Current Limitation:
When importing a SketchUp model, D5 merges all geometry into a single object. While materials are preserved, the original “Groups” and “Components” are not recognized as separate entities. This prevents users from:
Animating individual model parts.
Toggling visibility of specific elements for scene changes.
Isolating components for targeted adjustments.
Impact on Workflow:
Without discrete objects, users must return to SketchUp, isolate and export each asset individually, then re-import them into the rendering program. This:
Creates unnecessary back-and-forth between applications.
Increases project time and complexity.
Consumes additional storage space with multiple exported files.
Suggested Improvement:
Enable the importer to maintain SketchUp’s native hierarchy so that:
Each Group and Component becomes an independent, selectable object.
Visibility toggles and animation tools can be applied at the object level.
Nested structures remain intact for organized scene management.
Benefits:
Unlocks full animation and scene control without leaving the rendering environment.
Eliminates redundant exports and reduces storage overhead.
Preserves the designer’s original model organization for faster iteration.
To summarize, please enable the importer to preserve SketchUp’s Groups and Components so they can be animated and/or have their visibility toggled individually, eliminating the need for repeated exports and saving both time and storage.
I fully agree, this is a feature that I have been wanting for a while now.
I’ve got a number of projects that could really do with this improvement, as I have models that contain many components, and each component needs to be animated seperately. I would spend enough time as it is just saving each component seperately, let alone importing & positioning each one seperately.
Would really appreciate if the team could look into this.
Twinmotion has had this feature for as long as I can remember. Since D5 is built on similar architecture I don’t see why this hasn’t already been addressed or why it couldn’t be an available feature in their next update.
That’s a viable workaround, but it doesn’t quite fit my workflow.
When you link a SketchUp file directly to Twinmotion, the two stay synced, which allows you to animate objects in the scene while still making changes to the SketchUp model. Any updates in SketchUp carry over automatically without needing to export a new file or relink anything, which preserves continuity and eliminates additional steps.
