Hi @colin ,
For information, it doesn’t load on Firefox either.
Hello,
I just stumbled across the Live Component feature and have some questions:
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Is this feature still being worked on? The last release notes are from 2023 and is still in beta…
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Can you import existing textured parts into the creator workspace?
We would put a lot of time into this and would like some feedback before doing so.
Kind regards and thank you in advance.
Hi Tom,
Thanks for the questions!
- Live Components are still in active development. Trimble Creator (where they are made is still maintained but is less active on the development front).
- You can export .trb files from SketchUp, and these should have their (mostly) work in Trimble Creator when you drag-drop that file onto the graph (or paste it on).
Would you like to share what you would like to use Creator for? Are you planning to make your own Live Components?
Hi Keith
What is the future roadmap for the development of the live component?
You say “it is less active on the development front”.
Should we expect a dead end? Will live components remain as they are and become the unfortunate companions of dynamic components? I hope this is not a new budget doctrine for the benefit of AI and to the great displeasure of those who still use their brains!
Thanks for reassuring us, we have also taken time to educate ourselves and modify our workflow.
Have a nice day.
Live Components are still in development; it is a complex project, and the goals are loftier than what Dynamic Components can offer.
2025 has just been released, and new LC improvements are seeing their way into SketchUp. They are now paintable (with more painting refinements to come), and 100’s of new LCs have just been released to the SketchUp library:
Exciting new developments are in the works to make Live Components more usable and powerful within SketchUp workflows.
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Can you explain how to paint LC’s please?
I’ve downloaded some window and door models but cannot change their materials unless I explode them.
Thank you
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Hi Monty!
Let’s make sure that paint will work.
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Please ensure that you are on the latest version of SU (2025 on Desktop, Web should be the latest and check for updates on Mobile).
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Let’s ensure it has been configured at least once since the update (new models don’t have this requirement, but if this LC is from pre-2024 it might need it). Double-click or right-click configure your LC.
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With 1 & 2 done, the LC can be painted with the paint bucket. The UX for this currently doesn’t allow the LC to be selected (or configured) while it is painted. Close the configuration window. Ensure the LC isn’t selected, and use the paint bucket on/over the Material you wish to replace in the LC.
Give us a shout if this doesn’t work!
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Greetings Keith. I have literally only just discovered LC and, sad to say, up until yesterday I had no idea that visual scripting (is that the right term?) was a thing. Now I’m keen to learn more but there doesn’t seem to be much information out there.
The forums here provide some great information and “tutorials” so I’ll work my way through those. I started working with a venetian blind LC from Sketchup yesterday to try and understand how it’s all set up. My very first question is to do with materials.
I see from above that materials can be dropped into the graph so I’ll experiment with that. My question is - does V-Ray read this information directly from the component? The blind renders well as it comes but I want to change the blind slat material to timber. I can’t find either of the existing two materials shown in the graph in my V-Ray list of materials so I’m wondering exactly how it’s coming up with the right look.
With thanks from a complete newbie.
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Hi Chimurengagirl,
Glad to hear you are exploring Live Components!
Regarding how the Material from a Live Component gets into V-Ray? As you suggested, it does read the material directly from the component (just like any other material in SketchUp). The create material node in a Live Component graph creates a PBR (physical based rendering) material and it should translate into V-Ray with reflections/roughness appropriately. Adjusting the roughness/reflectivity of the create material node should translate all the way through to V-Ray.
If you want one of us to have a closer look at your graph & Live Component, feel free to share a link to the saved graph (save in Creator and then copy the URL here).
Thanks,
KT
Hi Keith and thanks very much for your quick response.
I had a go at changing the material of the venetian blind slats on a copy of the original component (obtained from the Warehouse) and appear to have succeeded! I don’t fully understand the rest of the graph by any means and I’ve chose a particularly complicated component in my usual manner of making life difficult for myself, but it’s a start. I’ll experiment with simpler things.
Thank you!
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