Nice Tower · Practical design guide

FixIt101 SketchUp: Powerful Model Repair Guide 2026

Use this FixIt101 SketchUp repair guide to inspect troublesome geometry before it spreads into a larger model. Follow the preparation steps, isolate face problems and compare the repaired component with the original before continuing your project.

What FixIt101 is designed to repair

FixIt101 by Anton Synytsia attempts to close holes and make suitable grouped geometry solid. Its creator describes operations including missing-face creation, duplicate or overlapping face removal, internal-face removal and edge repair.

Install FixIt101 in desktop SketchUp

Get the extension from the FixIt101 creator listing. The listed version is legacy software; check your installed SketchUp version and test a disposable model first.

Nice Tower’s video below explains the general plugin installation workflow. It is an installation reference, not a FixIt101 repair demonstration.

FixIt101 SketchUp — SketchUp Extension Manager installation reference for the FixIt101 repair guide — Extension Manager shown in Nice Tower’s general installation tutorial; this is not a FixIt101 repair result.

Inspect the imported object before choosing a repair

Start with the object’s purpose. A chair, facade surface, window assembly and closed cutting volume should not all be judged by the same solid-object test. Write down the actual problem: a visible hole, an unwanted duplicate surface, an internal partition or a failed downstream operation.

Create three views of the object: its normal appearance, a view looking into the problem area, and a section or hidden-geometry view when appropriate. Note any surfaces that must survive the repair. Transparent glass can be easy to overlook if you focus only on opaque walls.

Check scale and grouping before modifying geometry. A repair command cannot make an incorrectly scaled asset suitable for your project, and editing shared components can affect other instances.

Isolate a FixIt101 repair copy

Save a new model version before editing.
Duplicate the target object and keep the untouched original in a clearly named group.
If the target is a component and should change independently, make the repair instance unique.
Move the trial copy to a clear workspace and hide unrelated objects.
Record the dimensions, material appearance and important openings that you will check afterward.

For example, if an imported cabinet contains both a closed body and glass doors, test the body independently. Treat the door assembly as a separate review instead of assuming every part should become one closed volume.

Run a focused FixIt101 test

Select the intended repair entities and use Plugins → FixIt101, as documented by the creator. Nested subgroups and components can be affected. An empty selection applies the operation across the model, so do not leave the selection empty when you intend a local repair.

Review the trial immediately. If necessary faces disappear, undo or discard the repair copy and return to the source. Do not repeatedly run the command while hoping the intended surfaces will reappear.

When an object must be solid for a later operation, inspect its status in Entity Info as well as its appearance. A visually convincing object and a valid solid are separate checks.

Compare the FixIt101 result against the original

Review one issue at a time. First check whether the specific missing face or unwanted internal geometry changed. Then look for collateral changes in windows, thin parts, reveals and intentional openings.

Compare bounding dimensions with the saved source.
Inspect both front and back sides of important surfaces.
Look through transparent components to check that they still exist.
Check materials and grouping needed by your later workflow.
Test the intended downstream operation on the copy.

If your goal is simply removing unnecessary edges or unused data, choose a cleanup workflow suitable for that job. If your goal is repairing one opening, a small manual repair may preserve more design intent than a broad automatic pass.

FixIt101 practice project and quality checks

A focused FixIt101 repair exercise

Imagine receiving a furniture model that displays correctly but contains suspicious openings when you inspect its underside. Save the received file unchanged before importing it into your project. In a separate working copy, isolate the chair body from accessories, cushions and intentionally thin panels. A closed chair body and a single-surface fabric panel should not be judged by the same repair criteria.

Make a repair copy of the suspected body and place it beside an untouched reference. Use clear names such as Chair original and Chair repair trial. If these are component instances, make the repair copy unique before changing its geometry. Otherwise, a change to the definition can affect other instances that you intended to preserve.

Inspect the original from below and from the back before activating FixIt101. Record the locations of the visible gaps. If the model contains several nested parts, identify which part owns the problematic face. Repairing a broad parent collection makes it harder to tell which surfaces changed and whether an important opening disappeared.

Run the repair on the smallest relevant selection, then compare the result at those recorded locations. A useful outcome should address the observed problem without removing needed surfaces or altering the intended silhouette. A different entity count alone does not prove success. Examine the geometry, materials and connections that matter to the actual use of the model.

Seven FixIt101 checks for the repaired copy

Silhouette: compare front, side and top views with the untouched reference.
Openings: inspect the gaps you identified before the repair.
Intentional surfaces: confirm that thin panels, glass and decorative faces remain where required.
Materials: check visible front and back faces rather than relying only on a shaded perspective.
Nested parts: confirm that unrelated components were outside the repair scope.
Connections: look closely at intersecting legs, panels or imported seams.
Project use: test the copy in the view or operation for which you actually need it.

Keep this checklist with the model rather than treating it as a one-time cleanup ritual. It gives a colleague a concrete reason to trust the selected repair copy. If the result fails one of the checks, restore the original and narrow the trial. Avoid stacking several cleanup operations when you can no longer identify which operation caused a change.

Choose the next FixIt101 repair action

Observed problem	What to inspect	Next action
Needed face disappears	Whether the part is intentionally open	Restore the source and exclude that part
Repair affects several copies	Shared component definition	Make a separate test instance unique
Gap remains unchanged	Actual nesting and selected entities	Isolate the problematic body
Model still looks wrong	Materials, orientation and overlap	Diagnose the visual symptom separately
Large file remains slow	Repeated geometry and unnecessary detail	Plan an independent optimization pass

FixIt101 geometry repair and file optimization

An imported model can have clean geometry and still be unnecessarily heavy. High-detail fittings, repeated objects that are not components and discarded trial groups can all complicate project work. Do not expect FixIt101 to solve every performance issue. First decide whether your immediate problem is missing geometry, incorrect appearance or excessive detail.

