SketchUp as a tool for Architectural and Interior Design

SketchUp is a great tool for conceptual design studies and work. 

It's easy to learn, and it took me about two hours on a weekend to learn . And, easier still to use in designing and visualizing architectural  interior designs. 

SketchUp is strictly a 3-D tool. SkecthUp uses a separate application to view the design in 2D, called "SketchUp Layout". It comes with the SketchUp free download (for one month), but it opens with a separate thumbnail.

The kicker is, SketchUp Layout cannot manipulate the converted 3-D data from SketchUp. SketchUp transfers the original data into Layout as JPEGs. 

So, for instance, say you want to dimension a floor plan, created in SketchUp, and export it to a .dwg. This file will not be editable by AutoCAD or any other CAD software that reads .dwg files. It will read the data, but that's it. You cannot shift a wall or move  furniture - even if you explode the data (the images are deleted).

Regardless, many architects have chosen to ditch AutoCAD and Revit, which can be very user-unfriendly, and instead create construction documents in SketchUP.

We find great value in SketchUp, but recognize that we shall continue to use it for quick 3D renderings and conceptual studies. 

We leave you with this analogy: "SketchUp is to Revit, as Fusion 360 is to Inventor?"

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