SketchUp Reviews & Insights

Score7.6 out of 10

192 Reviews and Ratings

Community insights

TrustRadius Insights for SketchUp are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, third party data sources.

Business Problems Solved

SketchUp is a versatile tool that is widely used in various industries, including architecture, interior design, structural design, landscape design, and manufacturing design. Users have found SketchUp to be a fast and efficient solution for creating 3D models for designing buildings, furniture, equipment, and brochures. Its affordability and ease of learning make it accessible for both clients and consultants. SketchUp Pro, in particular, is a popular choice among organizations without extensive training. Real estate professionals rely on SketchUp to help sellers visualize different staging and marketing options for homes. It is utilized throughout all phases of design and construction documents for both residential and commercial projects. SketchUp excels at creating 3D drawings that meet various design requirements.

In addition to its architectural applications, SketchUp also finds use in other fields. For example, it provides visual assistance in test setups by allowing users to build 3D models that demonstrate the connection and transfer of forces. The software is internationally recognized for its extensive capabilities in making 3D designs easily, making it popular among architects, engineers, and industrial designers. In the construction industry, SketchUp is employed for design visualization and collaboration among team members. Nonprofit organizations utilize SketchUp to create visual representations of tradeshow displays, television studio set mockups, and graphics for printed publications. Designers in the furniture industry depend on SketchUp to quickly develop 3D models of office furniture and create prototypes.

Overall, SketchUp helps professionals from a range of disciplines connect better with their clients by providing a visual experience beyond traditional 2D drawings. It serves as the main visualization and 3D modeling tool for architects during client presentations, internal study sessions, and quick adjustments based on feedback. With its broad range of features and ease of use, SketchUp continues to be embraced by users across industries to enhance their design understanding and visualization capabilities.

SketchUp Reviews

15 Reviews

Mid-sized Companies (51-1,000 employees)

SketchUp is like a good friend, reliable in a pinch

Rating: 9 out of 10

Incentivized

May 19, 2022

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I use SketchUp for early design-phase work. It is much easier to creatively model in 3-D than other BIM software, especially when the design is frequently being changed. I also use SketchUp to create phasing diagrams, master plans, and renders. I really enjoy linking SketchUp to Enscape to really make the model come to life.

Pros

Visualization when connected with Enscape
Easy user interface
Ability to edit materials

Cons

Lots of "bug splat" crashes
Can't always create complex geometries without plug-ins
Only one employee can work in the model at once

Likelihood to Recommend

SketchUp is very well suited for rendering, diagramming, iterative design, fly-throughs, and phasing. It is a great tool for students and senior designers alike, and eases employees into more complex BIM software.
SketchUp is not great at construction documents, or anything that requires the Layout program; this is a headache.

Verified User

Employee (Architecture & Planning company, 201-500 employees)

Vetted Review

9 years of experience

The man, the myth, the SketchUp

Rating: 7 out of 10

Incentivized

December 20, 2021

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use SketchUp for quick iterations and design studies. Particularly conceptual level things. I think a lot of people in the design field have used SketchUp in school or at other places so it is important to have it in the firm if designers have a desire to use it.

Pros

it is intuitive, the hotkeys make sense, you can pick it up and start making 3D forms really quickly and it doesn't look overwhelming out of the box.
quick and nimble to create 3d geometry, morph it around, push and pull faces, vertices, edges, etc.
visualizing 3d geometry. It's called SketchUp and I really like the sketchy quality of everything. it feels looser than say AutoCAD.

Cons

you can't do NURBS modeling or true curves. everything is mesh-based. for example, if you want to make a circle, it will really be a polygon with many facets on it.
interoperability with other software isn't great.
construction documentation? it's possible but not as good as Revit or even AutoCAD/Rhino.

Likelihood to Recommend

I think SketchUp is really well suited for nimble design iteration and visualization. you can crank out some massing studies and make sweet-looking diagrams to explain broad concepts. where it falls short is when you want to get a more precise design going and leverage that geometry into Revit.

