Why even bother with Sketchup?

SketchUp
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I think I understand what you say.

I’m not advocating that you shouldn’t respond. I’m just saying that overall, when people like you respond to these posts, they get too much traction and too much attention.

For one side I think you have more to loose than to gain by giving stage to the sort of people that usually come by and shout out against SketchUp.

I’m also saying that your presence as well as others like you, also makes a bad thread become worthy to read.

If you guys didn’t participate, this thread would be pointless. Yet you do and then it becomes a bit sidetracked into being useful and interesting.

Somehow I feel it shouldn’t become interesting, it should fade into oblivion or die because lack of traction.

Anyway, just a small rant. You can carry on and if you do I’ll keep reading. I just rather not… But I won’t resist.

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23

Got it! You may be correct on that.

I assure you, I have nothing to lose in this type of discussion. My clients are homeowners, not aspiring sketchuppers. I get involved with things like this forum and basecamp because I’ve found the software a remarkable boost in my profession as an architect. I like sharing that with others looking to improve their deliverables to their clients.

That’s why you’ll see me respond to threads like this, but I get your point.

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24

You’re good willed and maybe I’m not. This happens to have been your booster as well as mine. For other people it’s more something that bothers. Why bother? move on to find something that doesn’t bother.

I rather help people that are willing than convince someone that won’t get it. The advantage of this world is that there “might” be something out there to suit everyone.

SketchUp isn’t perfect and though it can improve it won’t change from night to day. I’ve seen so many improvements to it, yet if I talk about them nobody cares.

I also see so much about it that is wrong, yet I didn’t steer away from it.

Why bother threads aren’t a bit constructive. So why bother?

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25

Unfortunately there is a double edge sword involved here. I too don’t bother with these threads as the same trolls and troll bait just keeps coming.
The downside to those ‘power users’ not responding and enlightening is that in these days of the poison caldron that is the internet, the crud floats to the top.
So too many negative, simply wrong, or should I say Alternative Facts, about sketchup become what the average searcher comes across. People have very short attention spans and it only takes a couple of negatives at the top of the list for the 3000 positives that come after to be ignored.
I do it myself, search for something, look at the first few search results and move on if they aren’t good. Not a sensible thing to do but it is human nature.
Therefore, do you fuel the fire by replying or fuel the disinformation by not replying.
Either way all you have to do, as it would seem nowadays, is say what you want and keep repeating it and it becomes the truth.

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26

I’ve used SketchUp for almost 10 years for my Architecture Studio, I’m shocked you use so many extensions, in our work flow we don’t use any extensions, unless it takes the model to Twinmotion or other software.
I don’t know what you and your boss use SketchUp for, but my impression is you don’t know how to use SketchUp to it’s full potential.

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27

I think there really is something to @rhegez observations…If you simply look at Trimble’s fleet of other products, they ain’t no dummies. Tekla in it of itself is a hugely powerful software that many fabricators use. Or even SysQue and or MEPconnect. They are all super powered Revit bundles for trade and consultant specific design and collaboration. So the short answer should be, anything can be done.

When I first heard of SU Studio, I got super excited and said…finally they are going to bundle a slick grouping of Architect/Designer specific (Trimble made) extensions and turn SU Pro into something [plus or minus] more than a subscription based version of SU Free.

I still think that could totally happen. I could see something like Studio having a more integrated and powerful version of Layout…

I unfortunately had to shift away from SU Pro for production and now only use it for Schematic Design only. I then transition the final approved iteration into Revit for production work. This for me has been the best way to still utilize SU but not completely loose productivity with the disconnect of Layout.

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And it has a huge price tag!

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cost of doing business…if you need it, you need it.

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I agree with Sonder. Architect for 45 years, used it all since 1985, t-square and vellum before that. I’ve been producing design / construction documents on native SketchUp Layout for the last 12 years with no problem at all. I would explore more plugins if I had time but I’m doing 15 projects a year and couldn’t do it without SU. I’d retire but BECAUSE of SketchUp I’m having too much fun. So much more to learn!

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31

Sorry Gents and Ladies, but I haven’t read all the replies so I apologise if it’s already been covered, however, if it has, this is another vote “against” plugins.

