Getting Started

SketchUp for iPad offers the core functionality of the desktop application alongside exclusive features designed specifically for iPad. It enables you to design, modify, and annotate 3D models whether you are working in the office, on location, or on the move.

What You Need

To get started with Sketchup for iPad, the first thing to do is Install SketchUp from the Apple App Store and sign in using your Trimble ID. If you already have a Trimble account and an active SketchUp subscription, you're ready to go! If not, you can purchase a Monthly or Annual SketchUp subscription through the App Store or purchase a subscription at SketchUp.com. For more information about available subscription options, see SketchUp Subscriptions. For more information on how to set your Trimble ID, see Trimble ID.

SketchUp for iPad Interface

Home

The Home screen appears after launching and signing into SketchUp for iPad. The following options appear on the left side of the screen:

• Home () - Returns to the Home screen.
• Cloud () - Opens your Trimble Connect Projects page.
• Learn () - Opens the Learn screen with in-app learning resources, such as getting started videos and links to Square One videos on the SketchUp YouTube channel. 
• Feedback () - Contains links to send feedback through email,  our user forums, and our Frequently Asked Questions. 

The following options are located at the top of the Home screen:

• Create new - Create a new SketchUp model. Use the dropdown menu to choose a template with your preferred default units.

• Open From - Opens iPad’s Finder to help you open locally saved files, or files saved to another location.

• Welcome to SketchUp – A selection of demos, tutorials, and overviews of recent updates to help keep you up-to-date on SketchUp for iPad’s features. You can choose to hide this section by tapping it.

• My Profile - When selected, you’ll see information about your account, a My Profile link, and options to delete your account and sign out of SketchUp.

Navigating the Interface

The SketchUp for iPad interface includes several toolbars and panels that provide easy access to all of the features you’ll need to create models.

Here's an overview of what you'll see when you open a model:

1. The main navigation bar includes the following options:

   • Menu () - Opens a menu with several options:
     • Home () - Exits your document and returns to the Home screen. You can save, save a copy, or discard any changes you’ve made to your model before returning to the Home screen.

     • File name: Shows and lets you change your model’s file name.

     • Save as () - Saves to a location you choose.
     • Import () - Launches a file browser. You can browse the Files app of your iPad or Trimble Connect for files to import into your model. See Importing and Exporting for more information. 
     • Export () - Opens the Export dialog, which provides file types and other options for exporting your model.
     • App Settings () -  Opens the Settings panel. For more information on all the options available in this panel, see Settings Panel.
   • SketchUp AI () - Accesses AI Assistant and AI Render. For more information on SketchUp AI features like AI Assistant and AI Render, see SketchUp AI.
   • Undo () and Redo () - Reverses your last action and restores the action you just canceled.
     
     

     Tip: When using your finger or a touchpad, a two-finger tap can undo while a 3-finger tap will redo.

     
     
   • Cloud () / Disk Drive () - Indicates if the file is saved to Trimble Connect or your iPad. If you make changes to a model saved on Trimble Connect, the icon changes to a cloud with an upward pointing arrow  () to notify you that SketchUp for iPad has auto-saved your model. If you tap the icon, it will save the file to Trimble Connect.
     
     

     Note: When iPad for SketchUp auto-saves, it only creates a local recovery backup file, and doesn’t save the latest version to Trimble Connect. For more information on how files are saved, see Working with SketchUp Files.

     
     

2. Measurements Box - Lets you specify measurements while creating your model.

3. Collaboration toolbar - SketchUp’s Collaboration tools are available in their own dedicated toolbar that includes the following options:

   • Your profile picture - If you have shared your model and others have accessed it while you are working, you can make all other users follow a camera view of your movements by clicking your profile picture. For more information on live collaboration, see Real Time Viewing.

   • Show/Hide Cursors ()/() - Click to show or hide the cursors of others viewing your model. 

   • Share - Opens the Sharing window, which contains options for sharing your model through SketchUp’s collaboration tools. For more information, see Sharing a Model.

4. Toolbars - When you first open a new document, you will see the Getting Started toolbar, showcasing some of the most used SketchUp tools. When you tap a tool, an additional toolbar with that tool’s optional modes appears.
   
   Tapping () at the bottom of the Getting Started toolbar opens the Expanded Toolset with all other available tools. As you begin using tools, they‘ll appear in one of three spaces showing tools you’ve recently used. For more details about using tools, the different toolbars, and customizing the toolbar and tool palette, see iPad Tools.

5. Context Menu Toolbar - Each icon represents a feature normally seen in the context menu in other versions of SketchUp. The available options depend on the type of entity that is currently selected. For more information, see Entity Context Menus.

6. Panels Toolbar - SketchUp’s panels provide several ways to elevate your models. See iPad Panels for more information.

iPad Input Methods

When you’re used to Sketchup’s other platforms, navigating Sketchup for iPad’s interface can be a bit of a shock. You can interact with SketchUp for iPad using several input methods, and each input method interacts with the interface in a different way.

In addition to supporting classic mouse/trackpad and keyboard inputs, SketchUp for iPad provides options to create and view models using multitouch gestures or an Apple Pencil.

Multitouch

SketchUp for iPad offers full multitouch support that allows you to navigate the interface, select tools, and view and create models. The following quick reference card provides an overview of the gestures you can use while creating your models.

Depending on the tool, you’ll use a combination of gestures such as hard presses and taps to create and manipulate geometry.

Apple Pencil

You can interact with the interface and use tools with an Apple Pencil through a combination of taps, hard-presses, and drawing gestures. 

The Settings panel lets you set your Apple Pencil to one of the following two modes:

• Just Draw - This mode allows you to just draw as you would with a pencil and paper. For example, to draw a rectangle using the Rectangle tool, touch your pen to the screen where you want your first corner to be, lightly drag the pencil to the location for your second corner, and lift your pencil to complete the shape.

• Click-Move-Click - This mode is versatile and takes advantage of Apple Pencil’s pressure sensor. Lightly dragging the pencil across the screen allows you to infer things in the model before pressing hard with the pencil tip to start and complete an operation. For example, to draw a rectangle using the Rectangle tool, hard-press the location for your first corner, lift your pencil, and  use another hard-press to designate the diagonal corner, which completes your shape.

Touchpad and Mouse

Using a touchpad or mouse in SketchUp for iPad works a lot like it does for SketchUp for Desktop. Actions, such as click-and-drag, double-click, and triple-click, work the same as they do on other platforms.

Keyboard

If you have a keyboard, many of SketchUp’s keyboard shortcuts are available on iPad. To see what keyboard shortcuts are available, press and hold the CMD key or search for them using the Omnibar. You can also use your keyboard to enter measurements without selecting the measurements box first just like you can in SketchUp for Desktop.