Blender vs SketchUp - Which is Right for YOU?

[@SketchUpSchool]

Did you figure out whether Blender or SketchUp is right for you? If you did, do us a quick favor and let us know which one is right for you in the comments below… or just let us know you liked the video by giving it a like 👍. Got a SketchUp question you'd like to ask us? Ask it in the comments!

[@Cathy29870]

As a hobby, I used a free version of SketchUp for several years and when I reached the limits of this software, I started to get bored. So I started learning Blender a few years ago to create organic models. Now, I can model, sculpt, render my models to print on canvas, and finally for a year I have 3D printers to bring my models to life. I no longer use SketchUp (except when I need to make architectural plans with precise measurements because it is very quick to achieve).

[@SketchUpSchool]

Sounds like you traveled nearly the same path as we suggested to Steven in our video by starting with SketchUp and then adding Blender for the organic and sculpted models. Glad to hear that has worked out well for you!

[@caissa6187]

Really appreciate the instructive video! Great tips, I'm going with Blender because (with the exception of #7) it seems to have most of what I'm looking for. also, I have the time to sit and play with the software so that's ok with me. Thanks!

[@moisesmunoz5333]

SketchUp School Hi I love your videos they are really helpful, I was wondering what laptop do you recommend for me an architecture student to use in uni, I was leaning towards a MacBook Pro 13 inch.

[@gkgurukrupajewellers8280]

Hello.... Can you pls tell me that can we create our own design on sketchup make...... And can u pls tell that is it difficult to make an interior design of a huge villa with the help of blender... and which one will be be easier to use for bigger projects in future like making a ship with interior??? Pls reply on these quieres.... Thank you🙏🙏🙏

[@RonAday]

I switched to Blender for all my woodworking shop designs. The animation and locked movements are key for me. And I am very tired of Tribble or Audodesk nerfing their products over and over. Open source is the way to go. Takes longer to learn, yes. More powerful and predictably immune from corporate nerfing, yes. And ... it's free. :)

[@SketchUpSchool]

Hey Ron - happy to hear that the switch to Blender has been successful for you!

[@attorianzo1]

I would really be happy seeing you how you use blender for woodworking? would you make some videos for that?

[@parentheses7777]

This is by far the most fair comparison I've ever seen on youtube!!!

[@SketchUpSchool]

Awesome - glad to hear you liked it!

[@Ratatted]

Hey minced xD

[@parentheses7777]

@@Ratatted Hello!!! : )

[@julienckjm7430]

The unbiasedness in his video made me appreciate this man like a lot.

[@NasserMGH]

+1

[@rajendrameena150]

I learn Sketchup in the beginning and used almost all free extension of it like Fredo tools and Other. Then I inclined to blender and make it my first choice for modelling. Start from 2.8 release it becomes very intuitive and faster also i can get a lot of professional level tutorials both free and paid to kickstart my journey to Architectural Visualization and animation....

[@SketchUpSchool]

Thank you for sharing your story!

[@Claw94]

how is your journey going with Blender so far? Is it your go to choice for Archviz?

[@rajendrameena150]

@@Claw94 yes, i still do concepting and modelling part in blender using boxcutter. But other material and rendering work in corona renderer due to its simplicity and photorealistic quality. But you can also use d5 or twinmotion instead of corona as quality is almost same but at my time corona was best. I also use 3ds max in my workflow as all archviz tutorials are mainly focused on 3ds max. It has huge library of models, textures,scripts &add-ons and in today's time you can find any model in max format. But still blender is unique in the way of its workflow, all tools under one software(feel of creative spirit), it is a complete package and it's development makes me stick to it and also I can't leave max due to its old legacy. But now surely, i don't use SketchUp but sometimes use moi 3d, this is my process but you can go with SketchUp and any renderer like lumion, d5, twinmotion or any other like vray. Also, it is not bad to learn to upgrade yourself and try your hands on new software and skills.

[@howard6798]

I'm going to try Blender. Primary reason is I don't want to pay $299/yr for my use (non-professional, personal). I don't want an internet-based program. Having worked with advanced programs like Adobe Premiere, Photoshop and After Effects the "learning curve" ahead to learn Blender is not intimidating and I'm willing to put in the time. Thanks for the video!

[@SketchUpSchool]

Awesome - based on everything you mentioned, Blender sounds like the perfect choice for you! Good luck!

[@eljuanote5687]

The "learning curve" in Sketchup is worse than Blender. There is far too much that Sketchup can not do and a beginner will be utterly defeated trying to figure out why. Avoiding such a headache would be my advice.

