Bring existing buildings as 3D geometry directly into your SketchUp model

Use Add Location and access satellite imagery and terrain maps for real life data

3D building context with Add Location

With the new 3D Buildings import function in Add Location, you can now pull existing buildings directly into your SketchUp model in just a few clicks. It’s seamless, accurate, and works across Desktop, iPad, and Web—no plugins, no guesswork, no relying on satellite images or site photos.

But this isn’t just about dropping in geometry. It’s about gaining immediate, meaningful context—understanding how your design interacts with its surroundings, the site, and the city itself. Alongside high-resolution satellite imagery and terrain, this upgrade gives you access to critical information that can help you make your design choices.

Why it matters:

• Stronger client communication: Show exactly how your design fits into its real-world setting, surrounded by neighbouring buildings. This realistic backdrop makes ideas easier to grasp, builds trust, and accelerates approvals.

• Smarter site and urban planning: See your structure in context from day one. Test massing, streetscape impact, and integration with the neighbourhood before you’ve even started detailed modeling.

• Early insights for performance: Place your design in its true environment for sun and shadow studies, optimizing daylight and shading strategies from the outset. Then take it further in Sefaira for advanced energy, daylight, and HVAC analysis.

  
  

Add Location updates for iPad

Users can customize output settings.

Add Location in SketchUp for iPad has also received upgrades, bringing parity with the Desktop and Web experience. Achieve flexibility with your iPad

• Control contour and tessellation density using the mesh density slider.

• Import terrain with adjustable detail and orientation for precise modeling.

• Low-density option for lightweight, faster files.

• High-density option for detailed, accurate terrain.

Bridge the Physical and Digital with Scan-to-Design (SketchUp iPad Pro)

• Select from multiple outputs to match your workflow, balancing accuracy with performance.

• Capture micro-level context for renovations, remodels, and detailed interiors.

• Start modeling faster with scan data optimized for your project needs.

The true power of Scan-to-Design lies in its variety of outputs and how quickly it helps you get started. Understanding these choices allows you to capture the data you need for your specific workflow, optimizing both detail and file performance.

Use Mesh to capture details for complex spaces and shapes

mesh scan of a kitchen interior.

The Mesh output is great for quick conceptual modeling and lightweight file performance. It helps deliver a high-detail, textured, triangulated mesh.

• Architects can document existing facades, historic preservation projects, and intricate structures with precision.

• Interior designers can capture curved walls, decorative elements, and unique detailing with accuracy and nuance.

Pro Tip

Start your project on iPad to capture existing conditions, then import 3D Building context to see your design in its full urban setting. By integrating broad urban context with fine-grained interior detail, you’re not just modeling—you’re creating visions grounded in reality.

Try Add Location in SketchUp 2025 or in the latest version of SketchUp for iPad today!