Blurred or distorted images

The Quick Answer

  • Download and install the most current video card drivers from the manufacturer's website.
  • Disable 'Fast Feedback' on your system.
  • Make sure that your video card supports OpenGL 1.5+.

There are two likely causes of display issues like this:

  • PC or Mac: On some systems, Fast Feedback can cause blurring and other display issues.
  • PC only: The anti-aliasing feature of the graphics driver of some graphics cards can cause blurring.

To check whether Fast Feedback is causing the blurring:

  1. Open the "Window" menu (Mac = "SketchUp" menu).
  2. Click "Preferences. "
  3. In the left pane, click "OpenGL."
  4. Clear the "Fast Feedback" check box.
  5. Restart SketchUp.
  6. Continue working on your model to see if the issue has been resolved.

When Fast Feedback is disabled, you'll notice the SketchUp display speed slow down, especially as your model gets more complex, so turning Fast Feedback off isn't the ultimate solution. If turning Fast Feedback off resolves the issue:

  • Mac and PC: Make sure your system meets the SketchUp Hardware and Software Requirements (click here).
  • Mac: Run a software update to make sure you are running the latest version of Max OS X (click here).
  • PC: Download the latest graphics driver for your graphics card (click here). If that doesn't work, you might need to install a different, OpenGL-compliant graphics card.

To check whether anti-aliasing is causing the display issue:

  1. Find the performance settings for your graphics card. (Check the documentation for your graphics card for information about where you can access these settings. Often, you find them by clicking the "Advanced" button on the "Settings" tab of the Display Properties dialog box.)
  2. Mark sure that anti-aliasing is set to "Application-controlled. "
  3. You can then control the level of anti-aliasing from within SketchUp:
    1. Open the "Window" menu.
    2. Click "Preferences."
    3. In the left pane, click "OpenGL."
    4. In the right pane, select a setting in the "Capabilities" section.
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