[@aethelwolfe3539]

Just try to make terrain in skp is a nightmare. I’m RhinoCAD it’s just a command called contour.

[@StinOfSin]

What a clear and straightforward comparison, without getting too mired in the details that beginners wouldn't appreciate anyway! I can tell you put a lot of preparation and production into your videos, and it really shows, thank you!

[@SketchUpSchool]

You're very welcome!

[@ericcvt]

Ive used blender since 2.76, for fun. I guess I'm now hooked to it. It is troublesome for me to switch. The presentation was wonderful.

[@SketchUpSchool]

Awesome - glad you liked the video, and happy to hear that Blender has worked well for you!

[@nspidel]

I've been working as a prop and environment artist using Blender for the past few years, and this is absolutely spot on. Really good video.

[@SketchUpSchool]

Really happy to hear that you liked the video!

[@gregoryannicchiarico3570]

I really like that, although your channel is SketchUp School, you give an honest comparison to Blender.

[@SketchUpSchool]

We worked really hard on trying to make an honest and fair comparison - happy to hear that shined through for you!

[@rathemoor5712]

Very impressed with how non-biased you were with your presentation and points. You were completely objective and told the viewer what product was (objectively) better for what they needed either for. Kudos to you.

[@SketchUpSchool]

It is definitely our goal to help people make the best choice - whether that be SketchUp or a totally different tool. Happy you noticed!

[@rathemoor5712]

@@SketchUpSchool Well, I wish you and SketchUp success. You definitely deserve it.

[@vibhoryonzon2617]

First of all thank you so much Alex for this wonderful video. Well, I am interior designer and I have been working in sketchup for seven years. And for organic looking models I have 3D warehouse. That doesn't mean I underestimated Blender. But with it's steep learning curves it will be hard for me to shift to blender. As a interior designer can I stick with Vray Sketchup forever. 😊😊

[@SketchUpSchool]

You're very welcome! Glad you liked the video!

[@jimbowling8528]

By profession I'm an urban/suburban planner (now retired), and I've used Sketchup extensively for 12 years now, and I've dabbled in Blender. I concur with your recommendations. Well done.

[@SketchUpSchool]

Thanks - glad to hear you agree!

[@Hongsen]

I am blender user since five years. Honestly this is by far the most fair and guiding comparison. If anyone keen to learn 3D animation and VFX then blender is perfect suit for them.

[@SketchUpSchool]

Really happy to hear that you agree with the way we compared the two applications!

[@michaelcarlucci9281]

Blender... All day, every day... PERIOD!

[@SketchUpSchool]

Glad to hear that Blender is the right tool for you!

[@Mechrank]

@@SketchUpSchool😂

[@impaqtfx4526]

Great video comparing Sketchup with Blender. I've used both and have a great appreciation for ease of use. Blender definitely has a much longer learning curve, but very impressive especially given that it's free. I create custom props and have found Blender extremely helpful in this area.

[@SketchUpSchool]

Glad you liked the video and thank you for sharing your experience! Very helpful!

[@superviewer]

Thanks. I had started in Sketchup a few years ago without getting very far. Then when Blender 2.8 came out I tried to get into it with not much succes. Now I'm back in Sketchup for it's simplicity and will pick up Blender when I have gained enough experience.

[@SketchUpSchool]

Good luck with learning SketchUp. And be sure to let us know if you have any questions!

[@PaulGJanzen]

That was a great comparison. Thank you. I used Sketchup for many years, but I always had to use a virtual Windows Pc, as I use Linux as my main OS. After I discovered Blender, it was goodbye Sketchup. In my case the price also makes a difference. I will always prefere OpenSource, if the software does what I need to. And Blender, like you said in the video is very capable of doing everything and more than Sketchup. Also, it maybe a little bit harder to learn, but it really pays of in the long run. And like others already commented the latest version is much more intuitive.

[@SketchUpSchool]

Thanks for sharing your experience! Happy to hear that Blender has been the best choice for you!

[@CHRoOMAX]

Been using SketchUp frequently for 2-3 years and started using it even earlier, now, having recently found out about Blender's cycles render engine, I've started my architectural journey in Blender and have already found success in render quality. The modelling part is still not as fast as SketchUp for me, but all the control and extra features you get with Blender solidifies my now-changed opinion that Blender is a step above, not only as far as photorealism goes, but especially when it comes to animating your presentations and controlling movement. That being said, SketchUp is definitely way faster to learn and better for quicker model production.

[@SketchUpSchool]

Happy to hear that you've been able to make a successful transition to Blender. If you can make that leap, it's certainly a powerful application!

