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SketchUp

SketchUp

Starting at $119 per year
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Overview

What is SketchUp?

SketchUp is 3D modeling software with an emphasis on usability. SketchUp is a Trimble product.

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Recent Reviews

TrustRadius Insights

SketchUp is a versatile tool that is widely used in various industries, including architecture, interior design, structural design, …
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Non simple copy command

6 out of 10
June 29, 2022
I have been using SketchUp for architectural building modeling for about 6 years. and There is no direct command for copy paste and this …
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SketchUp Review

7 out of 10
December 20, 2021
Incentivized
I'm a designer for my organization and use SketchUp to design the work for different use cases on 3D software and interior design.
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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

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Pricing

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Free

$0.00

Cloud
per year

For Schools (free with G Suite or Microsoft education account)

$0

Cloud

For Students

$55.00

Cloud
per year

Entry-level set up fee?

  • No setup fee
For the latest information on pricing, visithttps://www.sketchup.com/plans-and…

Offerings

  • Free Trial
  • Free/Freemium Version
  • Premium Consulting/Integration Services

Starting price (does not include set up fee)

  • $119 per year
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Product Demos

SketchUp Instant Door and Window Demo 1 - Vali Architects

YouTube

SketchUp PlaceMaker Demo www.suplacemaker.com

YouTube

Sketchup demo 1

YouTube

Component Stringer SketchUp Plugin Demo

YouTube

Visualizer for Sketchup Demo

YouTube

BoolTools for SketchUp Demo

YouTube
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Product Details

What is SketchUp?

SketchUp is 3D modeling software with an emphasis on usability. SketchUp is a Trimble product.

SketchUp Video

Sketchup Demo

SketchUp Technical Details

Deployment TypesOn-premise, Software as a Service (SaaS), Cloud, or Web-Based
Operating SystemsWindows
Mobile ApplicationNo

Frequently Asked Questions

SketchUp starts at $119.

Reviewers rate Support Rating highest, with a score of 8.5.

The most common users of SketchUp are from Small Businesses (1-50 employees).
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Comparisons

View all alternatives
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Reviews and Ratings

(186)

Community Insights

TrustRadius Insights are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, 3rd-party data sources. Have feedback on this content? Let us know!

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 42)
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Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
SketchUp, Revit, AutoCAD, and Rhino are COMPLETELY different programs. It's important to know the benefits of each, and how to work between all of them. SketchUp is the best to produce visually appealing graphics, however when it comes to construction documents, it is not going to give you the most accurate BIM model.
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We didn't want to pay for Visio's extra features in mapping/diagramming (SketchUp's features are more limited, but fine for what we needed). Be able to also model in 3D was value-added in certain situations for us.
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I did not personally select SketchUp. If it was up to me, I would only recommend it to legacy users who know/love it. Please don't take that as a shot at it, just my personal preference to use Rhino for similar functions. I think SketchUp is much cheaper than Revit for sure and better at out-of-the-box visualization. as far as Rhino, I think SketchUp has a nice sketchy quality that Rhino does not, but it lacks a bit on the actual precise modeling side.
December 18, 2021

