Export your 3D model

Before you can drop a building into 3D Preview, you need it in a web-ready 3D format. Render a House accepts SketchUp .skp files directly, plus .glb (recommended for other tools), .gltf, .obj, and .stl. STL contains geometry only — no colors or materials — and is the route for AutoCAD 3D solids. Other native project files — Revit .rvt and AutoCAD .dwg — can't be uploaded directly, so the one step that matters is the export.

📺 Prefer to watch? See the full walkthrough on YouTube: Importar tu modelo 3D en su ubicación real (in Spanish).

Which format?

• .skp — SketchUp's own file. Upload it as it is.
• .glb — recommended for other tools. A single binary file with textures baked in. Nothing else to manage.
• .gltf — the same data as .glb but split across multiple files (separate textures / bin). Works, just more files to keep together.
• .obj — the classic interchange format. Use it as a fallback when your tool can't export glTF. Textures stored in separate files may not come across.
• .stl — geometry only, with no colors or materials. Use it to export AutoCAD 3D solids; describe materials in your prompt after uploading.

When you click Upload inside 3D Preview, the Import a 3D model dialog has step-by-step tabs for SketchUp, Revit, Rhino, Archicad, 3ds Max, and AutoCAD. Pick your tool and follow along — the steps below are the same.

SketchUp

No export needed — save your model (File → Save) and upload the .skp file in 3D Preview.

If a .skp can't be read (some very old SketchUp files), open it in a recent SketchUp version and save it again, or export a .glb instead:

1. Open your model in SketchUp.

2. Go to File → Export → 3D Model…

   

3. In the format dropdown, choose glTF Binary File (.glb).

   

4. Export the file, then drop it into the Upload file button in 3D Preview.

Older SketchUp versions without glTF export can export .obj instead.

Revit

Revit doesn't export glTF on its own. Install the Leia – glTF Exporter plugin (by e-verse, for Revit 2021–2026) from the Autodesk App Store.

Once it's installed, open your model in Revit, run the glTF export, and save a .glb (or .gltf). Then upload it in 3D Preview just like any other model.

AutoCAD

1. Make sure the model is made of 3D solids or closed meshes. STL skips surfaces, lines and 2D geometry.
2. Move the model so it sits entirely in positive X, Y and Z coordinates — AutoCAD requires it for STL.
3. Type STLOUT in the command line, press Enter, then select the solids and press Enter.
4. When asked Create a binary STL file? choose Yes and save the .stl file.
5. Upload the .stl here. It comes in without colors, so describe the materials in your prompt.

Rhino

• Rhino 8 — select what you want to export, then File → Export Selected, choose .glb (glTF) in Save as type, click Options and turn on Map Rhino Z to glTF Y.
• Older Rhino can use the glTF-BinExporter plugin, or export OBJ — in Options set Geometry to Polygon mesh objects. An OBJ exported as NURBS objects shows up empty or black.

3ds Max

• File → Export → Real-Time Exporter… (3ds Max 2023 or later).
• Keep the format on GL Transmission Format, save with a .glb extension and click Export. For accurate colors use the glTF Material.
• Older 3ds Max: File → Export → Export…, choose the OBJ exporter in Save as type, and upload the .obj together with the .mtl and texture files.

Blender

• File → Export → glTF 2.0 (.glb/.gltf).
• Choose the glTF Binary (.glb) format option so the textures travel inside the file.

Tips for a clean export

• Keep the model tidy. Delete anything you don't need before exporting — the cleaner the geometry, the cleaner the result. You can always add more objects inside 3D Preview later.
• Export at real-world scale. glTF's convention is 1 unit = 1 meter. If the model lands too big or too small on the map, use the Scale tool when positioning it.
• Watch the polygon count. Very dense meshes upload slowly — aim for under ~100k polygons (e.g. Blender's Decimate modifier) and prefer .glb over multi-file .gltf.

What's next

• 3D Preview — place your model on real terrain and render it
• Supported file formats — the full format reference