ArchiCAD, SketchUp & Rhino to 3D Print: An Export Guide for Architects

Revit isn't the only road to a 3D-printed model. Plenty of practices work in ArchiCAD, SketchUp or Rhino, and each exports to print in its own way — with its own quirks. This guide covers how to get a clean, printable file out of all three, so whatever you design in, your model comes out accurate.

The shared goal: a watertight mesh at the right scale

Whatever the software, the destination is the same: a closed, "watertight" mesh — a solid with no gaps or self-intersections — exported as STL or OBJ, scaled correctly, with exterior-only detail appropriate to the print scale. Keep that target in mind and each program's export settings make more sense.

ArchiCAD

ArchiCAD exports directly to STL and OBJ, which makes it one of the friendlier BIM tools for printing. Work from a clean 3D view, hide interior elements, furniture and anything you won't see from outside, then export to STL. ArchiCAD is well suited to concept and massing models. The main thing to watch is the same as any BIM export: elements that touch but don't truly merge can leave gaps in the mesh, so a quick check (and repair if needed) before printing pays off. ArchiCAD's own "Save as STL" handles units — set them to millimetres to keep scaling predictable.

SketchUp

SketchUp is popular for presentation and site models, but it has one well-known habit: it happily creates geometry that isn't "solid" — reversed faces, stray edges, surfaces that don't close. For printing, the model needs to be a solid group or component (SketchUp tells you whether a group is "solid" in its entity info). A free STL export extension handles the file itself; the work is in cleaning the geometry first — closing surfaces, removing internal faces, fixing reversed normals. SketchUp models often need the most clean-up of the three, but they print well once solid.

Rhino (and Grasshopper)

Rhino is the most print-ready of the three, which is why it's a favourite for complex and parametric facades. It deals in precise NURBS surfaces that you convert to a watertight mesh on export, with direct control over mesh density — so you can dial in exactly as much resolution as the scale needs. Use Rhino's mesh and repair commands to confirm the model is closed before exporting STL. If you're driving geometry from Grasshopper, bake it to clean Rhino geometry first. For intricate or parametric designs, Rhino gives the cleanest route to a printable file.

A quick comparison

In short: Rhino offers the most control and the cleanest path for complex geometry; ArchiCAD exports solids fairly directly and suits concept and massing work; SketchUp is the most accessible but usually needs the most geometry clean-up before it will print. All three can produce excellent models — the differences are in how much preparation each needs.

Whatever you design in, send it to us

We accept STL, OBJ, DWG, FBX and 3DM, and we routinely take files from all the major architectural tools. If you'd rather not wrestle with export settings and mesh repair, send us your native export and we'll audit the geometry, fix what needs fixing, scale it correctly and print it. Using Revit instead? See our dedicated Revit-to-print guide. To start a project, book a free consultation or explore our architectural 3D printing service.