Please restore ability to import STL files in the free web version. I have created many models that I have stored on my laptop over the years for personal use, and now I cannot import them back into SketchUp without having to pay for a subscription. This is not a good way to retain legacy users like me, who has been using SketchUp since it was still a Google supported product. Why should I have to pay every month/year to get access to my STL files?
Didnât you save your models as SketchUp files??
You should be able to open those, no matter how old they are..
@Stefko, thatâs the proverbial elephant in the room. Why wouldnât you save the models in their native format?
Could you explain the benefit to Trimble of retaining âlegacy usersâ if they are not actually customers? Iâm curious to know what the upside is for Trimble.
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Trimble and every other software company with the exception of open source developers, just want to profit from their products, Google created a free version with the idea of populating their maps with models made from users for free, this strategy didnât work and sold sketchup to Trimble who kept the free desktop version for few more years but it was a lost of money cause a lot of people used it for professional use without having to acquire a license, the free web version is limited in some tools and features because itâs supposed to be a preview with some basic tools that show the basic functionality of the program, Trimble wonât benefit adding more features to the free version. Thatâs how the world works.
There are an open source options with all the features that you need and more if you donât want to pay for a license, Blender is the most popular and the best imho.
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I have to disagree with this.
People who intend to violate the license terms do so completely and use completely illegal versions that have the ability to import professional formats (e.g. DWG) and use Layout, solid tools, etc. They were NEVER users of the Make version.
On the other hand, by removing the Make version, they lost a huge segment of âlegalâ hobbyist users who contributed to the community by sharing free 3D models, styles and templates, free plugins, free tutorials, contributing to bug reports, and keeping the skp file format and the software itself relevant and popular.
Moreover, having the Make version available in schools made it a very popular software for adoption by teachers and students (training new users who would potentially become paying users in the future), while the highly limited web version is far less popular in schools and universities than the Make version was (or at least thatâs the case where I live).
In my very questionable opinion it was a crazy move that has brought more harm than good to the health and popularity of the software and this also impacts paying users starting from those who sell plugins and who teach.
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Disagree with this. I taught SketchUp to woodworkers, craftsmen and timber framers for years. Make was fine for the homeowner DIY person but the number of professionals that would turn up in a 35,000$ truck with all their tools using Make or whatever free version was available at the time was easily 50% of my classes. I encouraged them to pay for their tools - no different than a saw or hammer or truck.
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Because probably in your field (and in my field too) dwg+layout is not a must have.
But letâs face the reality, the vast majority of Sketchup users are architects and interior designers who need that kind of 2d-cad-oriented capability.
That said, you are probably missing my point: THAT KIND OF PERSON will never pay and just use the fully âfledgedâ 
version which is incredibly easy to get (same as ANY software).
On the other hand, you and me are probably loosing a few plugins that were never developed because devs loose incentive to create less business/BIM-focused extension (just remember how much more popular an extension like Artisan was back in the days when it was a 30$ addition to the hobby version, or how many 3d printing, paper-crafts, physic simulation and other funny extensions were constantly released at the time). Now everything is mainly âboringâ architect stuff which, donât get me wrong, is completely fine for (the majority of) professional users, but that â3d modeling for everyoneâ feel is completely gone in the current overall development of the Sketchup ecosystem.
We are loosing a lot of potential new models created by hobbyists (a lot of historical/archaeological places for example, that kind of stuff.. is mainly done from hobbyist).
And so on..
I import DWG several times a week and use LayOut everyday.
I did save some as SketchUp files locally, but some I have as STL files from my early years as I was learning to use SketchUp.
I was always a hobby user, and the free version was good enough. Now it is no longer good. Can anybody suggest another 3D modeling program that does not have a steep learning curve?
Why not? You can still model for free and you can still download as .STL with the Free version..
By the way, there are online converters that can convert your .STL files into .SKP files so you can open them in SketchUp Free..
This is the first hit from a Google search:
I checked and it works..
Ok, but probably the 35k$ truck guys are not.. being that they use Make in order to make money (pun intended).
Or do you agree with me that the vast majority of professional users NEED the 2d capability?
Iâm genuinely confused by your (multiple) point(s).
Thank you for the link. Once I converted to SKP I was able to import my file to SketchUp Web. I wish I had known about this sooner!
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Save your files as anything you like, like the STL format. BUT always save the native format!!! Having said that, I also vote for FreeCAD. Itâs awesome! (and FREE).
$35K truck? So a 10 year old, used truck?
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Thank you. I will check it out. I also found Tinkercad, which may be more appropriate for my grandson (he is 10).
IIRC you could still buy a 35k work truck when SketchUp Make came out.
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No, you may have misunderstood. I am teaching my 10 year old grandson how to design using 3D modeling software.
Yeah I guess so. My sonâs â23 F 150 STX was $54k 0_o
Yeah that was a while ago 
A few months ago I tried their converter to convert an stl but my SketchUp 17 couldnât open the skp.