SketchUp

SketchUp is a 3D modeling program used widely by architects, interior designers, landscape architects and furniture designers. Its defining trait, the one its name hints at, is how quickly you can work in it, much like sketching on paper. Draw a face, pull it into a volume with the push/pull tool, and the massing of a building appears within minutes.

How SketchUp works

The program is surface-based: a model is made of connected edges and faces. That structure keeps things fast but asks for discipline, because geometry that touches merges, so groups and components have to be used properly. Tags control visibility, and saved scenes store camera views and styles. LayOut, which comes with it, turns the model into presentation sheets with plans, sections and elevations.

Plugins and visualization

Much of SketchUp’s strength comes from its extensions. Tools that solve stairs, roofs, window frames, furniture or landscaping parametrically, along with render engines that run inside the program, put it at the center of a workflow that runs from concept to presentation. It stands out in concept design, interior projects and quick visualization. For highly complex free-form geometry or projects that call for full BIM, it is usually paired with other tools. We introduce a store dedicated to modeling extensions in our article on the SketchUp plugin store.