EXPLORE NEW INNOVATIONS IN THE SKETCHUP FESTIVAL 2025 UNDER THE THEME ‘CREATE MORE VALUE WITH AI’ AT TRUE DIGITAL PARK. THIS YEAR’S EVENT BROUGHT TOGETHER ELEVEN SPEAKERS FOR A FULL DAY OF INSIGHT
TEXT: NATHATAI TANGCHADAKORN
PHOTO: SUKIT SUDNAN
(For Thai, press here)
The SketchUp Festival 2025 made its return to Thailand on Friday, 21 November 2025, under the timely theme ‘Create More Value with AI.’ As technology continues to accelerate the way designers work, this year’s event, hosted by Digitech One and art4d, brought together more than eleven speakers for a full day of insight. From new techniques and plug-in demonstrations to real-world case studies, the program covered a full spectrum of disciplines spanning SketchUp, BIM, construction, rendering, and cost control.
Amid the rapid rise of new tools, many designers have begun questioning whether technology might diminish their own role. Some argue that if a task can be performed by humans, then adopting new technology is unnecessary. This tension was one of the key questions addressed at this year’s festival. While design remains undeniably a human-driven process, not every task requires human time. Hours spent rendering, rebuilding surrounding contexts building by building, or recreating models from scratch simply because project partners use different software: do these tasks genuinely warrant so much human effort?
Korpon Leopairote, General Manager, Digitech One
The program ran continuously from nine in the morning until six in the evening, without a formal lunch break. The first session opened with four speakers who took turns presenting updates and live demonstrations of SketchUp 2026. They included Korpon Leopairote, General Manager of Digitech One; Sean Baptist, Senior Regional Sales Manager at Trimble Solutions SEA; Roger Ng, Customer Success Manager at Trimble Solutions SEA; and Anek Thongtae, Technical Support Manager at Digitech One.
Suthipong Songkran, Founder, SketchUp Home
Thongchad Boonyou, PhD, Vice President, ASA
Phongsak Takiang, 3D Modeller Specialist
Yip Jinyam, Channel Sales Manager (ASEAN & ROW), Chaos
From there, the festival expanded into related technologies such as Trimble X9, BIM workflows, and a range of rendering programs that increasingly support design-to-delivery processes. The speaker lineup featured Suthipong Songkran, Founder of SketchUp Home; Thongchad Boonyou, PhD, Vice President of the Association of Siamese Architects; Thanatcha Pojthaveekiat, Co-Founder of Spacely AI; Pasawat Tipyotha of Trimble Thailand; Siripat Lertusa, Product Supervisor at Digitech One; and Phongsak Takiang, also known as Tee Rose Rose, a 3D Modeller Specialist known for delivering polished, presentation-ready visuals. Rounding out the group was Yip Jinyam, Channel Sales Manager (ASEAN & ROW) at Chaos.
Prof. Thitipat Pratharnsap, 3D Modeller Specialist, Digitech One
Vachira Thanmatikom, Secretary General & Committee, TIDA
Watanapong Hiranmarn, Secretary-General, TSEA
The final segment of the festival turned to technologies that enhance the presentation and evaluation of design outcomes. Sessions included ‘Carbon Tax Alert’ by Prof. Thitipat Pratharnsap, CAD/BIM specialist at Digitech One; ‘Sustainability in Interior Design’ by Vachira Thanmatikom, Secretary General of the Thailand Interior Designers’ Association (TIDA); and “Decoding the ‘Foundations of Safety’ Beneath Every Structure,” presented by Watanapong Hiranmarn, Secretary-General of the Thailand Structural Engineers Association (TSEA).
Rattawut Chansritrakul, Deputy Managing Director, A49HD
Chaiwat Limwattananon, Chief Design Officer, D103i
A highlight of the day was the appearance of two special guest speakers: Rattawut Chansritrakul, Deputy Managing Director at A49HD, and Chaiwat Limwattananon, Chief Design Officer at D103i. Their joint session, ‘From Smart Workflow to Thoughtful Design,’ offered a rare inside look at workflow systems within large organizations, where responsibilities extend far beyond design. They emphasized the importance of managing processes, coordinating teams, and allocating human resources effectively to support high-quality outcomes.
Beyond the lecture hall, the atmosphere was kept lively with live music playing throughout the day, giving attendees a chance to step outside and unwind between the festival’s back-to-back sessions. For those intrigued by the topics or speaker lineup, all sessions are available for replay on the SketchUp Thailand page. And for anyone already inspired, be sure to mark your calendar and look forward to next year’s edition!