Sketchup - Arkio

Importing models from and to Sketchup requires a Pro or Enterprise license. You can learn more about our paid features and start a free trial to try this.

Sketchup versions 2018-2026 are currently supported, allowing the export of large models to Arkio and back. Our Sketchup plugins are included with Arkio's Windows Installer, available on our download page.

Sketchup to Arkio

To export models from SketchUp, you must have Arkio installed on your Windows device and open SketchUp in a 3D view with all the elements you want to export visible. Then, press the Arkio > Export button. If you don't see the Arkio buttons, install Arkio on your PC first, or enable the buttons by right-clicking your toolbar.

This opens an export menu with settings for preparing your current 3D view for Arkio. You can control whether your Sketchup project directly opens in a new Arkio scene. Select which Sketchup components and groups will be converted into movable objects and click OK to confirm. If the model is large, you will receive a notification that your export may take longer. If that is the case, you can best start by saving your work or grabbing a coffee! :)

After a model is exported, Arkio opens on your PC and displays it in a new scene (if selected). The processed import can be found in the Create > Import tab. From there, you can also manually place it in the scene.

Synchronize imports with other Arkio devices

To synchronize your imported files across multiple Arkio devices, such as your PC, Meta Quest, and iPad, you can link your PC and other devices to the same Arkio Cloud device group. The status of your Arkio Cloud shows in your main tool ribbon. After linking, new imports will automatically be synced with other linked devices.

You can also share your scenes, including all placed imports, via a live meeting or a URL from the cloud portal.

Placing models in Arkio

All files imported to Arkio or synced via the cloud will show in your Create > Import drawer. You can sort these imported resources by name, date, or type and click the file to open a preview with placement settings for that resource. In your model preview tab, you can see the number of triangles and movable elements for that imported object.

With the placement tab open, you can click anywhere in the scene to manually place an instance of that model. Or press the green Place at origin buttons to place the model, pinned in the current scene or a new one. Models placed at the origin can be aligned with other models, enabling a round trip between your design tools when exporting Arkio-added geometry back to your existing tools.

After you place the imports on one device, you can start a live meeting with your other device to share the scene, including all imported geometry. You can also link your PC to the same Arkio Cloud to automatically synchronize new imports to your other devices.

Model location and orientation

SketchUp's origin will be used for placement. From that placement, you can use the map feature to load a site around your design and enable more precise sun studies for your project.

If the model has geometry modeled under the xy-plane (origin), the Arkio table surface can be cut away using a primitive void in Arkio's modeling tools. Making the void bigger than the loaded model enables teleporting on underground geometry.

If your model is floating or far from the center, it means it is modeled far from the origin. It's best to keep your geometry close to the origin in 3D tools to prevent geometry inaccuracies. You can address this in two ways:

1. Place the model manually by clicking in the Arkio scene and pin it in place. When you export from Arkio back to your design tool, you must manually align your imported geometry to your original coordinates.

2. You can adjust your SketchUp model coordinates by moving your geometry closer to the origin point and exporting again.

Movable objects

Sketchup components and groups can be exported as movable objects by assigning a tag to the parent component and selecting that tag in the export settings. This will convert those components and groups into individual movable objects in Arkio that can be moved, duplicated, deleted, edited, and painted like any other object.

Objects that are moved outside their original origin position will be exported back into your design tool to enable round trips, along with all newly added Arkio geometry and sketches. Cross-tool workflows are also supported, so you can convert movable Rhino blocks or SketchUp components to Revit families.

Layers

Your SketchUp parent geometry, group or components Tags will be mapped to layers in Arkio. Nested geometry with tags assigned in groups and components will use the tag of the parent group/component instead.

If you would like to have more control over your Layers in Arkio, for example, to present design options, you can make changes to your tags per entity and re-export your model or export your Sketchup model with a different file name to load it as a separate model in Arkio.

You can export different SketchUp models (and other supported design tools) into one Arkio scene and align them at the origin to gain additional control over layers in your scene, as you can control the visibility of all loaded files separately.

Updating a SketchUp model in Arkio

You can update an existing imported model by overwriting your Arkio import files with the same name. In SketchUp, this can be achieved by rerunning the export with the same filename. Arkio will then recognize and process the new version, displaying a green arrow above the model to indicate that a new version is available. You can click this arrow to replace the older file in the scene with the new version on the current coordinates.

Arkio will retain the older versions of your imported models, allowing you to also revert to a previous version by selecting the desired date in your menu and clicking "Update".

Arkio to Sketchup

Arkio scenes can be exported to sketchup using your File browser and selecting the desired export format. Your scene will then be exported locally to your device and, if active, via the Arkio Cloud.

Once back in Sketchuo, you can import this Arkio file into your active project from Arkio > Import. This will open an import settings panel where you can select the file to import and configure the import settings. Arkio geometry will be imported using the Tag Arkio so you can easily filter out what’s imported.

Import settings

Select file - shows all available Arkio Sketchup exports on your PC. When you make an export from Arkio connected to the same cloud device group, the export you make with Arkio on other devices will also be synced to your PC when the Arkio PC app is running. The path to all your Arkio Sketchup exports on PC is Documents\Arkio\Export\SketchUp

You can also use Browse to manually select an .arkioexport file on your system.

Import materials - selects if you want to bring in all materials from your Arkio scene into your Revit project (main materials) or if you want to not bring in any materials (all white)

Previous Arkio Import - allows you to remove any previously imported Arkio files to clean up after multiple round-trips between Arkio and Sketchup and to prevent duplicate elements.

If you like to get your Arkio geometry into editable SketchUp faces, you can also use our integration with Autodesk Revit to first convert your Arkio scene to solid CAD geometry and then export to a DWG. For more information, see this workflow: Export from Arkio to other 3D formats

Mac OS users

Our Arkio SketchUp plugins are currently available only on Windows and help convert your SketchUp models to Arkio. When using SketchUp on Mac, you can export your models to OBJ or glTF/GLB using SketchUp's built-in exporters or third-party exporters. After exporting your models to OBJ/GLB, you can zip the 3D and texture files and upload them to Arkio Cloud to sync your model to Arkio across all connected devices.

Best practices Sketchup models

• Objects visible in your 3D view will be exported to Arkio via the plugin, allowing you to reduce the model size by turning off layers, hiding geometry, and optimizing components. Avoid long export times, performance issues, and crashes by only exporting the geometry you need.

• SketchUp models have two-sided faces. A default white material for the exterior and a purple one for the interior. Arkio's plugin will export the default exterior surfaces (white) and any painted backfaces. If you want the interior (purple) faces exported, you can assign a different material to them.

• It's best to check your model sizes using Window > Model Info to optimize them for Arkio on mobile devices. Importing large 3D models You can optimize your SketchUp components to increase the performance of your Sketchup and Arkio scene using plugins like Skimp.

• PNG and JPG Images loaded into the SketchUp scene are not currently exported via our plugin. Image textures are a good alternative for exporting image content to Arkio.

Troubleshooting

• Avoid issues and long processing by exporting only the geometry you need, using a smaller section box, and hiding unnecessary categories. You can find tips and best practices to optimize your geometry on this page

• If you are missing faces, please ensure that your SketchUp surfaces are modeled with the exterior surface (default white) outward, or that your backfaces (purple) are painted. You can inspect your model's face orientations in View > Face Style > Monochrome.

• Sometimes, failing imports affect other files from loading in Arkio. Clearing your temporary resources often resolves most issues.

• If you have models that don't load well in Arkio, we'd love to review the file to improve Arkio’s importer. You can contact us at support@arkio.is