What it does
Thea Render's SketchUp integration adds dedicated materials and rendering controls inside the modelling application. Its v4 tools include Presto and Nitro material editors, preset-based material conversion and Relight for changing a rendered scene's lighting. A limited demo is available before licence activation.
A standard SketchUp material can become a Thea preset while keeping its existing colour or texture. Each channel can instead use a custom colour or bitmap. Presets include thin glass for single surfaces, volumetric glass for solid objects, and a bitmap-based material that can load matching texture channels together.
Make lighting variations with Relight
- Select Presto and switch to production rendering.
- Open Thea Tools, go to render settings and enable Relight before rendering.
- After the render finishes, adjust light intensity, colour or on/off state in Relight Editor.
- Save a snapshot of a lighting setup, then export it as an image or reopen it for further editing.
Relight works only with Presto. Instanced lights share a controller; making a light unique separates it. Mesh lights are grouped by their emitting material.
The demo renders up to 1920 × 1080 with a watermark. To activate a purchased lease, open Extensions > Thea Render > License Setup and use the Lease License tab with the associated Altair One account. Online licence verification is required, and SketchUp must be closed on the previous computer before using the lease elsewhere.
Strengths
- Material presets can use the SketchUp texture, a custom colour or a bitmap per channel.
- Substance materials in SBSAR format can be loaded and adjusted.
Watch out for
- Relight is restricted to the Presto engine.
- The demo has both a watermark and a 1920 × 1080 resolution limit.
Best for
- SketchUp users preparing several lighting versions of one scene
- Artists converting existing SketchUp surfaces into render materials
Sources
- Thea Render v4 | Material Presets (Oct 28, 2026)
- Thea Render v4 | Relight (Oct 28, 2026)
- Thea Render v4 | Materials (Oct 28, 2026)
- Thea Render v4 | Activation (Oct 28, 2026)