Using MAC for Sketchup

Which are the best options of:

  • processor
  • disc drive
  • system memory
  • graphic cards

for macbookPro to operate with good performance the sketchup programme?

I already use Mac because i use adobe programs( illustrator, photoshop and indesign) and now i am going to start to work with sketchup too.
I need you help because want very good performance. thank you

The current 16" MacBook Pros work very well with SketchUp. No need to worry too much about the individual specs as they don’t differ greatly from the different models in that size range. Obviously more RAM and bigger video card are good, so get what you can afford.

On a side note, Adobe CC runs on Windows as well as it does on macOS.

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Thank you for the help, it is important for me to understand if it will have a good performance!

Yes i bet it does, but when i start to use adobe more than 10years ago, the best performance was Mac and then i get used to it, but i believe now the performance of windows should be equal :wink:

Not for everyone, it seems.

Thanks for the help.
I just need to know the minimum to work very good and have no problem with slow system, problem in rendering and saving because of big sketchup files…

Hello Daniel

Really? When you say new, you are talking about the macbook pro i9?? And came with that problem?? Yes, very strange when they announced that one is the fastest…

He’s referring to the new, entry level, 13" M1 MacBook Pro. The Intel models are not the newest, although Apple still sells them until they replace them with another M chip.

Yes correct, this is the model. If simply zooming in on a line drawing in plan view repeatedly causes the spinning wheel then I think I should return this computer.

What other Mac model laptops are people using with SketchUp? I need laptop for ease of travel to customers, ect.

He was talking about the M1 not the Intel macs. The intel macs are NOT the new models. I already know all about the M chips, you don’t need to explain in huge posts.

Once again I’m 100% aware of this. I even wrote that myself before you arrived. But this is about the M1 Macs which are NEW not the older Intel models which haven’t got the Apple silicon.

got it :slight_smile:

Thank you all for the help!!!

I am using the M1 Mac Mini (Big Sur OS 11.3.1). SketchUp Make works just fine but there are issues with the new Mac OSX compared to the previous Intel models. I am not listing them here but for example, when using the measurement tool or the text box tool, the the numbers and the text are all reversed and upside down!!. See attached screenshot. However, when you save drawings as pdf it corrects them so at least you can send details etc to clients or to yourself etc.

This behavior has been reported on several models of Mac under Big Sur (not just M1, I think, but not all models). It is something Apple did wrong in OpenGL support, not something that changed or was model-specific in SketchUp. You should report it to Apple since only they can fix it.

Surely it woukd bbe more effective if Trimble get apple to fix this. Apple will not respond to 1 individual.

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It isn’t clear who Apple listens to, but more voices can never hurt. After all, it is we users who buy Apple gear, not Trimble!

Last msg - promise!! I just spent ages with an Apple tech person linked to the guarantee for my new Mac with Big Sur to report the issue. Of course, after trying various things, the advice was to contact the app developer to encourage them to build an update for Big Sur compatibility!!!

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We did do that, or at least with 2021 it was tested under Big Sur, and that is listed in the supported systems. Although not stated to be ok with Big Sur, 2020, 2019, and 2018 seem to be ok. I still do some testing in 2017. 2016 doesn’t do so well.

SketchUp 2017 is not going to get any new updates, so you would need to find a work around to the upside-down text. It does seem to only affect M1 machines, and some have said that it’s only a problem on an external monitor. I had one of the prototype Mac minis, with the A12Z chip, and it did happen to me.

I have an iMac on order, due to arrive within two weeks. If its internal screen also shows upside-down text, I will join in with the attempts to find a work around.

Thank you all for the support!!

Thanks for this response Colin. It’s not only constructive but encouraging that it is something being looked at by people much better qualified than I am. I would like to be able to identify if it is the external screen issue, I wish I could understand why that might be. In fact, I have bought an M1 MacBook Pro but have not yet got hold of it because it was delivered to my daughter in a different country and Covid rules mean I can’t get it - yet!!! If you have any further news I would be very pleased to hear it. Regards
Hugh