I knew it was on the cards, and considering SketchUp has become much more business-like and less about ‘the people’ from Trimble took over, it still pains me to see this free version wiped out.
I don’t promote SketchUp Make, as an Educator I promote SketchUp Pro, however, a 30 day trial is not adequate, in my opinion, especially in today’s world with the hectic schedules we’re all dealing with, to understand the SketchUp interface and tools, before making the bigger decision to fully financially commit for a year. Particularly when you’re dealing with small business owners, like many of the Interior Designers I teach.
From a purely selfish point of view, the live FREE webinars I host, which provide an opportunity for new users to take SketchUp for a test-run, will be much more limited now seeing as there is nothing to fall back on, if the free 30 day trial has already expired.
I’d love to know if SketchUp will be considering extending the free 30 day trial or introducing monthly subscriptions now that SketchUp Make is no longer available? I understand that there’s a 3D Basecamp coming up, and strategically it makes sense to remove access to SketchUp Make before this event to ensure optimisation of sales. But I would have thought there would be additional safety nets put in place to soften the blow.
I love SketchUp, always will but the SketchUp brand has changed beyond all recognition over the last couple of years, which is so sad to see on a professional and personal level.
Allthough you could use it for that, SketchUp Make was never meant to extend the Pro trials beyond 30 days…
So I see no reason for Trimble to extend the trials or offer monthly subscriptions…
There’s a risk that new users to SketchUp, as a result of attending 3D Basecamp (or its marketing/promotion), will download SketchUp Make as opposed to purchasing a yearly subscription of SketchUp Pro. It’s very likely actually, as SketchUp Make is quite close to the Pro version. Why would you buy Pro when Make is there? Commercial/personal use aside.
I agree, SketchUp Make was not meant to extend the Pro trials, but for the purposes of training, a 30 day trial is limited.
This is where my point of view is coming from: training new users. I have no point of contact with SketchUp. Actually, my communication with SketchUp is non-existent and has progressively gotten worse over the last few years, even though I have asked SketchUp directly for an improvement in our interactions. This isn’t a ridiculous request, considering I promote and champion SketchUp daily.
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