Overview
What is SketchUp?
SketchUp is 3D modeling software with an emphasis on usability. SketchUp is a Trimble product.
Non simple copy command
SketchUp is like a good friend, reliable in a pinch
The best quick and diverse 3-D modeling software available
The Free Version is an Amazingly Solid Product for the (Non-existent) Price
Quick and easy tool
The man, the myth, the SketchUp
SketchUp Review
Great tool
SketchUp for Real Estate: PRICELESS
Why I use SketchUp & LayOut exclusively for Architectural Design Work
SketchUp Review
Ideal tool for architectural design, presentation, and problem-solving
Great for conceptual models and interior finishes
SketchUp 3D modeling software
Great for 3D modeling of dams!
Awards
Products that are considered exceptional by their customers based on a variety of criteria win TrustRadius awards. Learn more about the types of TrustRadius awards to make the best purchase decision. More about TrustRadius Awards
Pricing
Free
$0.00
For Schools (free with G Suite or Microsoft education account)
$0
For Students
$55.00
Entry-level set up fee?
- No setup fee
Offerings
- Free Trial
- Free/Freemium Version
- Premium Consulting/Integration Services
Starting price (does not include set up fee)
- $119 per year
Product Demos
SketchUp Instant Door and Window Demo 1 - Vali Architects
SketchUp PlaceMaker Demo www.suplacemaker.com
Sketchup demo 1
Component Stringer SketchUp Plugin Demo
Visualizer for Sketchup Demo
BoolTools for SketchUp Demo
Product Details
- About
- Tech Details
- FAQs
What is SketchUp?
SketchUp Video
SketchUp Technical Details
Deployment Types | On-premise, Software as a Service (SaaS), Cloud, or Web-Based |
---|---|
Operating Systems | Windows |
Mobile Application | No |
Frequently Asked Questions
Comparisons
Compare with
Reviews and Ratings
(188)Community Insights
- Business Problems Solved
- Recommendations
SketchUp is a versatile tool that is widely used in various industries, including architecture, interior design, structural design, landscape design, and manufacturing design. Users have found SketchUp to be a fast and efficient solution for creating 3D models for designing buildings, furniture, equipment, and brochures. Its affordability and ease of learning make it accessible for both clients and consultants. SketchUp Pro, in particular, is a popular choice among organizations without extensive training. Real estate professionals rely on SketchUp to help sellers visualize different staging and marketing options for homes. It is utilized throughout all phases of design and construction documents for both residential and commercial projects. SketchUp excels at creating 3D drawings that meet various design requirements.
In addition to its architectural applications, SketchUp also finds use in other fields. For example, it provides visual assistance in test setups by allowing users to build 3D models that demonstrate the connection and transfer of forces. The software is internationally recognized for its extensive capabilities in making 3D designs easily, making it popular among architects, engineers, and industrial designers. In the construction industry, SketchUp is employed for design visualization and collaboration among team members. Nonprofit organizations utilize SketchUp to create visual representations of tradeshow displays, television studio set mockups, and graphics for printed publications. Designers in the furniture industry depend on SketchUp to quickly develop 3D models of office furniture and create prototypes.
Overall, SketchUp helps professionals from a range of disciplines connect better with their clients by providing a visual experience beyond traditional 2D drawings. It serves as the main visualization and 3D modeling tool for architects during client presentations, internal study sessions, and quick adjustments based on feedback. With its broad range of features and ease of use, SketchUp continues to be embraced by users across industries to enhance their design understanding and visualization capabilities.
Users of this software have made several common recommendations. Firstly, many users suggest exploring compatible plugins to enhance the experience. They feel that these plugins can greatly improve the functionality and capabilities of the software. Secondly, users recommend watching YouTube tutorials and taking advantage of the software's free version to learn and familiarize themselves with its features. They believe that this approach can help in mastering the software more effectively. Lastly, users highly recommend using SketchUp for architecture and civil work as it is considered a great tool for visualizing designs in a realistic and accurate way. They find the software intuitive and easy to use with a great component library which aids in communication during design processes.
Attribute Ratings
Reviews
(1-25 of 46)Non simple copy command
- Practice
- Basic
- Simple
- There is no direct command for copy-paste and this is a big problem. To copy, it is necessary to hold down ctrl after the move command. copy should be a stand-alone command. Working with the move command is a waste of time.
