SketchUp Versions

SketchUp Pro is a desktop software and is the traditional format for utilizing SketchUp. Recently, SketchUp has released a new way to access SketchUp through a web browser app, known as SketchUp for Web. While the newer version of SketchUp will be more accessible and does not require any installation time, SketchUp Web does not support Extensions or desktop integrations. Because of this, SketchUp Pro is the preferred software for working professionals.

SketchUp for Web has been included in many pricing models outlined on the SketchUp website. This includes SketchUp Go, SketchUp Shop, and SketchUp for Schools. SketchUp Studio has also been introduced, which includes SketchUp Pro and SketchUp for Web as well as a collection of design and analytics tools that go beyond the scope of this book.

A full comparison of the different SketchUp options can be found on the SketchUp website.

You can see the interfaces for SketchUp Pro and SketchUp for Web in the following figures. We will discuss the parts of the SketchUp Pro User Interface later in this chapter.

Figure 1.1: SketchUp Pro User Interface

You can see that SketchUp for Web needs to be run in a web browser and in this case, it is Microsoft Edge:

Figure 1.2: SketchUp for Web User Interface