Created as a general-purpose 3D content creation tool, SketchUp has transformed into one of the most widely used CAD software across different disciplines, including architecture, engineering, construction, urban planning, and interior design. SketchUp is a polygonal surface modeling software. Designers call it “polygonal” because everything drawn on the software consists of multiple polygons – flat shapes bordered by straight lines; the term “surface modeling” indicates that it draws hollow 3D models. SketchUp is also a vector program because it creates vector files that can scale up and down without sacrificing quality, instead of raster files consisting of individual pixels. Raster files lose quality when scaled up (enlarged).
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Why do designers like SketchUp?
As the name implies, SketchUp allows you to “sketch” freely and loosely without inputting numbers. A significant advantage of the approach is that the program helps its users think spatially. Previously owned by Google and now a product of Trimble Inc., SketchUp offers both commercial and non-commercial versions. Since November 2020, SketchUp has stopped selling lifetime licenses and turned into a subscription model instead. SketchUp is, by all means, a great tool. The world of 3D modeling design services is broad and filled with individuals of different talents. When SketchUp is not exactly what you’re looking for, here are some alternatives you can consider.
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Autodesk Inventor
Of all the 3D modeling functions Autodesk Inventor can do, creating a digital mechanical solid prototype is best. The software allows users to draw accurate 3D models for product simulation before the product exists. Inventor is popular in tooling creation, design collaboration, and 3D mechanical design.
Inventor has been around since 1999 and is a persistent top contender for the market’s most sophisticated 3D modeling software. Thanks to the feature-rich system, Inventor is an excellent option for mechanical engineering firms to handle massive projects efficiently. It also offers extensive post-modeling tools for documentation, rendering, and simulation. Inventor is aimed more toward professionals and is mainly used for industrial applications.
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Quick Facts About Inventor
- Developer: Autodesk
- User base: Professionals with an engineering background
- Operating system: Windows
Features
- 2D and 3D mechanical design
- Parametric and free-form modeling
- Stress analysis and dynamic simulation tool
- Automated part design
- BIM interoperability
With so many features wrapped in one package, Inventor is not the most accessible 3D CAD software to master. To feel comfortable using the software requires dedicated training time and a good grasp of engineering knowledge.
Cost
Autodesk Inventor is not cheap, even when compared with the most sophisticated version of SketchUp. The annual subscription fee for SketchUp Studio is $699, whereas Autodesk asks for $2,190 per year. If you are unsure about subscribing, Autodesk offers a 30-day trial version, and the good thing is that it has all the features of the premium one. After the trial license expires, you can no longer access the software unless you upgrade. There is also the “educational access” version of which Autodesk allows eligible students and educators to access Inventor free of charge for one year. Educational access is renewable.
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Autodesk Fusion 360
Unlike Inventor, which is commonly associated with CAD professionals and industrial applications, Fusion 360, also from Autodesk, offers a more friendly interface and easier learning curve for enthusiasts, including hobbyists and educators alike. Despite such an outlook, it’s a sophisticated program with generative design and topology optimization. Fusion 360 is cloud-based CAD software. All files created using the software are stored online within the Autodesk account.
Any user with an approved account can access the files – a feature that makes Fusion 360 an excellent option for collaborative purposes. Resource-heavy processing is also performed in the cloud, for example, generative design and rendering. Its native F3D files contain just about every bit of information related to a project, including simulation, CAM-generated tool path, assembly, design, and so forth.
Quick Facts About Fusion 360
- Developer: Autodesk
- User base: Serious hobbyists and professionals
- Operating system: Windows and Mac
Features
- Parametric modeling and sculpting
- 2D drawings documentation
- Built-in rendering capabilities
- 3D prototypes for additive manufacturing
- Cloud-based data storage and simulation
- Manufacturing constraints and costing
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Fusion 360 essentially covers all the bases to create an intricate engineering design as it handles the different steps of the product development process. You can do the modeling job using freeform, sculpting, solid, and parametric options. When it comes to the engineering part, you are welcome to take advantage of the sophisticated simulation. Fusion 360 can also help manufacturing professionals fabricate parts using 3D printing or a CNC toolpath.
Cost
Autodesk Fusion 360 is a premium 3D CAD software. No free version is available, with the exceptions of the trial software and education access. Autodesk does not even allow you to purchase a perpetual license. The subscription fee is $495 annually, although you can have a custom multi-year option.
Tinkercad
The simple drag-and-drop interface is suitable for CAD beginners and even kids. For anybody without prior experience with 3D modeling, Tinkercad offers an easy way to get into the discipline without a steep learning curve. Its colorful look may suggest that the software lacks seriousness, but in reality, it offers all the basic concepts of 3D modeling and is sophisticated enough to create intricate designs. In addition to 3D modeling, another good feature is the electronic assembly simulation.