- All commands must have adjustable shortcuts. a waste of time selecting commands one by one from the right screen
- Visualization when connected with Enscape
- Easy user interface
- Ability to edit materials
- Lots of "bug splat" crashes
- Can't always create complex geometries without plug-ins
- Only one employee can work in the model at once
SketchUp is not great at construction documents, or anything that requires the Layout program; this is a headache.
- Intuitive 3D modeling tools
- Vast web based library
- Exportable to a vast range of other software
- Better integration of "Layers"
- Having a "Free" viewer program so I can share models with clients to explore
- Auto size to sheet size option for importing PDF's so I don't have to constantly scale.
- Incredibly easy and intuitive to use
- Great for simple layouts and diagrams
- Sometimes buggy
- Limited ability to customize and fine tune the look of printed materials (in the free version)
Quick and easy tool
- quick sketching with measurements
- easy renderings
- layouts of spaces
- could be easier to maneuver
The man, the myth, the SketchUp
- it is intuitive, the hotkeys make sense, you can pick it up and start making 3D forms really quickly and it doesn't look overwhelming out of the box.
- quick and nimble to create 3d geometry, morph it around, push and pull faces, vertices, edges, etc.
- visualizing 3d geometry. It's called SketchUp and I really like the sketchy quality of everything. it feels looser than say AutoCAD.
- you can't do NURBS modeling or true curves. everything is mesh-based. for example, if you want to make a circle, it will really be a polygon with many facets on it.
- interoperability with other software isn't great.
- construction documentation? it's possible but not as good as Revit or even AutoCAD/Rhino.
SketchUp Review
- layout functionality
- surface rendering
- third party plugins
- User Interface
- Price
- Usability
Great tool
- Ease of Use
- Good Warehouse of Components
- Fast and Reliable
- Always room for more components
- Make creating rounded objects easier
- Make it look more realistic
SketchUp for Real Estate: PRICELESS
- Visualization of Staging
- Visualization of Changes
- Possible Rehab Outcomes
- Takes a minute to get used to the flow of the software
- Any new software is intimidating, this one has so many choices...so very many
- The 3D modeling capabilities of SketchUp are superb.
- SketchUp has a large community of professionals and enthusiasts that share component models. These can be useful for quickly developing working 3D models.
- Rendering is limited. Photo-realistic images are not possible using SketchUp alone.
- Unlike traditional architectural software SketchUp is not automated. You need to understand code to a high degree in order to be able to draw models correctly.
- More development of the software would be nice.
SketchUp Review
- 3D visualization.
- Clear communication of design and detailing.
- Over reliance on plugins vs. real product development.
- The inability to group and collapse scenes make navigation and organization somewhat complicated.
- 3D modeling.
- Rendering.
- Walkthrough/Animation.
- Design review.
- View styles.
- Complex geometry.
- Parametric modelling (ex. adjustable profile extrusions).
- Additional views within the modeling window.
- Grouping views.
- Collaborative/simultaneous modeling.
Great for conceptual models and interior finishes
- Very easy to learn.
- Robust enough to manage various file types and modeling tasks
- Great graphics options, easy to get clean presentation exhibits from 3D models.
- Not very useful for document production, like scale drawings.
- It has limited file type compatibility.
- It does not have the tools for complex geometry.
SketchUp 3D modeling software
- You can create different types of 3D models, from architectural sketches, as it is widely used, to furniture, toys, mechanical parts, that is, whatever you want.
- I don’t have anything to complain about SketchUp 3D, is a straightforward software that everyone can learn.
Like the physical model, always used in architecture, 3D modeling allows us to advance in terms of time and precision, with materiality and spatiality that no two-dimensional design would allow.
Great for 3D modeling of dams!
- Organization.
- Ease of use.
- Not very detailed.
- Drawing can be finicky.
Quick and easy mockups of real-world buildings and structures
- We use SketchUp primarily for mocking up tradeshow displays. It is a quick and easy way to get a visual of how the various components of our tradeshow presence will work on the floor of the exhibit hall. We can look at it from multiple perspectives. I'm able to render out 3D walk-through or walk-around movies so everyone on the team and get an idea of what the structures will look like.
- Additionally, we have also used SketchUp for television studio set mockups and graphics for printed publications, such as executive reports of projects that we've worked on.
- It is a very easy-to-use app, and with nonprofit discounts, it is very economical for us. Plus, the free viewer app on the SketchUp website allows anyone to interact with the models even if they are not a licensed user. The free app runs in the cloud, so it can be used from anywhere, without needing to install the software.
