SketchUp integration

There are three ways to get a Prompt2CAD model into SketchUp. Pick based on your tier.

SketchUp Free (web app)

Use DAE export:

1. In Prompt2CAD: Export → DAE (.dae).
2. In SketchUp Free (web): File → Import → set the type to COLLADA → pick the .dae.
3. The model imports with colors (not textures).

This is the simplest path for casual / hobbyist SketchUp users. Materials come through as Lambert (diffuse only) — no wood grain, no marble veining — because SketchUp Free's importer drops anything beyond diffuse RGBA.

If you specifically want textures in SketchUp Free, the workaround is GLB → an online glTF-to-USDZ-or-COLLADA converter that bakes textures into the diffuse — but the result usually looks worse than just picking a closer library color.

SketchUp Pro / Studio

Use STEP export:

1. In Prompt2CAD: Export → STEP (.step).
2. In SketchUp Pro: File → Import → set type to STEP.
3. The model imports as a multi-component group with per-surface colors preserved.

STEP carries more than DAE: solid topology, per-surface materials, no triangulation artifacts. Use it whenever you can.

DAE also still works in Pro if you prefer; the difference is mostly that STEP arrives as solids and DAE as triangulated meshes.

SketchUp Extension (Plugin) — in development

A native SketchUp extension is in development. It will let you:

• Authenticate Prompt2CAD inside SketchUp (no copy/paste between tools).
• Browse the Prompt2CAD model library directly from SketchUp's toolbar.
• Insert a parametric model and continue adjusting the sliders inside SketchUp.
• Send a model from SketchUp to Prompt2CAD's chat for refinement.

If you want early access or want to be notified when it ships, email support.

Plugin status

The extension is in active development at the time of writing and not yet packaged for general install. Until it ships, the DAE / STEP file-import workflow above is the supported path. Email us if you want to be notified at launch.

Orientation and units

SketchUp is Z-up; Prompt2CAD STEP and DXF exports remap to Z-up automatically. DAE is Y-up (which is what SketchUp Free's importer expects). Everything imports right-side up, no rotation needed.

Units are millimeters in STEP/DXF and meters in DAE. SketchUp's importer auto-scales — but check the dimension readout once imported as a sanity check.

Tips

• Pre-position the model in Prompt2CAD before exporting. SketchUp's import places the model at the origin; if you orbit/pan in Prompt2CAD first, the model's local coords still come through unchanged.
• Export at the parameter values you want. Sliders don't survive — set them before exporting.
• For very dense models (1,000+ primitives), STEP imports significantly faster than DAE in SketchUp Pro.

Next: Glossary.