LayOut 2027 changes shadow direction and length during PDF export. Same workflow works in 2026

SketchUp Pro
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Title: LayOut 2027 changes shadow direction and length during PDF export. Same workflow works in 2026

Hi everyone,

I’m having an issue with shadows displaying differently between SketchUp, the LayOut viewport, and the exported PDF. I’m using SketchUp and LayOut 2027 on Windows 11, along with the Solar North extension.

My workflow

I create separate scenes for my architectural elevations. I use Solar North to adjust the north direction for each scene so I can control how the shadows fall on that particular elevation. These are presentation shadows rather than an accurate site sun study.

I’m using standard SketchUp sun and shadows, without an Environment or HDRI controlling the sun position.

What happens

The shadows look correct in SketchUp. In LayOut, they sometimes initially appear with a different direction and length.

If I right click the viewport and choose Render Model, the shadows update and match the intended appearance.

However, when I export the document to PDF, the shadows change direction and length again. The LayOut viewport continues to show the correct shadows, while the exported PDF shows different shadows.

This affects the actual direction and length of the shadows, not simply their darkness, resolution, or sharpness.

What I have checked and tried

  • The viewport references a named SketchUp scene.

  • SketchUp and LayOut show the same date and time. In the example I’m troubleshooting, both show September 13 at 3:29 PM.

  • I have tried both Raster and Hybrid rendering, and the issue occurs with both.

  • Manually choosing Render Model corrects the viewport onscreen, but the shadows are still incorrect in the exported PDF.

  • I have also tried overriding the shadow settings directly in LayOut, but that has not resolved the issue.

  • Faster Shadows off.

This does not happen in 2026

I use this same workflow in SketchUp and LayOut 2026 without these problems. The issue appears to be specific to 2027 in my experience.

Expected behavior

The exported PDF should match the correctly rendered LayOut viewport, including the Solar North angle saved for each scene.

Has anyone experienced this in LayOut 2027, particularly when using different Solar North angles for different scenes? Is this a known issue, or is there a setting that could explain the difference between the viewport and PDF export?

Thanks,
Ryan

2

Render Model only refreshes the picture LayOut has cached. PDF export opens the model again and rebuilds each viewport from the saved scene, so the two can disagree even when the date and time match.

Solar North changes north on the model. That angle is not stored on a scene unless you update the scene afterward with Shadow Settings included. If you then rotate north for the next elevation, an earlier scene that was not updated still exports with whatever north was current when the file was saved. That is also why the viewport looks right after Render Model (it grabbed the live model) while the PDF does not.

For one elevation, leave its scene active, set Solar North, and confirm the date and time in the Shadows panel. Right-click that scene tab, choose Update, and tick Shadow Settings and Camera. Save the file. In LayOut, select that viewport and clear any shadow override in the SketchUp Model panel so it follows the scene. Then use Update Model Reference, Render Model, and export again.

Repeat that per elevation, and save before you change Solar North for the next one. If a scene updated this way still exports with the wrong direction, it is no longer a setup issue. The same scenes working in 2026 makes that worth reporting with the scene name and the north angle.

3

I have experienced this yesterday… export not matching my SKP file. Close LO, open, let everything update, export - it was the only way around it.

I even duplicated the page… 1 showed correctly, 1 incorrectly.

My file did not have any changes to Solar North. Just standard shadow issues.