SketchUp to Blender Workflow: How I Move My Work Back and Forth

SketchUp ↔ Blender Workflow (and Back Again)

No matter how fast and intuitive SketchUp is for modeling simple geometric shapes, sooner or later you’ll hit a wall — a function SketchUp can’t do natively. Things like subdivision, UV mapping, texture baking, beveling, or quad remeshing. Sometimes, even with plugins, it’s still impossible to achieve the result you need.

That’s usually the moment when you type “SketchUp + [function] + plugin” into Google, hoping to find an extension that does the job. You’ve probably done this so often it’s become a habit — and just as often, you either find nothing useful or end up with a half-baked solution.

Sketchup to Blender Plugin Search

Personally, I like to keep my SketchUp interface clean — close to factory setup. Not a lab full of floating windows and overlapping toolbars. So, unless a plugin is really worth it, I avoid extensions and keep things simple. Instead, I rely on Blender for the missing parts. I keep it installed as a side tool to handle what SketchUp can’t.

SketchUp Viewport crowded with toolabars

Blender modifiers list

It may sound like a breakpoint — like you can’t move models smoothly between SketchUp ↔ Blender. But actually, you can. In this article, I’ll share my full workflow on how I export my work from SketchUp to Blender and bring it back — while keeping everything intact and clean, as if nothing happened.

Best File Formats for SketchUp–Blender Exchange

The best file formats for this workflow are DAE (Collada) and OBJ (Wavefront). Both work well and you can export a selection set or the whole scene, but you need to follow a few key tips:

• Units: use meters in SketchUp (Model Info → Units → Decimal → Meters). Blender uses meters by default, so this keeps scales consistent.
  

• Textures: make sure your textures are affine (no yellow pin distortions). Non-affine textures will force SketchUp to export hundreds of texture files, one for each triangle — breaking your UVs when you import them back. For more on this issue, see this article.

Option 1: Collada (.DAE) Format

Both SketchUp and Blender can read and write DAE quickly — it almost feels like a native format. It transfers geometry, materials, and textures smoothly. I recommend it mainly if your model isn’t textured or if you have no other export choice. (Although STL format works fine, it does not support textures)

Step 1: Export from SketchUp → Blender

Go to File → Export → 3D Model → *.DAE (Collada). Click Options and set them like this:

SketchUp DAE Export options

Step 2: Import into Blender

In Blender, go to File → Import → Collada (.dae). It will read SketchUp materials, textures, and units correctly. The mesh will appear split — just join the parts (select all parts and hit Ctrl+J) and merge vertices to clean duplicates. Blender also imports SketchUp cameras (you can delete them). After joining meshes, textures might disappear — fix it by giving all UV maps the same name before joining. This entire cleanup takes a minute or two, you may also need to convert Tri to quads if your mesh requires edits and you want to use modifiers.

Step 3: Export from Blender → DAE

Once editing is done, go to File → Export → Collada (.dae). Leave the defaults and save.

Blender DAE export window

Step 4: Import into SketchUp

Back in SketchUp, go to File → Import → 3D Model and select your DAE file. Use default import settings, and make sure Merge Coplanar Faces and Preserve Credits are checked.

SketchUp DAE Import Options

Sketchup Mesh edited in Blender (Subdivision modifier)

Option 2: Wavefront (.OBJ) Format

The OBJ format is excellent for exporting from SketchUp to Blender. Blender imports OBJ files cleanly, with all materials intact — often better than Collada. Meshes come in one piece (not split), vertices are welded, UVs stay named correctly, and Edge Sharp matches SketchUp smoothing.

However, since SketchUp can’t natively import OBJ, it’s best to export as OBJ → edit in Blender → re-import as DAE. If you still want to import OBJ directly into SketchUp, here are two options:

• SimLab OBJ Importer: Paid, offers a 14-day or 30-use trial.
  
• TIG OBJ Importer: Free, works fine but sometimes freezes. Free Download
  

Key Takeaways:

Export from SketchUp as .OBJ, and import back as .DAE. This workflow works with all SketchUp versions — even SketchUp Make 2017 — using either the built-in Collada exporter or the free TIG OBJ Exporter.

Both formats have pros and cons, but in all cases, avoid non-affine textures. This issue appears especially when projecting textures using SketchUp Match Photo.

Sketchup Mesh edited in Blender (Bevel modifier)

Why Export and Re-Import Your Work?

• When your model returns from Blender, faces are no longer triangulated — coplanar surfaces merge automatically, so you can continue working in SketchUp seamlessly.
  
  
• DAE and OBJ have no version issues; they’re universal formats that open in any 3D software, making them great for sharing or selling your work.
  
  
• If your last step is in Blender, you can always send the file back to SketchUp for collaboration or upload to the 3D Warehouse.
  
  
• Use SketchUp for speed, then switch to Blender for the heavy stuff — animation, rendering, compositing, etc.
  
  
• Learn to mix software. Don’t stay limited to one environment. Back in the day, many SketchUp users sent their work to ParacloudGEM (a generative parametric tool, now discontinued) for advanced operations — and nobody complained about switching back and forth.

If you have questions, want to share your workflow, or found a better export method — drop it in the comments below.