Rendering in SketchUp: From Modeling to Presentation for Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Interior Design

Textures in SketchUp

Textures utilize linked images to take on the appearance of real-world materials (Fig. 6.4). The textures are then applied to SketchUp surfaces. Linking textures in SketchUp is a seamless process handled by the Paint Bucket tool. For rendering, the linked images should look like a photograph, representing a specific type of substance or matter found in the real world.

Fig. 6.4: Textures are composed of images that represent the desired material and surface.

The images composing a texture repeat on the applied surfaces. SketchUp takes the linked image and tiles the image on an applied surface in an endless repetition of that image. (Fig. 6.5). This is how a surface can appear to be covered by the image. The size of the linked image can be scaled up or down.

Fig. 6.5: A texture image applied and repeated across SketchUp faces

Not all rendering surfaces require a textured material. Solid colors are useful in some instances. Polished, smooth, or metallic surfaces might achieve the best result using a solid color without an associated linked image (Fig. 6.6). However, most surfaces benefit from a texture linked to an image.

Fig. 6.6: The top image shows the solid surfaces applied to the containers. The IRP texture values applied to these surfaces will render ...