.SKP

Introduction

SKP is the native file of SketchUp, a 3D modelling program popular in architecture, interior design and woodworking. SketchUp was first released by @Last Software in 2000, owned by Google from 2006 and by Trimble since 2012. A model is built from edges and faces, organised into groups and components, with materials, layers (now called tags) and saved scenes.

Each major version of SketchUp writes its own version of the format. A newer SketchUp opens older files, and its Save As dialog can write files for some earlier versions.

Software

• SketchUp (Windows, macOS, web, iPad)
• Autodesk Revit (Windows), by import
• Autodesk 3ds Max (Windows), by import
• Twinmotion (Windows, macOS), by import
• Lumion (Windows), by import

Structure

The SKP format is proprietary and its layout is not published. Programs other than SketchUp read and write it through the SketchUp SDK, a C library that Trimble provides to developers, rather than by parsing the bytes themselves.

The file starts with a short header in UTF-16 text that names it as a SketchUp model and gives the version of SketchUp that saved it. The explorer on this site uses that header to recognise the file.