Visualization · Intermediate
Fix a heavy, slow model
My SketchUp model has become unusably slow. How do I fix it?
Find the cause before treating it. Open Model Info > Statistics to see edge and face counts, then use Outliner to locate the heaviest groups. Purge unused definitions, turn off shadows and profile edges while you work, hide tags you are not editing, and reduce or replace the specific imports that are carrying most of the geometry.
The native SketchUp method
Uses only what ships with SketchUp: Model Info > Statistics, Outliner, Purge Unused, Styles, Tags. No extension required.
- Measure it Model Info > Statistics. Note edges, faces, and component definitions so you can tell what actually improves.
- Find the weight Use Outliner to hide groups one by one. When performance jumps, you have found the offender.
- Purge unused Statistics > Purge Unused clears definitions, materials, and styles left behind by deleted content.
- Cut display cost Turn off shadows, profiles, and fog in the current style. These are viewport costs, not geometry.
- Hide what you are not editing Tag visibility is the single cheapest performance control in SketchUp.
- Reduce the real offenders Replace or reduce the specific over-detailed imports rather than trying to optimise everything.
Where this usually goes wrong
- • Optimising blindly without measuring, so you cannot tell what helped.
- • Deleting content but never purging, leaving the definitions in the file.
- • Leaving shadows and profile edges on during modelling, which costs frames for no benefit.
Native method vs extension
| Native method | Statistics and Outliner to diagnose, Purge Unused plus style and tag control to recover speed. |
|---|---|
| What it costs you | Free and usually enough; it cannot simplify a mesh that is inherently too dense. |
| Extension option | CleanUp³ removes redundant geometry; Skimp reduces heavy meshes on the way in. |
| Worth it when | The weight comes from imported or scanned meshes you cannot rebuild by hand. |
Extensions to consider
Options, not requirements. Facts last checked 28 August 2026.
- CleanUp³ Free · Thomas Thomassen (ThomThom)
Housekeeping pass for a model that has grown messy: it merges coplanar faces, erases duplicate and stray edges, and repairs the small geometry faults that accumulate over a long modelling session.
Full profile and sources - Skimp Free tier + paid · mind.sight.studios
Imports and reduces heavy meshes before they reach the model. It previews GLB, USD, FBX, OBJ, STL, DAE, 3DS, PLY, and VRML files and lets you set a polygon budget on the way in.
Full profile and sources
Done with this one?
Saved in this browser only. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Part of these project paths
- Produce a render — Repair the model, set the camera, light it, and populate it into a presentable image.
More in Visualization
Reviewed 28 August 2026. Spotted something out of date? Let us know and we will recheck the source.
