SketchUp
Fast, accessible 3D modelling for architects, interior designers, and spatial concept work.
What it is
About SketchUp
SketchUp is a 3D modelling application valued for the speed at which users can produce architectural and spatial concepts. Its push-pull modelling approach — click a face, pull it into a volume — is dramatically faster for massing and schematic design than parametric tools like Revit. Widely used in architecture and interior design for early-stage design development, client presentations, and visualisation. SketchUp Free runs in the browser; Pro and Studio add LayOut (drawing production), advanced export, and photorealistic rendering via V-Ray.
What you can do with it
Capabilities
Create a massing model of a building scheme in hours using push-pull extrusions and component placement
Import a site plan from AutoCAD and extrude surrounding buildings to build an accurate site context model
Apply materials, adjust sun and shadow settings, and produce client-ready visualisation renders from within the application
Download and place manufacturer-provided components (furniture, structural elements, fixtures) from the 3D Warehouse
Export 2D elevations and sections from the 3D model using parallel projection and LayOut (Pro) for drawing production
How to learn it
Learning Resources
SketchUp's free campus courses at learn.sketchup.com — well-structured and accessible at all plan levels
YouTube: TheSketchUpEssentials and Akin Bilgic cover SketchUp from beginner through to architectural production
Start with the browser-based free version — it covers every core modelling concept before committing to a paid plan
Pro Tip
Make every repeating element — a window, a column, a chair — a Component rather than raw geometry. Editing one Component instance updates all others instantly. Modelling without Components creates an unmanageable mess on anything larger than a single room.
Skills that use this tool
Roles that use this tool