I am just beginning with Sketchup and will be purchasing new hardware to run it on. Do most users use a desktop or is a suitable laptop popular? I was thinking laptop so I could show customers my models or drawings on the road. However, my computer guy is strongly advising me to buy a new PC
and just use a less powerful laptop to show customers.
Any thoughts greatly appreciated
Depends on if you want to render or not, if so then a PC is more suitable in general but better if it’s a desktop with a good GPU. However just for model work a laptop is fine either Mac or PC, I can run models up to about 300MB before they become sluggish (more if I use layers).
It’s possible to also get a good laptop for rendering, even with GPU but they are expensive. I use a Mac my specs are below:
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Here are some factors to think about:
What are your goals and constraints? For example, will you want to edit your models while on the road, or just display them for customer presentations? Will your models need great detail and realistic material textures, or can they be simpler? Do you have a fixed budget for computer equipment, or are you just seeking to minimize your total cost? Don’t forget about SketchUp Free, which can run in a web browser on your customer’s computer, avoiding the need to install the full application there just to view models.
Does your computer guy have any specific experience with SketchUp, or is he just advising based on generalizations?
Thank you for your input. I have worked with Rhino and Vray in the past so I am familiar with the rendering horsepower requirement. I believe that I will show renders to clients and show 3D models to clients. However, I doubt I would edit models with my clients. Will I be able to show a 3D model to a client with Sketchup using basic laptop (i3 2.0 Ghz, 8 Gig ram, windows 7 pro)? The cpu is borderline of system requirements and video card is certainly not up to rendering. If that would work, than I would purchase a powerful desktop with a great video card and do the real work in my office and just do presentations with the laptop.
Is there a video card that sketchup pros love to use or is highly rated for this program.???
Sorry if this is newbie stuff but I just want to make one hardware purchase and be set up well for the next few years. Again, I appreciate any thoughts or recommendations.
Nvidia graphics usually work best with SketchUp. Intel integrated graphics are a hit and miss affair best avoided if an alternative is available. AMD graphics are somewhere between the two.
Thank you Anssi. I have always had great luck with Nvidia graphics cards when I worked with Rhino and Vray.
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