Rendering in SketchUp

Texture Option Missing 
When a surface with a texture is being selected, the Texture 
option will not always appear in the right-click menu. Reapplying the same texture to 
the surface usually fixes this problem (but not always). This bug is common with surfaces 
nested inside a group or component. Make sure that the surface is selectable and that you 
are not selecting the group or component. 
Green pin-rotate and Scale 
The Green Pin option can be hard to control. When you’re 
trying to rotate a texture’s position on a surface, the Scaling option activates. It takes a 
slow and steady mouse to simply rotate the texture without scaling it and vice versa. Com-
pounding that, you cannot use the Value Control box or Measurements area in SketchUp 
(bottom right of the screen) to enter values for either rotation or scale. Hopefully, the 
SketchUp developers will fix these options in the future because these tools are necessary 
for applying textures onto surfaces in SketchUp for rendering.
You should explore the Green Pin option as much as you can. 
ruby Script UV Tool for Organic Texturing 
Dale Martens, a structural engineer and Ruby Script tools writer, created the UV Tools 
for SketchUp. These tools allow you to map textures onto complex organic surfaces. Go to 
Resources to find this tool and other Ruby Scripts useful for rendering. 

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Chapter 9: Apply, Assess, and Adjust
I
n what follows, “the three As” (Apply, Assess, and Adjust) refers to the steps taken to 
achieve rich, realistic textures laid out onto model surfaces. The three As are part checklist 
and part actions to be performed. This chapter will teach you the specifics for each step. Use 
this chapter as a reference manual and refer back to it as you progress through the rendering 
process.
 You should follow all of the Apply steps. The Assess and Adjust steps are optional if you are 
new to rendering. Assess and Adjust are good practices to adopt as you gain more experience 
and practice. However, if you are new to rendering, be patient with yourself and gradually implement 
these additional steps. Your time is better spent mastering the basic techniques before trying to 
fully implement these additional Assess and Adjust steps. Eventually, with time and practice, 
the three As should become an integral and habitual part of your rendering process. 
The Three As
The tools used for the three As are reviewed in Chapter 8. Make sure you have read the chapter 
to ensure that you are familiar with the general function of the tools outlined in this chapter. 
The three As are
3
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