Free SketchUp

[Rob Bodenschatz]

With the Google buyout of SketchUp comes a FREE version:

http://sketchup.google.com/products.html

It's slightly different than the $500 version but it looks like it has most of the features:

http://www.sketchup.com/index.php?id=1439

[Vaughn McMillan]

You just made my night, Rob. I've been playing with the demo version, wishing I could justify $500 to buy the full monty. From the quick peek at the free version, it should handle my meager needs.

- Vaughn

[Tim Armstrong]

Awesome - thanks for the post. I just downloaded ... and realized I have no idea how to use this thing. Looks cool, just not sure how to use it.

[Helen Gee]

Wow! Thank you for your post!! I've been waiting for a while to get this, hope it'll make it easier for some of my future projects since I'm just a beginning!

[Jason Tuinstra]

Rob,

Thanks for the heads-up!!! I had played around with the demo a year ago and liked it, but couldn't justify the cost. Wow, I can't wait to play with the demo. It's downloading slow right now, must be the rest of you SMC'ers taking up the bandwidth :D :p

[Don Baer]

Thanks Rob,
I knew google would do something like this. I down loaded it and will play with it when I have time.

[Jim Becker]

Oh, my...such a deal! (Of course, I already own the product, but...now so many more folks can start working with it!)

[Jason Tuinstra]

Man, I forgot what a learning curve there is in this program. Whose going to volunteer to give us a tutorial on drawing a simple table? Maybe by 3AM I'll get the hang of it again:D

[Ian Barley]

Don't these people know that some of us have work to do. First Google Earth, now I have to spend hours doodling with Google Sketchup - it's a plot I tell ya!:) :)

[Paul Comi]

With the Google buyout of SketchUp comes a FREE version:

http://sketchup.google.com/products.html

It's slightly different than the $500 version but it looks like it has most of the features:

http://www.sketchup.com/index.php?id=1439

I'm thrilled about this and makes me love Google even more. This is a terrific tool for visualizing and designing woodworking projects and I use it all the time.

Now, if someone could just write a plug in that would generate both cutlists as well as visual templates for the parts in a project it would be scary powerful.

[Tim Burke]

Man, I forgot what a learning curve there is in this program. Whose going to volunteer to give us a tutorial on drawing a simple table? Maybe by 3AM I'll get the hang of it again:D

It's very intuitive and easy. Here is a drawing I made of my new shop building after just 5 minutes of learning http://sketchup.google.com/images/examples/Taj.jpg ;)

All kidding aside, I hope to learn this quickly. I am planning a new desk for our home office. Right now I have some bad pencil sketches and tape outlines on the floor. This would be a great help. I have seen other woodworkers use this and have been impressed at the creativity it allows.

Tim

[Andy Hoyt]

Let the learning curves commence. I expect my radius to be somewhere around 47 buhzillion lightyears

[Maurice Ungaro]

Guys,
As for the learning curve, they've got some pretty cool tutorial videos available on the site (free, of course). I have to wait for the Macintosh version to come out, but that's ok....I've got enough stuff to keep me busy right now.

[Todd Burch]

Paul, I'm working on a cutlist script already. I started it several months ago (September?) but I haven't done anything with it. Looks like its time to resurrect it!

Todd

[Art Mulder]

Wowee, and they're even promising a Mac version soon. That will be good news. So many people here have talked about it, and shown pictures that they've created, I'm quite keen to try this out. Too bad they don't have a linux version. :(
(No Windows in this house...)

[Frank Pellow]

Thanks for letting us know about this. Now, I am off to tryto download it.

[Lincoln Myers]

Thanks for the post. Looking forward to learning SketchUp along with the rest of you.

-Linc

[Alan Turner]

It's very intuitive and easy. Here is a drawing I made of my new shop building after just 5 minutes of learning http://sketchup.google.com/images/examples/Taj.jpg ;)

All kidding aside, I hope to learn this quickly. I am planning a new desk for our home office. Right now I have some bad pencil sketches and tape outlines on the floor. This would be a great help. I have seen other woodworkers use this and have been impressed at the creativity it allows.

Tim
Tim,
Great shop. It looks like many of the out buildings I have seen in Iowa. Nice work on integrating it with the neighborhood.

As to the upper floors, just storage and finishing, or does it have a heavy duty elevator for equiptment? 3 Phase?

[Scott Coffelt]

Finally, something for us casual users, I guess I may be migrating from doing my drawings on excel. I'll have to download this for my home PC and begin playing away.

[Larry Browning]

I was looking at the Recommended system requirements and I am afraid my PC falls a little short:( However, it does meet the minimum requirements. My experience with minimum vs recommended is that the recommended is really the minimum for running the program without massive slow downs and crashes. Is this also the case with Sketch Up? I was really trying to hold off buying a new PC until Vista.

[Jim dePrado]

Thanks! Looks like I'm hopping on the Sketchup bandwagon.

Jim

[Gail O'Rourke]

People speak so highly of it here....I am off to get it too. Thanks for the heads up.

Gail

[Norman Hitt]

OK....OK.....Now "Fess UP":rolleyes: , am I the ONLY DUMMY that can't erase that straight line for extra credit at the end of tutorial 1, without losing the outside wall as well, and I also can't get the far end of the arc on the gable to stop at the right place which gives the overhang a NOT SQUARE shape at the corner of the "Eave and Gable end".:o :o :mad:

[Jim O'Dell]

Norman, I'll go you one better...I'm still running windows 98SE and it won't work on it. :mad: :mad: Guess I'll keep the download for when I upgrade computers in a year of 2. :rolleyes: Jim.

[Per Swenson]

Thanks Rob!

And Tim,

Nice shop. I have a picture of that version on the side of my truck.

Per

[Don Baer]

Per,
Don't let your Dad get ahold of sketchup He's still got to mater the carvewright and doesn't nedd any distractions..:D

[Per Swenson]

Don,

He tried to talk me into the $500 dollar version a couple a months back.
Well it sits on my hard drive next too, instant architect, two other semi cad programs, drawing programs, awe jeez we have 280 gigs o crap here.
No I love him, but he kinda gets caught up right here on SMC.
I will be sure to point this thread out to him, Nah.
Per

[larry merlau]

thanks for the heads up, now to find time to learn it. i dont think i can be as fast a learner as tim was. and per you showdnt be advertizn your truck with out showun us the rust spots, false advertizn:D

[Per Swenson]

Larry,

No rust, I fixem with epoxy, sawdust and duct tape.

Don't you?

Per