Sketchfab Uploader Manual

The following is a manual for the Sketchfab Uploader Extension for SketchUp. It is assumed that you have successfully installed this extension (instructions are on the previous page).

Getting the Sketchfab API Token

1. Visit the Sketchfab website and create an account.
2. Browse to your personal Settings (#1 in the image below)
   
3. Go to Password & API (#2) and copy the API token (#3).
4. Open SketchUp and go to File > Upload to Sketchfab > Upload Model…
5. Paste the API token into the Sketchfab uploader:
   
6. This token will be saved in SketchUp after your first successful model upload. There should not be a need to re-enter it unless the SketchUp version is switched.

(Re-)Uploading a SketchUp Model

1. Go to File > Upload to Sketchfab > Upload Model…
2. If you have selected something in your model, then you will be presented with the option to upload only the selection or the entire model:
   
3. Next, you will see the uploader dialog. If you have previously entered the API token, then it will be contained in the API token field (obfuscated by dots) and there is no need to re-enter it. If the API token field is empty then you must also provide it.
   
4. Enter a model title (mandatory) and a description (optional) (#1). You can also provide tags (space separated) (#2). If you have a Sketchfab Pro account, then you can make the model private and even assign it an opening password (#3).
5. You can edit some model upload parameters (#4) before upload:
   1. Export edges uploads edges with your model that will remain visible.
   2. Export textures uploads image textures, not only color materials.
   3. Export two-sided faces includes the backface material. If unchecked, faces only have a front and will be invisible from behind.
   4. Use ‘color by layer’ materials colors elements based on the layer they are on.
6. Click Submit Model to upload your file, and wait for it to upload. This may fail in the following situations (in which you should get an error):
   1. The file is larger than your allowable file limit (see Sketchfab for current rules).
   2. Your model uses more than 100 materials.
   3. A previously uploaded version of this file is still processing.
7. If you previously uploaded this model to Sketchfab, then you will be presented with the option to either re-upload the model (keeps model ID and thus any edits you made to it in Sketchfab’s material editor) or to upload this as a completely new model (assigns a new model ID and makes no changes to the previously uploaded model).
   
8. Finally, you will be presented with the option to view the model on Sketchfab’s website.
9. On your model’s page on Sketchfab, you can make edits to the model once it has finished processing (e.g. you can edit materials and many other properties under 3D Settings). It is, however, still in draft mode and you must click the Publish button to make it live for everyone to see.
   

After a model has been uploaded, its model ID, title, description, tags, private status (Pro Sketchfab only), and password (if provided) will be stored in the SketchUp model file (SKP). It is important to remember to save the SketchUp model afterwards, otherwise these parameters will be lost. The API token and the upload parameters are stored at the same time in SketchUp itself (not the model file), so that they are available for other models, too.

Editing the Model ID

It should normally not be necessary to edit the Sketchfab model ID that is stored inside a SketchUp model file (SKP) after a successful upload. However, some cases may warrant editing this ID:

• You forgot to save the SketchUp file after an initial upload and the model ID did not get stored in it.
• You had uploaded a SketchUp file before version 2.5.1 of this extension became available, yet want to modify/replace the previously uploaded model.
• You want to replace an uploaded model (that may have been uploaded from a different software) with a new model directly from SketchUp.
• You want to remove the model ID from the SketchUp file.

Follow these steps:

1. Copy an existing model ID from Sketchfab’s model URL (e.g. https://sketchfab.com/models/9X7L6bQFpIX7zSrDiZ6k7pzsOrH). The ID is the string of letters and number after /models/.
2. Go to File > Upload to Sketchfab > Edit Model ID, which leads to this dialog:
   
3. Paste or edit the model ID in this dialog as needed and click OK. Don’t forget to re-save the SketchUp file afterwards.

Help! Nothing Works Anymore

Sometimes this extension gets stuck when some preference causes an issue. This is best resolved by resetting the preferences to their initial state Note, however, that this will remove your API Token and you will need to enter it again.

Simply paste the following code into SketchUp’s Ruby Console, which you can find under the following menu: Extensions > Developer > Ruby Console. Once you hit Enter, all of these settings will be reset.

Sketchup.write_default "as_sketchfab", "user_dir", nil
Sketchup.write_default "as_sketchfab", "api_token", nil
Sketchup.write_default "as_sketchfab", "edges", nil
Sketchup.write_default "as_sketchfab", "materials", nil 
Sketchup.write_default "as_sketchfab", "textures", nil
Sketchup.write_default "as_sketchfab", "faces", nil
Sketchup.write_default "as_sketchfab", "instances", nil