Great tool

Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Making a model can be bulky in Revit, especially if you are in a design phase where you are still playing around with options. The benefit to Revit is that it is easier to then work those models into CDs. Sketchup is more friendly when you are exploring or using the model as a presentation tool. Sketchup works better with Enscape.
Arcoma L. Lambert | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We have not evaluated any other competing software to this one. I heard about this software from a friend who teaches how to use it. She showed me in just a few minutes and I was HOOKED. I saw immediately the possible help it would be to my business. Thank you.
Shawn Dehner | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I've tried a variety of competing, more commonly used by architects, types of software, including Chief Architect, Archicad, and others. None of them have the 3D hands-on control over modeling. They are automated, which can be handy, but it is not worth losing the creative capacity of SketchUp in exchange. SketchUp is also much less expensive up front and as an annual cost.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
SketchUp is much easier to teach and troubleshoot than alternative 3D modeling programs like Rhino and Revit. SketchUp and Rhino are used for similar purposes in architecture, firms tend to prefer one or the other based on the types of geometry being created (rectilinear vs complex) and the general culture of the studio. Rhino tends to be regarded as more professional because of its extra complexity, although I think it is overkill for most architecture applications and can be used in conjunction with SketchUp when necessary. Both can be used for rendering, as well as Revit, although again SketchUp is the most flexible and fastest to adjust in my experience. Revit has 3D modeling functionality, but it is much slower and technical, best to use after the many design reviews and approvals that are required in a project. Revit does include necessary documentation/organization, so we use it primarily for that function and SketchUp for design.
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Sketchup serves a very specific function in my office and fits somewhere between Rhino and Revit in our workflow. It is useful for early design studies and clear graphic diagrams for large-scale urban projects. Only up to a certain level of complexity, at which point Rhino or Revit would be more appropriate (Rhino if dealing with complex geometry, Revit if moving into documentation).
Michael Prewitt | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We have also used the pro version of Live Home 3D (https://www.livehome3d.com/), which is also easy to use and is well-suited to creating architectural models of buildings. It also has access to the same or similar library of 3D models that SketchUp has. For creating interior building mockups, it works well. It does not have the options for sharing interactive models in the cloud-like SketchUp has, though, and does not have the ecosystem of extensions that SketchUp has.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Revit takes more time to learn and use, and it requires technical skills from the users. The course for leaning Revit is pretty high. However, SketchUp is very easy to learn and use. When working with urgent projects or idea concept projects, SketchUp works better and faster. That's why many architecture companies still prefer using SketchUp in their company.
Nathan Bowman | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use all three programs in our office, primarily based on client needs and final deliverables, but in general, we'll use MicroStation for highway projects, AutoCAD for water/sewer projects, and SketchUp for environmental projects. MicroStation tends to be more focused on the calculations and handling large projects with huge amounts of data, while AutoCAD is very good at churning out nice looking plans - I wouldn't dare try to do either of those things in SketchUp, but I also wouldn't try to draw something out quickly in MicroStation or AutoCAD, laying out a project takes much longer in either of those suites.
Ed Hart | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Main other tool that I looked at is AutoCAD. I think AutoCAD has probably a richer set of features. It's so hard to learn and rather than intuitive controls using the mouse, there are a ton of key commands that there's no way I'm going to remember unless I'm in the software every day. SketchUp will come pretty easily to users of Adobe Creative Cloud software. Not that the controls are the same, but it seems to me that the approach to design software and the usage concepts are similar.
February 06, 2020

Architecture Live!

Frank Genese | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
SketchUp has a simple interface that is easy for the staff to get used to. It also is more common in architecture schools, so entry level staff is already well versed in it by the time they start. It also has been really the only product we have used, and are very comfortable with the software.
Mohit Prasad | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
When it comes to easy development of the design and sketches SketchUp is a great tool, but in case you require complex design and more specific details I would like to go for SOLIDWORKS. I used this as my secondary design tool but it solves the purpose of basic prototyping of the design.
Oral Tosun | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Fusion 360 and Onshape are much more suitable for 3D printing. These tools were not available at the beginning, but SketchUp was. SketchUp's 3D repositories, 3Dwarehouse was bigger than the Thingiverse.com. I used to get 3D files from 3Dwarehouse for my 3D printers on those days. The surface topology of the SketchUp designs is not suitable for 3d printing. But this could be eliminated by applying retopology tools on other CAD systems.
Bin Cai | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
SketchUp can be widely used in different design disciplines while some programs such as Revit and SOLIDWORKS are specifically designed for making 3D or 2D drawings related to structures, mechanical components, and building elements. The interface of SketchUp is intuitive, all of the commands in the program can be approached by just clicking buttons. No code experience is needed to start using SketchUp.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
There isn’t a product which accurately compares to SketchUp, and I mean that in the very best way. Nothing combines the power, speed, and organization capable with SketchUp. AutoCAD and Revit have their own specialties, but quick modeling and flexibility in general aren’t strengths. Additionally, those two tools don’t have the add-on tools available on SketchUp.
Score 5 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
SketchUp is widely available therefore many of our designers know how to use it avoiding the need to train new staff to use it. On top of that, it offers the ability to make professional quality renderings without the cost of similar modeling and or BIM software. This is the primary reason we use it so broadly across the company.
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