For a distant background object, a simpler replacement may be more appropriate than repairing every small surface. For a close furniture render, visible seams and materials need careful inspection. Choose the amount of work according to the role of the model. Keep the original asset so that a later close view does not depend on a simplified copy made for a distant shot.

Save a useful FixIt101 repair note

Record the source filename, the part you selected, the installed SketchUp version and the visible problem you checked. Add a before-and-after view taken from the same camera. State any unresolved issue plainly. This short record helps prevent a repaired copy from being confused with an untouched download and makes it easier to repeat a successful workflow on a similar asset.

Keep the accepted repair in its own file before inserting it into a larger architectural scene. Reopen that file and repeat the important visual checks. If a later change causes trouble, you can return to a known copy instead of searching through multiple project revisions. The goal is a usable, traceable model, not simply a file that has passed through a repair command.

FixIt101 common questions and next steps

Will FixIt101 fix every imported model?

No. Results depend on the geometry and the intended object. A focused trial and a preserved original are essential.

Why did a glass panel disappear?

The extension can remove faces during its repair process. Restore the source copy and isolate the closed body from intentionally thin or open parts before retesting.

Can I select the entire model?

The creator documents whole-model operation when nothing is selected, but that is a broad scope. Start with one disposable repair copy and inspect all nested content it contains.

Is this guaranteed to work in SketchUp 2026?

No current-version guarantee is made here. Verify compatibility in your own installed desktop version using a test file.

Additional catalog reference: SUAPP’s FixIt101 entry.

Continue learning with our free SketchUp plugins, SketchUp tutorials and live SketchUp courses.

Shape Bender: curved facades and railings · FixIt101: repair imported geometry · Helix Along Curve: spiral stair workflow

Set a clear FixIt101 acceptance test

Before running FixIt101, describe the problem in one sentence. For example: the imported cabinet has an unintended opening on the rear panel. This is a testable statement. A vague instruction such as clean everything gives you no reliable way to judge whether the operation improved the asset.

Choose a view that clearly exposes that opening and save it as a scene. Compare the untouched and repaired copies from the same position. If the opening is hidden by a material, use a plain display style while checking geometry, then restore the normal material view. Keep geometry diagnosis separate from whether the final render looks appealing.

For an assembly with several independent bodies, write down which body is supposed to be closed. A cabinet frame, a glass door and a thin decorative sheet may have different intended geometry. An intentionally open sheet is not necessarily a defect. Include that distinction in your repair scope so that a broad operation does not remove or alter a surface needed by the design.

FixIt101 imported cabinet repair in stages

First isolate the cabinet body from handles and accessories. Preserve the original grouping so that you can restore the source. Next inspect the suspected opening and select the relevant repair copy. After the operation, check the rear panel, corners and any connecting shelves. Repeat the material check only after the basic geometry comparison is satisfactory.

Then insert the accepted copy into a separate test scene with the intended camera. A model that looks correct in a close inspection may still have an overlapping part that appears differently in the architectural view. Conversely, a hidden internal detail may not affect the intended use. Decide whether to investigate further based on a specific unresolved symptom.

Keep FixIt101 repair revisions understandable

Name the accepted asset according to its actual revision rather than labeling every copy final. Keep a short note that records the selected body and the visible change. If you later simplify the asset for performance, store that as a separate revision. Geometry repair and simplification should remain traceable so that a future close view can use the appropriate source.

When sharing the repaired model, explain any remaining limitation. If an intentionally open part was excluded, say so. If the extension did not resolve the observed opening, do not label the copy repaired simply because the command completed. Restore the source and plan a focused manual inspection or another suitable workflow. This approach makes FixIt101 one useful tool in a diagnosis process, rather than a promise that every imported asset will become correct after one click.

Review the asset in its intended scene

For a cabinet used in an interior view, compare the repaired copy under the same camera and materials as the original. Check the visible rear panel, the door edges and the underside separately. Keep accessories outside the FixIt101 trial unless they contain the specific problem you are diagnosing. This gives the comparison a clear scope.

If a colleague needs to edit the cabinet later, preserve its useful grouping and component names. A repair copy should be understandable without reopening every project revision. Include the scene that exposed the original issue and a short note describing what you accepted after the FixIt101 check.

Before replacing the asset in a larger scene, save and reopen the accepted copy. Confirm the important views again and retain the untouched source. This final review is a practical way to catch an accidental change before it becomes part of several architectural files. Use the same review routine when you repair the next imported asset.

#SketchUp#FixIt101#ModelRepair#ImportedGeometry

After repair: verify the component in the actual project

Keep the original and repaired copies side by side. Inspect face orientation, openings and grouping, then test the component in the scene where it will be used. If the repair changes the silhouette, restore the affected part and isolate the fault. Continue with solid inspection resources only when a watertight component is required; a decorative surface does not necessarily need to become a solid.

FixIt101: record a repair that can be reviewed later

Create a repair note for any component that will be reused across a project. Record the imported file, the visible fault and the operation you tested. A short description such as reversed faces around the window reveal is more useful than a generic label such as fixed model. Save a view that shows the affected area before changing it, then create a separate view of the repaired copy.

After running FixIt101, compare the two copies with matching camera framing. Check whether thin surfaces, small openings or separate decorative parts remain intact. Look at the rear and underside as well as the front. If an opening has disappeared, return to the source and narrow the selection rather than applying another broad repair to the whole object.

Test the repaired component in its intended project context. Place it against the wall, floor or adjacent furniture and inspect intersections and material orientation. Save the repaired copy with a descriptive component name, while retaining the original import. This creates a reliable starting point for later revisions and helps a colleague understand what was repaired and what still needs manual modeling.