SketchUp is a computer program that helps you create and change 3D models. Think of it like digital building blocks! You can design buildings, landscapes, furniture, and many other objects. It's very popular for people who work in architecture (designing buildings) and interior design (designing rooms).

Trimble Inc. owns SketchUp. You can use SketchUp in a few ways. There's a free online version called SketchUp Free. There are also three paid versions: SketchUp Shop, SketchUp Pro, and SketchUp Studio. Each paid version offers more features than the last.

This program lets you create drawings, make surfaces look different with "styles," and even place your models inside Google Earth.

The History of SketchUp
SketchUp Versions and Subscriptions
How SketchUp is Licensed
The 3D Warehouse
Software Extensions
SketchUp File Formats
See also

The History of SketchUp

How SketchUp Started

SketchUp was first made by a company called @Last Software. This company was founded in 1999 in Boulder, Colorado. Brad Schell and Joe Esch started it. SketchUp was created in August 2000. It was designed to help professionals create 3D content.

The program quickly became popular. It won an award at its very first show in 2000. In 2002, the version for Apple computers (macOS) also won a "Best of Show" award.

SketchUp and Google

Lund + Slaatto project designed in SketchUp. This shows how SketchUp helps create building plans.

This C-130 Hercules model was made in SketchUp. It was then rendered with Kerkythea to look more realistic.

Google bought @Last Software on March 14, 2006. Google was interested because @Last Software had made a special tool (a plugin) for Google Earth.

On January 9, 2007, Google released Google SketchUp 6. This was a free version of the software. It had tools to easily upload your designs to Google Earth and a place called Google 3D Warehouse.

Google SketchUp Pro 6 also came out. It had a new tool called LayOut. LayOut helped users create 2D drawings and presentations. This meant you didn't need another program for your presentations.

Later versions added more features. SketchUp 7, released in 2008, connected better with Google 3D Warehouse. It also introduced "dynamic components" that could change size easily. In 2010, SketchUp 8 added geolocation. This allowed users to place their models on Google Maps.

SketchUp Joins Trimble

On June 1, 2012, Trimble Navigation bought SketchUp from Google. Trimble Navigation is now called Trimble Inc..

In 2013, SketchUp 2013 was released. A new website, Extension Warehouse, was created. This site offers many extra tools and features (plugins and extensions) for SketchUp.

SketchUp Versions and Subscriptions

SketchUp offers different ways to use its software. These are called subscription options.

How SketchUp Subscriptions Work
Subscription	Where You Use It	For Business or Fun	Can You Add More Tools?
Studio	On your computer & online	For Business	Yes
Pro	On your computer & online	For Business	Yes
Go	Online only	For Business	No
Free	Online only	For Fun or Hobbies	No

SketchUp Studio

This image shows how SketchUp's daylight analysis tool helps visualize sunlight in a building design.

SketchUp Studio includes everything in the Pro version. It also adds advanced tools. These include professional rendering with V-Ray. Rendering makes your 3D models look very realistic. It also helps you work with "point clouds." These are special 3D scans of real places.

SketchUp Pro

An interior kitchen designed using SketchUp. This shows how detailed designs can be.

The SketchUp Pro subscription gives you the main desktop 3D modeling program. It also lets you import and export files in many common 2D and 3D formats. You get access to SketchUp's huge library of ready-made 3D models, called 3D Warehouse. You can also find more tools in the Extension Warehouse.

Pro includes LayOut, which is software for creating 2D documents. It also has Style Builder, which lets you create custom looks for your models. SketchUp Pro works on both Windows and Mac computers.

SketchUp Go

SketchUp's iPad modeler being used on a construction site. This shows how it helps professionals work anywhere.

SketchUp Go used to be called Shop. This version lets you model online and on mobile devices. It includes SketchUp for Web and SketchUp for iPad. It also comes with Trimble Connect Business. This is a cloud tool that helps you share and view project information from anywhere. You also get access to SketchUp's 3D model library, 3D Warehouse.

SketchUp Go is great for people who design or build things. It's also good for people who like to do DIY (Do It Yourself) projects. It has features for people who are often on the go. For example, you can draw and mark up 3D models using an Apple Pencil on an iPad. You can even take your iPad to a building site to check designs in 3D. SketchUp Go does not include the desktop program that works offline. Only Pro and Studio plans have that.

SketchUp Free

In November 2017, SketchUp Free was released. This is a web-based program, meaning you use it in your internet browser. It replaced an older free version called SketchUp Make.

With SketchUp Free, you can save your drawings to the cloud (online storage). You can also save them to your computer as a .SKP file or export them as an .STL file. Compared to the paid versions, SketchUp Free does not support extra tools (extensions). You also can't create or edit materials (like wood textures or paint colors). This version is only for personal use or hobbies, not for businesses.

How SketchUp is Licensed

On June 4, 2020, Trimble announced a change. SketchUp would switch to a subscription business model. This means you pay regularly (like monthly or yearly) to use the software. After November 4, 2020, SketchUp stopped selling "perpetual licenses." These were one-time payments that let you own the software forever.

The 3D Warehouse

The 3D Warehouse is like a huge online library for SketchUp users. It's a place where people can upload and download 3D models to share. You can download models directly into your SketchUp program. You don't even need to save them to your computer first! Models can be up to 50 MB in size.

Anyone can create, change, and re-upload content to the 3D Warehouse for free. All the models there are free to use. You can download files for SketchUp or even other software like AutoCAD, Revit, and ArchiCAD. These programs have tools to get models from the 3D Warehouse.

Since 2014, Trimble has made a new version of 3D Warehouse. Companies can now have official pages with their own 3D product catalogs. Trimble is also working with 3D developers. This helps get more professionally made products into the 3D Warehouse. Trimble says the 3D Warehouse is the most popular 3D content site on the internet. SketchUp designers often visit it to find new products or get ideas for their own designs.

Software Extensions

SketchUp versions 4 and newer support special add-on programs. These are called "software extensions." They are written in a computer language called Ruby. Extensions add special features to SketchUp. Many of these extensions are available on the Trimble Extension Warehouse. You can also find them on other websites. SketchUp has a "Ruby console." This is a place where you can try out Ruby code.

Remember, SketchUp Free (the online version) does not support extensions. This means it has fewer features than the paid versions.

SketchUp File Formats

SketchUp
Filename extension	.SKP
Internet media type	{{#property:P1163}}
Developed by	Trimble Inc.
Type of format	Binary

SketchUp uses its own special file type, which ends with .skp.

It can also work with many other 3D modeling file types. These include: .3DS, .DAE, .DEM, .DDF, .DXF, .DWG, .IFC (.IFCZIP), .KMZ, .STL, and PDF (on Mac computers only).

Exporting 3D Models

You can save your SketchUp models in many different 3D file formats. This lets you use them in other programs. Some of these formats are: SKP, 3DS, DAE, DWG, DXF, FBX, IFC, OBJ, KMZ, STL, WRL, and XSI.

Exporting Images

You can also save pictures of your SketchUp designs in common image formats. These include: JPG, PNG, TIF, PDF (on Mac only), and EPS.

LayOut File Formats

LayOut is a tool that comes with SketchUp Pro. It can open files like SKP, BMP, GIF, JPEG, JPG, PNG, TIF, TIFF, RTF, TXT, DWG, DXF, CSV, TSV, and XLSX.

LayOut can save files as PNG, JPG, PDF, DWG, and DXF.

SketchUp facts for kids

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