Tutorial: Create an Architectural Diagram using SketchUp

Looking to create animated architectural diagrams? This guide walks you through our complete updated workflow.

We’ll cover everything from pulling in real-world site data to exporting animated shadow and wind studies. Best of all, we’re doing this entirely inside SketchUp using two free plugins: Sun Diagram and Dynamic Symbols.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqHZ3m-OYug

Applicable for:

1. Site analysis diagrams
2. Sun path & shadow studies
3. Animated architectural presentations
4. and more

Softwares used:

1. SketchUp: For 3D modeling and scene setup.
2. Sun Diagram: sundiagram.com
3. Dynamic Symbols: dynamicsymbols.com
4. Photoshop: For final video compositing.

Browse All Resources & Diagrams

Tutorial (step-by-step guide and videos):

Step 1: Import Terrain and Map Data
Step 2: Generate Contour Lines
Step 3: Create a 3D Sun Path using Sun Diagram Plugin
Step 4: Add Symbols with Dynamic Symbols Plugin
Step 5: Create a Shadow Analysis using Sun Diagram
Step 6: Generate dynamic symbols to represent the Site analysis

Final Result

Let’s get started !

STEP 1: Import Terrain and Map Data

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuSYwEcNwWo

1. In SketchUp, go to File > Add Location.
2. Type in your project address and click Add Context.
3. Make sure to check Elevated site, Map texture, and Terrain mesh.
4. Highlight your site area and click Import. SketchUp will drop the 3D terrain and satellite map right into your model.

STEP 2: Create Contour Lines

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWTfCmzZ7ww

1. Hide everything except the Terrain tag.
2. Draw a large flat rectangle below the terrain. Duplicate it vertically every 5 or 10 meters (depending on how steep the site is).
3. Select all the rectangles and the terrain, right-click, and choose Intersect Faces > With Model. This instantly generates your contour lines!
4. Delete the flat faces, leaving just the contour edges.
5. Pro-tip: To make the contour lines stand out, lower the opacity of your satellite map texture slightly.

STEP 3: Create a 3D Sun Path with Sun Diagram Plugin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuIJqWk_S0w

1. Install Sun Diagram from the Extension Warehouse.
2. Click the first tool to generate a 3D Sun Path over your site.
3. Important: Make sure to set DST (Daylight Saving Time) correctly for your location.
4. Scale and position the sun path graphic so it frames your site nicely (don’t worry, scaling the graphic doesn’t mess up the real shadow math).
5. Use the plugin’s style picker to choose a clean look (Style 01 usually works great).

STEP 4: Add Symbols (Wind, Views, etc.) with Dynamic Symbols Plugin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOl67HeTK8M

1. Install Dynamic Symbols from the Extension Warehouse.
2. Open the symbol library and click Add on the symbols you need (wind arrows, view cones, nodes, etc.).
3. Scale and rotate them into place on your terrain.
4. You can easily re-color them using the plugin’s color tool, or just apply standard SketchUp materials.

STEP 5: Create a Shadow Analysis using Sun Diagram

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfVejlkLRRA

1. Temporarily turn off your Dynamic Symbols tag so the shadows are clean.
2. Open Sun Diagram’s Shadow Analysis tool (the 3rd icon).
3. Pick your time range (e.g., 9 AM to 3 PM) and output resolution.
4. Click Apply. The plugin will automatically save an image sequence of the shadows moving across your site.
5. Tip: Repeat this for June, September, and December to get a full yearly study.

STEP 6: Combine Images and Videos into a Final Animated Diagram

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDDJ7J3_zsE

1. Now, turn off everything else and turn your Dynamic Symbols back on.
2. Select your symbols and use Function 2 of the plugin to Create Scenes. This generates the animation frames.
3. Export this as an MP4 video (File > Export > Animation). Make sure to uncheck “Loop to starting scene”.
4. Open Photoshop (or Premiere/CapCut). Load your shadow image sequence and convert it to a video timeline.
5. Drop your Dynamic Symbols video layer on top of the shadow video layer.
6. Set the blending mode of the symbol layer to remove its white background (or use blending options to pull back the white slider).
7. Export your final composite!

Final Result

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqHZ3m-OYug

All Resources used in the tutorial are included

Want to follow along or try it yourself? Download the exact 2D and 3D project files we use in this tutorial:

💡 Note: You can use the Direct Download for instant, hassle-free access. If you find these tutorials helpful and would like to support my work, you can download them via Gumroad (where you can enter $0 or leave a small tip).

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That’s it! 🎉 You now have a complete architectural diagram animation combining Sun Diagram and Dynamic Symbols.

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