3D Visualization Expert · Educator · Entrepreneur

John
Kaplar.

I help design professionals create photorealistic visuals and build AI-powered businesses. Founder & CEO of FOCUSED SketchUp, co-founder of Arched Manor, and creator of FOCUSED Agentic Designers.

Leesburg, Virginia

John Kaplar
Ventures

What I build.

Three businesses, one thread: teaching designers to do more with better tools — from photorealistic 3D to an AI staff.

Stop hiring. Start training your AI staff.

FOCUSED Agentic Designers

Founder & CEO

AI training for designers who run real businesses. A community teaching design-firm owners to build an AI staff — agents that run operations, marketing, and finance — so they can scale without hiring.

Education-first 3D visualization

FOCUSED SketchUp

Founder & CEO

Teaching design professionals how to use SketchUp, V-Ray, D5, and AI to create photorealistic visuals that wow clients, attract leads, and grow their business. 3,000+ designers taught worldwide.

Home renovation, design & DIY

Arched Manor

Co-Founder (with Megan Kaplar)

A home renovation and interior design brand built around our own Georgian colonial — and its 57 arches — in Leesburg, Virginia. Co-founded with my wife Megan. 250,000+ followers across platforms.

Bio

From software VP
to full-time educator.

John Kaplar in the Arched Manor mudroom he built

I renovated my first home at 24 and never stopped building — houses, businesses, custom woodwork, and now AI systems. I live in Leesburg, Virginia with my wife Megan and our two sons, where we run our businesses from the home we renovated together.

Everything I teach comes from work I actually do: real renderings for real projects, a real design brand with a quarter-million followers, and a real business run by AI agents.

  1. Education

    Engineer by training

    B.S. in Computer Science & Mathematics from Christopher Newport University and an M.S. in Computer Engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder — both Magna Cum Laude. Eagle Scout.

  2. 18 years

    Software career

    Built web applications for the Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard over an 18-year software career, rising to VP of Software Solutions.

  3. 2009

    First company

    Founded an ugly-Christmas-sweater apparel company that grew past $3.5M in revenue — my first taste of building a real business on the side.

  4. 2019

    Arched Manor

    Megan and I bought a brick Georgian colonial in Leesburg, Virginia — 57 arches — and began documenting our renovation. It grew into a design brand with 250,000+ followers.

  5. 2022

    FOCUSED SketchUp

    Launched FOCUSED SketchUp to teach designers photorealistic 3D visualization. What started as a side hustle has now trained 3,000+ designers worldwide.

  6. 2023

    All in on education

    Left my software career to teach full time — and in 2026 launched FOCUSED Agentic Designers, teaching designers to run their businesses with an AI staff.

Speaking

On stage.

I speak about 3D visualization, AI, and building modern design businesses — including two featured appearances at the SketchUp 3D Summit.

John Kaplar speaking at the SketchUp 3D Summit
On stage at the SketchUp 3D Summit
SketchUp 3D Summit 2026

SketchUp in the Age of AI: Why Modeling Still Wins

Denver, Colorado · June 2026

A featured talk on why your SketchUp model is the most valuable asset you own in a world of AI-generated imagery — "the model is the geometric truth of the project."

SketchUp 3D Summit 2025

Featured Speaker + Virtual Tours & VR Workshop

Industry RiNo Station, Denver, Colorado · June 2025

Presented on closing the product gap with AI-powered 3D sourcing, then hosted a hands-on workshop building interactive Virtual Tours and VR experiences from 360° renders.

Book me for your event

Available for conference talks, workshops, webinars, and podcasts. Tell me about your event and I'll get back to you with availability and current rates.

Frequent topics

  • Building an AI staff for your business
  • SketchUp, AI, V-Ray & D5 rendering workflows
  • AI in architectural visualization
  • Virtual tours & VR presentation
  • From side hustle to full-time creator business

Prefer email? Reach me directly at hello@johnkaplar.com.

I typically reply within 2 business days with availability and rates.

Events

Where to find me.

Nothing on the public calendar right now — book me for your event, or follow along on Instagram for announcements.

Recent

  • July 1, 2026

    FOCUSED Agentic Designers — Founding Member Launch

    Online (Skool)

    Doors open for the first 100 founding members of FOCUSED Agentic Designers — my community teaching designers to build an AI staff and scale without hiring.

    johnkaplar.ai ↗
  • June 18, 2026

    SketchUp 3D Summit 2026 — "SketchUp in the Age of AI: Why Modeling Still Wins"

    Denver, Colorado

    Featured talk on why your SketchUp model is the most valuable asset you own — the geometric truth of the project — in a world of AI-generated imagery.

  • June 2025

    SketchUp 3D Summit 2025 — Featured Speaker & Workshop Host

    Industry RiNo Station, Denver, Colorado

    Presented on closing the product gap with AI-powered 3D sourcing, and hosted a hands-on workshop building interactive Virtual Tours & VR experiences from 360° renders.

Connect

Let's talk.

Follow the day-to-day on Instagram, connect professionally on LinkedIn, or email me directly.