SketchUp 2026.2 dropped on 21 May 2026, and it includes a feature South African architects and designers have been waiting for: the ability to run shadow studies and daylighting analysis directly inside SketchUp. No more exporting to third-party tools. No more toggling through time-of-day sliders and hoping your intuition is right. The new Analysis Hub brings Advanced Shadows, Annual Illuminance, Daylight Factor and direct sun analysis into your modelling environment — alongside a major LayOut graphics engine upgrade and several workflow improvements. This guide covers everything you need to know about the 2026.2 update, with a focus on what it means for SA practices designing for our specific climate and regulatory context.
What’s New in SketchUp 2026.2: The Headline Features
SketchUp 2026.2 is the third release in the 2026 cycle. While the initial 2026.0 release focused on collaboration and interface improvements, and 2026.1 introduced AI tools, this mid-cycle update is all about analysis and documentation efficiency. Here’s what’s inside:
- Analysis Hub with Advanced Shadows — the headline feature, bringing environmental design analysis directly into SketchUp.
- SketchUp Labs analysis tools — Annual Illuminance, Daylight Factor, Underlit & Overlit (sDA & ASE), and Direct Sun & Date/Time analysis — available for testing now.
- LayOut graphics engine (out of beta) — the new rendering pipeline is now enabled by default, with significant stability and visual accuracy improvements.
- Group Clipping Masks in LayOut — clipping masks can now be applied to Groups and Scaled Groups, not just images and viewports.
- Fast Shadow System — major performance improvements when navigating models with shadows turned on.
- Seamless Extension Migration — no more application restart required when migrating extensions.
- In-Model Component Filtering (Windows) — the Components panel now searches your model by default rather than the 3D Warehouse.
- Scan Essentials scene controls — point cloud visibility settings can now be saved per scene.
- Revit Importer 1.2 — improved handling of Railings, Curtain Walls and curved columns.
The Analysis Hub: What It Is and How It Works
The Analysis Hub is a new dedicated space inside SketchUp for studying building performance. It’s accessed from the Extensions menu or directly from the Shadows panel, and it launches a web-based analysis environment that works with your current model.
The first officially released tool in the Analysis Hub is Advanced Shadows. But the Hub also includes several additional tools under the SketchUp Labs banner — meaning they’re available for testing now and will move to full production status in future releases.
Advanced Shadows
Standard SketchUp shadows let you set a time of day and date and see where shadows fall. That’s useful, but limited. Advanced Shadows takes this much further by letting you analyse how shadows shift across specific solstices and equinoxes — giving you a comprehensive picture of sunlight exposure throughout the year.
Once you run an analysis, the results open in the Analysis Viewer — a dedicated 3D environment where you can interact with the data, toggle visibility, adjust settings and compare different conditions. This makes it straightforward to identify how neighbouring buildings, trees or other structures impact sunlight exposure over time.
How to access it
After updating to SketchUp 2026.2, you can find the Analysis Hub in two places:
- Extensions menu → Analysis Hub
- Shadows panel → click the Analysis Hub shortcut icon
SketchUp Labs Analysis Tools: What’s Coming Next
Beyond Advanced Shadows, the Analysis Hub includes four additional tools under the SketchUp Labs banner. These are available for testing now and represent the direction Trimble is taking environmental analysis within SketchUp:
- Annual Illuminance — evaluates how well a space is naturally lit over an entire year, using real climate data. This is invaluable for understanding whether a building design will rely heavily on artificial lighting or whether natural light can do most of the work.
- Daylight Factor — simulates overcast sky conditions and measures the ratio of internal light to external light. This is a widely used metric in building performance standards and green building certification.
- Underlit & Overlit (sDA & ASE) — identifies areas in your design that receive too much glare (Annual Sunlight Exposure) or too little useful daylight (Spatial Daylight Autonomy). This helps you pinpoint exactly where you need shading devices, where windows need adjustment, and where artificial lighting will be essential.
- Direct Sun & Date/Time — calculates precise durations of direct sunlight on specific surfaces. Perfect for positioning windows, solar panels, outdoor living areas and planting zones.
These tools are marked as Labs features, meaning they may evolve before full release. But they’re functional now and worth exploring if environmental design is part of your workflow.