[@m.g9011]

#9 community Just search for tutorials and look at the results.. Sketchup: How to model a house Blender: How to model a three-headed lizard

[@lalallaa12]

😂😂😂

[@doyunkwak550]

Well i do not want to offend everyone but if you did a little bit of research on the blender community this is not true lol

[@m.g9011]

@@doyunkwak550 well, last time I checked they had a dude dressed like a superhero called Captain Disillusion.. as if that wasn't cringy enough they started the siminar with "ladies and blendermen" lol

[@doyunkwak550]

@@m.g9011 not a fan of captain disillusion myself.... but people like blender guru or anyone else is great

[@uniplays-onbreak]

🤣🤣🤣

[@michaelmcgowan4969]

I live in small room and was just looking for a buy furniture and organised it. I am also starting a businesses in hospitality and needed a way to create floor plans. But after watching you video. My choice is clear SketchUp will be my choice. "Thinking ahead blender will be good for somethings in my business plans down the road. I really got a lot out of the video thanks.

[@SketchUpSchool]

Sounds to me like you're making a good choice to start with SketchUp. Glad the video helped!

[@thatmukundbalaji]

I've used both and they both are quite fairly matched in my opinion.

[@SketchUpSchool]

Thanks for sharing your experience!

[@saymone962]

Blender is the best imo, especially since the UI is now improved and simplified.

[@SketchUpSchool]

Yes, the UI improvements in Blender make it so much more friendly to use now than in previous versions.

[@shargosiddique4315]

As a Civil Engineer SketchUp is the best software for me! Thank You for this video.

[@SketchUpSchool]

You're welcome!

[@CreateWithGlenn]

This video was one of the best pieces of professional guidance ever created and shared on KZbin -you set a high standard that few can match. Thank you Sir.

[@SketchUpSchool]

You're welcome - glad you enjoyed it!

[@Holaaparty]

After a year that I've switched from Sketchup to Blender just for sake of faster built in render engine for my interior work, now I'm learning to do VFX shot in blender XD , such a good decision I made it helps me improve my skills a lot that I couldn't think I would.

[@SketchUpSchool]

Really happy to hear that the switch has been worthwhile for you!

[@153naomi]

At Sketchup, I created a project for my entire house. It is very fast and most of all I like connecting objects and accurate, fast measurements and especially the possibility to use auxiliary lines. I am using the latest free Sketchup 2017 offline. I then export interior designs for friends, including furniture, to Blender and use amazing rendering there. And I also present the tour in Blender. For me, it's an ideal combination of both great programs, because I mainly create interiors.

[@SketchUpSchool]

Thanks for sharing how you use SketchUp and Blender together - sounds like a great combination for you!

[@edmarferreirajunior724]

I used sketchup for 18 years. Fantastic software. I switched to blender for financial reasons because I live in Brazil, where software license fees are expensive. but I fell in love with blender. Now I think I wouldn't go back to Sketchup even if I could pay for the license.

[@SketchUpSchool]

Glad to hear that you found Blender and that it's working well for you!

[@dyneryzen]

Great comparison! Blender 2.9 came up with a lot new features for easier architectural models, so it's a no brainer for me to choose blender. But I have to give it to SketchUp for virtually having more or less drag and drop things. I also do animations, so, again, blender is the final choice for me

[@SketchUpSchool]

Glad it was helpful!

[@ericmoore549]

I use SketchUp quite a bit at my work. I am learning Blender now for use with animations and such. I found this video helpful. Thanks for sharing.

[@SketchUpSchool]

You're very welcome!

[@donaldkirson9351]

Blender. This was one of the best instructional videos I've ever seen. Great job!

[@SketchUpSchool]

Wow, thanks!

[@archcast5550]

Been using sketchup roughly 8 years then discovered blender and linux , it was the time when cashflow was not good blender helped me a lot because it is free... Sketchup is nice because of GIS plugin but blender now has also GIS plugin for site analysis. . I can say Sketchup is nice when there are no budget constraints. Blender is also nice when you are just starting out. RTX support even if you do not have rtx card is also possible in blender experimental builds that saves my office by not throwing away my old titan x gpu . Thank you for not being biased... Great content subscribing!

[@SketchUpSchool]

Glad you liked the video! And thank you for sharing your experience with others - really helpful!

[@DarkAutumn3D]

I've been a 3D model artist, working with games engines for 19 years now... Fantastic question! I've always been into drawing out room plans, starships schematics, etc. since I was about 13 years old. I do use both pieces of software but I feel that things would be much faster in Blender and other things would be faster in Sketchup. I've set my units and scales up precisely so that I can easily export, to exact scale, from Sketchup to Blender though.

