Lighting

Place fixtures, connect controls and export control diagrams and schedules from inside your SketchUp model.

Getting started

Requirements

• SketchUp 2021 or newer, on Windows or macOS.
• LayOut and PDF export use SketchUp's LayOut tools, which are included with SketchUp Pro.

Install

1. Download the .rbz file from your beta invite, or install from the Extension Warehouse when the listing is live.
2. In SketchUp, open Window › Extension Manager and choose Install Extension.
3. Select the .rbz file and confirm. Restart SketchUp if it asks you to.

Activate

License activation arrives with the paid release. During the beta, no activation is needed.

Before you start

• Close any group or component you're editing. DORN works at the top level of the model and will ask you to close an open group first.
• Work in Top view for placement. The panel has a Top view button.

Opening DORN

Placing lights

Choose a symbol or product, set the mounting height (default 9'-0") and spacing (default 6'-0"), then pick a placement method.

• Repeat: after placing lights, use Repeat fixtures… to add more at the same spacing, and reverse the direction if needed.
• Wall sconces align themselves to the wall face or edge you point at. Right-click to flip, or switch to manual rotation in Options.
• Your placement method, quantity, spacing and setbacks are remembered for next time.

Groups and IDs

Fixtures that are controlled together belong to a lighting group. Every item gets a unique ID that matches across the model, the plan sheets and the schedules.

Start a new group with New lighting group. To split fixtures off, select them, right-click and choose Make selected a new lighting group…

Switches and controls

Each group has a mode: Conventional, Smart or Manual.

• Conventional: switch designations update automatically. One switch is S1. Add a second and both become S3. Additional locations become S4.
• Automatic designations apply only to plain switches. Groups that include a dimmer, low-voltage switch, keypad, wireless control or sensor keep the designations you set.
• A designation you set by hand is never overwritten.
• Other control symbols: dimmer S-d, low-voltage switch S-lv, wireless control WL, keypad, occupancy/daylight sensor, hub/processor and LED driver.

Swags

Swags are the curved lines that show which fixtures and controls work together. They redraw themselves whenever a connected fixture or control moves.

• Style options: curve rise, which side the curve bows to, line style (solid, dashed, dotted, dash-dot), print weight in points, color, and fixed or proportional curve depth.
• Each group keeps default styles for fixture-to-fixture and control connections; you can override any single swag.
• Open the swag editor from Edit selected swag… or by right-clicking a swag.

Editing

Start Edit lights and swags. Hover to identify an item, click to select, Shift-click to add to the selection, drag lights or a swag's curve handle, and right-click for actions:

• Lock or unlock fixture positions
• Delete selected fixtures, or Delete and reconnect two neighbors… to keep a run connected
• Reconnect a swag's first or second endpoint
• Insert the chosen fixture at a swag's midpoint
• Continue a run from a fixture
• Move all lights in a group (switches stay in place)
• Change the fixture or product on selected items

Every DORN edit is a single SketchUp undo step.

Keypads and scenes

For keypads and multi-button controls, set each button's label or scene, the lighting groups it controls, a level (%), notes and status. These print as the Control Button Assignments schedule.

Products and library

• Built-in products: generic symbols for recessed, ceiling, pendant, wall, linear and exterior lights, switches, dimmers, keypads, sensors, receptacles, heaters, thermostats and power points.
• Your products: add manufacturer, model, size, finish, Kelvin, lumens, watts, CRI, beam, voltage, dimming, platform, protocol and notes. Save to the Project (stored inside the .skp) or to your Universal library (stored on your computer for every project).
• Custom symbols: draw the symbol as line work inside a group, select it and capture it (up to 2,000 edges).
• Product images: small PNG or JPEG previews under 180 KB, embedded in the product record.
• Share a library: export a collection as .json and import it on another computer or project (files under 10 MB).

Universal library location: %APPDATA%\DORN\Electrical\library.json on Windows, ~/Library/Application Support/DORN/Electrical/library.json on macOS. A backup copy is kept beside it.

Editing a saved product doesn't change fixtures already placed; replace them explicitly to apply the new specification.

Plan views and issues

• Equipment view hides swags and labels; Controls shows swags; Maintenance adds product, size and Kelvin to each label.
• The issues list flags: duplicate identities after a native copy, duplicate IDs, fixtures with no swag connection, products with no manufacturer model, keypad buttons pointing to a removed group, and swags with a missing endpoint. Click an issue to zoom to it.

Export: LayOut, PDF, CSV

1. Fill in Project info: job name, site, area, revision and prepared by.
2. Choose Export and pick a file name. DORN saves a .layout file and a matching .pdf on 17 × 11 in sheets.

The packet includes:

• A control diagram sheet for each lighting group, plus receptacle and power/heating sheets when present
• Fixture, control, receptacle and power/heating schedules
• Control button assignments (when keypads are mapped)
• Product quantities
• Job, site, area, revision, date, preparer and sheet number on every sheet

CSV: export the equipment schedule as a CSV file for spreadsheets and estimating.

Export stops if any swag has a broken endpoint; fix it from the issues list first.

Troubleshooting

Still stuck? Contact support.

Limitations

• Diagram sheets are not to scale and include no dimensions.
• No circuiting, panel schedules, load calculations or code checks.
• Items must sit at the model's top level, not inside groups or components.
• Native SketchUp copy/paste of DORN items creates duplicates (see Editing).

Professional responsibility

DORN Lighting documents design intent. It is not an electrical engineering tool, and it does not verify compliance with the National Electrical Code, California Title 24 energy standards, local amendments or manufacturer requirements. Product data you enter or import may be incomplete or out of date. A qualified, licensed professional is responsible for reviewing and approving all drawings, specifications and installations. See the EULA and Terms.