FOCUSED Tools · Landscape

Drop Plants and Objects Onto Terrain in SketchUp

Lay the planting out flat, select it and click Drop. Every plant lands on the ground under it, at its own height, in one click.

Coming Soon

Part of FOCUSED Tools · Free 7-day trial

One Click

Every Object Finds Its Own Ground

Placing plants straight onto terrain is slow: every one snaps to a different facet. Drop lets you lay them out flat and land them all at once.

  • A pot and the plant in it, selected together, land in order: pot on the ground, plant in the pot.
  • With nothing selected, click objects one by one.
  • Inside a group, it works on what is inside, onto any surface in the model.
  • The whole drop is one undo.
A planter dropped onto a steep slope: the center of its base on the ground, uphill end into the ground

On a Slope

Moved, Never Tilted

The center of the base sits on the ground. For plants that is exactly right: the trunk meets the ground. For a wide planter or bench on a steep slope, level a pad first.

How It Works

Planting a Sloped Site

  1. 1

    Lay it out flat

    Place and copy plants on a flat plane above the terrain, where Move and arrays behave.

  2. 2

    Select and drop

    Select the plants, or a whole planting, and click Drop. Each lands on the ground under it.

  3. 3

    Drop again anytime

    Changed the terrain? Drop again: plants above the ground fall to it, buried ones come up.

FAQ

Questions, Answered

What does Drop do?

Each selected group or component moves straight down, without tilting, until the center of its base touches the first visible surface below it: terrain, a floor, a patio or another object.

Do several plants each find their own height?

Yes. Every object drops on its own, so three plants at one height over a slope land at three different heights, wherever the ground is under each.

What about a slope?

Objects are moved, never tilted. The center of the base sits on the ground, so on a slope the uphill side goes slightly into the ground and the downhill side stays above it, which is what you want for plants.

What if a plant is buried in the hill?

It comes up to the surface, as long as the ground is less than the plant's height above its base, so a shrub under a pergola never jumps up onto it.

Will it land on hidden geometry?

No. Hidden things, including anything on a hidden tag, are ignored. Hide a flat layout plane and the plants drop through it to the terrain.

Which versions of SketchUp does FOCUSED Drop work with?

SketchUp 2026 and SketchUp 2027 (the current release), on Windows and Mac. Older versions of SketchUp are not supported yet.

How do I get it?

Drop is part of FOCUSED Tools, coming soon, with a free 7-day trial. FOCUSED Pro members get it included.

Download & Pricing

Coming Soon in FOCUSED Tools

Drop comes with FOCUSED Tools, together with Profiles, Bevel, curved Push/Pull and Offset, Scale to size, Stretch, Move, Curve to Surface and the Scene Manager.

Coming Soon

Free 7-day trial · Included with FOCUSED Pro