SketchUp is a 3D modeling program for applications such as architectural, interior design, civil and mechanical engineering, film, and video game design. A freeware version, SketchUp Make, and a paid version with additional functionality, SketchUp Pro, are available.
SketchUp is used by thousands of professionals in architecture, construction, engineering, commercial interiors, light construction, landscape architecture, kitchen & bath design, urban planning, game design, film & stage, woodworking, and plenty of other fields use SketchUp Pro all the time, every day. It’s the all-purpose antidote to complicated, expensive CAD software.
SketchUp is easy to use.there is an online Open source repository of free-of-charge model assemblies (e.g., windows, doors, automobiles, etc.), 3D Warehouse, to which users may contribute models.the program includes drawing layout functionality, allows surface rendering in variable "styles", supports third-party "plug-in" programs hosted on a site called Extension Warehouse to provide other capabilities (e.g., near photo-realistic rendering), and enables placement of its models within Google Earth.
SketchUp is like a pencil with superpowers. Start by drawing lines and shapes. Push and pull surfaces to turn them into 3D forms. Stretch, copy, rotate and paint to make anything you like. More advanced? Start modeling from CAD and terrain data, photographs or even hand sketches. Build models with custom behaviors and attributes. SketchUp Pro is as simple and as powerful as you want it to be.
SketchUp puts all of the help options in plain sight, which include video tutorials, tips and tricks, a blog, and a help center. It asks you to select a template from a long list that includes templates for architectural design, woodworking, Google Earth modeling, and basic plans. We started simple with the Beginning Training Template - Inches. The user interface is fairly basic in design, which is a good thing as some of these types of programs can be quite overwhelming. A toolbar at the top of the window includes the familiar menu options: Files, Edit, and View. There are also menu options to manage the Camera and Tools commands. A toolbox resides below with tools for creating and editing shapes, lines, and even adding building using Google Earth (you have to install the plug-in first). A helpful Instructor guided us through the setup process by creating simple lines going through each of the tools. In no time, we were creating shapes and designs, albeit very basic ones. The Tape Measure Tool let us measure our shapes, and the Eraser tool removed our mistakes.
Download SketchUp Make 14.1.1282
icon to run the utility.
