The Truth About Procreate Plugins and Extensions

If you are looking for a "Procreate Plugin" to automate your workflow or render 3D models, you are going to hit a wall.

Unlike Photoshop or SketchUp, Procreate does not support third-party plugins.

The iPadOS environment is a "walled garden," and Procreate is designed as a closed, highly optimized system. There is no API for developers to build rendering engines, automation scripts, or architectural tools directly into the interface.

However, experienced architects and designers do extend Procreate’s capabilities. They just don't use code, they use assets.

Here is how professionals actually expand the software, and what to do when you hit its limits.

1/ The "Soft" Extensions: Brushes and Templates

Since you cannot install a plugin to draw trees or generate grids, you install Brush Sets. In the Procreate ecosystem, brushes are not just for painting—they are functional tools.

• Stamp Brushes: Instead of modeling furniture or entourage, you use stamp brushes to instantly place trees, people, and cars in plan or elevation views.

• Grid Brushes: Architects use specific grid brushes (isometric, axonometric, or perspective) to force precision into freehand sketches.

• Template Layers: Most firms create a standard .procreate file containing pre-set layers for "Trace," "Ink," "Color," and "Notes," effectively automating the setup phase manually.

2/ The 3D Capability (The closest thing to a plugin)

With the release of Procreate 5.2, the app introduced 3D Model Painting. While not a plugin, this feature allows you to import .OBJ or .USDZ files exported from Rhino, Revit, or SketchUp.

You can paint textures directly onto the model, but Procreate cannot render lighting, reflections, or photorealism. It remains a surface-painting tool, not a visualization engine.

The Workflow Gap: Where Procreate Ends

Procreate is unbeatable for the input phase - sketching, redlining, and concepting. But because it lacks plugins, it cannot handle the output phase of high-end visualization. It cannot calculate light, bounce, or realistic materials.

This is where the workflow usually breaks. Architects often waste hours exporting Procreate layers to Photoshop just to add realistic textures manually.

Bonus: Speed up rendering without leaving your workflow

If you are trying to force Procreate to produce photorealistic visuals, you are fighting the software.

Rendair acts as the rendering engine that Procreate is missing. Instead of moving to complex desktop software, you simply upload your Procreate sketch or block-out.

Rendair interprets your drawing and generates a professional, client-ready render in minutes, respecting your original lines while adding the lighting and realism Procreate can't generate.

Start creating – try it free