. The software's inferencing system ensures that lines and shapes are aligned, which is crucial for creating detailed and accurate designs. LayOut provides  2D documentation and annotation tools to easily share design details with contractors and other stakeholders. Andreas Lebisch uses SketchUp to model construction details. "Using SketchUp, you can create three-dimensional shapes that are useful as a guide to precision cut out the elements you want from the model. It's a straightforward process, which is incredibly helpful." — Andreas Lebisch Architect and sustainable construction business developer Andreas Lebisch explains how he shares SketchUp models with his fabrication team, who then feeds those precise measurements into their CNC machine to cut each piece of timber for projects. Slide into efficient design workflows SketchUp allows designers to quickly bring their ideas to life with intuitive and easy visualization tools. The platform's collaboration features, expansive library of pre-built 3D models, and support for advanced workflows through extensions make it an indispensable tool in the AEC industry. Whether designing high-end custom pools or sustainable buildings, SketchUp helps you achieve your vision efficiently and effectively. Dive into efficient design projects with a free trial , or check out SketchUp's subscription offerings .

Concerns about climate change and carbon emissions continue to grow, leading more governments, businesses, and policymakers to seek out contributions and solutions from the built environment. JLG Architects’ Gorecki Alumni Center, the first LEED Platinum project in North Dakota According to Architecture 2030 , the built environment accounts for 42% of annual global carbon emissions . At the same time, experts predict that humanity's most significant spike in building and infrastructure growth will roll out over the next 40 years . This rapid wave of building expansion demands a new way of thinking about how structures are designed, built and operated. Enter passive design—what some are calling the future of architecture . An introduction to passive architecture Passive architecture, also known as passive building design, is a design strategy that leverages natural resources—such as sunlight and wind—to create a comfortable, energy-efficient, and environmentally friendly habitat. This method reduces the need for traditional heating and cooling systems, reducing a building's carbon footprint and overall impact on the climate. While passive architecture first gained popularity during the 1970s United States energy crisis , it has since become a global movement, refined in Germany, and spreading to Scandinavia, Chile, and beyond. Benjamin Banneker High School  in Washington, DC,  is a platinum LEED-certified building and the best energy-performing high school in the US. Image courtesy of Perkins Eastman. Key pillars of passive architecture Passive building embraces natural resources and local climate, following fundamental design principles. These strategies help achieve a high level of energy efficiency without compromising comfort. Ultimately, the aim is to create better buildings for people and the environment. Here are some of the critical pillars of passive design: Fabric-first buildings aim to be as air-tight as possible, enabling them to use far less energy for heating and cooling. The HVAC strategy ensures occupants experience comfortable temperatures and good air quality.  Air-tight building envelopes prevent loss of conditioned air and minimize moisture. High-performance materials optimize the insulation of walls, windows, floors, and roofs while providing superior durability. Shade structures block direct sunlight to minimize glare and overheating. Glazing ratios and positions welcome or block the sun's energy for heating and cooling. Building orientation optimizes natural exposure to daylight and reduces energy use. High thermal mass materials like concrete, stone and brick absorb heat throughout the day, balancing temperatures and allowing moisture recovery. Heat exchange systems ensure that desired indoor temperatures are maintained as fresh air is pulled. The Passivhaus standard , created by Dr. Wolfgang Feist of Darmstadt, Germany, outlines the most stringent requirements for passive design. But other standards also promote green building practices, including the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED rating system and the Swiss Confederation's Minergie International .  The Iowa Nest home by Sterner Design, a net-zero energy single-family residence Benefiting people and the planet: why embrace passive architecture Passive architecture offers numerous benefits to building residents, businesses, governments, and the earth. For homeowners, passive design provides greater comfort, quality of living, and reduced energy bills. Meanwhile, it helps local governments and corporations achieve carbon emission goals. Here are some of the top benefits of passive architecture, as outlined by the UK's Passivehaus Trust . 1. Improved building performance Passive design provides superior building performance across the board, including reduced energy consumption, more effective ventilation, and higher-quality construction. Passive homes are more resilient and less prone to damage — a benefit that becomes even more important in the wake of climate change and increased natural disasters. 