- Very easy to use compared to most other 3D modeling programs
- Works with a huge library of free 3D components (3D Warehouse)
- Sometimes SketchUp combines or joins objects in ways you did not intend and undoing that can be frustrating, especially if the Undo command is no longer an option.
- The process of creating photorealistic renderings is somewhat convoluted compared to other 3D apps.
- For creating quick conceptual mockups of real-world objects (particularly large objects), SketchUp cannot be beaten. In some industries, such as building construction and architecture, it appears to hold a very strong position. I am not in those industries, but I find the software very easy to use.
- SketchUp has some powerful tools for creating complex renderings, but some of the methods take some study and practice. I wouldn't say they are immediately intuitive. However, the company behind SketchUp has created a lot of great YouTube videos for training.
- In my experience, photorealistic rendering is not an ideal use of this application, although it can be done. Some impressive renders have been done, but it seems like a lot of work that this app may not be ideally suited for. For creating photorealistic renderings, particularly of small objects (products, etc.) I would recommend Boxshot, Adobe Dimension, or a traditional 3D modeling app.
- The methods of creating, combining, and manipulating objects are unique to SketchUp — quite different from standard approaches in other 3D apps. While I personally find them easy to use, there is a learning curve, and it is an entirely different process than one would find in an app like Maya, Cinema 3D, or Blender.
SketchUp: saved my life with a deadline
- Build a model very fast and save a lot of time.
- Easy to change details, materials or scenes. Update in real time with layout.
- Layout is not easy to create or control.
- Not easy to do dimension in 3D view.
Great for rough drafting, not so much for real precision layout
- Speedy modeling of simple shapes - You can very quickly get an idea sketched out.
- Rendering basic shapes to then export and use in other programs - If I need a specific background to pull into a photoshop drawing.
- SketchUp is very difficult to maneuver in - It can take ages to position objects correctly.
- It can also be tough to teach - l am working with engineers that are building models in MicroStation and AutoCAD and they can't understand how to build objects.
Easy to use 3D Modeling software
- Relatively simple to learn and use as compared with other 3D modeling tools.
- Ability to share and access other models using the 3D Warehouse.
- Sometimes I have to hunt around for ways to do stuff. I can usually find a solution on YouTube.
- Sometimes some of the more complicated controls are counter intuitive.
Architecture Live!
- 3D Visualization.
- Provides the ability to see the structure at real life angles.
- More photo-realistic options.
- More downloadable images from the 3d warehouse.
User-friendly and quick 3d rendering tool
- User-friendly.
- It's easy to make 3d shapes and design buildings.
- It's sometimes tricky when lines don't connect.
SketchUp is for easy design
- Easy work flow for developing the design and models.
- Less complex work area.
- Can not add specified details and dimensions.
- Detailing becomes difficult as the complexity of project increases.
SketchUp is a Corner Stone of 3D design
- SketchUp has a vast 3D model repository. You don't need to design the wheel from scratch.
- SketchUp's extension warehouse provides a lot of solutions for different design problems. You could solve your design bottlenecks via extensions. I often use SketchUp's STL exporter extension to get 3D printable designs for my business.
- It is a little bit hard to get manifold 3d files from SketchUp. Manifoldness is a must-have rule for a 3D printable file.
- SketchUp cannot import well-known CAD file formats.
A start-up software to learn and create 3D drawings
To provide a visual assistant to the test setup, I have used SketchUp to build a 3D model of the test unit along with a lab picture to show how the elements in the test setup were connected and transferred forces from the applied load. Apart from modeling, SketchUp was also used for sketching a building in my course project. Following the design requirements, I created sketches of plan-view and elevation view of the designed building in SketchUp to build a 3D model of the design. Based on these models, my project team and I can have a 3D visualization of the AutoCAD drawings and better understand the structure of the building which helped improve the design eventually.
- SketchUp is relatively easy to start learning how to make 3D graphs compared to other programs that are designed for specific disciplines.
- SketchUp is a free software for all users to download and use.
- SketchUp drawings can be directly imported to some more advanced software to further edit.
- Built-in models and elements are limited in this free-edition software to offer help in the computer-aided design.
A Must-Have Product for any Designer
- Quick product creation with use of components, grouping, and the unique hide rest of model tool
- Great Maxwell add-on application to create photo-realistic renderings
- Some sudden application shutdowns make auto-save an important feature to turn on
- Complex warehouse models greatly reduces the speed of the model. In some cases, this makes the model unusable