Export 2D image with alpha transparency

[sWilliams]

Julia, you are correct to notice that transparency is not working the way you are expecting. This problem seems to have started with SU 2017.

Export .PNG Transparent Background Glitch 2017

Hi Dave, Attached is my sketchup file. I go to file export image .png without a background in styles. Then I drop both the exported .png sketchup image and a background image into a program like inDesign or Pages, and place the .png over the photograph. I avoid inserting images into my sketchup files to keep file sizes down for speedy 3D modeling. Perhaps this is an unknown selection or preset I am missing within sketchup 2017, resulting in user error. I’ll update the post if that is the case…

For demonstration I have created a (somewhat goofy) test model with transparent windows on two sides of a building.
transparency test.skp (233.2 KB)

This PNG image was created with SU2017

The alpha channel in the SU2017 PNG is a solid black region.

The PNG of the same model in SU2015 looks like this.

and the alpha channel in the SU2015 PNG looks to be correct.

I have no idea why this functionality was changed for the 2017 and later editions of SU.