I have Sketchup Pro 2018 and I am considering an upgrade to the latest version, but I want to try it first.
Can I install SU 2021 Trial while also keeping SU2018, and then if I don’t think that the upgrades are worth the price just uninstall SU2021 and keep the 2018 version?
I know this was true in the past, but I want a confirmation this continues to be the case with the latest version.
Yes it still installs as a separate application, but it will become the default opener, and remember to save back to 2018 if you need to keep working on files there.
Older version files will work in 2021, but 2021 files will not work in older versions.
It has always been this way, it is backwards compatible like office etc but not forward compatible, forward compatibility requires a time machine.
This is why there is the option to Save as back to an earlier version.
No, you can’t make a program that can open files that have been made with an updated program. For that to happen you would have to not make any changes to the new version, in other words, stop developing.
Yes, you did get it right. If you are using the latest version of SketchUp in two years from now, and do a regular save, that file will open in the 2021 version.