I love the plugins and would find it hard to operate without them… while I could, I could also use graph paper and a crayon instead of SketchUp. I love the product.

However, why are there plugins???.. Simply because of the inefficiencies of the base product. There is a room for user contribution, however, Trimble should purchase those plugins from contributors and incorporate them in the base product under the subscription (or any other fee) license.

I have been using SketchUp for years but am hung on 2018 version (though I have the “full” licensed for 2021, I believe the last prior to subscription) as new versions seem to offer little improvement for the additional cost… and then I have to re-install all the plugins which have never been as streamlined as they are reported to be.

If I paid (lets say) $10 per plugin, I would spend hundreds over the subscription price to “make my life easier”… costly expense! I am a hobbyist and make many (actually all) of my models available for free, however, I find that the latest installation makes 3D warehouse sharing a BIG tad difficult for older versions. I may be out of line here, however, if I am, I believe it’s basically because of the political red tape and trying to keep up with the current licensing setup… I apologise if I’m wrong.

I thank all the plugin contributors and you should all be on a pedestal… but all homage should be provided by Trimble and they should fork out appropriate shekels for the purchase of those plugins to be incorporated into the base product.

There are many plugings that are “trade” specific, however, some like “Round corver”, “curviloft” and countless others are nice to have for general operations and should be incorporated into the base offering.
Hell, to render a city block may be a worthy pay as you use pluging, but let’s be serious, how many people use that.

I have been an avid SketchUp user for the last 13+ years, however, found me loosing friendly support form non professional colleagues that have paid for Pro versions, due to latest direction.

WHAT DO WE HAVE TO DO TO WAKE TRIMBLE UP? or am I like many others wasting my time and like a rat… make “that jump” into the deep blue!

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32

First off I am a long time CAD user in the forms of AutoCAD, Revit and Sketchup. I started using AutoCAD 7 or 8 (good old DOS days) when it still came on a dozen disk and took a day to load.

I think it is important to note that other applications like AutoCAD and Revit also have a huge plugin market. If you follow Revit at all you are suppose to spend half your waking hours making Dynamo graphs to simplify your use of the application. And AutoCAD has been relying on plugin since the beginning of time. I have somewhere around 160 LISP files that have been written over the years to perform functions the application was missing or to save time.

Sketchup is no different in that aspect. If there is a plugin that makes you more efficient at your process install it and pay for it if it is a paid app. I don’t think Trimble needs to buy all these apps and bloat the application. I do not think Trimble can anticipate everyone needs. I like Profile Builder but not sure that is something everyone needs. Purge would be a great plugin for Tremble to incorporate and everyone could benefit from it.

Perhaps what would make some sense would be a user advisory panel that could sit with Trimble and review popular plugins and make a group decision if a particular plugin should be incorporated. I can honestly say that there are very few computer applications that I have ever used that I have not tweaked in some manner. As someone in this discussion said “it is the cost of doing business”.

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33

@xelaarak and @rhegez I fully feel your pain here.

I’ve been using Sketchup since version 5 or 6 and have watched it go from AtLast, get absorbed into Google, then Trimble, and each time there’s optimism that SketchUp will evolve into a better industry tool, and each time I feel like were met with some degree of disappointment.

I don’t expect SketchUp to buy and incorporate every available plugin, but seeing a steady useful evolution between versions, with a hand full of real upgrades or tool additions, would be nice. Especially since the current version is not at all different from the 2018 version mentioned above. Like @xelaarak, I also have 2018 and 2022 because I regularly find discrepancies and stability issues in the current version that I don’t in 2018 (had the same experience between versions 2013 and 2018), and have legacy projects that depend on those older versions. I think the overall gripe many of us seem to have with SketchUp, is the fact that we are now paying a monthly or yearly fee and are seeing very little evolution of a beloved product.

If you look at other programs (not to compare tools or uses but to compare development), you see a great deal of evolution year over year, even month over month. You see this in Enscape, and an even better example is Blender. Te blender team has adopted industry standards for the work that the product does and evolved those tools within the product without deviating from the overall goal of the software, to provide a great tool for 3D artists and VFX generalists. You can do everything from digital sketching to full-blown VFX in the tool, but i still has a whole library of incredibly useful add-ons. The best of both worlds, and it’s never once made efforts to turn itself into a different tool. I cant and wont do design work in Blender. Its just not suited for it.

