Arch · yearly

Lotuz SyncSketchUp to 3ds Max sync

Native geometry transfer between apps — no FBX, no axis flips, no broken texture paths.

$20/ year

Each plugin is bought separately, by the year. Sign in with the account you bought it on to unlock it.

Requires: SketchUp 2021.1+ ⟷ 3ds Max 2025+ · Windows

Inside the plugin

Real SketchUp Sync + Max dashboard

Real plugin UI captures (HtmlDialog + Max dock). Callouts mark daily controls.

Real SketchUp Sync + Max dashboard
Real SketchUp Sync + Max dashboard

Captured from Lotuz Sync production UI

SU

SketchUp Sync panel

Real HtmlDialog: Max status, Sync / Update / Live.

Live

Dirty groups

Only dirty groups update — no full rebuild.

Max

3ds Max dashboard

Environment tab: HDRI, geo sun — real dock shot.

Render

Corona path

Post-sync result without FBX.

Real captures

Shot from the live plugins

No mock marketing UI — real SketchUp / 3ds Max / Photoshop panels from Lotuz workflows.

Lotuz Sync SketchUp panel — latest suite payload capture
Lotuz Sync SketchUp panel — latest suite payload capture
3ds Max Environment tab — real UI shot
3ds Max Environment tab — real UI shot
HDRI + Sun mode on Max dock
HDRI + Sun mode on Max dock
Render after Sync pipeline
Render after Sync pipeline
Daylight camera after sun/camera sync
Daylight camera after sun/camera sync
Sync tab in Lotuz Dashboard (Max connected)
Sync tab in Lotuz Dashboard (Max connected)
Lotuz Material panel — same Arch suite
Lotuz Material panel — same Arch suite
Audience

Who it is for

Architects SketchUp → Max

Massing in SketchUp, Corona/V-Ray in Max — no FBX every revision.

Interior studios

Fast layout in SU; keep tuned Corona materials on Update.

Small teams

Both apps on one machine — Live sync for midday reviews before overnight renders.

Workflow

How you work — step by step

  1. 01

    Install & sign in

    Install Lotuz Arch (SketchUp + 3ds Max). The same lotuz.ai account unlocks Sync once you have bought Lotuz Sync.

  2. 02

    First full Sync

    Open SketchUp model → Full Sync. Max gets geometry, units, transforms; materials map by name.

  3. 03

    Update / Live

    Edit a few groups → Update dirty only. Live: edit SU, Max rebuilds ~2s. Scene sync moves cameras + sun.

  4. 04

    Render in Max

    Tune Corona on Max. Later syncs do not wipe named Corona materials.

Deep dive

Features in depth

▸

Native live-link

No FBX middleman — fewer Y-up/Z-up flips, unit bugs, broken texture paths.

▸

Dirty tracking

Only changed groups/faces travel. Large files stay practical on Update.

▸

Name-matched materials

SU “Glass_Clear” hits Max Corona “Glass_Clear” — gloss/IOR preserved.

▸

Camera & Sun (Max)

Max panel: HDRI + geo/custom sun, scene cameras from real dock captures.

▸

SketchUp Dashboard

Sync tab in Lotuz Dashboard: plan status + open Sync panel.

FAQ

Common questions

Which SketchUp / Max?+

SketchUp 2021.1+ and 3ds Max 2025+. Min host follows Arch release notes.

Does Sync spend CR?+

No. Sync/GIS are time-based Lotuz Arch — no CR involved.

One seat or many?+

Default 1 concurrent machine. SU + Max on the same PC count as one device.

500k+ faces?+

Split groups. Partial Update helps; purge with free tools before huge first Sync.

$20/ year
Download installer ↓

Each plugin is bought separately, by the year. Sign in with the account you bought it on to unlock it.

View pricing
Why not FBX

Four fixes you always do by hand

Export FBX then import into Max is the common path — and where most rework is born.

Model tipped on its side

SketchUp exports Y-up, Max expects Z-up. Rotate every time.

Wrong units

Inches become centimetres; the model is tens of times too big.

Broken texture paths

FBX writes relative paths that point nowhere on the Max machine.

One solid becomes a thousand pieces

Split by material, then merge again by hand.

Lotuz Sync owns both ends — a SketchUp plugin and a 3ds Max tool — so geometry moves natively with no intermediate format. Those four problems disappear because their cause is gone.

Real results

Corona renders from this pipeline

Modeled in SketchUp, synced to 3ds Max, rendered in Corona. No FBX, no reassigning materials.

Corona render of a building modeled in SketchUp and synced with Lotuz Sync
Glass, brick and metal keep correct materials after landing in Max.
Facade material detail after sync to 3ds Max
Tune Corona in Max, sync again — hand edits stay intact.
Four actions

Which button, when

Full-file Sync

First pass, or when you want a full rebuild.

Update

Later passes — only push what changed, much faster.

Live

Turn on and keep editing in SketchUp; Max rebuilds after ~2s.

Scene Sync

Bring cameras and sun direction from scenes into Max.

Materials by name

Existing names keep your Corona materials; only new names rebuild.

Smart instances

50 identical chairs transfer once; Max instances share one mesh.

Honest limits

What it does not do

  • !

    No raw CAD dumps

    .dwg imports with hundreds of thousands of junk faces are skipped instead of freezing the machine.

  • !

    Heavy objects skipped

    Default cap is 100,000 faces per object. Split first if you need them.

  • !

    One direction only

    SketchUp → 3ds Max today. Edits in Max do not push back to SketchUp.

  • !

    Windows only

    No macOS build yet.

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