Styles Panel

In SketchUp for iPad, a style is a collection of specific settings for edges, faces, and backgrounds. It can also control what appears in the model, including watermarks.  

Styles not only add flair to your model, but also convey information about it. The Styles panel () offers a whole slew of options to help you take your model to the next level. You can find many of those options in SketchUp for Desktop and SketchUp for Web.

Styles Panel Tabs

Through the In Model, Edit Style, and Browse tabs, you can view existing styles, edit or duplicate them, and browse a library of ready-to-use styles.

In Model

The In Model tab shows the styles available in the model file. It also includes two other settings:

• Create a copy of the active style () – Duplicates the selected style, which you can edit and rename in the Edit Style tab to create a new style. 
• Purge unused style () – Removes the selected style from the model.

The model's current style appears in the top row. You can select another style to change it. 

Edit Style

Use the Edit Style tab to customize any style currently selected in the In Model tab. To create a new style, duplicate an existing one from either tab, rename it, and adjust its properties.

Style settings are organized into five sections that relate to:

• Edges (line display, profiles, and depth effects)

• Faces (surface colors, transparency, and shading styles)

• Backgrounds (sky, ground, and horizon colors)

• Watermarks (background or overlay graphics and logos)

• Modeling (guides, section cuts, and helper tool visibility)

Tab settings include:

• Style Name – Shows the style name. To rename the style, tap () and enter a new name.
• Save changes () – Saves style settings changes.
• Create a copy of the active style () –  Duplicates the current style. 
• Discard changes () – Cancels unsaved changes.

Edge Settings

Edge settings let you control how edges appear in your model, using the following options:

• Edges () – Controls if edges appear.
• Back Edges () – Shows the edges that are obscured by other edges in your model. When selected, this setting disables the X-Ray face style and back edges appear as dashed lines. 
• Profiles () – Emphasizes the outlines of major shapes in your model.
• Depth Cue () – Gives greater visual weight to foreground edges.
• Extension () – Lets lines run slightly past their endpoints for a hand-drawn appearance. This setting doesn’t affect inference behavior. 
• Endpoints () – Thickens lines at their endpoints.

• Edge Color (tap the color swatch to choose a different color):

  • All Same –  Applies the swatch color to all model edges. 

  • By Material – Displays each edge using the color of its assigned material. 

  • By Axis – Off-axis edges use the "All Same" swatch color. 

For detailed descriptions of these settings, including usage, see Edge Styles.

Face Settings

Face settings let you can control how faces appear in your model, using the following options:

• Front Face / Back Face – Sets the default color for all front and back sides of faces. Tap the color swatch to choose a different color for the side.

• X-Ray () –Turns all faces in your model transparent, allowing you to see through objects so you can easily visualize, select, and snap to points and edges that would otherwise be hidden behind faces. 
• Wireframe () – Removes all faces from view and only shows the edges. Tools that modify faces, such as Push/Pull (), are unavailable.
• Hidden Line () – Removes all colors, textures, and shading from faces, showing only the visible edges of your model as plain lines, and conceals lines hidden from the camera view. 
• Monochrome () – Shows only the default front and back face colors of your model, removing all textures, materials, and custom colors.
• Shaded () – Shows your model using solid colors and basic shading but without any textures or material images. This helps you see the color and form of your model clearly.
• Shaded with Textures () – Shows your model with both colors and textures applied to faces, along with basic shading. Any materials or images you have assigned to surfaces will appear, allowing you to see the full effect of your material choices.
• Photoreal Materials () – Shows faces using the Photoreal Based Rendering (PBR) texture maps assigned to their applied materials. This setting requires an Environment to show its full visual depth. 

• Transparency – Controls how see-through the faces of your model appear.
  
  When toggled on, this setting allows you to view and adjust the transparency of materials globally. Choose between different transparency quality modes: Nicer for higher visual quality or Faster for improved performance. 

• Ambient Occlusion – Enhances realism and depth by simulating soft contact shadows in corners, creases, and object intersections where natural light is blocked. The Distance, Intensity, and Scale Multiplier sliders let you fine tune the results.

• Ambient Occlusion Color – When Ambient Occlusion and this setting are toggled on, you can choose a different color for the ambient shadows. Tap the color swatch to select a new color.

For a detailed description of these settings, including usage, see Face Styles.

Background Settings

Background settings let you customize how the background of your model appears. 

• Background – Sets a solid color for the entire background. When toggled on, you can tap the color swatch to select a new color. 

• Sky – Controls the appearance of a sky gradient at the top of the view. When toggled on, you can tap the color swatch to select a new color. 

• Horizon – Adjusts the color and position of the horizon line separating sky and ground. When toggled on, you can tap the color swatch to select a new color. 

• Ground – Controls the ground color or gradient at the bottom of the view. When toggled on, you can tap the color swatch to select a new color.

• Transparency – Adjust the transparency of the background of your model.

For a detailed description of these settings, including usage, see Customizing a Model's Background with Styles.

Watermark Settings

The Display Watermarks () setting lets you overlay images like logos or static backgrounds in the foreground or background, stretched or tiled to fit your screen. 

For a detailed description of this setting, including usage, see Watermarking a Model.

Model Settings

Model settings let you customize how modeling cues and aids appear in your model, using the following options:

• Hidden Objects ()  – Choose whether hidden objects are displayed.
• Hidden Geometry () – Choose whether hidden geometry (edges and faces that are hidden but still exist) is displayed. 
• Section Planes () – Choose whether section planes, used for cutting through your model, are visible. 
• Section Cuts  () – Displays section cuts, which show the actual cut lines created by section planes, when toggled on.
• Section Fills () – Choose whether section fills, which fill the cut surfaces created when you use a section plane to slice through your model, are displayed.
• Axes () – Shows or hides the model’s axes.
• True North () – After geolocating your model, an orange arrow will appear representing True North, allowing you to realign your model. Toggle on or off visibility of this arrow." 
• Guides () – Toggles the visibility of guides on or off.

Browse

The Browse tab contains a library of predefined styles you can add to your model. Each of the following sections contain a collection of styles:

• Assorted Styles

• Color Sets

• Default Styles

• Photo Modeling

• Sketchy Edges

• Straight Lines

To add a style to your model, open the section for it and select the style. For more information on each of these styles, see Predefined Styles.