SketchUp Free is Trimble’s browser-based edition of SketchUp: you draw a 2D shape, pull it into 3D with Push/Pull, and download the result. As of 2026 Trimble’s plan page lists STL among the export formats for the free plan, so you can get a printable file without paying. The route is Menu > Download > .stl, after you have made the part a solid group.
What the free plan does not give you is a repair tool. SketchUp’s Solid Inspector in the web app is for paid subscribers, and STL import is also limited to subscribers, so a leaky model has to be fixed by hand or in a mesh checker. This guide builds one small tray from scratch, shows how to keep it watertight, and lists the free-plan limits that matter for printing. Dimensions are examples, not recommendations.
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From drawing to STL in 8 steps
- Sign in with a free Trimble ID and start a new model. Pick a millimetre template.
- Draw a rectangle on the ground plane and type its size in the Measurements box.
- Pull it up with Push/Pull and type the height.
- Use Offset to draw an inner outline for the wall thickness.
- Push the inner face down, but not all the way through.
- Orbit around the model, erase stray lines, then make everything one group.
- Check that SketchUp reports the group as a solid.
- Open the main menu, choose Download, select .stl and click OK. Slice it and check the dimensions in the slicer.
What SketchUp Free includes in 2026
Trimble’s help pages describe SketchUp Free as SketchUp for Web without a subscription; you only need a Trimble ID. The limits below are the ones that affect a 3D printing workflow.
| Feature | SketchUp Free | Why it matters for printing |
|---|---|---|
| Export formats | SKP, PNG, STL (Trimble’s SketchUp Free page) | STL is enough for any slicer. There is no 3MF or OBJ export on this list. |
| Import formats | SKP, JPG, PNG only; subscribers can also import STL, DAE, DWG and others | You cannot bring an STL into Free to edit or repair it. |
| Solid Inspector | Paid subscribers only | No built-in finder for holes and stray geometry. Check the model yourself and in your slicer. |
| Solid Tools | Outer Shell is marked as included; Union, Subtract, Trim, Intersect and Split are paid | Boolean-style editing is limited. Intersect with Model is the suggested substitute for Subtract in Free. |
| Projects and storage | One project, up to 10 GB of Trimble Connect storage | Save finished parts as separate files with Save As rather than piling them into one model. |
Trimble does not state Free’s terms for commercial use on the pages we read, so check its licence terms before selling prints made from Free models.
The tools you need for a printable part
| Tool | What it does | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Rectangle (R) | Draws a flat rectangular face | After the first click, type length, comma, width and press Enter. A single number uses the document’s default unit. |
| Line | Draws edges; a closed loop on one plane becomes a face | Use it for L-shaped or angled profiles. Gaps in a loop mean no face. |
| Push/Pull (P) | Click a face, move the cursor, click again to set depth | Type a distance and unit in the Measurements box and press Enter. Double-click another face to repeat the same extrusion. |
| Offset (F) | Draws a copy of a face outline at a set distance | In the web app it may sit in the expanded toolset instead of the main toolbar. |
| Orbit and Eraser | Rotate the view; delete stray edges and faces | Orbit under the part before exporting. Erasing an edge can also delete the face it bounds, so undo if a face vanishes. |
Keyboard shortcuts above come from SketchUp’s desktop help (Rectangle R, Push/Pull P, Offset F). The web app has its own shortcuts list, so check it if a key does nothing.
Step by step: a 60 x 40 x 20 mm tray
The tray is an example chosen because it needs only rectangles, Push/Pull and Offset. The same moves build most simple holders, clips and boxes. Everything is in millimetres.
- Set units. Click Create new on the home page and choose a unit of measurement. To change the default later, open App Settings from the main menu and use the Default template drop-down under Regional on the General tab.
- Draw the base. Select Rectangle, click once on the ground plane, then type
60mm,40mmand press Enter. - Extrude. Select Push/Pull, click the rectangle, move the cursor upward, then type
20mmand press Enter. You now have a solid block. - Mark the wall. Select Offset, click the top face, move the cursor inward, type
3mmand press Enter. A smaller rectangle appears on the top face. - Hollow it. Select Push/Pull, click the inner rectangle and type
17mm. That leaves a 3 mm floor. Typing 20 mm would cut straight through the base and leave an open ring. - Clean up. Orbit around and underneath. Delete stray edges and faces with the Eraser. A line that crosses a face splits it and can hide a gap.
