D5 Lite 1.6.0 for SketchUp: New Features

This guide covers D5 Lite 1.6.0 for SketchUp on Windows, released August 18, 2026. This update adds quick screenshots and panorama output, scene parameter reuse, Sheer materials, and lighting controls.

Key update	When to use it
Render view screenshots	Quickly record a view and copy or save it
Panoramas	Look around a space from a fixed position
Scene parameter reuse	Apply one environment and effects setup to several views
Sheer materials and lighting controls	Create semi-transparent fabrics and adjust shadow softness and sunlight color

Quickly Save the Current Render View

Capture the Lite render view directly to record a design option or share it with a colleague.

1. Frame the view you want to record in Lite.
2. Click Screenshot in the real-time render window.
3. From the preview, copy the image to the clipboard or save it locally.

The screenshot covers the current framing area without interface panels or guides. It is saved as PNG with a longest edge of up to 2048 px. To output a panorama, use the rendering workflow below.

Read the Full Screenshot Guide →

Render a Panorama

Use panorama output to look around a design from a single position.

1. Place the camera at the point you want to look around from, using perspective projection.
2. Open Render Settings and change Output Type to Panorama.
3. Choose Standard for 4K (4096×2048) or High for 8K (8192×4096), then select PNG or JPG.
4. Click Render, choose the save location and filename, and confirm. You can check progress and estimated time, or cancel the render.

The output is a 2:1 equirectangular image covering 360° horizontally and 180° vertically. Panoramas are unavailable in orthographic projection. The ordinary image aspect ratio is not needed when Panorama is selected.

Read the Full Screenshot and Panorama Guide →

Reuse Environment and Effects Across Scenes

Copy a scene's environment and effect parameters to other scenes when several views need the same atmosphere.

1. Find the scene with the desired environment and effects in the Lite Scene List.
2. Right-click it to copy its environment and effect parameters.
3. Right-click a target scene in the same project and paste, then switch to it to check the result.

The target scene keeps its own camera view so you can compare different compositions. In 1.6.0, copying parameters could also copy output settings; this was fixed in 1.7.0.

Read the Full Scene List Guide →

Create Semi-transparent Curtains

The new Sheer material template is designed for curtains, voile, and other semi-transparent fabrics. It preserves the fabric body, folds, and soft shadows.

1. Select the curtain material in SketchUp and open the Lite material panel.
2. Switch the template to Sheer.
3. Adjust opacity, normals, and maps while checking the light transmission in Lite.

Specular is fixed at 0 and roughness at 0.5 in this template; neither is exposed in the panel.

Read the Full Materials Guide →

Adjust Sunlight and Light Softness

New control	Purpose	Where to adjust it
Sun Radius	Adjust the softness of sun shadow edges	Environment panel
Sunlight Temperature	Make sunlight warmer or cooler	Environment panel
Light Radius	Adjust shadow softness for Point Lights and Spot Lights	Lite light panel

Custom HDRI skies also display the map filename, helping you identify the active environment file.

To soften sun shadows, adjust Sun Radius in the Environment panel. Use Sunlight Temperature to make sunlight warmer or cooler. For local fill from a Point Light or Spot Light, select the light and adjust Light Radius in the light panel.

Read Environment & Sky → · Read Lights →

Window, Asset, and Scene Improvements

• Window pinning: click the new pin button in the Lite title bar to keep the render visible while modeling.
• Asset names: the resource list displays names to help locate placed assets.
• Improved terrain grass culling-distance display and consistency between grass and map textures.
• Improved interface responsiveness and map loading for faster loading of large scenes.
• Improved camera transitions between scenes and process stability.

Read Window Controls → · Read Asset Library →

Release Notes for This Version → · 1.6.1 Fixes → · Back to the User Manual →