Hey guys and gals. Loving my Sketchup experience so far. I’m thinking of taking it to the next level and jumping from Mac to PC so I can render with Lumion. I’m a lifelong Mac guy but have gotten the impression that I’m playing in a PC environment. I’m curious to know if any of you guys are using Mac and think If I get more processing power (MacBook pro 2020 currently) or I should buy a dedicated PC system for my renderings. I’m currently using TwinMotion for my final renderings but It doesn’t seem to be quite at the level as Lumion for my final pieces. Anyway, curious to get your thoughts. Thanks!
This has been discussed many times here on the forum, both platforms are widely used. Many members on this forum produce high level work with SketchUp and Layout on Mac. I use Mac myself and render in Twinmotion. I gather that @TheOnlyAaron and many of his co-workers on the SketchUp development team use Mac as well. There are also many who produce great work on PC. There are subtle differences between the interface on the two different operating systems, advantages and disadvantages either way, but nothing really that big. V-ray has a Mac version as well as others, if you’re looking to stay on mac there are options. I have found Twinmotion can produce great renders but it takes patient care in the setup. One argument for PC is the availability of less expensive laptop options with relatively higher graphics card specs, thanks to the Gaming industry and it’s large market share in that sector. Gaming computer needs translate nicely into CAD needs, so all things equal you can probably get a “faster” SketchUp experience for cheaper on PC. Certainly not to say you can’t have a fast Mac, and after all, the working experience is not only about strict clock speed. If you are looking at a new Mac today to replace your 2020 MBP you might want to research the M1 chip carefully, it’s blisteringly fast but SketchUp has not been ported over to run on it and there have been reports of odd behavior and slowdowns on the M1 chip.
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Hey Endless, thanks for your reply. If I had to choose I’d just stay with Mac since I’ve been here since the '80s lol. I really like Twin Motion as well I’ve just noticed that it seems to get jittery and laggy the deeper I get into adding elements to my models. It also smokes the battery on my laptop even when it’s plugged into the wall. Anyway, maybe the route to go is to wait for SU to port over the m1 chip and get a nice shiny Mac Pro for working and just use the laptop for meeting with clients. Another thing I wish TwinMotion had was compatibility with my 3D Space mouse but I guess you can’t get everything you want in this world. Thanks again for your reply.
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