Because of its simplicity, SketchUp is used in many fields especially architecture. But its simplicity is also a limiting factor in architectural design.

So we find plugins that expand SketchUp functionality into this field. If you use SketchUp for the purpose of architectural design, you will need for sure some of these plugins:

Rendering

1. LumenRT – E-on software plugin for the visualization of architectural projects in real-time 3D with photorealistic illumination.

2. V-Ray for Sketchup – Plugin for faster rendering, better lighting tools, and the ability to create and visualize complex scenes.

3. Maxwell for SketchUp – Brings you advanced Maxwell Render technology in a simple and self-contained package.

4. Indigo Renderer – Photorealistic renderer which simulates the physics of light to achieve image realism demanded by architectural and product visualization.

5. IRender nXt – Enables architects and designers to create presentation-quality images of their SketchUp designs.

Modeling

6. Artisan – Plugin for amorphous and organic design.

7. SketchUpBIM – Transforms SketchUp into BIM software, helps you make building model faster.

8. Soap Skin & Bubble – Tensile Structures – Enables you to build a flexible form and tensile structures.

9. Dibac – Architectural drawing inside SketchUp – draw architectural plans using 2D tools and then get the 3D automatically.

10. BuildEdge PLAN – Draw parametrically connected buildings models.

11. 1001bit Tools – A collection of various tools useful for fast creation of architectural elements.

12. Architect Tools – Selection of tools for generating buildings and stepped terrains that author has written while working on DWG imported data.

Urban Design

13. MODELUR – A parametric Urban Design tool that helps you to quickly create and test different urban design alternatives inside SketchUp.

14. PhotoSketch – Enables you to build 3D models of existing urban structures from 2D photographs.

Animations

15. Keyframe Animation – Animate your SketchUp model by adding movement to any object.

16. Podium Walker – Photo-realistic real-time walkthrough animation plugin.

Furniture

17. BIMobject Sketchup app – Find thousands of real SketchUp objects from real manufacturers.

18. ProjectSketch – Select and place Commercial Office Furniture in SketchUp drawings.

Export/Import plugins

19. Export plugin for Artlantis 4 – Allows you to export from Sketchup to Artlantis 4.

20. Viso3D – Converts SketchUp models so that they can be viewed and navigated in 3D on an iPad or iPhone/ iTouch.

21. IFC2SKP – Load the geometry or object data from the IFC file format exported from popular BIM (CAD) applications, such as ArchiCAD, Revit and Microstation.

Analysis

22. Affinity – Create a connection between the model, the spreadsheet and all the underlying data about the building requirements.

23. IESVE for Architects – Architectural analysis through guided workflows.

Scheduling

24. BiMUp 5D – Perform calculations using formulas and produce as many reports as required using bespoke templates.

25. Product Connect – A flexible takeoff & reporting solution that helps you answer the question: “What’s in my SketchUp model?”

Timber Framing

26. Timber Frame Rubies – Plugin that simplifies modeling of timber frame designs in 3D.

27. Timber Framing Extensions – Automate mortise & tenon joinery, generate material lists, etc.

Vali Architects plugins

28. Instant Roof – Create fast complex roofs – just select faces and edges.

29. Instant Fence & Railing – Create fences, balcony railings, handrails, banisters.

30. Instant Wall – Create site walls, retaining walls, pilasters, curbs.

31. Instant Terrain – Create simplified terrain meshes over complex terrains or terrains with problems, or over objects.

32. Instant Road – Automates creation of roads on a terrain using either an outline or a centerline for input.

33. Instant Site Grader – Merges terrain around a closed boundary (like SketchUp’s Stamp tool, but boundary edges need not be planar).

SketchUcation plugins and scripts

34. Joint Push Pull – A script that performs push pull on multiple faces in one operation.

35. Surface Operations – A Suite of Tools drawing on curved surfaces, with lines, various shapes, offset and Freehand / Polyline.

36. Free Scale – Orientate the selection box around a set of objects and interactively apply a number of geometric transformations.

37. Sketchy Bevel – Bevel faces, you can control how far to inset the faces.

38. RoundCorner – Performs the rounding of the edges and corners of 3D shapes along a 2D profile.

Smustard plugins and scripts

39. Instances – Select all instances of a selected component.

40. CADLayers – Export layer states from AutoCAD and import into SketchUp.

41. StrayLines – Label, Select, Delete or Show all the open-ended line segments in a drawing (clean up an imported CAD drawing).

42. Stitcher – Creates a surface between two curves.

43. Parking – Create parking lot lines with two clicks.

44. Profile Builder – Follow Me tool ‘on steroids’. Model intelligent building materials with extreme speed and accuracy.

45. SceneExporter – Export scenes to jpeg image.

46. FlightPath – Easily create walkthrough or flyby videos.

Ruby Library Depot plugins and scripts

47. Desel – Selects or deselects edges and faces.

48. SmartDrop – Moves the selection at a chosen Z or drop selected items at intersection.

49. TubeAlongPath – Creates circular faced ‘followme’ tube extrusions along a path.

50. ado – Automatic 2D output from pages (supported output formats: jpg,tif,bmp, tga, png, dwg,dxf,eps,pdf).