I have created a model from scratch of a small town, completely my own design. My dilemma is if I were to screenshot the model and trace over it for my comic, would there be any legal issues?
You could certainly trace over it and use it in your comic but if you are selling the comic then it’s pretty clear you would be using SketchUp commercially and would need to have an appropriate license. Your profile says you are using SketchUp Free (web) and that version doesn’t provide you with the required license.
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Thanks for the quick reply, may have to invest then, put too much effort in to turn back now.
Also does that include unpublished models?
What do you mean? If you are using SketchUp in the production of comics you are selling or otherwise getting money for, that would be considered commercial use. You can certainly make models in the pro or shop versions that you don’t publish.
I mean like if a model was created but not uploaded onto the 3d warehouse, surely there’s no way they can tell.
At this point I’m just going to use blender to make sure I’m 100% safe but this still baffles me.
I see. Whether or not you’ve published your model to the 3D Warehouse has nothing to do with this. It has to do with using SketchUp in the production of content for which you are getting paid.
That’s like saying “if I kill someone but they can’t find the body, I’m not guilty”!
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More like somebody lending me their pencil and later on claiming ownership of the pictures I draw.
I understand a lot of work has gone into sketchup and it’s an amazing piece of software just seems a bit harsh to charge for something that used to be free.
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Yes if they put that stipulation on the loan of the pencil and you agree to it by taking the pencil from them. You agreed to the terms when you started to use Sketchup Free. Those terms include not using the free versions of SketchUp for commercial purposes. This is not new.
Still seems so weird to me, been all over the internet with this one and getting alot of conflicting answers.
Who are you getting conflicting information from? The terms of use are pretty clear but if you are having difficulty understanding them, maybe you should seek legal counsel.
Various forums, some are saying if you trace it it’s original artwork others are saying you must change it at least 25% for it to be yours, this is just a beehive I don’t want to poke, think il just start again in blender, thank you for the advice though I appreciate it.
Good luck. See you in the funny papers. 
Sorry. Couldn’t resist.
It’s cool my reply was sarcastic anyway 
You may be mixing up copyright with licensing. If you create something unique, you own the copyright. That allows you to sell it if you can find a buyer and sue someone who tries to benefit from your work/imagination. But, as @DaveR points out, you are using a tool that you have been given a certain kind of licence to use. Free for personal use, paid for if you are earning from using it.
If every software company simply gave everything away free, how could they fund improvements, support, distribution, etc. The software is their intellectual property just as your comic may be yours. Not so hard to understand, surely?
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I don’t understand. I have been paying for SketchUp and its upgrades for, I think, 17 years. For me, it has never been free. Professional users have always been required to pay.
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Internet 101: Do not take legal advice from anyone over the Internet.
Read the terms and make up your own mind, or hire a lawyer.
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Back when it was Google SketchUp it was free for commercial use until it was purchased by Trimble in 2012
I’ve begun painstakingly rebuilding the whole thing in blender now it’s a higher learning curve but it saves all the hassle
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