Sketchup - commercial use

SketchUp
1

What is the latest version (build no) of free Sketchup that can be used commercially?

2

SketchUp 8 Free (Windows 8.0.16846, Mac 8.0.16845)

3

I may be wrong, but I donā€™t think any free version of SU can be used commercially.

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4

As for using the free version commercially, I know it was ā€œnoā€ originally under Google. Then it was ok. Then under Trimble it became not ok again. My question would be is it tied to the actual version of the software or is it tied to the service terms? I.e., can the terms change and be applied to past versions? I thought the change happened when SketchUp Make was released.

5

Notice how the Trimblers immediately jump in to clarify the requirements every time this issue comes up.

Not.

-Gully

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6

Hi there,

The End User License Agreement (EULA) changed after Trimble acquired SketchUp to remove commercial use from the ā€œfreeā€ version (SketchUp Make). Commercial use is still permitted with SketchUp Pro 2013 and Pro 2014, as well as SketchUp Pro 8 AND SketchUp 8 Free.

The new terms do not affect old versions of the software.

Current EULAs can be found here:

http://www.sketchup.com/license/b/sketchup-make
Doing a simple Ctrl+F with the word ā€œcommercialā€ will bring you to the appropriate section in the Make EULA.

I can get an official kudos from a team member, but if it counts, I interned at SketchUp for the past two summers!

Please let me know if anything I said was unclear or if I didnā€™t fully answer your question.

Thanks!

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7

Source

8

Can anyone clarify this for me?
Iā€™ve recently been discussing SketchUp to an event manager of a golf club. They rent out their space for all types of events during the year like weddings, conferences, etc. Currently when she has to organize a floor plan, she just draws it out by hand and estimate everything by her knowledge of her space. And weā€™re wondering if she is allowed to use SketchUp Make for this purpose, as sheā€™s not selling the floor plan model (thatā€™ll sheā€™ll have to draw) nor her services with her software. She is just using SketchUp for herself to help her plan events.
So for this type of use, is a commercial licences required or not?

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9

She is employed by a profit-making organization and uses the program in the context of generating revenue for her employer pursuant to her duties as an employee? Sounds rather commercial to me.

-Gully

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10

Ok, thanks for your input. Iā€™ll let her know, we werenā€™t sure as there was no direct revenue coming from the use of the software.

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11

@quantj If sheā€™s only doing a 2D floor plan then how about QCAD ?

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12

As stated earlier - she can use Sketchup 8 for commercial use for free. IT should be capable enough.

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13

And so is QCAD, without the 3D distractions.

14

Thanks Dan, Iā€™ll look into QCAD, because youā€™re right, she doesnā€™t need 3D, would be cool, but not necessary

15

Thanks, I always wondered about SketchUp 8. Iā€™ll let them know, if they really want to do 3D floor plans, itā€™ll be nice, If not, Iā€™ll let them know about QCAD

16

as Gully has already elaborated, this is obvioulsy a commercial usage in a commercial context, direct or indirect is irrelevant for this.

17

Note that there is no official download available for the free version of SketchUp 8 any longer.

Anssi

18

Good to know, thanks. I may still have the old .dmg file somewhere since Iā€™m a hoarder. But I think Iā€™ll first recommend the 2D cad @DanRathbun suggested, probably be easier for them to learn.