2. Reduced carbon emissions Scientists agree that carbon emissions must reach net zero by 2050 to maintain a livable climate. This transition is one of the most pressing challenges of our day—one that cannot be achieved without a massive infrastructure transformation. Passive design plays a vital role in the journey to net zero, helping to reduce carbon emissions and lower peak demand significantly. 3. Improved health and wellbeing Poor indoor air quality can cause a wide range of health issues. While not a cure, passive architecture helps alleviate health impacts by providing better ventilation, reducing air pollutants, and harnessing daylight. Passive buildings are less likely to overheat in the summer or become too cold in the winter, improving the quality of life for inhabitants. 4. Increased cost savings Passive buildings are more affordable to operate, but the financial benefits don't stop there. They may also reduce fuel poverty, improve capital value, lower maintenance costs, and lower borrowing costs with green mortgages. Passive buildings are less likely to have rental void periods, and they hold value in the event of future carbon legislation. The world-renowned Scion Innovation Hub in New Zealand, a carbon-zero building made entirely of timber. Image courtesy of RTA Studio. Understanding common misconceptions about passive architecture As passive architecture spreads in popularity, some misconceptions persist. Let's debunk some of the most common myths: 1. Passive architecture is more expensive Passive design isn't necessarily more expensive than traditional building strategies.Passive homes can cost from as little as $150 to $500 per square foot , depending on the quality of finishes, location, and other factors. A lower range than that of a non-passive design home. However, operational costs are significantly lower than in traditional buildings, offering substantial cost savings on the total building lifecycle. One study found that passive design can reduce lifecycle costs by 12-52% , with payback periods starting as early as six months. Thoughtful design can further reduce construction costs. Firms like Passive Design Solutions are designing passive homes at the same cost as traditional homes. 2. Passive architecture limits design Passive buildings don't have to be limited in design, scope, or aesthetics. From Villa A in Austria to the OutsideIN House in Chile , today’s passive homes range in scope from modern and traditional to avant-garde.  Commercial passive architecture is equally varied in style and complexity. The Sheikh Khalifa Medical City in Abu Dhabi and The Crystal in London are two examples of world-renowned sustainable design. 3. Passive architecture is only for residential buildings  Home certification programs like Built Green in Washington State are helping to accelerate the passive home movement in the U.S. But passive design isn't just for residential buildings. Large-scale commercial projects like skyscrapers, hotels, and schools offer some of the greatest opportunities to reduce building energy use and make an impact with sustainable architecture.  Winthrop Center in Boston, the world's largest Passive House office building, boasts certifications from Passivehaus, LEED Platinum, and WELL Gold. Similarly, the Solar XXI building in Lisbon, Portugal, uses a combination of passive design principles and renewable energy technologies to create a low-energy national laboratory. Accelerate your green building designs with SketchUp Passive architecture has the potential to completely transform how humans live, work, and thrive in harmony with the planet. It amplifies building performance, protects the planet's resources, and provides elevated comfort and well-being. Daylight analysis using SketchUp and Sefaira for a residential home. Image courtesy of Sterner Design. Tools like PreDesign and Sefaira facilitate a seamless passive design process, offering early-stage analysis for better building performance. Agile and nimble enough to keep up with the pace of conceptual and schematic design, SketchUp continues to work on innovating advanced technology to support sustainability in architecture. Ready to explore passive architecture and achieve design excellence? Try SketchUp today. Start a free trial or find the right subscription for your sustainable design and 3D modeling needs.

