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Sketchup is an amazing tool for building 3D models. It’s free to download, easy to use, and completely intuitive. In my opinion, it’s the best 3D modeling software available right now. However, this doesn’t mean SketchUp doesn’t have some weaknesses.
One of the things SketchUp really struggles with is maintaining high speeds when models start getting really big. The more faces, lines, etc there are in a model, the more SketchUp has a hard time running quickly. Really large, bloated models can take a lot of time to load and navigate. However, there are some smart 3D modeling tactics you can use to make your SketchUp model run more quickly.
1. Turn off shadows and fog
SketchUp has several really cool tools for simulating sunlight and fog. However, these tools are processor intensive and increase load times. Turn these options off until you actually need them.
2. Use a lightweight style, like the default style
Styles are a great tool in SketchUp for making your model look more artistic. However, as a tradeoff, when you use a style with a lot of different lineweights and visible points, it’s just more stuff SketchUp has to render. Select the “Default Style” option, then go in and turn off thickened profiles for a faster loading experience.
3. Put face heavy objects on a separate layer, and turn them off when you’re not using them.
You may need some face heavy objects, like trees, in your model. However, you don’t need to have them visible while you’re doing actual modeling. Put these objects on a “Large Objects” layer, and turn this layer off until you actually need it.
4. Pick smart models from the 3D warehouse
SketchUp’s 3D warehouse is a fantastic repository of different models that you can download into your model. However, the tradeoff is that not all these models are modeled with smart modeling practices, leading to large file sizes. Select models with a smaller file size when working with items in the 3D warehouse, and realize that most objects you put in the background of your model don’t need to be that detailed anyway.
5. Purge unused objects
Often when working with objects from the 3D warehouse, you’ll download models that come with a lot of extra leftover stuff that you don’t really need, or you’ll delete an object from the 3D warehouse and it leaves a lot of materials, layers, groups, etc. Use the “Purge Unused” item in the model info to delete this unused stuff out of your model.
These are my 5 Tips for speeding up a SketchUp model. What tactics are you using to speed up your models? Leave a comment below and let me know!
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