Install the SketchUp plugin

Download the latest .rbz file, add it to the Extension Manager, and sign in once. Three steps, about two minutes.

Three steps

1. Open SketchUp and go to the Extension Manager Menu Window → Extension Manager. Click Install Extension in the bottom right of the window.
2. Select the downloaded .rbz file SketchUp shows a security dialog. Confirm the publisher is PresentTool BV and click Yes. Restart SketchUp.
3. Activate with your studio email The plugin opens as a side panel. Enter your email — we send a magic link. Click it and you're signed in on all workstations linked to the same studio.

Compatibility

Unattended install via terminal

For IT admins rolling out to multiple workstations — use our single-line installer:

Tutorial — your first project

Follow these seven steps to get a shareable presentation link in under twenty minutes. We use a fictional Amsterdam living room as the example — swap in your own SketchUp model.

Step 1 — Create a new project

Open the plugin in SketchUp and click New project in the top left. Give it a recognisable name (e.g. Living room · Smith family). The project appears immediately in your dashboard at app.presenttool.com as well.

Step 2 — Paste your client briefing

Paste the email thread or WhatsApp export into the briefing field. Click Process briefing (5 credits). A few seconds later you'll see a structured list: goal, target audience, style, colour accents and budget.

Step 3 — Generate a moodboard

Choose style chips (Scandinavian, Industrial, Boho…), primary materials (oak, linen, marble) and a lighting mood. Click Generate moodboard. Select the image that best matches your vision and use it as the visual anchor for your renders.

Steps 4–8 — Render, viewer, clip, Home Tour, presentation

The rest of the workflow is covered in detail on each step's page. Every step is optional: you can jump from briefing directly to presentation if you're making a quick pitch for a returning client.

Step 1 — Briefing & style direction

The briefing step translates raw client notes (email, WhatsApp, handwritten) into a structured project description. Goal, audience, style, colours and budget are automatically extracted and available for all subsequent steps.

How does it work?

1. Paste your raw client briefing The text field accepts up to ~10,000 words. Email headers and signatures are automatically ignored.
2. Click Process briefing 5 cr Within 8–12 seconds you get structured fields rendered directly in the UI. No markdown, no free text — pure structure.
3. Review and adjust where needed Every field is editable. Changes are auto-saved to your project and immediately visible to all team members.

Extracted fields

Field	Required?	Description
project_name	REQUIRED	Short name, max 60 chars. Used as title in dashboard, viewer and story link.
client.name	REQUIRED	Primary client contact. Shown on the presentation page.
goal	REQUIRED	One or two sentences: what does the client want to achieve?
style_tags	OPTIONAL	List of max 5 style chips. Pre-filled in step 2 (Moodboard).
color_accents	OPTIONAL	Hex codes or colour names. Influences render palette.
budget_eur	OPTIONAL	Indicative budget. Not visible in public story link — internal only.

JSON output (example)

Step 2 — Moodboard creator

A generated moodboard is more than inspiration — it becomes the visual anchor for all subsequent renders. By selecting one image as anchor you steer consistent colour, material and lighting into every render, without having to re-specify it each time.

Choose style direction

The chips below define the moodboard input. Combine up to five style chips with one primary material and one lighting chip.

The generated moodboard

Click the image that best matches your client vision. It is automatically set as the visual anchor. A star icon appears at bottom-left as confirmation.

Regenerate or import

Click Regenerate (5 credits) for a new set of variants — useful if the first run doesn't feel right. Or click Upload image to use a reference image from your own archive as the anchor.

Step 4 — Renders & mood images

Generate a photorealistic interior based on your SketchUp scene. Each render produces two variants (A and B) from the same camera with slight variation in light and material — so you always have a comparison.

Variant A vs Variant B

Both variants are generated simultaneously from the same source data.

Render presets

Choose one or more chips. The combinations influence how your scene is interpreted.

Materials

Lighting mood

Cost & conditions

credits

5 per render call · 2 variants included

turnaround

30–60 s under normal load

resolution

2048 × 1280 px (+ 1024 × 640 web export)

maximum

SketchUp model < 250 MB · scene must be fully materialised

retry

1 free re-run on technical error (vendor error / timeout)

Scene coaching

PresentTool™ automatically scans your scene for potential issues before rendering: missing materials, unfavourable camera angle, no scenes saved. Follow the advice in the coaching panel — it saves credits.

The output steps

Steps 5–8 turn your created assets into something shareable: an interactive 3D viewer, a cinematic mood clip, a guided Home Tour, and a published presentation. Below is a live preview, followed by per-step details.

Four outputs at a glance

Versions & retracting

Each publication creates a new version (v1, v2, …). Older versions remain accessible via their own link unless you retract them from the dashboard. Useful if you first share a rough version and refine later.

Embed on your own site

Any viewer, mood clip or Home Tour can be embedded on your portfolio or WordPress site via an iframe snippet from the share menu. The clip stays hosted with us — no uploading required on your end.

Credits & billing

Credits are the unit of account for processing runs. Every action has a fixed cost — no surprises afterwards. Below are the three plans, the credit cost matrix, and how refunds work.

Plans

Credit cost per action

How do refunds work?

Credits are automatically refunded when a run fails due to a technical error (vendor error, timeout, model not found). You don't need to submit a request — the refund appears immediately in your activity log.

Payment methods

Payments are processed via Stripe — iDEAL, credit card (Visa, Mastercard, AMEX), Apple Pay, Google Pay and SEPA direct debit. Invoices appear automatically in your dashboard under Account → Invoices.

Frequently asked questions

Answers to the most common questions about render errors, credits, account matters and compatibility. Looking for a specific error code? See the Error codes page →

Quick links

Top questions

Error codes from the plugin

Every error in PresentTool™ has a unique code in the format PT-XXX. Below you'll find all 12 codes with a ready-made solution and last-known frequency.

Filter by category

All codes (12)

Code	Meaning	Solution	Last seen
PT-101	No API connection	Check internet and whether api.presenttool.com is blocked by firewall. Briefly switch to another network.	15:42
PT-102	DNS resolution failed	Reset your DNS cache (ipconfig /flushdns · macOS: sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder) or use 1.1.1.1.	14:08
PT-103	TLS handshake timeout	Corporate firewall may be blocking our cert chain. Add *.presenttool.com to the allowlist.	11:23
PT-204	Session expired	Click Account → Sign in again. Session tokens expire after 30 days of inactivity.	09:51
PT-307	Insufficient credits	Check your balance. Top up via Credits → Buy pack, or wait for the auto-refill (1st of the month).	13:14
PT-413	SketchUp model too large	Models above 250 MB are rejected. Remove unused 3D Warehouse components or explode nested groups.	12:36
PT-414	Scene not materialised	Select at least one scene with materials assigned. Renders do not work on bare geometry.	10:20
PT-502	Render worker overloaded	Our cluster is at peak capacity. The plugin retries automatically after 30 s. See status.presenttool.com .	15:01
PT-507	Vendor API unavailable	External provider has an outage. Credits are automatically refunded. Follow status →	11:55
PT-621	Material not recognised	Re-import the missing material from the Materials Library panel, or use Auto-map.	08:42
PT-712	Viewer bake failed	Lightmap too complex. Reduce the number of light sources or split the scene. Credits are refunded.	14:38
PT-901	Story publication refused	Project has no output (no renders/clips/viewer). Add at least one asset before publishing.	10:11