SketchUp for Desktop New Graphics Engine – SketchUp graphics engine got an upgrade! This new graphics engine takes advantage of emerging hardware and software technologies, providing notable improvements in file navigation and responsiveness.  Ambient Occlusion – A new face style that adds visual emphasis to the way edges and faces interact in your models, providing depth and realism within SketchUp.  Trimble Connect and Link Sharing – SketchUp for Desktop now includes a native Trimble Connect integration. With Trimble Connect you can easily share a link to a view-only version of your model and quickly access your .skp files across devices. Add Location – The new Add Location simplifies the process of adding high-quality, accurate terrain, including an updated workflow, a visible True North arrow, and improved import options.  IFC Import and Export Improvements – Importing IFC files into SketchUp is now faster and more predictable. We’ve also made multiple updates to IFC-4 exports that help maintain data consistency and optimized files, including a geometry tessellation option and multiple upgrades to how your components are exported.  USDZ & gITF Interoperability – Newly added import and export functionality for both USDZ and gITF files opens up new possibilities for advanced visualization workflows and seamless transitions to and from industry-standard digital content creation tools.   Scan Essentials Ground Mesh – The new Ground Mesh tool in Scan Essentials can quickly and easily turn a 3D point cloud scan into an accurate, quad-face based terrain mesh that you can edit and manipulate in SketchUp.  Extension Error Dialog – If one of your extensions fails to load when you launch SketchUp, you’ll now see a new error dialog that can help you determine which extension is failing, update that extension if there is an update available, or uninstall it.  Modeling Improvements – Various modeling improvements across core tools and features aim to increase productivity and help you stay in your creative flow.   Revit Importer – SketchUp’s Revit Importer is now compatible with Revit 2024.  LayOut   Versionless LayOut – LayOut files from v24.0 onward are now versionless. This means that files created in 2024 can be opened in supported versions (two years prior to the current version)  of LayOut without having to save them to a specific year version.  Performance – The new Performance tab in Preferences introduces Draft Mode to help you improve graphics performance while working in your document. Plus, try out LayOut’s experimental graphics engine [Labs].. Ambient Occlusion – The new Ambient Occlusion face style is recognized and conveyed in LayOut viewports for richer 2D documentation. Improved Inferencing – Inference locking in LayOut is now a bit more like SketchUp. Additionally, while working in your document, LayOut will limit available references when drawing to entities closest to your last mouse click, increasing responsiveness for moving and copying entities   Non-Scalable Labels – Labels no longer have scale grips but will remain scalable when attached to LayOut or SketchUp geometry.  Export Improvements – When exporting your document, you can now choose multiple page ranges at once. Exports will now include page names alongside the file name.  Bug Fixes and Other Improvements  SketchUp SketchUp’s New Graphics Engine What We Did SketchUp’s graphics engine got an upgrade! This new graphics engine takes advantage of emerging hardware and software technologies, providing substantial improvements in file navigation and responsiveness. The Details SketchUp’s new graphics engine is kind of a big deal, allowing you to take advantage of emerging hardware and software technologies to make your modeling experience even smoother. Notable improvements include both an increase in frames-per-second while orbiting models of various size and complexity and better handling and responsiveness. While your results may vary, our internal testing has shown that the most common configurations were about 2.4x faster than SketchUp’s classic graphics engine. For higher-end configurations, we saw an improvement of 8.4x faster, with some cases being even higher than that!   The “classic” SketchUp graphics engine is still available if needed. In the new Graphics section of the Preferences window, you’ll see options to switch between graphics engines at any time.  Not all hardware configurations that can run SketchUp for Desktop can support the new graphics engine. For unsupported configurations, or if SketchUp recognizes that the new engine will be slower or unstable on your device, you’ll see a notification letting you know that SketchUp will continue to use the classic graphics engine.  Learn More For more information about the new graphics engine and everything available in the new Graphics section of Preferences, see Graphics in our Help Center.  Ambient Occlusion What We Did Ambient Occlusion is a new Style setting that adds visual emphasis to the way edges and faces interact in your models, providing depth and realism within SketchUp.  The Details Ambient Occlusion is a new style setting available with the new SketchUp graphics engine. This setting uses shading and rendering techniques to add visual emphasis to the interaction of edges and faces. These interactions can help you add perceived depth to your models, increasing realism.  