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Troubleshooting and performanceSketchUp

White or Black Box Around Cursor

SketchUp supports real-time 3D drawing, you must make sure your display settings are optimized for 3D. If you see a white or black outline around your cursor in SketchUp, you can usually fix this by increasing the color quality for your display.Note: For some older graphics cards, this might not work.

Last updated 17 July 2026

SketchUp supports real-time 3D drawing, you must make sure your display settings are optimized for 3D. If you see a white or black outline around your cursor in SketchUp, you can usually fix this by increasing the color quality for your display.

PC

  1. Open the Start menu.
  2. Click Control Panel.
  3. Click Appearance and Themes.
  4. Under Pick a task , click Change the screen resolution .
  5. The Display Properties dialog box opens with the Settings tab selected.
  6. In the Color quality box, select Highest (32 bit) .
  7. Click OK .
  8. Restart SketchUp.

Mac

  1. Open System Preferences .
  2. In the Hardware section, click Displays .
  3. In the Color box, select Millions .
  4. Restart SketchUp.

3D Modeling Issues

When creating a model you may run into some unique issues. Here we'll take a look at some known issues not related to a specific tool or technique. Some common issues include:

Troubleshooting and performance

Account Has No Nickname Error

The Credits feature in SketchUp requires your Google Account to have a Nickname associated with it. To add a Nickname to your Google Account, visit the 3D Warehouse and click the Sign In link in the upper right-hand corner.

Troubleshooting and performance

Active Revit 3D View Cannot Be Converted

The active Revit 3D view cannot be converted.

Troubleshooting and performance

Blank Dialog or SDK Error When Exporting

Situation You're exporting a SketchUp file to one of these formats: FBX, OBJ, 3DS, VRM, or XSI. On the Windows platform your export fails with a blank dialog box. On a Mac you get an error message like "SketchUp SDK error: An error has occurred resulting in an invalid output file..."

Troubleshooting and performance

Blurred or Distorted Images

The Quick Answer Download and install the most current video card drivers from the manufacturer's website. Disable 'Fast Feedback' on your system. Make sure that your video card supports OpenGL 1.5+. There are two likely causes of display issues like this:

Troubleshooting and performance

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