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Inserting Components

You can insert a component instance into your model by selecting an existing component in the Components panel, by importing a saved component file into your model, or by downloading the component from 3D Warehouse.To insert a component using the Components panel, follow these steps:

Last updated 17 July 2026

You can insert a component instance into your model by selecting an existing component in the Components panel, by importing a saved component file into your model, or by downloading the component from 3D Warehouse.

To insert a component using the Components panel, follow these steps:

  1. Open the Components panel.
  2. Navigate to the collection where your component is saved
  3. Select the component you want to add to your model.
  4. Click in the drawing area to place the component in your model.
components-panel-existing-component.png

If you have a SketchUp model or component saved to your hard drive, you can import them into your model by following these steps:

  1. Select File > Import .
  2. Locate the file you want to import.
  3. Select the file and click Open . SketchUp will load the component into your model with the Move tool activated.
  4. Click in the drawing area to place the component in your model.

To insert a component from 3D Warehouse, see Components in 3D Warehouse .

3D Printing a Model

Before you print a model on a 3D printer, you need to make sure your 3D printer can understand your model data. Here's a quick overview of how to set up your SketchUp model for 3D printing:

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Adding an Environment to a Model

Environments allow you to add 360°panoramic backgrounds and image-based lighting conditions to your SketchUp models. The Environments panel is where you can add and manipulate environments, or import High Dynamic Range Image (HDRI) files or OpenEXR files to create a new environment.

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Adding Attributes

Attributes make components dynamic by telling SketchUp what to do. You can choose from predefined attributes or create custom attributes:

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Adding Premade Components and Dynamic Components

Components in SketchUp turn geometry in a model into reusable entities. For example, most buildings have at least one door and window. Instead of modeling these common objects, you can insert a component that you have already made, or even one made by someone else.Like all geometry in SketchUp, a component is still

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Adding Text, Labels, and Dimensions to a Model

In SketchUp, you can add four types of text:

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Still need help?

Technical support from our New Zealand team is available to customers with a current Procadsys SketchUp Pro Plus or SketchUp Studio Plus subscription. Self-help articles are public.

Contact SketchUp support