Supported versions
| SketchUp 2024, 2025, 2026 | Pro or Studio |
| Windows and macOS | both fully supported |
| SketchUp Go, SketchUp Free | not supported |
IFC depends on which version
Section titled “IFC depends on which version”Modelling, drawings and every element tool are identical across 2024, 2025 and 2026 — the difference is what comes out of IFC export, and it is SketchUp’s doing, not ours.
| 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elements, drawings, everything you draw | full | full | full |
| IFC export runs | yes | yes | yes |
| Element types in the IFC | untested | correct | correct |
| Names, GlobalId, quantities, property sets | untested | missing | full |
| Material layers, window/door post-processing | untested | refused | works |
SketchUp’s own exporter reads classification from one of two schemas —
IFC 2x3 or IFC 4 — and which one it actually uses depends on the
SketchUp version, not on which schema is present in the model. 2025 reads
only IFC 2x3: a wall comes out as a wall, but its name, GlobalId and
quantities do not survive, because SketchUp never looks at the IFC 4 data
that carries them. 2026 reads IFC 4 and carries all of it through.
We tested this directly rather than assumed it: a plain box, classified by
hand with no Archeform code involved, exported from 2025 twice — once
classified IFC 4, once IFC 2x3 — and only the second came out as a wall
with its data intact. Same box from 2026 the other way round. That ruled out
a bug on our side before it became one.
Because the file SketchUp writes on 2025 declares itself IFC2X3, the two
post-processing commands — Add Layers to IFC… and Add Windows/Doors to
IFC… — recognise this and refuse to run on it rather than write IFC 4
entities into a file that says it isn’t. You’ll get a clear message, not a
corrupt file.
2024 is untested for IFC — we have not confirmed which schema it reads. Treat it as 2025 (element types only, no metadata) until this line is updated.
None of this touches modelling. A practice on 2025 draws, edits and documents exactly as a practice on 2026 does; only the IFC file at the end carries less. If IFC matters to your workflow, budget for 2026.
The policy
Section titled “The policy”Archeform supports the three most recent SketchUp versions.
When a new one ships — usually in spring — it is added and the oldest drops off, announced a month in advance. In practice that gives every version around three years of support.
Three is a deliberate number. Each version has its own Ruby build and its own quirks, and every one of them has to be tested before a release. Supporting five would mean either slower releases or less testing, and neither is a trade we want to make.
Why SketchUp Go cannot work
Section titled “Why SketchUp Go cannot work”SketchUp Go runs in a browser and has no Ruby API. Extensions are not a feature it is missing — they are not a thing that can exist there. No extension from anyone runs on it.
Archeform needs the desktop application.
Running two versions side by side
Section titled “Running two versions side by side”Each SketchUp version keeps its own Plugins folder, so installing into 2026 does
not put Archeform into 2025. If you run both, install the same .rbz in each.
Models move between versions as usual: SketchUp opens older files, and Archeform reads its own data regardless of which version wrote it.
When a new SketchUp comes out
Section titled “When a new SketchUp comes out”Do not install it on a live project on release day — that is true of any extension and any host application.
We reserve two weeks around each SketchUp release for compatibility work. If something breaks, tell us: a report on day one is worth more than a workaround found on day thirty.