Hello All - I currently run a 4 seat design build office running Archicad 18. While I love Archicad, I am not the loving the investment. I am becoming more and more intrigued with SketchUp and believe I will love it even more than Archicad. There are so many resources out there for SketchUp, it is a bit overwhelming. Can you point me in the right direction to start my research for making this transition? Should I jump right into 16 or start with 15? Can you offer any pitfalls to avoid? Extensions to consider? I really appreciate your input!
Welcome to SketchUp and welcome to the forums.
As far as getting started with SketchUp goes, I have always found it to by very user friendly. If you have not already done so, try downloading the free version (SketchUp Make) and see what you can do. One of my favorite things to show people who are new to SketchUp is the built in instructor. It should take you through most of the basics.
If you have a more specific question, or need some general help with anything, please ask!
The fastest way to find out and to see if SketchUp really meets all your needs, I think, would be to actually talk to someone who already uses SketchUp for the same kind of projects as you do. That way you can discuss your current workflow, scale of projects etc etc.
I’d say you are making a positive decision to implement SketchUp as your firm’s design tool. I converted my office from using Archicad and AutoCad to SketchUp (and Layout) about 9 or so years back and have never regretted the decision. Using the latest version of SketchUp is highly recommended. If you have not yet done so, it may be helpful to download all of the SU training videos to your firm’s server or to your own hard drive so that they may accessed by you and your office staff as needed without having to rely on the web. The videos may be obtained here - Click here for the link. Be sure to see the Getting Started videos and the Tutorials.
Yep, Archicad is quiet expensive. Its main feature is BIM, of which SU appears to not have, that is, other then plugins. I have yet to find one myself. If anyone knows of a good BIM plugin, please post a link or send me a message. Mahalo!