SketchUp 2026 Released With Real-Time Collaboration Feature

Trimble has released the latest annual update to SketchUp, a modeling software widely used in architecture, interior design, and by game artists for 3D blockouts and concept art, with SketchUp 2026 focusing primarily on quality-of-life improvements.

The standout feature in this release is the new collaboration system. Users can now share their SketchUp models via private invites or by generating public links. Collaborators can navigate the model, take measurements, leave comments, and view updates in real-time.

SketchUp 2026 introduces a Distance Multiplier and color controls for Ambient Occlusion, the ability to invert a material's roughness map, and the long-requested option to select custom thumbnails for your materials.

There are also performance enhancements, particularly when handling large models, along with workflow improvements for Live Components. DWG import/export is more reliable, with support for hatches and section planes. IFC export is now simplified, combining IFC 2x3 and 4 into a single file type with more export options.

LayOut has added four new drafting tools, Trim, Extend, Fillet, and Chamfer, along with other improvements. For SketchUp subscribers using Scan Essentials, two new tools are now available: Texture Projection, which allows image textures to be extracted from scan data and applied to geometry, and Surface Mesh, which makes it easier to generate SketchUp geometry from point clouds.

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