Proxies

Proxies keep SketchUp responsive by putting a lightweight placeholder in the .skp while your renderer loads a high-resolution sidecar file.

When you export as a proxy, import the generated .skp as a component into another model. Avoid opening the proxy .skp as a standalone working file.

Blob placeholders

Rendered proxies

Billboard placeholders (Cross and Face-me)

Rendered proxies

Supported renderers

Renderer	What Transmutr writes	Requirement
V-Ray	.vrmesh next to the SketchUp file	Path to V-Ray’s ply2vrmesh in Options
Enscape	Full-resolution asset registered in Enscape’s local Asset Library, linked from the .skp	Path to Enscape’s batch importer + one-time Asset Library configuration

You can enable V-Ray and Enscape proxies at the same time. In that case, a single .skp placeholder will link to both.

Thea proxies are not available in Transmutr v2.

Enscape Asset Library

Unlike V-Ray (which writes a .vrmesh sidecar next to your SketchUp file), an Enscape proxy registers the high-resolution model in Enscape’s local Asset Library. The exported .skp keeps only the lightweight placeholder and a reference to that library asset.

When you place the component in a SketchUp model and render with Enscape, Enscape loads the full-resolution asset from the library, so the SketchUp viewport stays light while the render uses the detailed geometry and materials.

The asset lives in Enscape’s library on that machine. Anyone who opens the SketchUp file without the same local library asset will still see the placeholder, but Enscape will not find the high-resolution model until the asset is available in their library (for example after they run the same export, or you share the asset through Enscape’s usual library workflows).

Placeholder types

The placeholder is what SketchUp displays in the viewport:

Type	Description
Billboard (cross)	Two crossing textured planes with automatic renders of the model
Billboard (face-me)	Single textured plane that always faces the camera
Blobs	Convex shells around meshes you tagged as blobs in the Outliner
Bounding box (wireframe)	Lightest: edges only around the model bounds
Bounding box (faces)	Opaque box matching the model size
Face skipping	Keeps a fraction of faces (set Face ratio) while preserving materials
Simplified geometry	Uses the simplified mesh as the placeholder; renderers still use full resolution

Blobs workflow

1. In the Outliner, use Make blob on the meshes that should define volumes.

2. Enable Show blobs in the viewport to preview.

3. In Export → Proxy, choose Blobs.

Converter paths

If Transmutr cannot find the V-Ray or Enscape converter, open Options → External tools and browse to the executable. Enscape also requires a one-time Asset Library configuration the first time you export an Enscape proxy.