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Alternative to Google SketchUp for quick sketches?
Google SketchUp used to be very popular among amateur "builders" - people would use it to design woodworking projects, 3D printer models, house renovations and so forth. The main strength was that it has a simple and intuitive interface that does just enough for an amateur who simply wants to have their idea sketched out on paper. It did not have advanced CAD features that are mostly helpful to professionals working on complex projects in large teams, which kept the learning curve gentle.
It seems that recently SketchUp was purchased from Google by another company, that wants to charge for the "pro" license and made the free version web-only.
Is there a good free replacement for SketchUp that fills the same niche?
1 answer
I know three options:
- Blender - generic 3D modeling software. Very powerful, with many features and large community. A few years ago it used to be notorious for its steep learning curve. It is probably overkill for sketching out simple projects, but has the advantage in that if you do learn it, at least it is a healthy program with a lot of developers contributing it.
- FreeCAD - a FOSS CAD program that aims to provide similar functions to AutoCAD. A lot of support for parametric design where shapes are described in terms of mathematical or geometrical functions (extrusions, revolutions, set operations rather than directly manipulating vertices). The documentation can be spotty and it is sometimes hard to get help online. Does not have much support for texturing and other aesthetic effects.
- OpenSCAD - uses a programming language to define objects in a procedural matter. The program then runs such scripts to render a scene. Quite a bit simpler than FreeCAD, but also even more invested in the procedural model over WYSIWYG.
Notably, it is also possible to obtain old versions of SketchUp and run them: https://jayscustomcreations.com/sketchup/
I don't think any of these options are sufficient to answer the question stated, but I'm adding them here because they're better than nothing.
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