Hi everyone! We’d like to share Raya for SketchUp, a free extension that turns your SketchUp view into a photorealistic AI visualization in under a minute.
You don’t need a separate render engine, light setup or material parameters, and you don’t wait for render passes. Raya captures the view you’re looking at, and the AI adds realistic materials, lighting and surroundings. The image is generated in the cloud, so it works on any computer that runs SketchUp.
We built it for architects, interior designers and furniture makers who need quick concept visuals and client-ready images straight from the model.
How it works
- Open the Raya panel from the Extensions menu. It docks right inside SketchUp.
- Click Capture view to send your current SketchUp view to Raya.
- Choose the scene type (Interior or Architecture) and the lighting: sunny, cloudy, golden hour, dawn, night or no windows.
- Optionally describe the look in your own words, add a reference photo (a specific piece of furniture you want in the room, or the fabric that should end up on the sofa), and decide whether a person or a pet appears in the shot.
- Click Generate. The result comes back in the panel in under a minute.
Your model is never modified, because Raya only reads the image of the view. Images come out in 2K, and you can upscale them to 4K or 6K. Making variants is quick: the same shot in sunshine, at golden hour or after dark, with different materials and colours, all without touching the model.
Edit only what you need
Select part of the visualization and describe the change. Raya updates only the selected area and keeps the rest of the frame exactly as it was, so changing tiles, a sofa colour or a wall finish doesn’t mean starting over.
Video from a visualization
You can animate a finished visualization in the same panel. Pick the length, resolution and aspect ratio, and describe the motion in your own words or use a preset: furniture reveal, furniture coming out of a box, or a shift in the time of day. No animation software, camera setup or frame sequences needed, and a clip starts at 5 credits.
3D models from a photo
Raya doesn’t stop at images. In the same panel you upload a photo of a piece of furniture or an object and get a 3D model from it. A single front shot is enough, and four photos (front, both sides and back) give a more accurate model. Generation takes about 1-2 minutes.
From SketchUp 2025, the Insert into scene button places the finished model straight into your project with textures applied. In earlier versions you download it as FBX, GLB or OBJ and import it yourself. That way you place the exact armchair or lamp from the client’s catalogue instead of hunting for a substitute.
Correct mirror reflections
In a raw SketchUp view a mirror is just a flat, single-colour surface, so an AI has nothing to rebuild the reflection from and tends to make it up. The Mirrors feature solves this: it generates the reflection of your scene in the mirror plane before the view is sent for generation.
Click Pick mirrors, select the mirror surfaces in the SketchUp window and press Enter. The reflection is calculated locally on your computer in a few seconds, costs no credits and works in every supported version. After you move the camera, just click Update.
Without Mirrors, the AI invents a dark reflection:
With Mirrors, the reflection shows the real ceiling and window:
More examples from other projects and programs: AI Visualization Examples - Renders, Animations and 3D Models | Raya
Requirements and pricing
- The extension is free. Generation runs on Raya credits, and every new account gets 20 free credits to start (valid for 14 days). A 2K image costs 2 credits, a video starts at 5 credits, a 3D model at 6. Mirrors cost nothing.
- SketchUp 2020 or newer, on Windows and macOS.
- An internet connection and a Raya account (the same one works in the Raya web app and in our plugins for other programs).
Installation
- Download the extension (.rbz file) from Raya for SketchUp - free AI rendering plugin
- In SketchUp open Extensions > Extension Manager.
- Click Install Extension, pick the downloaded .rbz file and confirm.
- Open the Raya panel from the Extensions menu, sign in and start generating.
Feedback welcome
We’d love to hear what you think: what works, what doesn’t, and what you’d like to see next. Questions are welcome here in the thread.
. However, since the calculations aren’t performed locally, you’ll need to purchase credits.
