Chaos has moved on to subscription models (V-Ray 6). On modern Macs, V-Ray 6 runs natively on Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3) and is 3x faster than this 2017 version.
Now that you've successfully installed and activated V-Ray for SketchUp 2017 on your Mac, here are some tips to help you get the most out of the plugin:
Intel Core i5 or i7 (V-Ray 3.x does not natively support Apple Silicon M1/M2/M3 chips; see the compatibility section below).
By troubleshooting common issues and following the tips outlined in this article, you'll be able to overcome any obstacles and start creating stunning visualizations with V-Ray for SketchUp 2017 on your Mac.
introduced a streamlined interface that dramatically sped up the workflow, making it easier to create high-quality renders. A major update, V-Ray 3.6, further enhanced the macOS experience by allowing V-Ray Swarm to work on Apple computers, enabling networked rendering for faster results. Other significant features at the time included: Download Vray Sketchup 2017 Mac
: During setup, the installer will ask which version of SketchUp you use. Ensure SketchUp 2017 is checked. License Server
| Component | Requirement for V-Ray 3 on macOS | | :--- | :--- | | | macOS 10.9.x (Mavericks) or later (macOS 10.12 Sierra recommended) | | SketchUp Version | SketchUp 2015, 2016, 2017, or 2018 (64-bit) | | Processor | 64-bit Intel processor with SSE3 support | | RAM | 4 GB minimum, 8 GB or more recommended for complex scenes | | Hard Disk Space | At least 700 MB of free space for installation |
The installer will automatically scan your applications folder for . Ensure the checkbox next to it is marked.
Open SketchUp 2017. Go to View > Toolbars (or Extensions > Extension Manager ) and manually check the boxes for V-Ray for SketchUp. Chaos has moved on to subscription models (V-Ray 6)
If you have any older trial versions or conflicting V-Ray files installed, delete them from your Applications and /Library/Application Support/SketchUp 2017/SketchUp/Plugins folders. 2. Run the DMG Installer Double-click the downloaded V-Ray .dmg file to mount it. Double-click the installation package app inside.
The extensions are installed but disabled globally.
This usually happens if V-Ray tries to utilize an incompatible graphics card. Open the V-Ray Asset Editor , navigate to the Settings tab, and switch your render engine from GPU to CPU . V-Ray 3.6 CPU rendering is highly stable on Intel Macs.
The absolute safest method is logging into your account on the official Chaos Group website and navigating to the "Downloads" or "Legacy Versions" section. If you own a legacy license, these installers remain accessible. By troubleshooting common issues and following the tips
Once you have the .dmg file for your Mac, the setup follows a standard procedure:
Chaos provides a 30-day fully functional trial. This is the safest legal download for testing.
If you open SketchUp 2017 and cannot see V-Ray, navigate to the top menu and select View > Toolbars (or Extensions > V-Ray ). Ensure V-Ray is checked. If it is missing from the extensions menu entirely, check SketchUp > Preferences > Extensions and make sure the V-Ray extension is toggled on.
: V-Ray is not free. You can use a 30-day Free Trial if you are testing the software.
