Sketchup

PC World

  • Review
  • Specs
  • Images
  • User Reviews
  • Buy Online

SketchUp 5 from @Last software, recently acquired by Google, allows anybody to become a fairly proficient technical drawer in next to no time with its simple interface for 3-D design. While its software isn't as powerful as computer aided design (CAD software), it is a lot simpler to use.

Pros

  • Excellent in every way

Cons

  • Nothing of note

Bottom Line

SketchUp 5 is as simple to use as MS Paint, yet it’s very powerful and will serve well as an initial introduction to design software, or as a supplement to users already experienced in design software, in almost any field that requires modelling.

Would you buy this?

  • Price

    $ 640.00 (AUD)

Using a 2-D interface to draw in 3-D has always been a significant challenge, but SketchUp 5 overcomes the difficulty of doing this by using inferences off already established objects or edges and "guessing" which plane you are drawing in. The patented push/pull tool also allows you to easily extend object faces.

There is a dimension annotation tool that will accurately give dimensions of all surfaces at the touch of a button. It is even able to scale your model instantly. Once your model is finished you can experiment with textures, colours and real-time shadows and then render it with a few different effects such as transparency, enhanced edges or a hand-sketched appearance.

A tour guide function allows you to set predefined walkthroughs, including cross-sectional cuts, which can be exported in .avi or .mov format. Likewise, design sketches can be exported to a vast number of other design programs, such as Autodesk's 3ds Max. The beautiful thing about SketchUp 5 is that most of its tools and expressions are intuitive, so you can literally just start drawing. @Last provides a lot of tutorial videos that are very helpful and will have somebody who has never used a 3-D design program working efficiently in a few short hours.

Keep up with the latest tech news, reviews and previews by subscribing to the PC World newsletter.

Be the first to comment.

Post new comment

Users posting comments agree to the PC World comments policy.

Login or register to link comments to your user profile, or you may also post a comment without being logged in.

Most Popular

What's the difference between an Intel Core i3, i5 and i7?
Samsung’s 2013 Smart TVs: everything you need to know
How do I connect my TV to the Internet?
Laser vs. inkjet printers: which is better?
Windows 7 Home Premium vs. Windows 7 Professional

Best Deals on PCWorld

Software and ServicesView all »
SecurityView all »
Servers & StorageView all »
Desktop PCsView all »
NotebooksView all »