SketchUp (formerly Google SketchUp) is a face-based three-dimensional (3D) modeling and graphic design program. It is used for modeling environments in urban planning, architecture, civil engineering, industrial design, scenic design, GIS, video games or movies. It is a program developed by Last Software, a company acquired by Google in 2006 and later sold to Trimble in 2012.
Characteristics
Its main feature is being able to make 3D designs in a simple way.[1][2] The program includes among its resources a video tutorial to learn step by step how you can design and model your own environment. It allows you to update and print 3D images of buildings, cars, people and any object or item that the designer or artist imagines, in addition to the program including a gallery of objects, textures and images ready to download.
History
It was @Last Software
SketchUp was initially developed by the company @Last Software, this company is located in the city of Boulder, Colorado, co-founded in 1999 by Brad Schell and Joe Esch.[3][4] It was created in August 2000 as a 3D content creation tool and was conceived as a software program for professional use. The program won a Community Choice award at its first trade show in 2000.[5] The first version of SketchUp for macOS won a "Best of Show" at Macworld in 2002.[6].
It was Google
As of March 14, 2006, Google purchased @Last Software.[7] This was attracted by the work of @Last Software developing a plugin for Google Earth.[8][9][10] Although its popularity increased when it was in version 5. On January 9, 2007, Google SketchUp 6 was introduced, offering a free version that includes integrated tools to upload content to Google Earth and Google 3D Warehouse (lit.: Google 3D gallery).[11].
Google SketchUp Pro 6 introduced a beta version of Google SketchUp LayOut that includes 2D vector tools and page layout tools that allow you to produce presentations without the need for a separate presentation program.[12].
Urban plug-in planning
Introduction
SketchUp (formerly Google SketchUp) is a face-based three-dimensional (3D) modeling and graphic design program. It is used for modeling environments in urban planning, architecture, civil engineering, industrial design, scenic design, GIS, video games or movies. It is a program developed by Last Software, a company acquired by Google in 2006 and later sold to Trimble in 2012.
Characteristics
Its main feature is being able to make 3D designs in a simple way.[1][2] The program includes among its resources a video tutorial to learn step by step how you can design and model your own environment. It allows you to update and print 3D images of buildings, cars, people and any object or item that the designer or artist imagines, in addition to the program including a gallery of objects, textures and images ready to download.
History
It was @Last Software
SketchUp was initially developed by the company @Last Software, this company is located in the city of Boulder, Colorado, co-founded in 1999 by Brad Schell and Joe Esch.[3][4] It was created in August 2000 as a 3D content creation tool and was conceived as a software program for professional use. The program won a Community Choice award at its first trade show in 2000.[5] The first version of SketchUp for macOS won a "Best of Show" at Macworld in 2002.[6].
It was Google
As of March 14, 2006, Google purchased @Last Software.[7] This was attracted by the work of @Last Software developing a plugin for Google Earth.[8][9][10] Although its popularity increased when it was in version 5. On January 9, 2007, Google SketchUp 6 was introduced, offering a free version that includes integrated tools to upload content to Google Earth and Google 3D Warehouse (: Google 3D gallery).[11].
On November 17, 2008, Google SketchUp 7 was released with the integration of the SketchUp Component Browser with Google 3D Warehouse, LayOut 2, and dynamic components that respond to scaling.
On September 1, 2010, Google SketchUp 8 was released with the novelty that geolocation of models was introduced with integration of Google Maps and Building Maker (lit.: Google 3D building modeler).[13] Mac OS X Tiger was no longer supported. This version uses the Wine code.[14] Geolocation information is always stored in the KMZ file.[15] All buildings, designs, among others, are saved in SKP.
Trimble era
Trimble Navigation (now Trimble Inc.) acquired SketchUp from Google on June 1, 2012 for an undisclosed sum.[16] In 2013, SketchUp 2013 was released. A new site, Extension Warehouse, hosting plugins and extensions for SketchUp were provided.[17].
Consoles and extensions
SketchUp publishes the language it is written in, Ruby, so that users can write program segments to change functionality. These small or large programs are called extensions or plugins. There is a wide variety of these with particular applications such as the automated drawing of roofs, zooming tools, giving operation and dynamism to the tools or manufactured parts so that the behavior can be simulated as if it were real, etc. Since the century it has been more used because its functions are very useful for the society of architects and engineers.