[@SketchUpSchool]

Thanks for sharing!

[@martinsantos3781]

Thank you for this. Im searching and planning to switch from Sketchup to Blender

[@SketchUpSchool]

You're very welcome!

[@faresjawad3096]

Don't if u r an architect or interior / landscape designer .. or even structural engineer .

[@dtz3ddesign91]

@@faresjawad3096 why is that?

[@steveyoung836]

I am going to use Sketch Up. After looking at some Blender vids, it looks fabulous, but I need it predominantly for a house extension and redesign of several rooms in the house and need the drawings for the builders to get a very good idea of what we need. So from now on I will be looking for Sketch Up tutorials. Thank you very much for this very helpful video.

[@SketchUpSchool]

You're very welcome! Glad it was helpful, and good luck with the project! Be sure to contact us at [e-mail] if you have any questions along the way.

[@steveyoung836]

I am going to start looking at your vids to start from scratch tonight. Thanks.

[@FinalBossYugo]

now i know blender is the way for me, thank you and have a nice day everyone!

[@SketchUpSchool]

You're welcome!

[@JayCWhiteCloud]

Thanks...it was helpful... I'm a "Pro" user of ver 18 of Sketchup...I'm moving to Blender and waiting for it to catch up to the many of us that are tired of being left behind by this company and its "boardroom," profit margins being more important than old licence holders or the future of the program. Blender (I think) will only get better with time as it applies to Architecture... Thanks again for your video...

[@SketchUpSchool]

You're welcome!

[@nathans.509]

I was about to start using Fusion 360 and came across your video. Definitely made a lot of sense to go with SketchUp instead. Thanks Alex, this was a very fair comparison.

[@SketchUpSchool]

Glad we could help!

[@cyber4joy]

Started Sketchup years ago but left it behind when payment model started to change. Liked Rhino better specially when I had to pay for either to get full features. Like grasshopper in Rhino but lately started looking at Blender 2.8. I hate to say it but after learning the others learning Blender was not difficult at all especially the modeling side. The rendering I have not needed much but I figure it will be same level of difficulty as the rest. Overall I think becoming Blender expert would have been the best choice to start with.

[@SketchUpSchool]

Glad to hear that you have landed on Blender and that it's been a relatively smooth transition!

[@tahirkhan4743]

Sketchup Pro... I am an Architect and my purpose is same as stephen, so i came up with that Sketchup is the right tools for me...

[@SketchUpSchool]

Happy to hear you've chosen SketchUp - seems like the right choice for you.

[@BrannanR]

Could not agree more using and mastering both Blender and SketchUp.

[@SketchUpSchool]

Glad you agree!

[@Ruvolk]

Thank you for the information. It's very enlightening. I have already looked into SketchUp. The question came up about Blender. Now I know I need to learn it!

[@SketchUpSchool]

You're welcome! Glad the video was helpful!

[@cekuhnen]

We just finished another semester and time is money or get the homework done right showed how quickly sketchup just fails when you do something semi complex particularly when you deal with curved surfaces. And then dealing with uv texturing and rounded edges becomes a major pain. While the uv texturing in sketchup is perfect for flat surfaces - that’s also then kinda it. Modeling basic stuff in sketchup and rendering in blender offers a workflow that also defeats Enscape or Lumion. Too bad blender has a deeper learning curve to jump into it. The ease to jump into it about sketchup is really true.

[@SketchUpSchool]

Thanks for sharing your experience.

[@MsSuzza]

Hi Alex, excellent presentation - clear, concise and packed full of details. And, yes! I did figure out which one is right for me. Since I do woodworking, and graduating from being a hobbyist to a professional (had my first "paying" customer) I decided to go with Sketchup.

[@SketchUpSchool]

SketchUp is definitely a great choice for woodworking!

[@SteveRuggMastermarketeer]

Thanks I was not sure which would be best. I toyed with the idea of Gaming Environments. If I had pursed that Blender would have been the best choice. Appreciate the time it takes you to do these videos.

[@SketchUpSchool]

You're welcome! Glad this video helped!

[@laboratoriumworkshopilmuko3529]

to do a standard 3d modeling I use SketchUp as well as for 3d printing job, thanx to SketchUp for its precise dimension (up to 0.001 mm precision) and also the guide tool in SketchUp is quite helpful where there's no such a tool in blender (or Maya). Blender is free, but it takes a longtime to create just a simple 3d geometry which it must be precise in dimension. So, if you need a precision go for SketchUp, but if you need complex design with less precision you might go for blender

[@SketchUpSchool]

Thanks for sharing your experience!

