I know AI renders get a lot of criticism, like messy outputs, weird geometry, not really tied to the actual model. Totally fair.

But I’m wondering if anyone has found AI tools or plugins that are genuinely useful during early design, not just for final images?

Sometimes a raw SketchUp model feels a bit flat, and I’d love a way to quickly test lighting, mood, or overall atmosphere without jumping straight into full production rendering. Ideally something that stays connected to the model and helps with fast iteration.

Has anyone tried a workflow like that? Curious what’s actually worked in practice (or what hasn’t).