Rendering
Volumetric modeling is done in SketchUp but there are programs to make a photorealistic representation such as Kerkythea, Vray, Twilight Render"), Corona, Lumion"), D5 Render"), Enscape etc.
Platforms
SketchUp version 24.0.553 (2024) works under Windows 10, Windows 11 and in OS X environments Mac OS 11 or higher. Previous versions (6 through 2013) work with Windows XP or Mac OS X 10.7 or lower. In the case of the other versions (2014 to 2022) they work with Windows 7 and Windows 8 or with Mac OS 10.8 up to version 11. These latest versions bring changes to the design of its traditional logo and add new tools to the program. There is no version available for Linux yet. It should be noted that work is being done to make it a multiplatform application.
Currently, what was SketchUp Make (latest version 2017) is now presented as SketchUp Free, in the browser version, and consequently, there is the option of working from GNU-Linux systems. SketchUp Pro does not yet run in such environments.
[2] ↑ Hippolyte, Pedro (2011). «TÉCNICAS DE MODELADO 3D EN SKETCHUP, PARA EL MANEJO DE MODELOS URBANOS COMPLEJOS DENTRO DE GOOGLE EARTH». Informática y representación gráfica. Consultado el 5 de julio de 2019.: https://www.fau.ucv.ve/trienal2011/cd/documentos/irg/IRG-1.pdf
Google SketchUp Pro 6 introduced a beta version of Google SketchUp LayOut that includes 2D vector tools and page layout tools that allow you to produce presentations without the need for a separate presentation program.[12].
On November 17, 2008, Google SketchUp 7 was released with the integration of the SketchUp Component Browser with Google 3D Warehouse, LayOut 2, and dynamic components that respond to scaling.
On September 1, 2010, Google SketchUp 8 was released with the novelty that geolocation of models was introduced with integration of Google Maps and Building Maker (lit.: Google 3D building modeler).[13] Mac OS X Tiger was no longer supported. This version uses the Wine code.[14] Geolocation information is always stored in the KMZ file.[15] All buildings, designs, among others, are saved in SKP.
Trimble era
Trimble Navigation (now Trimble Inc.) acquired SketchUp from Google on June 1, 2012 for an undisclosed sum.[16] In 2013, SketchUp 2013 was released. A new site, Extension Warehouse, hosting plugins and extensions for SketchUp were provided.[17].
Consoles and extensions
SketchUp publishes the language it is written in, Ruby, so that users can write program segments to change functionality. These small or large programs are called extensions or plugins. There is a wide variety of these with particular applications such as the automated drawing of roofs, zooming tools, giving operation and dynamism to the tools or manufactured parts so that the behavior can be simulated as if it were real, etc. Since the century it has been more used because its functions are very useful for the society of architects and engineers.
Rendering
Volumetric modeling is done in SketchUp but there are programs to make a photorealistic representation such as Kerkythea, Vray, Twilight Render"), Corona, Lumion"), D5 Render"), Enscape etc.
Platforms
SketchUp version 24.0.553 (2024) works under Windows 10, Windows 11 and in OS X environments Mac OS 11 or higher. Previous versions (6 through 2013) work with Windows XP or Mac OS X 10.7 or lower. In the case of the other versions (2014 to 2022) they work with Windows 7 and Windows 8 or with Mac OS 10.8 up to version 11. These latest versions bring changes to the design of its traditional logo and add new tools to the program. There is no version available for Linux yet. It should be noted that work is being done to make it a multiplatform application.
Currently, what was SketchUp Make (latest version 2017) is now presented as SketchUp Free, in the browser version, and consequently, there is the option of working from GNU-Linux systems. SketchUp Pro does not yet run in such environments.
[2] ↑ Hippolyte, Pedro (2011). «TÉCNICAS DE MODELADO 3D EN SKETCHUP, PARA EL MANEJO DE MODELOS URBANOS COMPLEJOS DENTRO DE GOOGLE EARTH». Informática y representación gráfica. Consultado el 5 de julio de 2019.: https://www.fau.ucv.ve/trienal2011/cd/documentos/irg/IRG-1.pdf