Learn More Ambient Occlusion is a global style setting that can be turned on from the View menu: View > Face Style > Ambient Occlusion, or by using Search. You can also select pre-built Ambient Occlusion Styles in the Styles panel or tweak the Ambient Occlusion settings sliders and create your own new Styles using Ambient Occlusion. For more details see Choosing a Style . Trimble Connect and Link Sharing What We Did SketchUp now includes a native Trimble Connect integration. With Trimble Connect you can easily share a link to a view-only version of your model and access your .skp files across your devices via SketchUp for Desktop, iPad and Web. The Details Trimble Connect is a cloud-based common data environment (CDE) and collaboration platform designed with the construction industry in mind. Your SketchUp subscription includes access to Trimble Connect with unlimited cloud storage. In the past, you could access Trimble Connect through the Trimble Connect extension available in Extension Warehouse. Now, we’ve eliminated the need for that extension by integrating Trimble Connect directly into SketchUp for Desktop. Trimble Connect has its own dedicated toolbar with more options available in the File menu.  With the new Trimble Connect integration you can:  Easily open and save files to Trimble Connect. Track revisions and see when the last time a file was updated. Transfer models quickly between SketchUp for Desktop, SketchUp for Web, and SketchUp for iPad.  Share a view-only link to a model saved in Trimble Connect. Learn More For more information on how to get the most out of Trimble Connect, see Using Trimble Connect with SketchUp .  Add Location What We Did The new Add Location simplifies the process of adding high-quality, accurate terrain, including an updated workflow, visible True North, and improved import options. The Details The new and improved Add Location makes geo-locating your model and importing detailed terrain data easier and more predictable than ever, particularly with large imports.  The new Add Location includes:  A location pin you can toggle on and off.  A True North arrow that helps you properly orient your model with an understanding of where the north of your project is. Beneficial for users when generating sun and shadow simulations. A ghosted version of your model to help you see how it fits into the terrain you are importing.  Larger import areas regardless of resolution.  The ability to adjust each side of your selection area independently.  A slider that gives you the option to adjust the mesh density of the terrain you want to import.  Higher quality data for medium and large imports. The ability to view all previous imports on each subsequent import.  Better Tag management.     Learn More Take a look at our Add Location articles for more details on how the new Add Location works.  IFC Import and Export Improvements What We Did Importing your IFC files into SketchUp is now faster and more predictable. We’ve also made multiple updates to IFC-4 exports that help maintain data consistency and optimized files, including a geometry tessellation option and multiple upgrades to how your components are exported.  The Details IFC files contain a classification system used by SketchUp’s Classifier. There have been several notable improvements to the process of importing and exporting IFC files including:  You can now import IFC files with special characters such as “ã”, “ó”, “g”.  You can import text from languages with non-Arabic characters like Japanese, Chinese, or Greek. We’ve also added an option that preserves the drawing origin when importing.  When it comes to exporting IFC4 files, SketchUp now provides additional options including: Export geometry tessellation. Tessellation can help optimize your data, making your export half the size it would be otherwise.   Export PredefinedTypes/Object Types. These attributes are now exported as class attributes.  Preserved attribute units. The Imperial or Metric unit value of attributes like “Position” and “Size” is now preserved when exporting.  Export Dynamic Attributes. Any Dynamic Attributes from components are exported to IFC4 as a PropertySet called “SU_DynamicAttributes”.   Learn More For more information on using IFC files in SketchUp, see Classifying Objects .  USDZ & gITF Interoperability What We Did Import and export functionality for both USDZ and gITF files is now available and opens up new possibilities for advanced visualization workflows and seamless transitions to and from industry-standard digital content creation tools. The Details USDZ was developed by Pixar and is known for efficiently managing complex 3D scenes and animations. gITF is known as the “JPEG of 3D” and offers a robust framework for transmitting and loading 3D models. SketchUp now offers the option to import and export both of these formats, unlocking new cross-platform interoperability for advanced 3D visualization.  Learn More Take a look at Using SketchUp Data with Other Modeling Programs or Tools for more details.  Scan Essentials Ground Mesh What We Did The new Ground Mesh tool in Scan Essentials can quickly and easily turn a 3D point cloud scan into an accurate, quad-face based terrain mesh that you can edit and manipulate in SketchUp. With this update, Scan Essentials will also use the same language as SketchUp.  The Details Scan Essentials is available with a SketchUp Studio subscription. With the new Ground Mesh tool, Scan Essentials provides new ways to create terrain from a 3D point cloud using Fit Cloud, Rectangular, or Bounded methods.  With the Fit Cloud method, the mesh will be fit to your scanned ground data and will automatically fill in holes. With the Rectangular method, you can designate a rectangular area within your scan data to define a ground mesh.  