THE MOST EXCITING SKETCHUP EXTENSIONS in 2018!!
In this video, I talk about the plugins and extensions I’m most excited about in 2018 for SketchUp!
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What I’d like to hear from you is what you’re excited about this year, so head down to the comments and let me know!
Extrude Tools
http://www.thesketchupessentials.com/extrudetools/
Extrude tools is an extension that has been around for a while, but something about SketchUp 2017 just didn’t work with it. It wouldn’t create faces correctly, and it just wasn’t very helpful. However, its now been updated for SketchUp 2018 and seems to be working great!
ClothWorks
https://twitter.com/sketchUcation/status/939926472642453506
Accurate cloth simulation in SketchUp? Yes please! Sketchucation has put out several tweets teasing the release of an extension that allows actual cloth simulation in SketchUp. Release date not yet set (sometime early 2018 is what they said), cost isn’t known, but whenever it gets put out, I WILL be downloading it.
Unknown Extension from Mindsight Studios
https://twitter.com/mindsightstud/status/954878221111107584
A week an a half ago, there was a cryptic tweet from the guys over at Mindsight Studios stating that they have a free new SketchUp plugin coming out. There was not more information than that, but these are the guys that created Placemaker, Profile Builder, and Artisan, so if they’re putting it out, it has to be good. More info to come.
Enscape
https://enscape3d.com/
I’ve done a couple of videos on Enscape before – it’s a realtime rendering program that quickly creates photorealistic renderings that you can walk around in in real time with a single click of a button. As I’ve started to work with more different rendering programs, I’ve really gotten an appreciation for how easy Enscape is to use. You literally click a button, it opens up the viewer, and it applies textures and settings based on keywords in the material names. Also, the rumor is that they have a material editor feature coming soon!
Kubity
https://www.kubity.com/
Kubity is a 3D viewer for your SketchUp files that allows you to view your models in Virtual Reality. For any of you that have had a virtual reality experience, you know that being able to view your models in real scale is a total design game changer. Kubity allows you to view your models on your PC with an Oculus Rift or Vive Headset, on a mobile device with a Google Cardboard, or you can overlay models on real world locations using augmented reality. The desktop viewer or the mobile device allows 1 live model, so you should be able to use this feature for free
Viz Pro
http://www.thesketchupessentials.com/viz (AF Link)
I did an intro video on this extension last week, and am excited to get further into this extension. Basically, Viz is a parametric modeling extension that allows you to generate true parametric models in SketchUp. This is a completely new feature that hasn’t been in SketchUp before, and as more tutorials and content get posted online, I’m excited about learning new
VRAY
https://www.chaosgroup.com/
I’ve been saying it for a long time, and it’s almost here! Vray tutorials have probably been the most requested tutorials on this channel. Vray is the industry leading rendering program, and I’m excited to FINALLY bring you Vray tutorials either in February or in March.
Wrap-R
http://www.thesketchupessentials.com/wrapr (AF Link)
Wrap-R is a new UV mapping extension for SketchUp that allows you to map materials to complex surfaces in SketchUp. This by itself is useful, but what I’m really excited about it using Wrap-R to map materials before exporting to either Unreal Engine or Unity. These really powerful gaming engines can also create fantastic rendering, and with the use of Wrap-R, getting models from SketchUp to these engines could be getting a lot easier.
Disclaimers: all opinions are my own, sponsors are acknowledged. Product Links in the description are typically affiliate links that let you help support the channel at no extra cost.
About Justin Geis
Hi, I'm Justin Geis, and I'm the founder of The SketchUp Essentials. I started using SketchUp as part of my work as a general contractor in 2008. I quickly realized the power of the software and started using it for personal projects. I started The SketchUp Essentials as a place to share easy to follow SketchUp tutorials and tips to help everyone harness the power of 3D Modeling in their lives. When not working with SketchUp, I enjoy playing soccer and spending time with my wife and our two dogs.
