Make vs Pro vs Layout

Hi,

I’m having trouble finding out the difference between Maker, Pro , and Layout. I need to make simple plans with dimensions for building and remodeling my house, and print them out. I don’t need contractor construction level plans. I thought Sketch Up was a free and simple tool to use for this. Maybe it was when Google owned it. Its seems much more complicated, not to mention expensive, now.

I’d appreciate your thoughts and feedback. thanks.

David

SketchUp MAKE is the free version of SketchUp. It is for hobbyist use and is somewhat limited in capability. Especially in terms of import and export but also in regards to some of the tools. SketchUp Pro as more capability with more import and export options. LayOut is included in the Pro package. It is designed to take the models you draw in SketchUp and create documentation such as construction docs, permitting docs and presentations. It has dimensioning and other text tools and also accepts images and other content. Once your project is ready in LayOut, you can export a PDF file which can be sent off to the city, your contractor or whomever.

Due to the way the SketchUp file and LayOut file are linked together, if you need to make changes to the SketchUp model, those changes can be automatically propagated to your document.

It’s also simple to create scaled drawings from your model so that someone can measure dimensions right off the print out.

Dave,

Thanks for that. How about Google Sketch Up 8? Can I print simple plans from that? I spend a lot of money on software for my animation business. I don’t want to for my personal life.

Thanks,
David

Google SketchUp 8 is ancient and hasn’t been supported for many years. If you already have it, you can make image exports from it just as you can with current versions of SketchUp Make. There’s no point in trying to go back to SU8, though.

2D or 3D ?

Prints to scale ?

Print 2D plans. Yes, print scale 2D plans. I friend who used Google Sketch UP 8 thought is could. I could go back to 8 if it can. SketchUp Pro and Layout seem more involved than I want to get, and I’m not too interested in spending $600+ to buy it either. Maybe Maker can print 2D scale. What do you think?

Thanks,
David

SketchUp Make (note: no ‘r’) can print to scale but it’s not as straightfoward as doing it with LayOut. Don’t bother going back to old, buggy SketchUp 8. The process for printing to Scale directly from SketchUp is the same with the current version.

• SketchUp Help Center : SketchUp Make and SketchUp Pro

It is really not what SketchUp was designed for.

It is what 2D CAD was designed for.
So I would recommend one of these free products:

• SketchUp Sages : Printing to Scale

Great thanks. I’ll look into them.

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