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
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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
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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 35)- 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.
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 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.
- 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.
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.
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
SketchUp Review
- Extremely rapid modeling.
- It's simple to learn, understand, and use.
- The floating licensing easy to use.
- No real performance improvements in recent years.
- No Microsoft SharePoint/OneDrive integrations.
- The present and past few releases have had severe performance issues on high-end systems.
SketchUp is a great beginner software with limitations for larger and more precise projects.
- Easy to pick up and use.
- Intuitive buttons and menus for tools.
- 3D that is available to anyone.
- Measurements are limited.
- Great if including a renderer application.
- More file export options.
Easy, simple, gets the job done.
There are plenty of plugins one can use to achieve the look they're going for and there's no limit to this program. I learn something new everyday.
- Space planning
- Design concepts
- User-friendly
- you should make a way we can edit objects by using points, not just the edges.
- It is hard to make spheres.
SketchUp & LayOut are like peas and carrots!
- 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!
- I'd love if LayOut and SketchUp used the same nomenclature for color selection. If I'm poche-ing a wall in M04 in SketchUp, I don't want to have to track that color down in terms of percentages in LayOut to have some line work match.
- 3D Warehouse needs Marie Kondo to tidy it up. The search function is rough and the amount of 2D crap posing as 3D modeling is annoying. It's come a long way, but getting some major brands to upload their items would be great, especially if there was an easy way to tell the difference between a professionally modeled piece and a beginner just trying to replicate without proper dims, etc!
- Small request - and yes, I know I can program commands manually - but groups are SO important to a happy model that control + G should be a standard command to group selected geometry!
SketchUp Review
- Easy import/export features with CAD files.
- A very intuitive set of tools. Requires fewer operations to generate a solid volume than other software.
- Instant feedback in sections and cut-throughs in modeling.
- Basic tools are limited, I wish they'd have more features like a mirror function, chamfer or round edges function.
- Backup copies for file crashes could be improved.
A Case for SketchUp
- Conceptual studies, master planning, massing studies are fast, ideas can be rapidly evaluated.
- Does not require significant ram or graphics card enhancements.
- License cost is dramatically lower meaning more staff using the software at the same time.
- Ability to import Revit files and libraries.
- Ability to export true curved vector linework. There are some workarounds, needs to be refined.
- Create an OPEN MAPS connection. Since the split from Google, the source for high-quality aerials is limited.
- Ability to dock all menus to the master window on a Mac
- Ability to develop dockable menu trays on a Mac
Easy and fast design with SketchUp.
- You can customize it with plugins to have functions specifically designed for your work area
- Its main feature is to be able to make 3D designs in a simple way.
- This tool allows integrating Google Maps designs, using the 3D building layer.
- The payment method does not work as well in some operating systems.
- SketchUp does not produce very realistic results compared to other similar tools.
- You cannot execute very complicated 3D design tasks.
Design was never so easy and with professional results.
- The side toolbar is very complete and very intuitive.
- Your 3d warehouse market is full of very well developed 3d models that are very useful.
- It allows you to incorporate extensions and plugins that improve the performance of the program and its options and commands.
- Allows you to import and export files from different software, which makes it very flexible to work together with other programs such as AutoCAD, 3d max, Blender.
- The sandbox toolbar is not very useful does not meet expectations.
- It does not have specialized commands in the parametric design, so you should always look for extensions and plugins that fill that gap.
- The layout and style builder has not left me satisfied with the professional result.
- The default textures are of layout professional quality, so you should always look for external links.