I get asked all the time about which version of SketchUp is best to use for interior design purposes and what the difference is between the free and the paid version of the software, so in this post I am going to share the pros and cons of the free versus Pro versions so you can make an informed decision about which version is best for you. This makes it a fantastic piece of software not only for design professionals but also for home renovators or design enthusiasts who love to play ‘virtual house’. It is also quite easy to learn (in comparison to other design software) so literally anyone who has access to the internet can get started with playing around inside SketchUp. SketchUp has a low barrier to entry as there are both free and paid versions of the software. Leave a comment below if you have any questions.SketchUp is a widely used piece of software in the design and architecture industries.Īlthough you can create 2D plans, elevations and layouts inside SketchUp - it is most well known for giving people the ability to create 3D versions of their designs so these can be pictured in SketchUp before they are built. SketchUp Pro license, and when you’d need each. Hopefully this video clarified some of the questions around a SketchUp Make vs. So if you’re just modeling for fun, you probably won’t have too much use for a pro license, but if you’re using SketchUp to make money, you should have a pro license. I believe this is a one year license, after which you’d have to renew.Īccording to the licensing agreement of SketchUp, if you’re using SketchUp for commercial uses, you should be using a pro license. This program allows you to create custom line styles to adjust the way your models look even more.Ī pro license also comes with the ability to email customer support for help. Teaching people how to use this program was the reason I eventually bought my Pro License.Īs you’ve probably seen if you’ve watched any of my videos on Styles, SketchUp comes with a number of built-in styles that allow you to change the way your models look. You can use it to add dimensions, labels, title blocks – basically anything you need to present and export plans. Layout is SketchUp’s tool for creating documentation and presentations, so things like construction plans. Probably the biggest reason that people purchase the Pro Version of SketchUp is for access to Layout. In addition, I believe you can export higher resolution animations with the pro version. With the pro version, you can import and export a lot more kinds of files, but the most important is the ability to import and export DWG, or AutoCad Files. SketchUp was able to find a new provider, but that new provider charged licensing fees, so now the satellite and terrain functions are features only found in SketchUp Pro.Īnother defining feature of the SketchUp Pro version is its ability to import and export different kinds of files. One new change is that Google recently ended access to their map data by SketchUp, meaning that the free geolocation features lost their data source. I was in no way ever limited in my ability to create any kind of model by using a Make license. I want to say something to put all of this in perspective, because I get a LOT of questions about SketchUp pro – I created the first 215 videos on my YouTube channel with a SketchUp Make license before I finally saved up enough to go out and purchase a Pro license, and the reason I bought a Pro License was specifically so that I could teach people how to use Layout for architecture. I’m not 100% clear on this one, but I believe the dynamic component editing options may only be available in SketchUp Pro as well. In addition, it comes with a set of advanced camera tools which are very useful when working with things like set design or complicated camera angles. There are a few exceptions – SketchUp pro contains Solid Tools – a set of tools designed for working with solid objects that is useful for things like 3D printing. SketchUp Make (the free version) contains most of the modeling tools and capabilities of SketchUp pro. So now that we know what it costs, and what some of the options are, let’s talk about capabilities and what you’re getting for your money. So to put that in perspective, a one time $695 payment is actually a pretty good deal for a software with this level of capability. A full AutoCAD license is $1470/year, and an AutoCAD LT license is $380/year. SketchUp comes in 2 versions – SketchUp Make, which is free, and SketchUp Pro, which at the creation of this video, costs $695.įirst of all, I want to put something out there, because there seems to be some confusion – this is a single payment of $695 (again, at the time of this video’s creation).Ī license for Autodesk Revit, another building design program, is (at the moment) $2,000/year! That’s a yearly recurring cost. SketchUp Pro Comparison – The SketchUp Essentials #47
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