- Group it. Select all geometry, right-click and choose Make Group. SketchUp’s 3D printing help asks for a solid group or component.
- Check solidity. With the group selected, open the Entity Info panel. SketchUp’s help says it states whether the selection is a solid. If it does not, see the table below.
- Download. Open the menu, choose Download, select .stl and click OK. The file saves wherever your browser saves downloads.
Next, open the file in your slicer. Check that the part measures 60 x 40 x 20 mm and sits flat on the bed. If the size is wrong, see the FAQ on units. A fuller export routine is in the export and slicing checklist.
Making the model solid: what breaks it
A solid in SketchUp is a group or component with a finite, closed volume: no missing faces, and every face meets its neighbour at an edge. SketchUp’s 3D printing help also says the model needs real thickness, so a box drawn as a zero-thickness shell cannot print, and it should have a flat base to build on. Face fronts should point outward; the help lists View > Face Style > Monochrome and the right-click Reverse Faces command for that, which come from the desktop documentation.
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to try |
|---|---|---|
| Entity Info does not say solid | A leak: a missing face, a stray edge or loose geometry inside or on the surface | Orbit and look for gaps and extra lines. Erase strays, redraw a missing edge so the face fills in, and regroup. |
| Walls look closed but the slicer shows holes | Faces facing the wrong way, or a hole left where Push/Pull went through a face | Use Monochrome face style and Reverse Faces on grey (back) faces. Rebuild the hole’s walls. |
| Hollow part exports as a thin skin | No wall thickness: a box made of faces only | Use Offset and Push/Pull as in the tray, so the walls have volume. |
| Exported file is tiny or empty | Not documented by Trimble; a 2022 forum thread reports a roughly 1 KB STL from a faulty model | Check that the geometry is grouped and closed, fix it, and download again. Also confirm the file size is plausible before slicing. |
| Part prints at the wrong size | STL carries no unit information the slicer can trust | Model in mm, then measure the part in the slicer and rescale if needed. |
When the free plan gives no repair tool, a mesh checker does. The STL mesh errors checklist covers holes and flipped normals, and non-manifold edges are the usual reason a slicer refuses a file.
Free-plan workarounds
- Export one part at a time. The desktop STL dialog has an Export Only Current Selection option. Forum users report that the free web version exports the whole model with no options, so keep one part per file or copy a part into a fresh model before downloading.
- Keep a clean origin. Build the part flat on the ground plane so the slicer receives it with a flat base.
- No STL import. If you need to modify a downloaded STL, use a program that imports meshes, such as the ones compared in the free software guide.
- Join parts later. Without the paid Union tool, keep touching parts as separate groups and export each as its own STL.
Common mistakes
- Drawing a closed loop that is not exactly on one plane, so no face appears.
- Pushing a face all the way through when only a pocket was intended.
- Leaving the part ungrouped. Ungrouped geometry sticks to whatever it touches.
- Skipping the slicer check and discovering the scale is off after a long print.
- Designing overhangs without a plan. The 3D printing help advises a flat base and warns that parts that jut out at the top have nothing to build on.
New to modelling in general? The first 3D model walkthrough covers the sketch, extrude and fillet ideas in any program, and the Tinkercad toy tutorial is a gentler start if SketchUp feels fiddly.
Frequently asked questions
Can I export an STL from SketchUp Free?
Yes. Trimble’s SketchUp Free page lists SKP, PNG and STL as export formats, and the SketchUp for Web help describes opening the menu, choosing Download, selecting .stl and clicking OK. Plan details change, so confirm in your account if the option is missing.
Do I need an account to use SketchUp Free?
Yes. SketchUp for Web is available without a subscription, but you need a Trimble ID. Models are saved to Trimble Connect, where the free plan has up to 10 GB of storage.
How do I know my SketchUp model is solid?
Select the group and open Entity Info; SketchUp’s help says it states whether the group is a solid. The web app’s Solid Inspector is for paid subscribers, so on the free plan rely on Entity Info, a visual check and your slicer’s own warnings.
Why is my STL the wrong size in the slicer?
An STL holds numbers without a trusted unit, so slicers usually assume millimetres. The desktop STL dialog has an STL Units option that defaults to the model’s units; the web download shows no such option in Trimble’s help. Model in millimetres and rescale in the slicer if the size is off.
