Architecture · Intermediate
Make terrain from contour lines
How do I turn contour lines into a 3D terrain surface in SketchUp?
Move each contour line to its real elevation, select them all, and run Sandbox From Contours. SketchUp skins a triangulated surface between them. Sandbox ships with SketchUp but may need enabling in Extension Manager on older versions. Use Drape to project the building footprint onto the finished surface.
Before you start
The native SketchUp method
Uses only what ships with SketchUp: Sandbox From Contours, Sandbox Drape, Sandbox Smoove, Move. No extension required.
- Enable Sandbox if needed Check Extension Manager for the Sandbox tools. On current SketchUp they are built in under Tools > Sandbox.
- Import the contours Bring the survey in as DWG or DXF and confirm the scale as you would for a plan.
- Raise each contour Move every contour line to its stated elevation. Work from the lowest up so you do not lose track.
- Skin the surface Select all contours and run Tools > Sandbox > From Contours. Expect a dense triangulated mesh.
- Drape the footprint Draw the building or road outline above the terrain and use Drape to project it onto the surface.
- Adjust locally Use Smoove with a radius to lift or dish specific areas without redoing the whole surface.
Where this usually goes wrong
- • Leaving one contour at the wrong elevation, which produces a spike or a crater.
- • Skinning thousands of contour segments at once and stalling the model — thin the survey first.
- • Forgetting that From Contours needs the lines selected, not just visible.
Native method vs extension
| Native method | Sandbox From Contours, with Drape and Smoove for footprints and local edits. |
|---|---|
| What it costs you | Included with SketchUp and adequate for most sites; meshes get heavy fast. |
| Extension option | Artisan adds subdivision and sculpting brushes for smooth landform work. |
| Worth it when | The site is a designed landform — berms, bowls, graded mounds — rather than a survey to be skinned. |
Extensions to consider
Options, not requirements. Facts last checked 28 August 2026.
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Reviewed 28 August 2026. Spotted something out of date? Let us know and we will recheck the source.