[@jobynamcgee8563]

As a student in the Sketchup School, I am very interested in your feedback. I eventually plan to go on to rendering but have a lot more to learn about "clean" modeling. I totally agree with everything you have said here. These models and process require a good computer, which I now have. I think that learning 3d modeling in Sketchup to the max, including a few extensions for SU, before worrying about Blender as you seem to suggest. . Eventually I hope to learn more about how best build models in SU that can be exported into Blender.

[@SketchUpSchool]

Hi Jobyna - For the types of projects you are working on, I do think you're on the right path with learning SketchUp first and then adding Blender down the road.

[@valen9882]

This was REALLY helpful, thank you so much! I am going to invest time learning Blender, since I´m a graphic designer and I need the software for more complicated subjects such as modeling stuff, animation, rendering in a realistic way, and so on. Thank you so much.

[@SketchUpSchool]

You're very welcome! If you're interested, we have a Blender channel as well that you can find here: www.youtube.com/@BlenderAcademydotcom

[@edmcgugan2079]

Thank you. Nice and clear. Been using SU for over 10 years. Works well. Doing complex curved element modelling right now with 2019 Pro and it works very well. All static admittedly, which is all we need for our application. This was a good explanation though. Thank you.

[@SketchUpSchool]

You're welcome!

[@daysdreamer]

First i learn sketchup, because its easy to use and learn, and i learn it very quickly, but my growth got stucked with bcoz it lacking with tools for furniture modeling, and i dont like to use extention, And then i am trying to learn blender now and sktech up knowledge is really helping me to learn quickly. Basicly for advance modeling we need to learn blender.

[@SketchUpSchool]

Happy to hear that Blender has been a good choice for what you need to do!

[@sylviavanessen-timofeeff199]

I want to learn making 3D models for a 3D printer. And I’m looking around for a good and free 3D modeling program. thanks to your clear comparisons between sketch up and Blender, I know Blender is a good option for me.

[@SketchUpSchool]

You are welcome!

As a Blender and Sketchup user, to summarize I would say sketchup is technical and Blender artistic (which has nothing to do with precision modeling you can achieve in both software, but for the final result you are looking for)

[@SketchUpSchool]

Thanks for sharing your experience!

[@edwardplamondon4772]

Great video. Sketchup sounds like the better choice for me, at least for the short run. As I am modeling a fictional ship layout.

[@SketchUpSchool]

Glad you liked the video - best of luck with your project!

[@TerenceKearns]

Excellent comparison. I'm a blender user, but I can see how it would be way better to use sketchup for certain things.

[@SketchUpSchool]

Glad you liked the video!

[@TerenceKearns]

Blender 2.83 has some amazing new cloth features. Great for furniture design - upholstery etc.

[@osmorof_a]

I learned sketchup back when it was beta version and company bought 1 and I enjoyed the 3D warehouse. Then again this year re-learned it. For me its the easiest

[@SketchUpSchool]

Glad SketchUp is the right choice for you!

[@2sites]

this was really honest and thorough. I really appreciate this video.

[@SketchUpSchool]

We really appreciate the kind words!

[@mohammedqadir6187]

Really important and realistic points, the same question I asked myself

[@SketchUpSchool]

Thanks for taking the time to share!

[@kenichilinusong2856]

Currently I'm a SketchUp user, and I intend to learn Blender as I get to the limits of maximizing what SketchUp can do 😃

[@SketchUpSchool]

That's great - I think you'll love using Blender as well!

[@sovrandigital9249]

Thanks a lot for your this VIDEO, I had the same query and it helps me a lot to be finalized, First SketchUp than Blender

[@SketchUpSchool]

You are welcome!

[@Mechrank]

I was an occasional sketch-up user & now going towards the blender route.

[@SketchUpSchool]

Definitely check out our Blender channel: www.youtube.com/@BlenderAcademyTutorials

[@nachiketh3650]

Really great video! after getting too many crashes in a 100mb 4mil poly file I've finally decided to learn blender which can handle 45mil easily. ( I have been using sketchup as a kid, for over 9 years.) Sketchup hsa become so under-innovative since trimble.

[@SketchUpSchool]

Yes, Blender can handle much higher polygon models and is a really good tool for projects that need that level of detail.

[@samirbhavsar]

I've seen quite a few tutorials from you Guys and very well taught tutorials, very structured yet simple enough to understand and practice. This one is perfectly compared both tools. Thanks for such wonderful help.

[@SketchUpSchool]

You're very welcome!