The Bounded method will create a ground mesh that maps to a selected face in your model.   Learn More Take a look at Using Scan Essentials for all the details on how to use the new Ground Mesh tool and other features to better leverage point cloud data in your SketchUp models.  Extension Error Dialog What We Did If one of your extensions fails to load when you launch SketchUp, you’ll now see a new error dialog that can help you determine which extension failed, update that extension if there is an update available, or delete it.  The Details Extensions are a great way to customize SketchUp and expand its capabilities. What’s not so great is when those extensions fail to load (usually because they are a little out of date) To help stabilize your SketchUp experience, the following error message will appear when one or more extension encounters an error on application start-up: When this error appears, SketchUp checks Extension Warehouse for an update to the problematic extension. You can then view the details of the error, copy those details, choose to update the extension, disable it, or uninstall it.   Learn More The Extension Errors article in the Troubleshooting section of the Help Center provides more information on how you can work with these errors.  Modeling Improvements What We Did Various modeling improvements across core tools and features aim to increase productivity and help you stay in your creative flow.   The Details With this update, we’ve also been hard at work improving some of SketchUp’s core tools and native modeling functionality. Here’s an overview:  Move Tool Rotation Grips – You can now toggle the Move tool’s rotation grips off or on in the Drawing section of Preferences to limit visual noise and make the move tool easier to navigate. A shortcut is also available for this new drawing preference. Mid-Operation Undo – Undo now cancels anoperation in progress without also undoingpreviously completed action.  Inference to Guides – Inferencing to guides was sometimes impossible when drawing a line from an object to a guide. You can now more effectively use guides as an inference when drawing. Rectangle Inferences – When drawing a rectangle on a face, you can now inference to edges within that face, meaning your rectangle can align with any edge in the same plane as the face it’s being drawn on.  Leaning Ladder Inference – Just like when you lean a ladder up against a wall, this new functionality lets you know with an “X” when the geometry you’re rotating intersects the face you’re “leaning” into.  Unsaved Progress* (Windows) – On Windows, if you have made changes to your model that haven’t been saved, you’ll now see an “*” next to the file name in the application title bar. Mac users:you can determine this by looking forthe gray dot at the center of the red Close button to show you that your progress isn’t yet saved.   LayOut Versionless LayOut What We Did LayOut files from v23.0 onward are now versionless. This means that files created in 2024 can be opened in last year's LayOut without having to save them to a specific format. Performance What We Did A new set of options in Preferences offers settings like Draft Mode to help you improve graphics performance while working in your document.  The Details A new Performance tab in Preferences offers options that can help you adjust the way LayOut handles graphics to improve overall performance. Two major features are Draft Mode and our new Experimental Graphics Engine.  With Draft Mode you can defer the rendering of entities in your page as you navigate. When Draft Mode is enabled, LayOut will display simplified versions without final line weights, dashes, or pattern fills. You can choose to enable draft mode during page navigation, or turn it on/off for moving around very heavy pages. These changes are only visible while you are working on your document. This means a lighter load that improves navigation speed within your file while still maintaining high resolution for any drawing exports.  LayOut’s Experimental Graphics Engine is a SketchUp Labs feature. It’s disabled by default, but you can turn it on to see just how it can boost your performance by providing a modern graphical infrastructure with lots of flexibility.  Learn More We talk about these options in a bit more detail in Performance .  Improved Inferencing What We Did Inferencing in LayOut is now a bit more like SketchUp. While working in your document, LayOut will limit available references when drawing to entities closest to your last mouse click.  The Details For those that are used to the way inferences work in SketchUp, you’ll be happy to hear that inferences now work a bit more like what you are used to.  Additionally, the active inferences while moving and copying entities have been simplified, so that LayOut is really only inferencing against the point where you picked up an entity from. You’ll notice more responsiveness while moving, copying, and placing entities on a page. Learn More For details on how inferences work in LayOut with this improvement see Using Inferences . Non-Scalable Labels What We Did Labels no longer have scale grips but will remain scalable when attached to LayOut or SketchUp geometry.  