From SketchUp to the viewer: export and present your model

To present a SketchUp model in DRB Studio, export a supported format such as DAE and check the result before your meeting. Native SKP files do not open directly. This guide covers the desktop COLLADA workflow and the checks to make in the browser. Keep your original model: design changes still belong in SketchUp.

The viewer interface is in Spanish; English coming soon

Editorial review: October 20, 2026 · DRB Studio.

1. Check the export formats available in your edition

   Open the model in the SketchUp edition you actually use and check its export options before preparing your client presentation. The official format table lists COLLADA and 3DS for Go, Pro and Studio subscriptions; do not assume every edition offers the same formats. See Trimble’s supported formats by subscription (source review: October 20, 2026). This guide does not list prices or suggest buying a license just to try the viewer.

   On desktop, the documented DAE workflow is File → Export → 3D Model, then select COLLADA. Menu labels depend on your installation language. In SketchUp for Web, check the download controls and available formats; the dialog will differ from the desktop version.

   Before continuing, decide what the meeting needs to explain: the entrance, the courtyard, or the relationship between the living room and kitchen. Use that focus to prepare a presentation copy while preserving your practice’s working file.

2. Prepare a copy for the presentation

   Save a clearly named version and inspect it from outside and inside. Check for clutter, overlapping design options and stray geometry far from the building. Keep what explains the proposal and hide work from other stages in this copy. Working on a dedicated copy helps prevent accidental edits to your main model under tight deadlines.

   Pay particular attention to the doors and windows you will show. Missing geometry or reversed faces can be mistaken for design decisions. Take a reference screenshot in SketchUp for comparison later. Include an element with a known dimension and record that dimension in your review notes.

   Give materials recognizable names such as concrete, wood or glass. DRB uses these names to help interpret finishes, but a generic export does not become a BIM model. It does not guarantee floor organization or the properties of a Revit family.

3. Export DAE and keep its supporting files

   Check COLLADA’s texture export, hidden geometry and selection options. SketchUp can export texture maps, but its scenes, dimensions and section planes do not transfer as equivalent COLLADA features. Exporting two-sided faces doubles the polygon count; use it only when needed. See Trimble’s COLLADA export documentation (Spanish) (source review: October 20, 2026).

   Choose a delivery folder and keep the DAE together with the exported images. Do not rename them during checking. Separating the model from its resources makes it harder to tell whether a finish changed because of the importer or a missing image.

   Record what you exported and the options you used. A short note alongside the working copy is enough. If a design revision requires another export, you can repeat the process and compare the results.

4. Open the files and check scale and appearance

   In the viewer, choose “Abrir mi proyecto” (Open my project) and select the supported model and its resources. Wait for loading to finish before treating a neutral surface as a missing finish. The model opens in your browser. External connections, including maps and AI images, are covered separately in the privacy notice.

   Compare the result with your SketchUp screenshot. Check the overall massing first, then openings (doors and windows), and finally finishes. Measure a known dimension using the review tools. If the building looks out of scale, return to the source file and check units before preparing the walkthrough.

   The viewer may use an average color from imported textures and generate finishes from material names. Patterns, grain or signage may therefore look different. To approve a specific finish, include its original sample or image in the presentation.

5. Build your views around the client’s questions

   Enter your practice’s name in the project details and save views that explain the proposal. Start with an overall view showing the entrance, then move to the space the meeting is about. A short, recognizable sequence makes it easy to return to a question without orbiting around the whole building.

   In the standard 3D view, left-drag orbits, right-drag pans, and scrolling zooms toward the cursor as in SketchUp. Middle-mouse dragging looks around from your current position. Rehearse these movements before handing the mouse to your client. Saved views help restore orientation.

   Switch to “Presentación” (Presentation) after reviewing the model. For interiors, check that the export includes the necessary building envelope and openings. The viewer displays exported elements; it cannot reconstruct walls or details omitted from the file.

6. Rehearse the presentation and keep a reference

   Test on the meeting computer and, if your client will use a phone, on that device too. Check that the complete model opens and that movement is comfortable. No single file size guarantees equal performance on every device. If something fails, simplify the presentation copy and check the important area again.

   “Mis proyectos” (My projects) stores files in the browser; an account does not automatically synchronize them. Project cloud storage is currently disabled. You can send your own project as a .drb package and rehearse opening it using the project-sharing guide. Keep the SKP and the export outside browser storage as well.

   Identify the design revision and anything still awaiting confirmation. Your client should be able to distinguish a design change from a display difference. This guide is based on documentation and an importer review. A new SketchUp export has not been tested for this guide; verify your exported file before the meeting.