[@arisavios2405]

i found your video very helpful. i have been using sketch up 4 years now and i found it really easy to learn and use. but, i think sketchup have a lot of limits. i believe that if you master autoCAD and you can produce all your technical and 2d drawings from there, blender should be a better or more professional if you will, software to use.

[@pickledshoe]

Just downloaded blender so stoked XD

[@SketchUpSchool]

Awesome - good luck with it!

[@ruthannemarie2668]

so since I'm trying to create backgrounds for my comic that can be customized and fit my story better I'm going for Blender. thank you so much! I was really lost on which program I wanted.

[@SketchUpSchool]

Blender could be a good choice. But just so that you know, SketchUp is a really popular tool for creating comic backgrounds. Here is a forums thread with examples of using SketchUp to create objects and background to use in comics: sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=81&t=71573

[@mikekaiser700]

Great video!!! thanks for taking the time to do it. I think you are spot on. I have been using Sketchup 2014 for years. In architecture and furniture design. I been wanting to up my game and work on more improved renderings. I just started using Blender and the interface is more difficult to wrap my head around. So to keep my efficiency with molding i have been using both with exporting and importing models. have you tried this? how does it work with for you? Any tips and tricks you would like to share?

[@SketchUpSchool]

Yes, if you are comfortable modeling in SketchUp and then want to take those models into Blender to take advantage of Blender-only features, that can work really well. We will definitely put that sort of workflow on our list as a possible future topic for a video.

[@T-Wali]

The best comparison video on you tube...thanks

[@SketchUpSchool]

Glad you liked it! And you're welcome!

[@IlkinKarachay]

Rhino is one of the few best 3d programs for architects. because it is a CAD software which means it doesn't need Autocad for plans, and also it has three awesome plugins which are V-ray, grasshopper and visual arch.

[@SketchUpSchool]

Glad to hear Rhino works well for you!

[@Titere05]

Very nice video man, totally on point and comprehensive. Liked

[@SketchUpSchool]

Glad you liked it!

[@PaulNewman3503]

I have been using SketchUp for years and your videos have been a great help to me. Thank you. One question I do have is, can I import my SketchUp models into blender to take advantage of the the rendering that Blender seems so good at? I have used Shaderlight in the past for my renderings and appreciate your recommendations for other programs. Cheers.

[@SketchUpSchool]

Yes, you can take your SketchUp models into Blender to render them. The upside is that Blender has fantastic rendering capabilities and it's also free - so no added expense to give it a try. The downside is that you'll need to invest some time into developing a workflow for bringing your SketchUp models into Blender and modifying them for rendering purposes. Another option is to use a SketchUp extension like V-Ray for SketchUp (which is comparable to the Cycles rendering engine in Blender). It's a paid extension (as opposed to Blender being free), but you can render your SketchUp models inside SketchUp which is a bit easier than learning to take them into Blender. And if you are looking for a real-time rendering option comparable to Blender's EEVEE engine, you can try tools like Lumion, Twinmotion or Enscape3D. They are a little easier to use with your SketchUp models out of the box when compared to brining SketchUp models into Blender.

[@dreamagery]

Great tips. Blender also has "Appleseed" as a render. Which, in my opinion, has incredible prowess.

[@SketchUpSchool]

Thanks for sharing the tip on Appleseed!

[@dreamagery]

SketchUp School my pleasure. I appreciate your work!

[@mctuble]

Great comparison. Been learning blender but might switch to sketchup since I only need simple 3d models

[@SketchUpSchool]

Yeah, if you just need to create simple models, SketchUp could be quicker to learn for that.

[@biggim3265]

This was so helpful, many thanks I will now opt for SketchUp Pro to draw up my interior Design plans. Compared to other options out there like Auto Cad and Vectorworks it seems to be the fastest to learn and the cheapest as well. Great to have your info on rendering plug ins too, will consider v - ray once I master basic skills.

[@SketchUpSchool]

You're welcome! I think you're making a great choice (with solid reasoning) in SketchUp for your interior design plans.

[@geoffphil]

Thanks Alex. You really know your stuff!

[@SketchUpSchool]

You're welcome!

[@radioactiveag2531]

Minor correction mate.. the biggest difference between the two is not price its the fact that Sketch Up is 2.5D whilst Blender 3D is full 3D. Major limitations in calling Sketch Up a 3D modeling program. That said both are wildly useful when being a game creator, architectural design and even cosplay building. Use them hand in hand. Current blender 2.91 allows you to import Sketch Up scenes. Which nicely allows you to build in sketch up then transfer it to blender for better rendering. Unless you have Vray on Sketch Up. Vray is very nice tool. Also expensive. So you might just want to build in Sketch Up then render in Blender. Still great video. Don't usually pay attention to KZbin commercial suggestions.