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Quick Facts About Tinkercad
- Developer: Autodesk
- User base: CAD beginners, teachers, students, and children
- Operating system: Web-based
Features
An entirely free alternative to SketchUp and yet another from Autodesk is Tinkercad. Users create their 3D models in this web-based platform using solid geometry of primitive shapes such as cylinders, cubes, cones, pyramids, torus, and spheres. Users can create new shapes using the built-in JavaScript editor. The software also can build structures using Lego bricks.
- Web-based 3D modeling platform
- Shapes and objects modification
- Smart duplicate
- 2D and 3D objects import
- Straightforward design for 3D printing
- Create 3D objects using line of codes
One thing that makes Tinkercad so great is simplicity. It allows you to convert ideas into digital 3D objects made of familiar shapes. You drag and drop the shapes you need into the design plane and modify them using simple commands. Unsurprisingly, many professional modelers return to Tinkercad periodically because the platform is easy to understand and use.
Cost
Tinkercad runs in your web browser, and it doesn’t cost a penny to access and use. You need to sign in using your Autodesk credential to access the program.
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Art of Illusion
Widely popular among the RepRap (Replicating Rapid-prototyper) community, the open-source Art of Illusion is a powerful 3D modeling program with its own image rendering feature. The surface-based modeling method makes the software relatively easy to use and straightforward, yet it also includes advanced capabilities such as animation and texture creation tools. Skeleton-based animation and graphical language are available out of the box, enabling users to create materials and textures using mathematical descriptions (procedural). Art of Illusion is surprisingly intuitive and sophisticated, a combination of characteristics typically found on much more expensive software.
Quick Facts About Art of Illusion
- Developer: Peter Eastman and others, open-source
- User base: Beginner to intermediate-level CAD artists
- Operating system: Windows, macOS, and Linux
Features
- 3D modeling with primitive shapes, polygon mesh, hologram, and implicit objects
- Procedural textures and materials
- Skeleton-based animation
- Built-in rendering capability with good lighting options
- Feature extensions with plug-ins and scripting
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Cost
Art of Illusion is available for free, but in terms of features, the software is comparable to many of its premium counterparts. The interface is intuitive for beginners yet extensible enough for experienced modelers.
Shapr3D
Emerged in 2016, around the same time iPad Pro and Apple Pencil were released, Shapr3D became the first app to introduce semi-professional 3D modeling capabilities to mobile platforms. Beginners have plenty of options to explore their way into CAD, but even some of the most basic desktop software is still quite daunting. Although Shapr3D was intended for experienced users – from industrial designers and professional engineers, its attractive user interface has proven not to scare away first-time learners.
The pressure-sensitive Apple Pencil makes designing 3D models on a touchscreen feel natural. Now that iOS apps can run natively on Mac computers, the software keeps up with the pace and has recently launched a desktop version. Despite its simple, playful look, Shapr3D is inside, powered by the same engine as SolidWorks.
Quick Facts About Shapr3D
- Developer: Shapr3D
- User base: Everyone from beginners to experienced modelers
- Operating system: iPad Pro with Apple Pencil and Mac
Features
- Powered by Siemens Parasolid
- 3D direct modeling on mobile
- 2D sketching and constraints
- File import and export
- Augmented Reality capability
- Works online and offline
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In many ways, Shapr3D is like SketchUp but with a better solid modeling method. A better comparison is to Onshape since both derive from the Parasolid geometry kernel, yet Shapr3D works offline just as effectively as online.
Cost
Shapr3D is available in free and premium versions. The free application has the same 3D modeling tools as the premium one. However, users are only limited to two active designs. The standard version costs $29, and the business version costs $59 monthly. It offers more file compatibility with CAD formats from other programs and 2D drawings for manufacturing; both have no limitation to the number of designs you can create.
How Cad Crowd can assist
Cad Crowd provides pre-vetted, high-quality 3D modeling and CAD services on-demand. Our network of qualified freelance designers and engineers are experts in their fields, whether architectural design or mechanical engineering. We also provide a unique crowdsourcing opportunity. You can host a contest where you get to post your design and have the community submit their interpretations. You get to choose the best design from the submissions and only pay the winner. Learn how you can launch a design contest in under 15 minutes. If you need assistance with a CAD draft or 3D model, find out how it works, or contact us for a free quote.
There is not 3D Alternative to SketchUp that can work and respond like SketchUp whatever software you have out there, nothing compares to the ease and workflow in SketchUp. Coming from a background of over 20 years have been using various software’s like 3dsmax, Maya, Blender, AutoCAD, Modo etc. Sketchup is almost like it sounds, its sketching your ideas, the only drawback for me was the performance, since the meshes that i build are pretty heavy. For a beginner it’s very easy to follow and make something from concept to finish. The learning curve is really not that difficult either. You come to a point when you forget the tools and you just work in it like you drawn with a pencil held in your finger. I have been using SketchUp only for the past 6 years and its already my favorite go to tool for any architectural concepting and design.