Model import guidelines for SketchUp

Lumion 2024:

Lumion 12:

1. Install the Lumion plug-in for SketchUp

1.1: To download and install

Please follow the instructions in this article to download and install the LiveSync (only) plug-in for SketchUp 2021 to 2025:

Knowledge Base: Download Lumion LiveSync for SketchUp

1.2: Integration between Lumion View and Lumion Pro

See this article:

Knowledge Base: From Lumion View to Lumion Pro

2. What is the best import method for your version of SketchUp and Lumion?

Please see section 1.3 in this article:

Knowledge Base: Download Lumion LiveSync for SketchUp

3. Tips & Troubleshooting

3.1: If you are not sure how to import a model, then see:

Learning Pathways: Importing and Working with 3D Models

and this tutorial

Video Tutorial: Lumion 12: Import Your Design Model

3.2: How do you import edges from SketchUp?

Version 9.0 and newer: Simply Import the model and click the On button for the Import edges option:

Lumion 2024.0 and newer:

Or, if using LiveSync, simply enable 'Edges support' in the plugin settings:

Lumion 9:

3.2.1: To turn off the Edges:

You can Re-Import the model again with the Import Edges/Lines settings set to Off:

You can also turn them Off (hide the Edges) using the Material Editor: by selecting the Edge Material:

3.3: Why can't you see the model after importing and placing it in your Project?

Check the scale of your model and make sure that it is placed near 0,0,0 in SketchUp before importing it in Lumion.
Check the position of the model:
- If your model is close to the XYZ axes in SketchUp but still far away from the Object Icon in Lumion, you might have moved the coordinate system origin point. In SketchUp, please right-click on the blue axis and select Reset. Doing so will reveal the true position of the model in relation to the world coordinate system. Then move the model closer to the XYZ axes before re-importing the model in Lumion.
- See also:
  - Knowledge Base: Why is your model invisible or black after importing it?
  - Knowledge Base: Why do yellow lines (but no model) appear after Importing your model?

3.4: Why are some of the surfaces of your model flipped or invisible in Lumion?

If you have a problem with flipped or invisible faces in Lumion, try to explode your scene in SketchUp just before exporting it using CTRL + A -> Right-click -> Explode. Keep 'exploding' the selected models until the Explode option is grayed out.

3.5: Why can't you assign a Lumion material to individual surfaces?

Lumion will always combine surfaces that use the same material in SketchUp. If you want to assign a Lumion material to a specific surface, you must assign a unique material to that surface in SketchUp before Importing or Re-Importing the model.

Knowledge Base: Why can't I select just a part of the imported model?

3.6: How do you reduce the detail level of SketchUp models?

Knowledge Base: How do you reduce the complexity of a model before importing it in Lumion?

3.7: What do you do if your Lumion Materials go missing after re-importing a model?

Knowledge Base: Why are your Lumion materials missing after re-importing your model?

3.8: How do you replace imported objects with Library objects?

Knowledge Base: How do you replace imported 'proxy' objects with Library objects?

3.9: Why are some materials automatically converted in Lumion?

Knowledge Base: How do Auto-Converted Materials work in Lumion?

3.10: How do you update a model in LiveSync when the file name or folder location of the SketchUp file has changed?

Knowledge Base: How does LiveSync 3 work with existing imported models in Lumion Projects?

3.11: Why might some part of your model in SketchUp not show in Lumion?

Sketchup made a change to its API for SketchUp 2021 and newer. That change made it possible to load a newer SketchUp version file than the API supports. The API, that Lumion uses for importing, will skip unknown/newer features without throwing any exceptions.

The result could be that any newer feature or object that you see in SketchUp is not shown in Lumion. This could then be a version compatibility issue between the newer version of SketchUp you are using and your version of Lumion, being released at a time when the newer SketchUp version, was not yet available.

Applies to direct import using Lumion and not LiveSync.