SketchUp Free — The Complete Guide: Massing and Building Models in the Browser, and What the Free Edition Allows
SketchUp Free is the free edition of Trimble’s SketchUp, running in the browser. Draw a rectangle on the ground, pull it up — and you have a wall, a room or a building mass. That method makes it one of the fastest ways to show a design idea in 3D.
SketchUp Free
Trimble
The free browser edition of SketchUp for push-pull 3D modelling, for personal use only.
Get it from the vendorWhat you get
- Push-pull — fast modelling of masses, interiors and facades.
- 3D Warehouse — a library of ready-made models from users and manufacturers.
- Cloud storage — 10 GB in Trimble Connect.
- Basic export — SKP, PNG images and STL files for printing.
- No install — works from any computer with a browser and a Trimble account.
What is free and what is not
The free licence is for personal use only. Client work, office work or any commercial project needs a paid subscription (SketchUp Go or Pro). The free edition has no extensions and no DWG or DXF export, so you cannot pass plans on to drafting from it, and it needs a constant internet connection. It suits learning, sketches and private projects — not professional work.
Related tools
For home and furniture layouts free for any use — Sweet Home 3D. For an open BIM model — Bonsai. For free-form modelling and rendering — Blender.
Sweet Home 3D
eTeks
Draw a floor plan and see the room in 3D as you go.
Get it from the vendor
Bonsai (BlenderBIM)
IfcOpenShell
Native IFC editing inside Blender — open-source BIM.
Get it from the vendor
Blender
Blender Foundation
Full 3D suite — modelling, visualisation and presentation-quality rendering, with Python scripting.
Get it from the vendor
FreeCAD
FreeCAD Project
Open-source parametric 3D modeller with workbenches for solid modelling, FEM, drafting and BIM.
Get it from the vendorThe bottom line
An excellent tool for quick visualisation and for learning 3D modelling, as long as you remember it is for personal use only.