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How to organize a SketchUp model with tags

Updated · by Myles B

In SketchUp, wrap geometry in groups or components first, then put tags on those groups and components, not on the raw faces and edges inside them. Leave raw geometry on Untagged, and use tags only to show and hide parts of the model.

Tags vs groups: what each one does

A group (or component) keeps geometry apart. Faces and edges inside a group don't stick to geometry outside it, so you can move a wall without dragging the floor with it.

A tag only controls visibility. It doesn't keep geometry apart. Hiding a tag hides everything on it in one click, but the geometry is still connected to whatever it touches.

So the order is: group first, then tag the group. A wall group goes on a “Walls” tag. The faces and edges inside the wall stay on Untagged.

Tags were called Layers before SketchUp 2020. They work the same way.

How to set up tags

  1. Open the Tags panel: Window › Tags on macOS; on Windows it's in the default tray (Window › Default Tray).
  2. Click the plus sign to add a tag and name it for what it holds, such as Structure, Walls, Furniture or Site.
  3. Select a group or component and pick the tag from the Tag list in Entity Info. Or select a tag in the panel and click objects with the Tag tool.
  4. Click the eye icon next to a tag to hide or show it.

Keep the list short. A handful of tags for the major parts of the model is easier to use than one tag per object. If it grows, use tag folders (the Add Folder icon in the Tags panel) to group related tags.

To check your tagging at a glance, turn on Color by tag in the Tags panel. Each object takes its tag's colour, so anything on the wrong tag stands out.

Why geometry on the wrong tag causes problems

New raw geometry is created on Untagged. Problems start when faces and edges get a tag of their own, usually because someone tagged geometry directly or changed the active tag while drawing. SketchUp's own help says models are much more predictable when you don't tag edges or faces. What tends to go wrong:

  • You hide a tag, and part of an object disappears while the rest stays. A box can lose its top face but keep its sides.
  • An edge is hidden, but the faces it bounds are on another tag, so they still show and the outline looks broken.
  • A group is on a visible tag but its contents are on a hidden one, so the group looks empty.

None of this changes the geometry. It changes what you see, which makes the model hard to trust and hard to present.

How to fix geometry on the wrong tag

  1. Turn on Color by tag so tagged raw geometry shows in its tag's colour.
  2. Open the group or component where the stray colour appears (double-click to edit it).
  3. Select the faces and edges inside and set their tag to Untagged in Entity Info.
  4. Make sure the group or component itself carries the tag you want.
  5. Leave the active tag on Untagged while you model.

Then clean up the list: in the Tags panel, open the Details menu and choose Purge. It deletes every tag that nothing uses.

How Lookover finds and fixes tag problems

Lookover runs fixed checks plus an AI review. Three of the fixed checks are about tags:

  • Tags on loose geometry: faces and edges that carry a tag of their own. One click puts them back on Untagged; their groups and components keep their tags. Geometry that was on a hidden tag becomes visible again, and the fix tells you so.
  • Tags nothing uses: one click purges them.
  • Everything is on the default tag: when the groups and components nearly all sit on Untagged, Lookover suggests adding tags for the major parts.

The AI review also looks at how tags and scenes are set up. When it finds an object on the wrong tag, it can offer a fix that assigns the right one. Every fix is one undo step, so Cmd+Z (Ctrl+Z on Windows) reverses it.

Questions

Should I tag faces and edges, or groups?

Tag groups and components. Keep the raw faces and edges inside them on Untagged. That gives you predictable hiding and showing.

Is a tag the same as a layer?

Yes. SketchUp renamed Layers to Tags in 2020. Older tutorials that talk about layers still apply.

Why does part of my object disappear when I hide a tag?

Some of its faces or edges are on that tag while the rest aren't. Open the object, set its raw geometry to Untagged, and put the tag on the group or component instead.