Whenever you hear anything about 3D designing, chances are you think of Blender or SelfCAD. However, did you know there are tons of great tools for 3D designing other than the common ones? Enter the SketchUp 3D designing software!
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This app is a comprehensive and premier 3D design software that can fulfill your 3D modeling dream for everyone. The software is as simple as your task manager or file explorer applications so you don’t have to spend tons of hours learning the ropes.
Wait till you get to know more about it!
Features of SketchUp
What’s a 3D design software without great features, right? So, here are some of the highlighting features of SketchUp you should know about-
Web Version & Online Storage
Whether you want to access your projects from the web or store it in the online cloud storage, you can do it all with this application. Other than the offline version, you can just access the whole interface and functions of SketchUp just from a browser. And then you can store everything on that online cloud space!
3D WareHouse
Apart from making your own designs, you can access the large library of user-generated and manufacturer-produced models to make your 3D models vivid and alive. The library is huge and you can freely use them as much as you want!
Wide File Format Support
The import and export support for this application is also top-level. You can use SKP, JPG, and PNG formats for both your import or export files.
System Requirements
For a graphics-intensive application, you need to have minimum hardware and software requirements to run SketchUp. So, here are the details about the system requirements-
Minimum System Requirements
- OS: Windows 7 onwards
- Processor: 1 GHz processor
- RAM: 4 GB
- GPU: 3D class video card with 512 MB of memory
- Storage: 1 GB
Recommended System Requirements
- OS: Windows 10 and above
- Processor: 2+ GHz processor
- RAM: 8 GB
- GPU: Discrete graphics card from AMD or Nvidia
- Storage: 2 GB or more
How to Download & Install SketchUp?
Here are the steps to download and install it on your Windows PC-
Step 1: Go to the main page of this website and search for SketchUp on the search bar.
Step 2: After the webpage for SketchUp has loaded, click on the download button.
Step 3: Wait for the download to finish and double-click on the installer.
Step 4: Confirm your install options and select the file directory. Press Install.
Step 5: Wait for the installation to finish.
Step 6: Once the installation is finished, you can now launch the application.
Pros of SketchUp
- Very clean and minimalistic UI
- Mobile view modeling
- Cloud storage
- Free with internet connection
Cons of SketchUp
- Some tools are a bit restrictive
- Free trial is only limited to 30 days
Troubleshooting Common Issues within SketchUp
Connectivity Issues
There are times when you might face some connectivity issues for both the web and PC versions. Here are the ways to get around such issues-
- Clear out your Windows DNS cache. It can solve the issues with your internet connectivity as after clearing the cache you get new internet activity settings.
- Check whether you have any active antivirus software or Windows Defender turned on. Those applications can sometimes hamper the activity of this application.
Performance Complications
As SketchUp is a graphics-intensive application, if you have some issues with your GPU, then you might face some performance problems. Here’s what you can do if you encounter any graphical issues-
- Check your primarily set graphics card unit for the SketchUp application. If the default GPU is not set to the dedicated card, then choose your primary graphics card.
- Inspect the graphics card driver, and if there’s any update available then update your driver.
FAQs
Is it available for free?
Yes, it offers a free version called SketchUp Free (formerly known as SketchUp Make). However, there is also a more advanced version called SketchUp Pro, which is available for a subscription fee.
What operating systems does SketchUp support?
SketchUp is available for Windows and macOS. There is also a web-based version called SketchUp Free that can be accessed through a web browser on various platforms.
What file formats can SketchUp import and export?
SketchUp can import and export various file formats, including DWG, DXF, OBJ, 3DS, STL, JPEG, PNG, and more. It also has its own native file format called SKP.
Can it models be rendered or visualized realistically?
Yes, it models can be rendered using various third-party rendering plugins or software. Some popular rendering options for SketchUp include V-Ray, Lumion, and Enscape, among others.
Conclusion
Sketchup is a comprehensive tool that can offer you a 3D workflow that is hard to come up with nowadays. While some tools might not perform as well as some of its competitors, it still delivers a balanced performance.
So, you can definitely try this application to make your 3D sketches more lively and efficient!