SketchUp is a 3D modeling solution designed for professionals, comprised of various utilities, such as a layout designer, a style builder for customizing models, or a powerful editor.
The GUI is very intuitive in a manner that even a novice user would be able to use it, despite not having the knowledge to edit and create 3D objects. The Actions Menu has well-crafted icons that are very descriptive, but the interface could've had a more modern color theme. The actual color scheme reminds of early 2000s.
The features, as I said in the beginning, are very well represented. First of all, with the built-in editor users can design 3D objects from scratch, customize models with different styles, or combine 3D models.
The program supports the import of data from DS, DWG, KMZ, JPG, PNG, PSD, TIF, TGA, and other file formats. With the DWG import into LayOut, users can take advantage of DWG libraries, and find illustrations that are already scaled to paper size.
Moreover, now it's easier to embed projects with more useful information, such as price, URL, size, or type thanks to the advanced attribute feature.
Also, you can now generate reports that aggregate component data, so you can create detailed estimates or reports about sum parts and quantities for cultists.
In conclusion, SketchUp is a complete 3D modeling program that has a highly intuitive layout, thousands of 3D models and descriptive toolbars. It lacks more architectural options like a wall tool, it's not built for users who have no 3D knowledge, has a high memory usage and it seems a bit too pricey even though it's a professional tool.
v18.0 [Nov 30, 2017]
-Advanced Attributes
Advanced Attributes allow you to embed useful information into your model when creating and managing components. You can now define the Price, Size and URL attributes when creating or editing components, as well as defining Owner and Status attributes for each component instance via the Entity Info dialog.
-Aggregation in Generate Report
We want to make the information in SketchUp models as useful as possible. In this release, we’re improving Generate Report to allow users to aggregate component data so you can extract and organize information contained in your models. That means you can configure Generate Report to sum parts and quantities for schedules and cutlists, or create detailed pricing estimates by listing prices by layer.
-IFC Export Improvements
BIM doesn’t really work if information can’t move freely between applications. We’ve dialed in our IFC exporter to ensure that the attributes you bring in from other applications or manipulate in SketchUp stay with your work when it leaves SketchUp.
-Named Section Planes
It seems simple, but naming something is the first step towards making it easier to find, organize, and edit that something. Now, even when your section planes are hidden, they’re right at your fingertips. Here’s how it works…
Create a new section plane and choose a name for it and a short symbol that will display in your modeling window. Your section plane is now a unique SketchUp entity that can be found in Outliner and manipulated in Entity Info. Use Outliner to quickly find, select and edit specific planes. Use Entity Info to edit naming conventions and organize section cuts into layers, then control the visibility of your section planes, cuts and fills via Styles.
-Filled, Styled Section Cuts
We have added Filled Section Cuts to SketchUp 2018. To access, open Styles > Edit > Modeling and toggle ‘Section Fills’ on or off, and set your desired fill color. When section fills are toggled on, SketchUp will render a fill on top of cleanly modeled sections. We’ll even help you troubleshoot geometry problems that are preventing SketchUp from recognizing the section you want to fill. Access troubleshoot mode through the section plane context menu when Section Fills are on.
-Section Plane Performance
While we were at it, we improved performance for models that use section planes to hide large amounts of geometry. Basically, the more geometry you section off, the more you’ll benefit!
Review 2D and 3D designs without using the application they were created in
Create a floor plan for your home and start adding walls and textures