Why This Matters for South African Architects
South Africa’s climate makes daylighting and shadow analysis particularly relevant — arguably more so than in many other markets. Here’s why these new tools are especially valuable for SA practices:
Solar orientation is critical in our climate
South Africa sits between roughly 22°S and 35°S latitude, which means the sun tracks across the northern sky for most of the year. Proper north-facing orientation is fundamental to energy-efficient design — and the Analysis Hub’s Advanced Shadows and Direct Sun tools let you verify orientation performance with real data rather than rules of thumb.
SANS 10400-XA compliance
South Africa’s National Building Regulations (SANS 10400-XA) include requirements for energy efficiency in buildings, with specific provisions around natural lighting, orientation and fenestration. Having daylighting and shadow analysis tools built into SketchUp means you can test compliance during the design phase — before handing off to an energy consultant — and iterate much faster if adjustments are needed.
Green building certification
The Green Building Council South Africa (GBCSA) awards credits for daylighting performance in its Green Star rating system. Daylight Factor and sDA/ASE analysis — both now available in SketchUp’s Analysis Hub — are exactly the metrics used to demonstrate compliance. Running these analyses early in conceptual design lets you optimise window placement and shading before the design is locked down.
Load shedding and energy independence
With South Africa’s ongoing energy challenges, designing buildings that maximise natural light and minimise dependence on artificial lighting isn’t just good practice — it’s a competitive advantage. Clients are increasingly asking for designs that reduce electricity consumption. The Annual Illuminance tool quantifies how much of the year a space can be naturally lit, giving you data to support your design decisions and back up your recommendations to clients.
Outdoor living and site planning
South African residential design relies heavily on outdoor living spaces — patios, braai areas, courtyards, pools. The Direct Sun tool lets you analyse exactly how many hours of sunlight these spaces receive at different times of year, helping you position them for optimal comfort and avoiding the frustration of a braai area that’s in shade by 3pm in winter.
How the Analysis Hub Fits with Existing Tools
If you’re already familiar with SketchUp’s PreDesign or Sefaira tools, you might be wondering where the Analysis Hub fits in. Here’s how they relate:
| Tool | Stage | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| PreDesign | Pre-design / site analysis | Location-based climate data, general orientation guidance, weather parameters. No model required. |
| Analysis Hub | Conceptual & design development | Model-based shadow, daylighting and illuminance analysis. Requires at least a conceptual model. Works with both single-face and thick-wall models. |
| Sefaira | Design development & documentation | Energy performance modelling, HVAC sizing, carbon analysis. Overlaps with Analysis Hub on daylighting but goes deeper on energetic performance. |
The Analysis Hub sits in the sweet spot between PreDesign’s early-stage guidance and Sefaira’s detailed energy modelling. For most SA practices, this is exactly where environmental design decisions have the biggest impact — during conceptual design when changes are easy and cheap to make.
LayOut 2026.2: New Graphics Engine and Clipping Masks
The Analysis Hub gets the headlines, but LayOut’s updates in 2026.2 are equally significant for day-to-day productivity:
New graphics engine (out of beta)
The new LayOut rendering pipeline, which has been in SketchUp Labs testing since earlier in the 2026 cycle, is now enabled by default. This means more stable rendering, better visual accuracy, and fewer of the visual glitches that occasionally plagued the legacy engine. Text formatting now matches precisely, and dot patterns render as true circles rather than ovals.
For SA practices producing construction documentation in LayOut, this is a reliability upgrade you’ll notice immediately — fewer surprises when you print or export to PDF.
Group Clipping Masks
Clipping Masks in LayOut were previously limited to images and viewport entities. In 2026.2, you can now apply clipping masks directly to Groups and Scaled Groups. Draw a shape over any grouped geometry, right-click and mask it. This is a major time-saver for presentation documents, detail drawings and any situation where you need to hide parts of a complex drawing without breaking the group apart.
Other Improvements Worth Knowing About
- Fast Shadow System. Beyond the Analysis Hub, standard shadows received a performance overhaul. Frame rates when navigating heavy models with shadows turned on are noticeably faster. If you’ve been toggling shadows off to maintain performance on large projects, it’s worth testing again after the 2026.2 update.
- Seamless Extension Migration. The Migrate Extensions tool no longer requires restarting SketchUp. Your tools, preferences and custom panel tray layouts transfer immediately.
