How to export a SketchUp view for AI rendering

Run through this list on every scene. Each item removes something an AI model would otherwise misread or invent.

• Camera: Two-Point Perspective for exteriors, field of view set, eye height about 1.6 m.
• Style: thin or hidden edges, profiles hidden (or at 1–2 px), Shaded with textures, no watermark.
• Background: a plain light color or a simple sky; sky and ground off if the ground plane looks wrong.
• Shadows: on, with a time and date that give readable light on the main facade.
• Fog: off.
• Hidden: axes, guides, section planes, section cuts, hidden geometry and anything selected.
• Size: long side 2,000 to 3,000 px, file under 10 MB, PNG or high-quality JPG.
• Scene: save the view as a scene so you can export it again after design changes.

The AI keeps the camera it is given, so fix it in SketchUp. A level eye-height view with upright verticals reads as a photograph. A high orbit view with three-point perspective reads as a model, and the AI may try to correct it.

Field of view is in degrees. The default is narrow; interiors usually need a wider angle. You can also type a value in millimeters, such as 24mm, in the Measurements box.

1. Choose Camera > Position Camera, click a point on the ground, then type an eye height such as 1.6m in the Measurements box and press Enter.
2. Choose Camera > Look Around and turn to frame the building. Keep the horizon near the middle of the view.
3. Choose Camera > Field of View and type a value: about 35 to 45 degrees for exteriors, 60 to 75 for interiors.
4. For exteriors, choose Camera > Two-Point Perspective so vertical edges stay parallel. Orbiting turns it off, so set it last.
5. Add a scene (View > Animation > Add Scene, or the Scenes panel) to keep the camera.

The style decides how many lines and flat colors reach the AI. You want surfaces, not drawings. Make a copy of a plain style and edit it, so your working style stays as it is.

1. Open the Styles panel: Window > Default Tray > Styles on Windows, Window > Styles on Mac.
2. In the Select tab pick a plain style, then click the Create new style button to copy it.
3. In the Edit tab, open Edge Settings. Turn Edges off, or leave them on and turn Profiles, Extension, Endpoints and Jitter off.
4. Open Face Settings and choose Shaded with textures.
5. Open Background Settings. Set a light, even color, and turn Sky and Ground off if the ground plane cuts across your site.
6. Open Watermark Settings and turn watermarks off.
7. Click the update button at the top of the Styles panel to save the changes to your style.

Yes to both. Shadows tell the model where the sun is and how deep each recess is. Without them, an AI tends to flatten reveals and overhangs, or picks its own light direction. Fog washes out distant edges and is read as haze or a soft render, which works against a crisp result.

Pick a sun that lights the main facade at an angle. Mid-morning or mid-afternoon gives shadows long enough to show depth without hiding windows.

1. Open the Shadows panel: Window > Default Tray > Shadows on Windows, Window > Shadows on Mac.
2. Turn shadows on.
3. Set the time and date. Try 10:00 or 15:00 in spring or autumn, then adjust until the main face is lit.
4. Leave On Faces and On Ground checked, so overhangs shade walls and the building sits on the ground.
5. Open the Fog panel (Window > Default Tray > Fog on Windows, Window > Fog on Mac) and clear Display Fog.

These marks are thin and high-contrast, which is exactly what an AI keeps as poles, wires or frames. Turn them off rather than relying on the AI to remove them.

1. Clear View > Axes.
2. Clear View > Guides, or delete the guides with Edit > Delete Guides.
3. Clear View > Section Planes and View > Section Cuts, unless you want a sectioned view.
4. Clear View > Hidden Geometry, so softened edges do not show as dashed lines.
5. Click on empty space to clear any selection, so no blue box or highlighted faces appear.
6. Check that the scene's style and visibility were saved: update the scene after these changes.

The desktop app uses the same command on both systems. Turn off Use View Size so you can type the pixel width; at view size, the export is only as large as your screen viewport.

Keep anti-aliasing on; it smooths jagged edges. Transparent Background is available for PNG but is not useful here, because the AI then has to invent the whole setting.

1. Choose File > Export > 2D Graphic.
2. Pick the format: PNG or JPEG in the Export Type list on Windows, or the Format list on Mac.
3. Click Options.
4. Clear Use View Size and type a width, for example 3000 pixels. The height follows the view's proportions. On Mac, the chain icon links width and height.
5. Leave Anti-alias checked. For JPEG, drag the compression slider toward better quality.
6. Click OK, name the file and click Export.
7. Check the file size. If a PNG is over 10 MB, export a JPEG at high quality instead.

SketchUp for Web exports PNG only. The camera, style and shadow settings above all apply; the panels sit on the right side of the window instead of in a tray. Menu labels differ between plans, so look for both Export and Download.

1. Set the camera. Use the search box to find commands such as Two-Point Perspective, and check the field of view in the Scenes panel.
2. Set the style, shadows and fog in their panels, and hide axes and guides.
3. Open the file menu (the folder icon) and choose Export, then PNG. On some plans the option sits under Download.
4. In the export options, set the image size so the long side is 2,000 to 3,000 pixels. Leave transparency off.
5. Export and check where your browser saved the file.

SketchUp for iPad exports a PNG image from the Export window. The camera and style settings work the same way as on desktop, with the panels opened from the right side. Set up the view, save it as a scene, then export.

1. Set the camera, style and shadows, and turn off axes and guides.
2. Tap the Export icon on the Main Toolbar or in the Scenes panel.
3. In the Export window, open the File Type menu and choose Image (.png).
4. Set any format options that appear. If a size option is offered, aim for 2,000 to 3,000 pixels on the long side.
5. Tap Export and save the file, then upload it from Safari.

The table sums up the targets. Menu names change between versions, so if a label differs in yours, look for the closest match. SketchUp is a trademark of Trimble; ArchFor is not affiliated with Trimble.

Once the file is ready, upload it to ArchFor as a Model screenshot. ArchFor is a web app that turns 3D model screenshots, sketches and existing renders into photorealistic architectural images. Credit packs from $9.99; no plugin and no subscription required. It accepts JPG, PNG or WebP up to 10 MB, keeps your image's shape to the nearest standard ratio and returns 4 options at 1K, 2K or 4K. Only the image is uploaded, never the .skp file.