Lights · SketchUp

In SketchUp, D5 Lite provides a Light tool to create and edit lights directly in the scene and see the lighting in the Lite render viewport in real time.

Opening and Using

1. Open the Light tool from the Lite bottom toolbar or the D5 Lite menu in SketchUp.
2. Choose a light type.
3. Place the light in the SketchUp scene.
4. Select a light to edit its parameters in the light panel.
5. The Lite render updates with the light changes in real time.

The Light tool can be used on its own, without starting the Lite render window first. Light positions and parameters are saved with the SketchUp file.

Light Types

Light	Notes
Point Light	Emits in all directions from a point; good for bulbs and local fill.
Spot Light	A directional cone of light; the beam angle is adjustable.
Strip Light	A linear light; good for coves and linear lighting.
Rectangle Light	A rectangular area light; good for window fill and soft lighting.
Disc Light	A circular area light; good for round fixtures or local soft light.

Creation and Editing

Each light type has a tailored creation workflow. During creation, the scene shows a translucent preview (ghost) to help confirm position and range.

Light	How to create
Point Light	Click once in the scene to place it.
Spot Light	Click to set the position, then drag to set the direction.
Strip Light	Click two endpoints to set the length, then drag to set the direction.
Rectangle Light	Drag diagonally to set the rectangular area, then drag to set the direction.
Disc Light	Click to set the position, then drag to set the radius and direction.

After creation, select a light to see its control points. Drag control points to adjust the Spot Light cone angle, Strip Light and Rectangle Light size, Disc Light radius, and more. The default is single-direction stretching; hold Ctrl to switch to center-symmetric stretching.

While moving a light, the arrow keys temporarily lock the X / Y / Z axis. During creation or editing, you can enter precise values in the SketchUp status bar (VCB). When creating a Strip Light, press Tab to cycle the alignment reference (far edge / center / near edge).

Adjustable Parameters

Parameter	Purpose
Intensity	Adjust how strong the light is; drag the slider or enter a value.
Light Radius	Controls how soft or hard the shadow edge is for point lights and spotlights; the higher the value, the softer the edge (range 0–10, default 5).
Color	Supports HSV / RGB / HEX and a color picker.
Color temperature	Adjust warm/cool; default near daylight white.
Spot Light cone angle	Control the spotlight's coverage.

Light changes are reflected in the Lite render immediately, and lights can move into D5 Render via sync for further editing. New lights are given sensible default intensity and color temperature by type, reducing manual adjustment. Existing lights are not affected. The low-intensity range of the slider is optimized for easier fine-tuning of subtle lighting.

Batch Editing

Multi-select lights of the same type in SketchUp, then edit their shared parameters (intensity, color temperature, color, etc.) together in the light panel. Batch editing is not supported across different light types.

Show and Hide Lights

The bottom of the light panel provides light visibility controls. Click "Hide Existing" to hide all current lights in the scene, so you can view the image without lighting interference. Click "Show All" to restore them. Lights created after hiding are still visible. This action supports Ctrl+Z undo. Light visibility syncs to D5 Render.