The Details With LayOut's Label tool (), you create a label entity with a text box, a line (technically called a leader), and an arrow or endpoint pointing to a specific item in the drawing area. We’ve updated the way these labels work so that they no longer have scale grips but still allow scaling when attached to other geometry.  Learn More Labels are outlined in detail in Labeling Items in Your Document   Export Improvements What We Did When exporting your document, you can now choose multiple page ranges at once and export with page names included in the file name. The Details You can now  specify multiple page ranges for export at once. This means that you can export specific pages or page ranges all at the same time without having to initiate multiple exports.  In addition, your image exports now contain the page name in the file name, so exported files are easier to navigate outside of LayOut.  Learn More For more information see Exporting or Printing Your LayOut Document .  Bug Fixes and Other Improvements Sketchup Stability Fixed a crash that could happen opening certain files made with SketchUp 2023.1. (Win) Fixed a crash that occurred when extensions sent messages to SketchUp. Changing scenes when Scan Essentials was installed was the most common case. Fixed a crash when entering a large value for the number of segments in an arc. Tools Added the Show Move tool Rotation grips as a preference along with the ability to toggle as a shortcut Improved visibility of snaps while using the Move tool Improved manipulating of snaps that are on top of a vertex (edge endpoints for example) Improved changes of the orientation of an existing snap Improvements to the steps needed to place a snap Changed the contextual menu item for changing the snap orientation, to Reorient Snap Snaps are now visible for any selected object while in some tools, Move for example. Previously you had to point to the object to see its snaps Added a Reverse Snap entry to the contextual menu Fixed an issue where a snap would be erased if selected and then Escape was pressed Fixed a problem where walking in particular models would take you in the opposite direction Fixed an issue where Undo would have no effect (Win) Native tools in the toolbar can no longer be unintentionally removed by clicking while the Toolbar Dialog window is open (Win) Now able to click anywhere in the scene name tab when renaming it (Win) Increased the size of the "Add Tag" button in the Tag tray to more closely match the size of other buttons (Win) For more efficient editing, pressing Tab advances between fields when editing the scene name and description in the Scene tray Scan Essentials Scan Essentials was upgraded to version 1.2024.0318 Revit Importer Revit Importer was upgraded to version 1.2024.0318 Ambient Occlusion The Styles panel now offers a new default style library, ‘Ambient Occlusion.’ Try out these different variations, and please show us the styles you create with Ambient Occlusion! Fixed a bug where Status was not translated in the Ambient Occlusion menu Miscellaneous Changed the file location for "Working" files in both SketchUp and LayOut used to recover models and documents to use the following path:  Windows: C:\\AppData\Local\SketchUp\SketchUp 2024\SketchUp\working\Mac: /Library/Application Support/SketchUp 2024/SketchUp/working/ Fix for stipples made using Ruby not looking correct Corrected a case where Fix Problems in Model Info/Statistics could erase terrain edges (Win) Fixed an issue where changes in the Camera debug dialog would not take effect Fixed an issue where the Tags checkbox performance was poor in Scene setup Added the ability to switch GPUs in Preferences > Graphics on configurations with discrete graphics cards Fixed an issue where after starting SketchUp will have a time zone of UTC-7, and won't have the time zone set in the default template Fixed an issue when a component is added from the component browser that SketchUp would crash Fixed an issue where adding a component from the component browser caused SketchUp to crash  Fixed an issue when using the Materials dialog picker would turn the geometry selected black instead of the correct color Fix an issue when printing where the process could not be canceled Fixed an issue where a selected Tag text would not display properly Fixed an issue for Styles Dialog where the X-ray slider for the transparency was not working properly Fixed an issue where trays would not properly dock when the 'reset workspace' button was selected Fixed an issue for the text tool where the hotspot would not show up when mousing over geometry Fix an issue where the ESC key did not exit the component dialog after editing Fixed an issue with Ruby window positioning where the new window dialog position would not be properly set Fixed an issue where tabbing through Entity Info did not execute the correct order Fixed an issue where untagged geometry did not properly display in Entity Info Fixed an issue where selecting a tag in the model would cause the tray width to jump wider Fixed an issue where using shortcuts such as the zoom tool would cause the letter 'Z' to appear in the Measurements box Fixed an issue where scene descriptions did not work properly Fixed an issue when