Develop visual directions from saved SketchUp scenes and views.
SketchUp is a 3D modeling and presentation tool used to develop buildings, interiors, furniture, landscapes, and site concepts. Its saved scenes can retain a deliberate camera, style, shadows, section cuts, and tag visibility, giving a visual brief a clear connection to the working model.
SketchUp is a 3D modeling and presentation tool used to develop buildings, interiors, furniture, landscapes, and site concepts. Its saved scenes can retain a deliberate camera, style, shadows, section cuts, and tag visibility, giving a visual brief a clear connection to the working model.
A SketchUp scene is a useful starting point when a design team needs to make the intent of a massing study, room layout, facade option, landscape scheme, or product concept easier to understand. Before capture, the modeler can frame the saved camera and choose the tags, style, shadows, or section cut that reveal the relevant design decision. RENDERCAD can develop that clean view into alternative visual directions - for example, a warmer residential interior, a more resolved exterior material study, or a landscaped context for a site proposal. The result is well suited to early client conversations, concept boards, option comparisons, and presentation layouts where atmosphere helps communicate an idea. It should not replace the SketchUp model as the source of truth for dimensions, geometry, quantities, coordination, or construction documentation. Keep those decisions in SketchUp and use the generated image as a visual exploration tied back to the original view.
In SketchUp, finish the design decision you need to show before making an image. Activate the saved scene, confirm the camera and perspective, and set tag visibility, style, shadows, or a section cut only where each improves readability. Hide selection outlines, guides, trays, and unrelated geometry, then capture the viewport or export a clean image. Upload that image to RENDERCAD with a focused brief covering the intended material character, time of day, lighting, furnishing, planting, or surrounding context. Review the output alongside the original scene to check that its composition still supports the model. Select useful directions for a review, proposal board, or LayOut presentation, then return to SketchUp to revise the actual geometry and documentation.
Modeled by CADSharp in Onshape. Rendered with RENDERCAD.
Add | Change | or Remove referenced objects with the stroke of a brush.
RENDERCAD uses a maintained selection of image-generation models for different rendering tasks. Results can vary by model and input, so compare generated output with the source design before relying on geometry, materials, or dimensions.
| Feature | RENDERCAD | V-Ray for SketchUp |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | Generative AI | CPU, GPU, and hybrid rendering modes |
| Output | Images + Video | Rendered images and animation workflows |
| Resolution | HD / 4K | Controlled by render settings and available hardware |
| Image Speed | Image renders complete in 60 seconds. | Varies by scene complexity, hardware, and quality settings |
| Video Speed | Videos complete in 2-5 minutes. | Animation rendering time varies by scene and render settings |
| Scene Set Up | No separate local scene | Lights, materials, environment, assets, and render settings prepared in V-Ray tools |
| Input | Screen Snip | SketchUp model through the V-Ray plugin |
| Hardware | Cloud GPU | Desktop plugin for SketchUp workflows |
| Install | None | V-Ray plugin installation and Chaos license required |
| Cost | from $9/mo | Paid commercial licensing |
Read the numbers. We trust you to know theirs.
Skip a separate local scene build. Pick a condition, material, and background while RENDERCAD handles the image-generation step. Image renders complete in 60 seconds.
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RENDERCAD™
Use the browser workflow directly, capture a selected view with the desktop app, or start from the browser extension.
Get StartedCommon solutions for SketchUp users
No local NVIDIA rendering GPU is required. Use a supported browser to upload an image or a current capture tool to select a screenshot; generation runs on cloud infrastructure.
The Render History page lets you browse and download retained images and videos. Storage duration depends on the account plan, so download assets you need before they expire.
RENDERCAD is standalone. You don't need a SketchUp rendering license - just the ability to view your model on screen.
The core workflow starts from a selected 2D view, so it does not require native CAD-file conversion or source-model upload.
Reuse a clear history image and change the color instruction or reference. Treat the results as visual options rather than color-managed proof.
Describe the finish, gloss, grain direction, and lighting, or provide an authorized material reference. Generated reflections are visual approximations rather than physically verified material behavior.
It uses generative image models with screenshot or image inputs. Models and features can change over time, so current product documentation is the source of truth.
Video jobs consume credits based on current duration and model settings. Check the pricing page for current costs rather than comparing with an assumed outsourcing price.
Yes, if you are authorized to use them. Catalog images can guide a visual direction, but generated quality and product fidelity vary.
Yes. Mask each region and assign an authorized texture reference or instruction. Review material boundaries, scale, and product fidelity after generation.
You can layer a material reference, a lighting reference, and a background reference together. Each guides a different aspect of the final render.
While RENDERCAD generates full rectangular images, you can set the Background to "White" or "Grey" in Advanced Settings for easy masking in post-production.