Rendering in SketchUp

troubleshooting Shadows
Some computers have issues with the Shadows tool. When Shadows won’t turn on, there are 
several possible causes. Two of them are probable. Either the video card does not support 
SketchUp Shadows or SketchUp needs to be run in compatibility mode, depending on your 
operating system. Be methodical as you to try to track the cause of your conflicts.
Video Card Open GL
First, confirm that the video card is set to display shadows and that it can display shadows. 
Go to Window 
F
Preferences (PC) or Option 
F
Preferences (Mac) and select OpenGL. 
Confirm that the Use Hardware Acceleration option is checked. If it’s not, check the box, 
close SketchUp, restart it, and see if that fixes the problem. If you cannot check the box, 
your computer does not support this option, which can cause trouble when you’re using 
SketchUp. Consider upgrading your computer if you want to pursue serious SketchUp 
modeling and rendering.
Next, under Capabilities, ensure that the highlighted setting says “Yes” under Shadows. If it 
does not, select a setting that does by clicking on it and selecting OK. If you do not have a Yes 
option, you will not be able to display shadows.
Compatibility Mode
SketchUp might have problems running on some Microsoft Windows systems. Windows 7 
and beyond can be set to fix this problem if the Shadows tool does not work. The following fix 
is completed outside of SketchUp; you might need to have Administrator privileges on your 
computer to perform these steps:
1. 
Find the SketchUp icon on the computer’s desktop.
2. 
Select the icon and right-click it. Select Properties.

---

299
Chapter 17: The Shadow Menu
3. 
Select the Compatibility tab.