SketchUp is a design tool that should be taking pages out of Blender’s book. Double down on the fact that it’s a design tool. Evolve tools specific to different design profiles, furniture, architecture, landscape etc. I use it as a Visualization tool myself, but it’s because of its flexibility that I continue to use it.

I think all the community is saying here, is we expect more out of our tools, especially if we’re paying for them, and it’s not inappropriate for us to say so. Ill be the biggest champion for SketchUp as I’ve made a career out of using the tool, but that also means I’ll always be its biggest critic and push for positive change and evolution in the product.

my 2 cents…

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34

I don’t think that SU will be purchasing plug ins for a variety of reasons including the willingness of the creator to sell.

Also consider the number of people that complain about the subscription price. What if it were to increase by 50%? What if the plug-ins chosen only address 2% of the users? The number of reasons NOT to make that decision far out weigh incorporating plug-ins into the base program.

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35

you lost me right there

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I haven’t heard of any effort to try and acquire plugins to be included with SketchUp. But, at least four significant plugin developers have been acquired over the years! Those four people certainly contribute a lot towards how new features should work.

One advantage of adding features to SketchUp rather than acquiring a plugin or two, is that the feature will work in the web and iPad versions. Take Weld for example, one of the popular plugins could have been included, but as it’s a basic feature now, it does work in web and iPad.

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37

Collectors items.

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38

I think the problem is trying to make things what they are not. In this case, having SketchUp be a professional 3D modelling software when it is not… First of all, it was not born as one, although it was intended.

When Google acquired SketchUp roughly six years after its creation, it was automatically doomed to be a hobbyist 3D modelling tool. Google wanted to 3D model each building for Google Earth but it was too much, so they bought SketchUp and gave it out for free! Does that sound like a professional 3D software to you? Nope.

Regular people (aka not professional 3d modellers) were using Sketchup to model all sorts of things, including buildings and landmarks to be integrated into Google Earth.

This is the kind of 3D tool that has the reputation of being the program you introduce to your 70 yo grandma so that she can have fun modelling her house. Clearly not a professional 3D suite.

Sadly, and as it has happened with many old software, it became very popular and industry standard.

I agree with OP 100%, the reason why some people on this forum and people like your boss promote SketchUp so much as is exactly because at one point in time it was very popular and became industry standard for lack of anything better. They have been using SketchUp since they were working for someone else and it is all they ever knew and will ever know, and thus think its the best tool.

I am pretty sure that if a poll was made, 80% of the people who promote or praise SketchUp are +40 year old. Most young 3D modellers, architects, etc who have experience with other 3D software come to SketchUp and can’t believe the amount of basic functionalities that are lacking. There is honestly no point in discussing this because it is self evident. The program is extremely behind compared to contemporary 3d software.

I could do an infinite list of basic functionalities starting with ‘export selected’ continuing with ‘3d gizmo’ and ‘extrude in user defined direction’ and ending with ‘uv mapping’ and ‘import .obj files’. Add ‘multiple viewport’ in there too. It honestly goes on forever and most not even extensions can solve.

When you compare SketchUp to tools such as Rhinoceros3D, Cinema4D, 3dsMax, Maya and even Blender, its as if you were talking about a kids game instead.

And what is worse, this would give the impression that SketchUp is easy and intuitive, but as many experience users have said in this thread, they get tons of basic questions all the time. Guess the software is not so intuitive after all no? I think a funny thing has happened: the software used to be easy and intuitive, after all it was one of the earliest 3D software out there, if would often be the first time in 3d modelling for most. In present day, with many more options available, SketchUp might not be your first 3d modelling experience, and when you pick it up later, everything is counter intuitive. Cumbersome, prehistoric, repetitive, inefficient.

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39

Of course it’s a professional modeling tool. There’s a lot of people making money using it. I’m one of those.

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40

That’s not a proper way to define a professional tool. There is probably people out there making money off of Excel painting, does not make Excel a professional digital drawing tool now does it?

Also, if that was the sole definition, there would be no place for degrees of professionalism and yet people talk about this or that being ‘more’ professional than x… how so?

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@ShynnSup , what is your profession? What do you design and what software do you use to do it?