[@SketchUpSchool]

Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment sharing your experience. We really appreciate you taking the time to do that!

[@EggDreemurr]

Honestly I would look at blender tutorials and take notes and then make good models that are complex and it would make people think how hard the developer spent time on it

[@emmaslow]

I migrated Sketchup 8 from whatever pc or laptop I had for years, and then somehow managed to lose my files, but luckily grabbed Sketchup Make 2017 before the free desktop version got retired. I use it a lot but only ever for personal use, and I'm so glad I've been able to hang on to it for so many years, because I'm not a natural at learning this, and even some 20+ years on, although I can produce a 3D house model fast, and can do full construction plans etc, how I achieve it is still clunky. I can't imagine having to keep learning a slightly different version - I'd have given up, I think. I can't even manage the web version, as not everything I use is available (or maybe just not obvious to find), and navigation is hard on your hands - much less useable than my ergonomic mouse with the desktop version. I've just installed Blender, as I'd like to be able to do renovation animations, where the 'old' elements of a house fly away and new items drop down and slide in - like a TV renovation programme - but watching this video makes me think I'll invest a bit more time still in exploring Sketchup extensions before tackling a whole new programme. I love the VR capability of Autodesk's Maya - but that's a way too steep investment for what is essentially a leisure past time for me! Thanks for covering so much info without disappearing down technical rabbit holes. I found this comparison & explanation video really, really helpful.

[@SketchUpSchool]

Glad you liked the video and that it was helpful. And thanks for sharing your experience!

[@amberbranham3810]

Sketchup is the best tool for me, thanks for the informative video!

[@SketchUpSchool]

You're welcome!

[@taddic_]

Thanks for the great video! I was gonna go with Blender since it is free. But since I want to design a house I think I will start with the free version of Sketchup and see how far that takes me. Even if I reach the limit of the free version in a few months it will most likely be worth it since I won't need to pay to learn the basics of the program.

[@SketchUpSchool]

SketchUp Free is definitely a bit easier to learn for designing a house so I think that's a good first choice.

[@taddic_]

@@SketchUpSchool Great! Seems I chose a good starting point then :)

[@steveodavis86]

This video was fantastic. I'm only checking out the capabilities of 3D applications for home use and for some fun. Very insightful. I've subscribed and liked it regardless if I will end up dabbling in 3D. Good work!

[@SketchUpSchool]

Glad it was helpful!

[@tonycharron73]

Thanks for the great review of the 2 software tools. I was able to decide to begin with Sketchup because of your video, as I am laying out a basement finish project for my house. Blender does sound like something I will be entertaining for future projects though.

[@SketchUpSchool]

You're welcome! Glad it was helpful, and good luck with the project! Be sure to contact us at [e-mail] if you have any questions along the way.

[@Selexo]

Blender has a few plugins to enable it to be more architectural friendly on your point 7. Like TinyCad, or BlenderKit for free/paid assets to populate your architecture, sketch style for 2D looking fun, Real Units, so you can get around blender arbitrary measurements, especially when importing into other software for final layouts with proper scaling. And others.. Basically both can be plugged to highwater and back to do each other's feature. It really just come down to time management to learning each other's interface. Blender may have too many options tho for most users and may get in the way, it's also a rolling release so it's constantly changing breaking plugins sometimes as a moving Target. SketchUp may have too few, plus the cost of SketchUp pro, plus paid add-ons to may end up adding up really quick.. but it's almost an industry standard at this point if sharing documents. As long as your making something off your work tho it's probably worth the cost even if you have to buy into a few of the better plugins to bring it up to feature parity. Minor issue is this is almost like comparing Apples to Orange in the grand scheme of things. Even if they can be made to accomplish the apple or orange of it's opposite. Good luck.

[@SketchUpSchool]

Great point about being able to add plug-ins to Blender to accomplish all sorts of things that it doesn't do out of the box. Thanks for sharing your insights!

[@amirshayanmoghtaderi5840]

also archicad and archimesh are great add ones for architecture..and a box cutter is one of the most powerful plugin that I ever have seen available for a blender that brings push and pulls SketchUp future into the blender

[@thiaparameta6915]

@@amirshayanmoghtaderi5840 I hope archicad will support the grinder for export (import). I am using archicad and blender

[@frankbonura5710]

Great Video, thank you. I use both programs and I think you hit on all the important differences.

[@SketchUpSchool]

Awesome! Glad to hear your experience matches up with what we covered in the video.

