Hello SketchUp Team,
I am a professional working in the industrial manufacturing sector. We use advanced cutting machines like ZUND G3, Elitron, and water jets.
I use and love SketchUp Pro for its incredible ease of use, intuitive interface, and speed. It’s fantastic for rapid prototyping and visualization.
However, for advanced mechanical and industrial design, many of us are forced to use complex, heavy software like Fusion 360 or SolidWorks. While powerful, their learning curve is extremely steep and their workflow feels slow compared to SketchUp.
My suggestion is to develop a new version of SketchUp (perhaps called “SketchUp Sculpt” as I imagine it, or “SketchUp Mechanical/Industrial”) specifically for this market.
This version would bridge the gap. It would combine the intuitive “Push/Pull” simplicity of SketchUp with the core requirements of mechanical design, such as:
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True parametric modeling (the ability to change a dimension and have the model update).
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Advanced assembly management and constraints.
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More precise tools for dimensioning, tolerancing, and manufacturing annotations.
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Potentially, basic CAM integration (like preparing files for our ZUND or Elitron cutters).
The key is to keep the SketchUp soul. We don’t need another complex CAD program. We need a tool that feels like SketchUp but performs like a mechanical CAD tool.
I am convinced that a product like this would capture a huge market of engineers, designers, and fabricators (like me) who are frustrated by the complexity of current tools but need more power than SketchUp Pro currently offers.
Thank you for considering this feedback.