SketchUp is 3D modeling software with an emphasis on usability. SketchUp is a Trimble product.
$119
per year
Verenia CPQ
Score 9.1 out of 10
N/A
EosCPQ is a cloud-based configuration, pricing, and quoting software solution offered by Verenia. EosCPQ includes features such as a powerful rules engine, dynamic product visualization options, and web lead generation with product configuration / quote forms.
N/A
Pricing
SketchUp
Verenia CPQ
Editions & Modules
Free
$0.00
per year
For Schools (free with G Suite or Microsoft education account)
Real estate is not really the most likely use for Sketchup, since it has so many choices and possibilities. But, it is an innovative way to differentiate yourself from the competition. The program is very well-suited to the myopic seller or buyer who can't visualize future changes and their effect on value.
I recommend this software to all companies that make their own products, as it helps them with all the sales management, from product creation, details, and features, to sales with customers, invoicing, and budgeting. It has worked very well for us and we have had no major problems.
Quickly exploring solutions in 3D: We get a lot of "what if" and "what would that look like" questions. While hand-sketching and hand-drafting can be fairly quick, SketchUp allows me to quickly create 3D and 2D views of a detail or solution, change dimensions and materials in a flash, and show a client or installer the plan in minutes.
Creating professional design documents in LayOut: Projects of any scale need good documentation. Using a combination of SketchUp and LayOut, I can create a Design Intent Set, plans for permitting, a set for mechanical trades to mark-up, etc. Having clear, appropriately-scaled drawings with dimensions or notations is a must, and we don't always have the time or budget to get an architect involved!
Using live files to guide discussions: Not all clients are "visual" people, so opening their model and orbiting around their space in real time has been extremely helpful. Clients and trades enjoy the perspective views so much that we often include them in the full-sized drawing sets to give a good "overall" view of the project intent. For complex or tight spaces, sometimes un-rendered plans and elevations just aren't enough!
Verenia CPQ gives us the facility to configure a product at the moment of viewing it in our end user delivery, under the option of being able to build a code of the final product and that this is done step by step.
Verenia CPQ has an incredible system which gives to enjoy every moment using the program, being able to automate all the training sessions with a continuous support contributing to the tranquility of each client.
Verenia CPQ allows us to go deep through great solutions, based on the creation of hundreds of systems that have been successful over time.
Bringing existing products into the software was a long and tedious process. We had many customers and products at the time we purchased the software, so getting them all into the software took a long time. I wish they could make this process go faster.
We wanted to integrate the software with our CRM program to bring everything into the same system and it was impossible until technical support helped us and we were able to solve it.
The configuration of the product, although very detailed and very specific, is also long and sometimes even complicated, we would like the process to be more automatic.
We typically wait a few years in between renewing, as even older versions are powerful tools for modeling, and we make sure the amount of feature changes are worth the re-investment.
Sketchup is so intuitive; I can't recall ever looking for official support. However, there are many user forums online that can answer more questions. The usefulness of the online forums is, however, tempered by the fact that there have been many versions of the software under different ownership and support regimes, and thus finding the right information for the right version of the software can be a challenge.
It's great to give the customer an overview of how a project will look, but it will never replace the information that a blueprint or engineering drawing can convey. SketchUp is great for the casual user or someone who is just getting started in design work. Other high powered software, such as Solidworks or Inventor is more suited for 3D modeling on a regular basis
SketchUp has definitely had a positive impact on the customer experience with our company. The model can be generated to give the owner a good idea of the final product before actually committing the resources to complete the project.
Having simple models created before the work gets started in the field means that issues with elevations or odd angles can be ironed out beforehand and solved with the design team. This has greatly reduced the rework on our more complex self-perform concrete structures!
