Sync your SketchUp model to MONA

Install the MONA extension for SketchUp once, point it at a project, and every time you save, MONA gets the current model. Your renders, your CAD work and your schedule then start from the model you already maintain, instead of from a plan you exported by hand three weeks ago.

What syncs on save

Each save sends one sync to the project you chose:

• The 3D model. A GLB on SketchUp 2024 and newer, a DAE (COLLADA) on 2021 to 2023. A DWG export is included too, on by default and switchable off.
• Your scenes. One image per named scene, exported at 1920 pixels wide. The extension steps through your scenes and puts you back on the one you were looking at when it is done.
• Your Layout sheets. Every Layout document that references this model is exported to PDF, sheet by sheet, so the drawing set lands on the project alongside the model.
• Your model data. A small file describing the model: units, tags, materials, scene cameras, and every component with its name, tag, Advanced Attributes (price, size, URL, owner, status) and dimensions. This is what lets the MONA agent answer questions about the model rather than just show you pictures of it.

Everything arrives as ordinary files in your MONA Library, filed on the project, so you can search them, attach them to a chat, and send them to a client the same way you would anything else.

Requirements

• SketchUp Pro or Studio, version 2021 or newer. Windows or macOS.
• 2024 or newer for GLB. Earlier versions sync a DAE instead, which every CAD tool reads.
• Pro or Studio for Layout sheet PDFs. The Layout API is not available in SketchUp Free or Go.
• A MONA account on a plan with project access, signed in with your MONA email.

Install the extension

1. Download the latest .rbz file from monaverse.com/downloads/mona-sketchup-0.1.0.rbz.
2. In SketchUp, open Extensions, then Extension Manager.
3. Click Install Extension in the bottom left, choose the .rbz file you downloaded, and confirm.
4. Restart SketchUp. You will see a MONA entry under the Extensions menu and a Sync to MONA button on the toolbar.

Sign in and choose a project

1. Go to Extensions, then MONA, then Sign in.
2. Enter the email address you use for MONA. We send you a one-time code.
3. Type the code into the dialog. That is the whole sign-in: no password to store, and the code is never saved.
4. Go to Extensions, then MONA, then Choose project, and pick the MONA project this model belongs to.

The project you pick is remembered inside the .skp file itself, so it travels with the model. Open the same file on another machine and it already knows where it syncs.

Then just save

Save the model. The first sync starts a few seconds later and reports progress in a small window; a typical project takes well under a minute. Open the project in MONA and the 3D source: SketchUp card on the Overview shows the model name, when it last synced, your scenes as thumbnails, your model files and your Layout sheets.

From a scene thumbnail you can open Visualize with that view already loaded, which is the fastest way to turn a modelled elevation into a finished render.

Settings worth knowing

Everything below lives under Extensions, then MONA:

• Auto-sync on save. On by default. Turn it off if you would rather sync by hand with Sync now.
• Include DWG. On by default.
• Include Layout sheets. On by default, and skipped automatically if Layout is not available.
• Sign out. Clears the stored credentials on this machine.

If a sync fails

The status window names what went wrong. The usual causes:

• Signed out. Sign in again from the MONA menu. Tokens expire eventually and a fresh one-time code fixes it.
• No project chosen. Use Choose project first. A model that has never been bound to a project will not sync.
• Layout sheets skipped. Expected on a seat without Pro or Studio, and on a Layout document that is open and unsaved. The rest of the sync still completes.
• A slow first sync. A large model exporting a GLB, a DWG and a dozen scene images takes longer the first time. Later saves reuse nothing, so if this is consistently slow, turn off DWG or Layout sheets to trim it.

Frequently asked questions

Which versions of SketchUp does the extension support? SketchUp Pro or Studio, 2021 and newer, on Windows and macOS. GLB export needs 2024 or newer; on 2021 to 2023 the extension sends a DAE (COLLADA) file instead. Layout sheet export needs Pro or Studio, since the Layout API is not in SketchUp Free or Go.

Does syncing overwrite my last sync? No. Every sync is kept and its files stay in your Library. The project simply points at the most recent one, so the card on the project always shows the model as you last saved it.

Can the MONA agent trigger a sync for me? No, and that is deliberate. The model lives on your machine, so a sync only ever happens when you save in SketchUp or press Sync now. The agent can read everything a sync produced, it just cannot start one.

Does the extension upload my .skp file? No. It exports from the open model and uploads the exports: the 3D model, one image per scene, your Layout sheets as PDFs, and a small data file describing the model. Your .skp stays where it is.