How to Project a Texture Onto a Curved Surface in SketchUp

Last Updated: October 8, 2020

When you 'paint' a texture in SketchUp, what it does is tile the texture repeatedly. However, when this happens with a curved surface, the result can really look odd. This article will show you how to overcome this problem.

Steps

1
Open up the project in SketchUp that you want to project the texture on. The image here is a lathe design created in SketchUp and it's what will be used to demonstrate the solution.
2
Create a rectangle next to your project. Make sure that it is in the position that a projector (it there was one there) could project through it.

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3
Paint the rectangle the color/type of wood that you want your project to be in.
4
Right click on the rectangle. Go to Texture >> Edit Texture Image.
5
Move the rectangle around. Note the four pins. They will help you match it more closely to the rectangle so that it has the correct angle, perspective and appearance that you're seeking.
6
Right click again on the texture. Select Texture >> Projected.
7
Select the entire project that you want it to be projected on.
8
Click on the eyedropper in the Materials dialog box. Click on the texture that you will be using.
9
now.]]Go to your project and paint/project the texture. Note the difference between the first step and the final result.