Andrew Huss

Junior Architect in Professional Services at Hollis + Miller Architects (Architecture & Planning, 51-200 employees)

Vetted Review

8 years of experience

Ideal tool for architectural design, presentation, and problem-solving

Rating: 10 out of 10

Incentivized

April 24, 2020

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use SketchUp for design studies and renderings primarily. The flexible modelling system, easy navigation, and customizable views make SketchUp easy to teach and troubleshoot. We have used Vray and Enscape plugins with SketchUp for renderings, lately favoring Enscape for the speed and high quality. We design residential, office, and cultural projects, and SketchUp allows us to quickly get feedback from clients as well as make quick adjustments based on the feedback. We use Revit for design documentation, and the two tools are fairly compatible. Revit can be easily exported to SketchUp, although there are limitations.

Pros

3D modeling.
Rendering.
Walkthrough/Animation.
Design review.
View styles.

Cons

Complex geometry.
Parametric modelling (ex. adjustable profile extrusions).
Additional views within the modeling window.
Grouping views.
Collaborative/simultaneous modeling.

Likelihood to Recommend

SketchUp is best used to solve difficult 3D design problems. It is the best tool to quickly model solutions, move around freely to review, and try alternative solutions. Once options are set, SketchUp plugins allow quick and flexible rendering production. SketchUp is very friendly to non-technical users and works well at client meetings to give a better sense of what traditional drawings represent.

In most cases, a separate documentation tool is required. We use Revit for a number of reasons, mainly to automate updates to drawings as the design progresses. Revit and SketchUp can work together, especially exporting geometry from Revit to SketchUp. In this case, you can freely move around the exported geometry in SketchUp and make adjustments for approval before returning to Revit for slower technical modeling/drawing.

Verified User

Professional in Professional Services (Architecture & Planning company, 51-200 employees)

Vetted Review

10 years of experience

SketchUp 3D modeling software

Rating: 10 out of 10

Incentivized

February 25, 2020

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

The design department is using SketchUp 3. It's a great and easy CAD software.

Pros

You can create different types of 3D models, from architectural sketches, as it is widely used, to furniture, toys, mechanical parts, that is, whatever you want.

Cons

I don’t have anything to complain about SketchUp 3D, is a straightforward software that everyone can learn.

Likelihood to Recommend

With SketchUp 3D, we can clearly and simply, with well-defined and developed tools, and the SketchUp 3D library, the software provides an incredible response to commands. And with that, we can quickly create different shapes and volumes.
Like the physical model, always used in architecture, 3D modeling allows us to advance in terms of time and precision, with materiality and spatiality that no two-dimensional design would allow.

Verified User

Engineer in Engineering (Mechanical Or Industrial Engineering company, 201-500 employees)

Vetted Review

3 years of experience

SketchUp: saved my life with a deadline

Rating: 9 out of 10

Incentivized

February 22, 2020

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

In our company, we often use SketchUp to create 3D model concepts to help our customers have a better idea of or expand details for AutoCAD drawings. That is a good way to explain a difficult detail or structure. The biggest problem is that the layout and dimensions don't seem good and are hard to control. Many members must work in a separate file but cannot collaborate together in the same file.

Pros

Build a model very fast and save a lot of time.
Easy to change details, materials or scenes. Update in real time with layout.

Cons

Layout is not easy to create or control.
Not easy to do dimension in 3D view.

Likelihood to Recommend

It is good to use SketchUp with urgent projects because it is fast, easy to use, convenient, and very efficient. But it still has some disadvantage points that need to be fixed as soon as possible. Anyway, I would recommend SketchUp for other uses because of what its benefits can bring to us.

Trang Huynh

Cad Draftsman in Information Technology at Kingsmen Company (Architecture & Planning, 51-200 employees)

Vetted Review

6 years of experience

Great for 3D modeling of dams!

Rating: 10 out of 10

Incentivized

February 10, 2020

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use SketchUp for building our 3D models of new and existing dams. It’s used in the final stage of building our 3D dam models, where we put all the individual pieces of the dam together and organize and line everything up in coordinate space. It is used across multiple offices in the firm for many different applications related to 3D modeling and dam engineering.

