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Too early for a render: the SketchUp model needs to look like a sketch

At concept stage a photoreal render does the wrong job: it tells the client that decisions have been made. A hand-drawn look invites comment instead. This takes the SketchUp view you are already working in and redraws it as a presentation sketch — fineliner outlines, loose watercolour, painted foliage — with the geometry and the camera exactly where the model has them.

Try it freeDownload the SketchUp plugin

SketchUp (any recent version)

A hand-drawn ink-and-watercolour sketch of an office atrium, annotated in red

How the SketchUp plugin handles it

  1. Use a plain shaded style

    Switch to a simple shaded style with plain edges. Sketchy edge styles, profiles and extensions get drawn over again by the sketch, which doubles every line.

  2. Send to VotexArch and pick Sketch

    Use Send to VotexArch from the Extensions menu or toolbar, choose the Sketch & Presentation tab, and save the PNG. Upload it on the tab that opens.

  3. Add season or mood if you want it

    The drawing brief is built in, so the prompt box is for additions only — autumn light, a busy street, planting to include. Leaving it empty still gives a complete sketch.

What SketchUp hands over

SketchUp has its own sketchy styles, and it is tempting to send one. Do not: the tool draws its own line work over whatever it is given, and a SketchUp sketch style underneath produces two hands drawing at once. A plain shaded view with clean edges gives the cleanest drawn result.

The thing that goes wrong

Shadows left on at a low sun angle are drawn as heavy washes and can swallow a whole elevation. For a sketch, turn shadows down or set a high midday sun before exporting; the watercolour reads the tone you give it.

Do you preserve geometry?

Yes. Every render pass is constrained to your source geometry and camera position, so walls, proportions, and perspective stay locked instead of being reimagined by the model.

Models available for this

Every model draws from the same credit balance, and a credit is only spent on a successful generation.

  • Presentation Sketch10 cr / image
  • Presentation Sketch Pro14 cr / image

Questions

Does the sketch change my design?
No. The geometry, openings and camera come from your export; only the drawing style changes. That is the difference from asking an image model for a sketch of a building, which would invent one.
Can I get several views in the same drawing style?
Yes. The drawing brief is fixed, so exporting several scenes and running each through the same tool gives a consistent set without having to match prompts by hand.

Related workflows