working in the viewport that the dialog tray widths would randomly jump to a different width Fixed an issue where tags would disappear when selecting File/New Fixed several incorrect translations in localized languages (Win) Fixed an issue where the classifier, tag toolbar and measurement box did not display correctly (Win) Fixed an issue where the edit tab in the Material dialog with RGB selected did not display correctly (Win) Resolved problems with installation of Revit ImporterAlso, the installer no longer marks the Scan Essentials and Revit extensions as checked by default. (Mac) Fixed an issue for cursor hotspots at 32x32 that would not display Fixed an issue where HtmlDialog - Large POST request response was malformed (Win) Fixed an issue where the name text for the scene thumbnail was not aligned (Win) Fixed a problem with the Trimble Connect Save As dialog where Alt+tabbing between applications caused the dialog to behave in a non-modal fashion, overlapping other applications (Win) Made an improvement so that, by default, the Trimble Connect toolbar will display on the right-hand side of the top toolbar space (Win) Fixed a bug where part of the border for the toolbars menu was missing at some screen resolutions (Win) Fixed a bug that caused some menu separators to have different thicknesses Fixed issues where localized translations were missing or incorrect including text associated with the Offset tool, Share a Link, Customize, Location Pin, and Model Info Units LayOut Stability We made an improvement to document loading performance. The slowdown was caused by a check we were doing with the Near/Far clipping plane fix in SketchUp so look for any instances of viewport clipping with your SketchUp model viewports.  Also please let us know if you are seeing improved file loading. Our default templates now ship with Output Override disabled. SketchUp Model Viewports Now when unchecking the Background in the SketchUp model inspector, the sky, ground and horizon will no longer display in the viewport. Updated the behavior of dimensions to prevent dimensioning to SketchUp model viewport bounds Fixed an issue where LayOut would require a re-render of a SketchUp model viewport at random times Fixed an issue where a Style Override would not persist when a viewport was copied and pasted Miscellaneous Fixed an issue where decreasing the number of multi-selected entities via shift select would not resize the bounding box Fixed behavior where 'Escape' was not closing the Find Text dialog Fixed behavior where grids would shift when modifying paper margins and related margin settings Fixed an issue where the precision gizmo would display in the wrong location when canceling a Move or Rotation Fixed an issue where unexpected characters were being parsed into documents with RTF text Fixed an issue where Label and Dimension scaling causes misplaced rotation control center Fixed a bug relating to undoing unbound text shortcut, where an undo required the shortcut to be typed twice Fixed a bug that generated a crash when text was replaced by autotext on Windows (Win) Fixed an issue causing arcs and circles without solid lines to render improperly in image exports (Mac) Fixed an issue where focus could become stuck in the pages inspector until LayOut was restarted Fixed a LayOut Preferences localization issue in all languages where Pan and Zoom Redraw Delay was not translated Fixed a problem where launching LayOut from the command line using the -lang option did not open LayOut in the specified language Style Builder Bug Fixes (Mac) Fixed an issue where Style Builder would crash when closing Fixed a crash on closing Style Builder (Mac) SketchUp API C API Overlays We are introducing C APIs that allow extensions to draw over SketchUp's view. These APIs allow blended drawing using transparency and/or depth information. The new C API Overlay features offer capabilities not offered from the Ruby API Overlays. In the past, advanced extensions (such as rendering extensions) had to use platform-specific techniques to get a handle to SketchUp's view and perform such drawing. These workarounds are now broken after the introduction of the new graphics engine. We hope these new APIs will provide a stable and documented way for these great extensions to continue to operate. The SDK package includes a simple example project (called 'Overlays') demonstrating the APIs. Please check it out and let us know if we are missing anything. Ruby 3.2 We have upgraded to Ruby 3.2.2.  Additional Ruby API Changes and Improvements The version of OpenSSL in Ruby was updated to OpenSSL 1.1.1w Added support for export option :page_range for Layout::Document#export Added Sketchup::View#graphics_engine Ruby API Bug Fixes Fixed issue on Mac where UI.create_cursor would provide an incorrect hotspot Fixed regression in Sketchup.resize_viewport introduced in SketchUp 2023.1 on Windows Fixed an issue where Ruby Console would not auto-scroll to the end after Clear Fixed an issue where certain Ruby observers would fire if the model is saved when a component is being edited. Specifically InstanceObserver's onOpen/onClose and ModelObserver's onTransactionStart/onTransactionCommit should no longer be called in that situation.