Pros

Organization.
Ease of use.

Cons

Not very detailed.
Drawing can be finicky.

Likelihood to Recommend

SketchUp is well suited for pretty much anything related to engineering, whether it be civil, mechanical, etc. It’s particularly useful in the civil/construction industry for design and modeling of features you otherwise wouldn’t be able to see in 3D space. Although it’s multi-talented, SketchUp shouldn’t be used for anything that requires extreme precision.

Verified User

Engineer in Engineering (Civil Engineering company, 201-500 employees)

Vetted Review

1 year of experience

Great for rough drafting, not so much for real precision layout

Rating: 7 out of 10

Incentivized

February 10, 2020

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use SketchUp internally to generate mockups or quick graphic representations when we don't have time to build an entire 3D model. I'll use it especially for landscape architecture demos, or anytime I need to put together a demo for a client or for marketing. It's not used by the engineers, it's really just over here in Environmental that we get more use out of it.

Pros

Speedy modeling of simple shapes - You can very quickly get an idea sketched out.
Rendering basic shapes to then export and use in other programs - If I need a specific background to pull into a photoshop drawing.

Cons

SketchUp is very difficult to maneuver in - It can take ages to position objects correctly.
It can also be tough to teach - l am working with engineers that are building models in Microstation and AutoCAD and they can't understand how to build objects.

Likelihood to Recommend

SketchUp's compatibility is very dependent on your use case. If someone said, "Hey, do you know a software suite for rendering highway transportation plans?" I wouldn't suggest SketchUp - as much as I've used it, I've not seen that it's not good for precise measurements or for laying out clear plans - but it's great for rough planning or drawing up quick ideas.

Nathan Bowman

Environmental Scientist in Engineering at HMB Professional Engineers, Inc. (Civil Engineering, 51-200 employees)

Vetted Review

5 years of experience

View profile

SketchUp Review

Rating: 8 out of 10

Incentivized

July 3, 2019

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

It is being used across the whole organization, but ks primarily used as a tool in our design department's workflow.

Pros

Extremely rapid modeling.
It's simple to learn, understand, and use.
The floating licensing easy to use.

Cons

No real performance improvements in recent years.
No Microsoft SharePoint/OneDrive integrations.
The present and past few releases have had severe performance issues on high-end systems.

Likelihood to Recommend

SketchUp is well suited for workflows that require rapid creation and iterations of designs. It is not well suited as an actual BIM tool on its own.

Verified User

Director in Information Technology (Architecture & Planning company, 51-200 employees)

Vetted Review

14 years of experience

SketchUp Review

Rating: 8 out of 10

Incentivized

February 13, 2019

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

It is being used by the Design Department.

Pros

3D Modeling.
Compatible with a lot of rendering programs.
Easy to export and import 2D graphics.

Cons

Curving/organic structures.

Likelihood to Recommend

SketchUp is suited for most scenarios, but if you want a more organic structure, it's less appropriate.

Verified User

Employee (Marketing and Advertising company, 51-200 employees)

Vetted Review

5 years of experience

SketchUp is a great beginner software with limitations for larger and more precise projects.

Rating: 10 out of 10

Incentivized

February 11, 2019

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I use SketchUp for quickly developing 3D models of ideas. It has been useful for demonstrating machine aspects, home projects, and conveying the general idea for the customer.

Pros

Easy to pick up and use.
Intuitive buttons and menus for tools.
3D that is available to anyone.

Cons

Measurements are limited.
Great if including a renderer application.
More file export options.

Likelihood to Recommend

SketchUp is great as an introduction to 3D for education, home projects and a very useful tool for how easy it is. Higher level CAD systems (such as CATIA or SolidWorks or NX) are needed for professional applications.

Verified User

Engineer in Manufacturing (Aviation & Aerospace company, 501-1000 employees)

Vetted Review

10 years of experience