- In-Model Component Filtering (Windows). The Components panel now searches your in-model components by default rather than querying the 3D Warehouse. The Warehouse search is still available — it’s just not the default, which means faster, more relevant results when you’re looking for something already in your model.
- Scan Essentials Scene Controls. If you work with point clouds (available in SketchUp Studio), Scene Properties now includes a toggle to save scan dataset visibility per scene. This is a workflow improvement for firms doing renovation or as-built documentation with laser scans.
- Revit Importer 1.2. The built-in Revit importer now handles complex categories like Railings and Curtain Walls more accurately, and curved columns are smoother and easier to edit in SketchUp.
How to Update
SketchUp 2026.2 is a free update for all current SketchUp subscribers. To update:
- Desktop: Open SketchUp, go to Help → Check for Updates, and follow the prompts. Alternatively, download the latest installer from your Trimble account.
- Web: SketchUp for Web updates automatically — you’ll see the new features next time you open it.
- iPad: Check the App Store for the latest SketchUp update.
The Analysis Hub tools are available across all paid subscription tiers — Go, Pro and Studio.
Get SketchUp 2026.2 with Local Support
SketchUp 2026.2 is available now to all current subscribers. When you buy through iRender, South Africa’s authorised SketchUp Gold Reseller, you get:
- ZAR billing — no exchange rate surprises or credit card forex fees.
- Local support — real human help in your time zone, including guidance on using the Analysis Hub and LayOut’s new features.
- Personalised training — we’ll walk you through shadow analysis, daylighting tools and how to apply them to SA-specific design requirements.
- Honest advice — we’ll help you choose the right subscription for your practice.
| Subscription | Price (excl. VAT) | Analysis Hub |
|---|---|---|
| SketchUp Go | R2,300/year | Yes |
| SketchUp Pro | R6,900/year | Yes |
| SketchUp Studio | R13,900/year | Yes + V-Ray, Scan Essentials, Revit Importer |
Prices from iRender’s 2026 catalogue, excl. VAT. Subject to change.
Ready to try the Analysis Hub?
Start your free SketchUp trial
Or get in touch for a personalised recommendation:
athol@irender.co.za | +27 (0)82 468 0937
iRender (Pty) Ltd | Certified SketchUp Gold Reseller | Centurion, South Africa
Call: +27 (0)82 468 0937 | Email: athol@irender.co.za | Web: www.irender.co.za
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is SketchUp 2026.2 a free update?
A: Yes. SketchUp 2026.2 is a free update for all current SketchUp subscribers. Simply check for updates within SketchUp Desktop, or download the latest installer from your Trimble account.
Q: Which subscription tiers include the Analysis Hub?
A: The Analysis Hub and Advanced Shadows are available to all paid subscription tiers — Go, Pro and Studio. The SketchUp Labs analysis tools (Annual Illuminance, Daylight Factor, sDA/ASE, Direct Sun) are also available for testing across all paid tiers.
Q: Do I need SketchUp Studio for the Analysis Hub?
A: No. The Analysis Hub works with Go, Pro and Studio. Studio adds V-Ray, Scan Essentials and the Revit Importer — which are separate tools. If your primary need is shadow and daylighting analysis, Pro is sufficient. Read our Pro vs Studio comparison for more detail.
Q: Can the Analysis Hub help with SANS 10400-XA compliance?
A: The Analysis Hub’s daylighting and shadow tools can help you evaluate natural lighting, orientation and fenestration performance during the design phase — all of which are relevant to SANS 10400-XA energy efficiency requirements. While the tools don’t generate formal compliance reports, they give you the data to optimise your design before handing off to an energy consultant.
Q: What happened to the old LayOut graphics engine?
A: The new LayOut graphics engine, which has been in SketchUp Labs testing, is now enabled by default in 2026.2. It replaces the legacy engine with a more stable, visually accurate rendering pipeline. Text formatting and pattern rendering are more consistent, and overall stability is improved.
Q: Where can I buy SketchUp in South Africa with ZAR invoicing?
A: iRender (irender.co.za) is South Africa’s certified SketchUp Gold Reseller. All subscriptions are invoiced in ZAR with VAT-compliant tax invoices and include local support from Centurion, Gauteng.
