How Do You Add a Skylight in Sketchup?

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Adding a skylight to your Sketchup model can bring in natural light and add a touch of realism to your design. In this tutorial, we will guide you through the step-by-step process of adding a skylight in Sketchup.

Step 1: Creating a New Layer

Before we start adding the skylight, it is a good practice to create a new layer specifically for the skylight. This will help you easily manage and control the visibility of the skylight later on.

  • Step 1.1: Open the “Layers” window by navigating to “Window” > “Layers”.
  • Step 1.2: Click on the “+” button to create a new layer.3: Name the new layer as “Skylight” and set its visibility as active (checkbox checked).

Step 2: Drawing the Skylight Opening

To add a skylight, we first need to create an opening on the roof where the skylight will be placed.

  • Step 2.1: Select the roof surface where you want to place the skylight.
  • Step 2.2: Use the “Rectangle” tool (shortcut: R) to draw a rectangle representing the size and position of your skylight opening.

Note:

You can use accurate dimensions or simply estimate them for now. You can always edit and refine them later.

Step 3: Push/Pull to Create Depth

Now that we have the skylight opening, we need to give it some depth to create the actual skylight.

  • Step 3.1: Select the skylight opening surface.
  • Step 3.2: Use the “Push/Pull” tool (shortcut: P) to extrude the surface downwards, creating the depth of your skylight.

Step 4: Applying Glass Material

To make our skylight look like glass, we need to apply a transparent material to it.

  • Step 4.1: Select the skylight surface.
  • Step 4.2: Open the “Materials” window by navigating to “Window” > “Materials”.3: Choose a suitable glass material from the library or create your own by adjusting transparency and reflection settings.4: Apply the selected material to the skylight surface by clicking on it in the Materials window.

Step 5: Adjusting Skylight Position and Size

You can now fine-tune the position and size of your skylight according to your design requirements.

  • Step 5.1: Select the skylight geometry (opening + glass).
  • Step 5.2: Use Sketchup’s transformation tools like “Move” (shortcut: M) or “Scale” (shortcut: S) to reposition and resize the skylight as needed.

Step 6: Controlling Skylight Visibility

If you want to control the visibility of the skylight, especially during different design iterations, you can use the layer we created in Step 1.

  • Step 6.
  • Step 6.2: Toggle the visibility checkbox of the “Skylight” layer to show/hide the skylight as needed.

Congratulations! You have successfully added a skylight to your Sketchup model. Feel free to explore more advanced techniques like adding interior frames or adjusting light attributes to enhance realism further.