The result was that SketchUp developed a deep-seated stigma within the design community. It all depends on your design and design visualization needs. SketchUp isn’t capable of everything, but it can do a variety of things. There isn’t a single piece of software available to architects who want to quickly visualize their plans in three dimensions and analyze space efficiently. The name SketchUp would not even enter your mind if you were an animator for Pixar, for fear of being tripped up by your life-size 3D model.

History of SketchUp

Brad Schell and Joe Esch, two Boulder, Colorado designers and best buds, conceived SketchUp in their basement. They were tired of battling steep learning curves in the 3D computer modeling community, especially for architects, who already had to deal with building code compliance, structural efficiency, and managing client expectations for ever-moving targets. The process of going from sketch to computer had to be easier.

They launched SketchUp in 2000 as their startup company Last Software to provide designers with a simple and elegant interface that allows them to draw as they please. Their designs could be played with in a way that is impossible with traditional design software, because it would be fun to use and easy to learn.

In other words, it provided obtuse architects with something to lead them into the digital era of 3D visualization by getting them to obtusely lose their mechanical pencils and drafting tables. Within the design community, Brad and Joe tapped into a market that lacked straightforward tools for assessing progress in three dimensions that was hungry for straightforward tools. Designers of all ages can quickly engage with the future of the industry with a basic understanding of a few modeling tools.

Initial Failure

SketchUp is generally considered obsolete by in-house CAD, Rhino, and Maya users due to its high level of discipline. They were able to produce quality output with SketchUp at the time, so their argument was persuasive. Use this tool carefully, otherwise your clients will think you’re designing their multi-million dollar beach house with a children’s toy. The tool was useful as a design tool, but not as an effective tool for visualizing.

Over the past few years, SketchUp has become more and more popular among designers. A growing number of renderers developed plug-ins to integrate the plugin seamlessly.

Google purchased the SketchUp license and integrated it into Google Earth, their database of real-world 3D models. Your architectural designs can now be exported with the click of a button into 3D models that can be viewed in context with surrounding buildings and landscapes. You can impress your clients in an easier and more effective way than ever before.

Why Client recommend you to use SketchUp?

You will likely get less-than-desirable results if you do not know how to use a tool. As opposed to focusing on its shortcomings, the most important and useful application of SketchUp is its ability to make drawings.

At least early on in the design process, they will be able to use it. In most cases, the early conceptual meetings with clients don’t take place in a conference room, but rather at your desk as you make them watch your monitors as you zoom and pan through their model. They see you as a wizard who conjured their new building with pixie dust and gigabytes. The trick is to transfer that wizardry to your client with relative ease, and SketchUp is the easiest way to do that.

Even the most archaic machine can run SketchUp, which is free. You will give your clients the model to take home with them, guide them through navigating the model, and watch them gleefully pan around their building as if it’s their own. It leads to a longer leash and improved trust when you empower your clients to participate in the process in this way.

Wrapping it Up

In the past few years, SketchUp has evolved in ways that make it in the league of 3D modeling giants such as Rhino and 3DS Max. Even though you won’t have as robust a toolkit as some of these more well known pieces of software, you won’t find a better tool to not only design, but also produce realistic renderings and visualizations.

SketchUp has become a part of lot of designer’s life, and they are no longer ashamed to admit it. The design community harshly criticized a program, but it came out clean in the end.

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