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Getting started

This walkthrough takes a normal SketchUp assembly to a clean, reversible exploded view in a few minutes.

1. Open your assembly

Section titled “1. Open your assembly”

Start from a model whose parts are organized as groups or components. Exploder works with the structure you already have — you don’t need to rebuild anything.

Open the panel from Extensions → Exploder.

2. Preview the spread

Section titled “2. Preview the spread”

Use the preview pane to see how the assembly will spread before committing. Adjust the overall scale until the parts read clearly with room to breathe.

3. Expand

Section titled “3. Expand”

Click Expand to explode the whole assembly at once. Repeated parts splay as a group; unique parts move along a clean dominant axis. Nothing is duplicated — the original geometry is preserved and the exploded transforms live with the model.

4. Guide the exceptions

Section titled “4. Guide the exceptions”

Most parts land well automatically. For the few that don’t, select an entity and override its:

  • Axis — push it along X, Y, Z, or radially.
  • Distance — pull it further out or rein it in.
  • Opacity — fade context parts so the focus part stands out.

5. Save named views

Section titled “5. Save named views”

When a state looks right, save it as a named view so you can return to it later. Capture assembled and exploded scenes to reuse the result in documentation and reviews.

6. Restore

Section titled “6. Restore”

Click Restore to return to the assembled model in one step, or Clear to remove Exploder state entirely. Because the workflow is non-destructive, you can explode, restore, and re-explode as many times as you like without drift.

Next steps

Section titled “Next steps”