Tracepen turns a PNG or JPG into native SketchUp faces – each colour becomes its own group with its own material, ready to push-pull, paint, or run Solid Tools on. A deterministic tracer (no AI): same image in, same faces out. Free for 2-colour traces; sign in with a 3dshouse account for full colours.
Video
Features
- Native SketchUp faces – real geometry, not an imported image. Every SketchUp tool works on them.
- Colour-per-group – each colour lands as a group with its own material.
- One-undo insert – a single Ctrl+Z rolls the whole insert back.
- Re-trace refills – tracing the same image again refills the existing geometry instead of duplicating it.
- Per-layer control – colour count, noise filter, minimum region size, stroke.
- Runs locally – once installed, tracing happens on your machine, no image sent anywhere.
Install
- In SketchUp: Window → Extension Manager → Install Extension and pick the
tracepen.rbz(a signed Trimble extension). - Restart SketchUp. Open it from Extensions → TracePen.
- Sign in with your 3dshouse account for Tracepen SketchUp Pro.
Requirements
- SketchUp 2022 or newer (Make, Pro, Studio).
- Windows or macOS.
FAQ
Does it use AI?
No – a deterministic tracer. The same image always produces the same faces, which matters for production work.
Does it send my image anywhere?
No – once installed, tracing runs locally with no network call.
Is there an online version?
Yes – the Tracepen web app exports SVG, PNG, PDF, and DXF for other tools.