Spotlight: SketchUp 2027, and an IFC that keeps the project CRS
SketchUp Desktop 2027.0 is dated 21 October. TrimBIM now matches IFC, and a CRS-geolocated model can export IfcProjectedCRS.
Last week’s leftover IFC note was Simplebim 12. The unused desktop ship is SketchUp Desktop 2027.0, dated 21 October 2026, build 27.0.264. What’s new tells current subscribers to download it now. The 22 October 2027.0.1 note only refreshes trusted security keys.
That is not a new coordination platform. Firms already take a SketchUp massing or interior model, explode it into a mesh, then argue about why the IFC sits two metres off the survey. 2027’s useful change is that a geolocated SketchUp file can leave with the same CRS entities a BIM lead already looks for in Revit or Civil 3D.
What actually changed
IFC and TrimBIM are the headline. The notes say the TrimBIM importer and exporter now match the IFC toolset. SweptDiskSolid geometry comes in, so IfcReinforcingBar and IfcReinforcingMesh show in the viewport and the Outliner. IfcLamp and IfcOutlet can leave with geometry and attributes. A new Tags dropdown lets you map IFC classes, IFC layers, or create no tags. That is a cleaner handoff, not a clash check.
Add Location now accepts a Coordinate Reference System. Load a CRS or calibration file, set Easting and Northing for the Project Base Point, and SketchUp calculates elevation while you can still edit the altitude. True North is applied so you can model near the internal origin and keep the real-world frame. When that model is CRS-geolocated, IFC export writes IfcProjectedCRS and IfcMapConversion automatically: CRS identification, units, Eastings, Northings, orthogonal height, X-axis orientation and scale. The notes also add CRS import and export on TRB and IFC in metric and imperial, plus IfcSite metadata round-trip for IFC 2x3 and 4.
DWG and DXF import is tighter. You set tessellation with angular deviation, chordal tolerance and max edge length. Text, dimensions and hatches have their own import choices. Turn on Import Metadata and each element becomes a component; block metadata is classified as IfcAnnotation and original CAD attributes land in a CAD_Metadata property set. Export can write Smooth SubD or flat Polyface meshes.
The 2027.0 notes also replace Scan Essentials’ read-only RWP database with an editable SDB, and add native import of Autodesk ReCap .RCP, Trimble .TDX and Gaussian Splatting .PLY. That is the scan seat, not a reason to retire the TLS workflow.
Procedural tools, section-fill hatches, multi-document tabs and a unified Mac and Windows interface are the parts designers will notice first. They do not change the exchange. Hidden Line Rendering is a Public Labs engine, on by default; you can switch back if a sheet goes wrong.
What a BIM lead should do
Do not rewrite the BEP because SketchUp can now write a CRS. Keep the same coordinate statement you already use. If the firm issues SketchUp to a federated model, this is worth a morning on a copy of a live job. Geolocate with the project CRS, export IFC and TrimBIM, and overlay both on the control model. Check four things: does IfcProjectedCRS name the CRS in the BEP; do Easting, Northing and height match the survey point; do rebar, lamps and outlets survive; and do tags come from the classes you asked for, not from leftover layers.
Do not promise Intel Macs or Windows 10 seats a 2027 install. Compatibility keeps those machines on 2026. Rebuild native Ruby extensions against 3.4 before you tell the office the plugins survived.
Start with Trimble’s What’s new page and the Desktop 2027.0 notes.
Frequently asked questions
Is SketchUp 2027 actually shipping today?
The official Desktop 2027.0 notes are dated 21 October 2026 and name build 27.0.264 for Windows and Mac. The product page says current subscribers can download the latest desktop build. The 22 October 2027.0.1 note is a security-key refresh, not a second feature drop.
Does a TrimBIM file now carry the same data as IFC?
The notes say the TrimBIM importer and exporter were updated to match the IFC tools, so you pick the format for speed rather than for missing classes. That is a SketchUp claim. Open the same model as IFC and as TRB in the federated viewer you already trust, and check rebar, lamps, outlets, tags and site metadata before you drop IFC from the BEP.
Will the new CRS export replace our survey setup?
No. Add Location can load a CRS or calibration file, set a Project Base Point, calculate elevation and correct for True North. On IFC export, a CRS-geolocated model writes IfcProjectedCRS and IfcMapConversion. That only helps if the CRS you loaded is the one in the BEP. Overlay the export on the control model before anyone stakes from it.
Can the office stay on Windows 10 or an Intel Mac?
Not on 2027. Compatibility notes say Desktop 2027 needs Windows 11 and Apple silicon. Intel Macs and Windows 10 remain on 2026. The 2027.0 notes also move the embedded Ruby interpreter from 3.2.2 to 3.4.9, so native C extensions have to be rebuilt.