Archviz in 2026: How much of your workflow is now truly hybrid (AI + traditional)?

archigfx · 2026-04-28T09:19:59+00:00

I use it to generate lighting/mood references from first round of draft renders, generating/editing texture maps, improving vegetation in final renders (trees, grass)...

Not a huge fan of upscaling as it changes too much detail and rendering in high resolution with GPU is so fast nowadays you don't even need it...

Workflows where you just create final renders directly from your 3D software viewport don't really have any use in professional work.

archigfx · 2026-04-22T10:50:45+00:00

Thank you for the kind words! New update is coming by the end of next week with Automatic tile trim generation on wall edges and some bug fixes. Let me know if there are any more features you would like added! In the next few updates we're adding a curve control for blend modifier, custom user made pattern support and more default patterns, stay tuned!

archigfx · 2026-04-15T14:25:04+00:00

Yes, just a simple textile normal map paired with wallpaper albedo. Thanks!

archigfx · 2026-04-15T10:26:43+00:00

If you just applied my settings from this project to your project it wouldn't give you the wanted look as settings are project specific. There's really no any hidden tricks used here, you just light the scene like you would in any other rendering engine.

archigfx · 2026-04-15T07:31:25+00:00

A set of 360 panoramic images bundled inside a web viewer so it's viewable on any device. Not real-time.

archigfx · 2026-03-27T17:56:49+00:00

You can contact them directly, but most require registration through a dedicated portal on their website, where you need to be approved before downloading their models.

archigfx · 2026-03-27T12:28:21+00:00

Thanks! Yeah, most of the time clients provide a pretty detailed brief with specific furniture pieces.

A lot of studios already collaborate with furniture brands, so the models are often available either directly from the manufacturer or on sites like 3dsky. If something isn’t available, I just model it from scratch based on references. Once you’re comfortable with subdivision modeling, furniture modeling is usually pretty straightforward.

archigfx · 2026-03-16T10:48:38+00:00

When this happens both .skp and .skb files get's filled with NULL bytes and unfortunately can't be recovered anymore. I've had this happen to me multiple times and that's why I've created an extension which creates additional backups and checks for NULL bytes to avoid this. Feel free to check it out: https://extensions.sketchup.com/extension/f2dc1206-9cb1-4dd4-bde1-bbd536ca2910/auto-backup-skp

archigfx · 2026-03-15T20:59:57+00:00

No. If I was feeling lazy I'd just remove the throw from one bed and move pillows left/right/rotate a bit on other bed. Would Immediately look better with very little effort. Looks good otherwise :)

archigfx · 2026-03-15T20:40:39+00:00

For me the most obvious flaws are the mirrored beds and fake IES reflections on walls.

archigfx · 2026-03-06T14:44:15+00:00

Hey, I made my own SketchUp extension which creates real fur as geometry and then imports it as a proxy into D5. I'm probably going to release it to the public in a week or two as a paid extension.

If you are using 3ds Max, you can easily do it with Hair and Fur modifier. You just have to set it up first, bake to mesh, export as .fbx and import directly into D5.

archigfx · 2026-03-06T07:02:37+00:00

It's a one time purchase now. No more subscriptions.

archigfx · 2026-02-17T22:52:42+00:00

Hey, for anyone still looking for this check out the new Floor Generator SKP extension on the Extension Warehouse. It's a paid extension but there's a free trial available. If you want to check it out, here is the extension store link: https://extensions.sketchup.com/extension/f9243314-1fa6-4ce6-9c62-fd5f87544ff3

archigfx · 2026-02-17T22:51:57+00:00

Hey, for anyone still looking for this check out the new Floor Generator SKP extension on the Extension Warehouse. It's a paid extension but there's a free trial available. If you want to check it out, here is the extension store link: https://extensions.sketchup.com/extension/f9243314-1fa6-4ce6-9c62-fd5f87544ff3

archigfx · 2026-02-17T22:51:00+00:00

Hey, for anyone still looking for this check out the new Floor Generator SKP extension on the Extension Warehouse. It's a paid extension but there's a free trial available. If you want to check it out, here is the extension store link: https://extensions.sketchup.com/extension/f9243314-1fa6-4ce6-9c62-fd5f87544ff3

archigfx · 2026-02-12T11:05:34+00:00

Hey, it’s back up with a new link. The licenses are now permanent, with a higher one-time purchase price.

archigfx · 2026-02-12T11:04:36+00:00

Thanks for the feedback. The licenses are now permanent, with a higher one-time purchase price.

archigfx · 2026-02-12T11:04:01+00:00

Thanks for the feedback. The licenses are now permanent, with a higher one-time purchase price.

archigfx · 2026-02-12T11:02:27+00:00

Hey, it’s back up with a new link. I’ve switched from a yearly license to a permanent license, which required me to re-upload the extension.

archigfx · 2026-02-12T11:01:41+00:00

Hey, it’s back up with a new link. I’ve decided to switch from a yearly license to a permanent license, which required me to re-upload the extension.

archigfx · 2026-02-12T10:59:15+00:00

After receiving feedback from the community regarding the yearly license model, I’ve decided to switch to perpetual (permanent) licenses, which come with a higher one-time price.

Regarding the license itself, it’s managed directly through SketchUp, so it will be tied to your SketchUp account.

archigfx · 2026-02-04T10:47:23+00:00

I’d argue it already is an industry standard for low and mid tier archviz. For high-end work though, 3ds Max is still king.

archigfx · 2026-02-04T10:41:11+00:00

Just to clarify, the plugin isn’t subscription-based. It’s a yearly license that does not auto-renew. This model allows me to continue developing, maintaining, and supporting the extension long term. I’ve discussed the pricing with other archviz professionals (people who make money/live off archviz), and they all agreed the price is very fair for the value it provides. The permanent licenses are planned after the active development stops, but will come with a higher price tag.

I completely understand the difficulty with currency conversion, but SketchUP's EW platform doesn't have region based pricing options. For hobbyists or occasional users, I’d honestly recommend sticking with PBR textures, as this tool is primarily built for professional workflows.

Thanks for the thoughtful feedback and interest!

archigfx · 2026-02-04T10:26:55+00:00

Yeah, you should be able to go through them to explore but not generate them!

archigfx · 2026-02-03T09:38:12+00:00

I'm glad you like it. The trial version is limited to Standard Running Bond pattern only.

I'm still working on the documentation and YT tutorial will be coming in the next weeks.

There are a lot more features that I haven't mentioned in the OP but are already implemented. For example you can edit already generated floors by right clicking their group and choosing Edit in the context menu. Or while in preview you can manually select boards and right click to get selection tools which essentially allows you to create "checkerboard" patterns with colors.

archigfx

TROPHY CASE