Since Google bought out @Last and released a free version of SketchUp, the user community has grown significantly. SketchUp still succeeds where nearly every other 3D program fails - ease of use. In the over-complicated world of CAD design, SketchUp's unprecedented simplicity is a breath of fresh air.
SketchUp is so easy that a complete novice can easily pick it up in a couple hours, but it is also so powerful that an expert user can create incredibly detailed and complex models. As the name implies, SketchUp's focus is on rough design - not contractor drawings. There are alternate methods for this, including the Layout tool that comes with SketchUp Pro, but for the average user, SketchUp is perfect for conceptualizing your designs on the fly. Many architecture and design firms are taking 3D modeling too far - where the rendering is so photo-realistic, that the client expects the end result to look exactly the same. This is dangerous territory, since during the build/contruction process changes are implemented, and in many cases the rendering may look better than the finished product. SketchUp designs can look great and still allow room for some interpretation.
SketchUp can import major CAD files like .DWG (AutoCAD) and .3DS (3ds Max), as well as many image formats, including .PSD (Photoshop). Exporting is restricted in the free version, but you can use the excellent DoubleCAD XT to import your .SKP file (SketchUp format) and then save it to a number of different 2D CAD file formats.
My other favorite feature of SketchUp is the 3D models already included with the program - architectural elements like windows and doors, design elements like furniture and appliances, and many more. Plus this library is expanded enormously by the impressive Google 3D Warehouse - a community driven database of thousands of complex models for you to use, some of them simply amazing.
Download latest version:
Google SketchUp v7.1.6860
| Homepage: | http://www.blender.org/ |
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| Portable version: |  |
| 64-bit version: | |
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| No strings attached **: | |
** No spyware, ads, nags, registration reminders, etc.
Other Modeling software to keep an eye on:
