SketchUp Make 2017 doesn’t use a license so it won’t be affected by this change. That being said, at some point we do remove old installers and that will be the case with 2017, not even relating to this licensing change. If you have a class that uses it, you may wish to keep a copy of the installer available rather than be surprised if we remove it. (Note that we really only adjust our download availability when updating with a new version… so it shouldn’t be a surprise when that page changes.)
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Agreed, I feel the unit system would be a fairer approach. With the new way of things many will be paying significantly more for absolutely no gain.
This morning, when I got the email from SketchUp, the subject heading read:
“The way you purchase SketchUp is shifting, and you’ve got a deal”
Very poorly worded, if you ask me.
I felt like being approached by a car salesperson, when they are trying to have you buy the car with all the bells and whistles instead of the “basic model”, which is all you really need.
Cheers.
Yes, your Perpetual License will work in perpetuity, until it no longer is compatible with the hardware that you use.
Can it be install again? Say I get a new pc and want to keep using it. Can I remove the license from old PC and then install on new PC.
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Predictable, but sucks. Maybe there should be a “surcharge” for perpetual users to upgrade to a newer version if you choose to. While I’m paid up for 2020 I still use 2018 as the so called “improvements” aren’t worth the hassle to update the software. To echo what’s already been said, once on subscription you have a captive audience without the need to win over annual subscribers. So much for “listening” to your users, no doubt this will just be a rant thread as the ship has sailed. I don’t suppose it would even matter if the perpetual licence users jump ship now as the subscription model is too lucrative. Form Z is probably the best alternative for switching as it has support for a perpetual license and “optional” upgrades at additional cost. It also includes most of the tools in the program that Sketchup relies on 3rd party developers to supply.
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I got the same e-mail, which now confirms this subject matter as originally posted on 14th May 2020. I’ve never been comfortable with this form of license with any software as you effectively just rent it, so won’t be taking that offer. I’m sure my SU PRO will be fine for at least another 3 to 5 years with OS new versions. I guess the bonus is, I won’t be paying £117.00 each year for the M+S…. 
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Hi David, I wanted to tell you I love your book. Thanks for all of the good advice!
I’m trying to wrap my head around this, is this the end of the road for the perpetual license? After 2020, I have to subscribe?
As several others have said, it’s like you are trying to pull wool over our eyes. Lower upfront cost over a period of lets say 5 years isn’t cheaper than me buying a classic license and upgrading when I choose, based on my needs not yours.
Just because everyone else is going the subscription route doesn’t mean that you have to as well. It’s nice having the option which you are taking away.
That will work for your current active version. You already can’t remove 2019 from one machine and activate it on a new machine, if you had previously activated 2020. But you could remove 2020 and activate that on a new machine.
But, you raise an interesting question about whether the license server will remain online. There are big institutions who are only permitted to use earlier versions of SketchUp. The license server has got to stick around for those guys, many of them have lots of weaponry they could point at us. I think you’ll be ok.
Thanks for the good words. It’s always nice to hear from a satisfied customer.
I do worry that the transition to subscription-based versions of SketchUp will leave us woodworkers unsatsfied. The free and lower-cost versions won’t work with plugins, which is a fatal flaw, in my view.
@Last, Software I will now leave behind. Not that I want to but I cannot be held hostage paying a subscription so that the work I’ve done over the last 20 years is accessible to me. I’ve had at least 2 licenses for the last 15 years and I WILL NOT pay a subscription. What happens if 3 years down the line Trimble tries to sell SketchUp, can’t find a buyer and they close it down. People who rely on SketchUp and never had a “perpetual” lic will be screwed. Well it was nice while it lasted and I’m not all that far from retirement now. This may help get me there sooner.
All the stuff other than SketchUp Pro that they are peddling is mostly a waste or can be achieved better and easier in different ways. SketchUp started as a quick, simple easy to use 3D modeling program and then they started making it more and more complicated which got it away from what made it great. And here we are with Trimble wanting to charge me for what they think it’s worth but, it’s not worth it. We do have Tags in place of Layers now. Next upgrade will be to change the name of the pencil to pen. That’ll be worth $300.
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bluerocco.
AutoDesk are rip off merchants.
True the software is generally excellent, but the company is not popular at all.
Because of them running to the sub model of pay or it stops as right now, I refuse to even consider any further AutoDesk software. I really HATE that they took away my standalone Revit license and I started in 2002. They have ripped a whole world industry off - as soon as they felt they had the critical mass - BOOM they stuck the knife in and that looks like what is happening here with the changes.
the Revit cost per seat in NZ is HORRENDOUS now - over $3,400 NZ per seat per year. Is Trimble seeing this same pathway ? it sure looks like it.
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But to their credit must be said that while they don’t sell new perpetual licenses, they still sell maintenance to them at a reduced price compared to subscription.
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Try Rhino, you won’t be disappointed.
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Sad news. No surprise anymore though.
The marketing spin is an insult to our intelligence. 
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My office was notified, about two months ago, that this too is coming to an end within the next year. So people with perpetual licences only have one maintenance cycle left, the current one.
The newest Blender, available in beta now, has push/pull, advanced snapping modes, a crazy fabric brush where you can actually paint folds in fabric, and so much more. The released version has all those things except push/pull.
The Blender interface just keeps getting better and better. The booleans are ridiculously good and Blender has parametric modeling with modifiers, which makes edits simple and quick. And, real-time photoreal modeling and animation.
Yes, it is way more powerful than SketchUp and it does take time to learn, but with the largest installed user base in the world, and by far the most tutorials and courses of any 3D program, (on YouTube and elsewhere), you owe it to yourself to take a look. Not to mention many of the big studios are now including Blender in their production pipeline-- and some of the biggest names in 3D graphics are now supporting with millions of $$$ in yearly donations.
And it will always be free.
A caveat: if you are a big architectural firm and need the collaborative features of SketchUp and Revit, then Blender is not for you. And if you absolutely must have Layout, then Blender is not for you. And if you don’t like trying new things and still watch a CRT TV, then Blender is not for you. 
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@chippwalters welcome sir, I was wondering how long it would take before you “chip” in
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A sad day for SketchUp users.
I have been using SketchUp since the start with @Last Software. For the time with a Maintenance and Support Subscription licence.
My needs is the desktop application only and I can not justify a price of 299 dollar a year.
I have Adobe CC and MODO subscriptions and even the price is high it gives me more value. (I could replace SketchUp and Modo with Blender but they have been my favourite tools for years).
I will continue to use my SketchUp license so long my Macs can run it but I am sorry to say that I will not move to subscription for SketchUp.
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Do you mean Fusion 360? If so, it doesn’t seem to be free for any commercial use outside the US.
I have paid to renew my classic license every year for as long as I can remember. I think of it as being an annual subscription (a rose by any other name…). The main point for me is that what I have to pay is significantly increasing and that’s never a sweet pill to swallow. The extra fluff that will come with the price hike is of no value to me (or to many others who have posted here). If I get genuine improvements/additions to how the software works, that would make the pill sweeter for sure, but we haven’t seen anything revolutionary on that front yet.
I guess we all just have to decide if the benefit we get from using the SU we all know is worth the new cost we will have to bear. I can’t see much real alternative to SU if you like what it does.
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