Built a real-time AI renderer inside the SketchUp viewport. Here’s what we learned.

Hey Indie Hackers! 👋

Most spatial creators, architects, and 3D designers face the same pain point: the endless context switching between 3D modeling and rendering. You tweak a material, export, wait for a heavy external engine to process, adjust, and repeat dozens of times a day.

We built rkitect for SketchUp to kill that friction entirely by bringing real-time AI rendering directly into the live SketchUp viewport.

What worked well during development:

• Focusing on workflow over raw settings: Creators don't always need 50 sliders during early design phases—they need immediate visual feedback to make creative decisions fast.

• Keeping the UI zero-friction: Native integration inside the tool people already use everyday reduces onboarding resistance dramatically compared to standalone web apps.

What was tough:

• Balancing fast generation times with high render quality without causing viewport lag.

• Designing an interface that doesn't clutter the existing CAD workspace.

We're live and gathering feedback right now at rkitect.ai.