[@mimiFLM]

Great to have your information!! It’s really helpful to decide which one I should start first. I’ll start from SketchUP Pro as I want to use 2D drawings and construction informations. Thank you so much for making the video:)

[@SketchUpSchool]

Really happy to hear this helped you make the choice!

[@livier87]

Great information! I just started with SketchUp 😃, but my goal is to learn both programs.

[@SketchUpSchool]

Glad you liked the video and best of luck!

[@matthiasgarnier8]

Really helped, thanks a lot! I'm going to gull full in with Sketchup pro, and then try Blender for rendering!

[@SketchUpSchool]

Awesome! That sounds like a great combo!

[@MrWannabeartist]

To learn the whole skills of Blender it will take a long time as it covers much more than most people need..However, to learn the basics of modeling and texture, it's not that hard and won't take long today.

[@SketchUpSchool]

Yes, there's a lot to learn in Blender, but if you take the right approach it doesn't have to be difficult. We've actually started another channel to help people get started with Blender. You can find it here: www.youtube.com/@BlenderAcademydotcom/videos

[@sluka32]

0:00 i love how you put fnaf AR shop theme in your intro, it's pretty funny

[@massimoconcimedia612]

I would have added. If clients are asking for 3D renders, there is a good chance they would like to include that model on interior or exterior renders to present to clients. In this case blender would be the go as the export to fgx, obj, dae is going to be problem free. As apposed to converting tris to quads. Just my thoughts.

[@SketchUpSchool]

Thanks for the feedback - really helpful!

[@scottsingleton43]

Very informative! Thank you!. I've been using the free version of sketchup for years for personal projects. I dislike the fact that they changed it to web use only as I don't always have access to the internet. I'm getting into 3d printing soon and will try out blender. Great job!

[@SketchUpSchool]

Glad it was helpful!

[@nsxfever9513]

Great info in this video 👍

[@SketchUpSchool]

Glad you liked it!

[@munichgerman1036]

I really like your ideas sir. and i love to see more of your tutorials, now i'm using both blender and sketchup. this two application are so powerful, but i need to learn more, that's why please make more tutorials :)

[@SketchUpSchool]

Happy to hear you like the videos and we'll definitely be publishing more! Be sure to subscribe to our channel so you know when we release the next ones.

[@munichgerman1036]

@@SketchUpSchool Thank you so much, Sir!

[@pa.l.2499]

Nice coffee cup. Happy Trees.

[@SketchUpSchool]

Ha! Glad you liked the coffee mug!

[@goransemecnik2883]

After few days trying to make Bus shelter with exact measurements in Blender, despite all good tutorials on YT, I gave up. No construction lines, poor snaping (compared to SU) and a looooot of clicking to make a simple cut at exactly 40 cm from edge of my wall, constantly changeing Modes, dealing with modifiers (click, click, click ...) I realize, Blender is not for my architectual purposes. Sure Blender is much more capable in many many ways, but becouse of that, UI is 10x more complicated and far from polished, despite huge improvement from 2.7x to 2.8x. For me, the bottom line is, you can do anything in Blender, but at expense of time and joy of creating, SU is known for. I can compare the two as big Truck vs. family sedan - Blender beeing a truck of course. Sure you can go to store with it, pick up kids from school ... you can move few tons of material with it, pull big trailer ... but if you need a car just to go to work, on vaccation, move family arround ... big truck is overkill despite beeing free.

[@SketchUpSchool]

For architectural projects like the shelter you mentioned, your experience is fairly common. It's nothing against Blender... and you can do these sorts of projects in Blender... but you might have an easier time of using SketchUp (as you did). Thanks for sharing your experience!

[@lawrencedoliveiro9104]

You absolutely can do accurate drawing in Blender: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ol7EoKBvhd6iqa8

[@faresjawad3096]

@@lawrencedoliveiro9104 Blender is just like 3dsmax it wasn't designed for architects and interior / landscape designers .. unlike sketchup ... and it's not smart as B.I.M functiality .

[@lawrencedoliveiro9104]

And yet there are many architects successfully using Blender in their work, as that video demonstrates. Another site: www.blender3darchitect.com/

[@goransemecnik2883]

@@lawrencedoliveiro9104 Sure ... many of them also use basic Autocad for their work instead of ArchiCad or Revit or ... whatever. Blender is powerfull tool, but not streamlined for engineer's work, altough, you can achieve almost all tasks, I agree. But with a lot of knowledge and enthusiasm.

[@LuluMora-dy5ou]

So so many thank bro ! it still working ! wish you so much happy in life

[@SketchUpSchool]

You're welcome!

[@petergreenslade6194]

Fantastic video, very informative. After watching this I think I want to learn both SketchUp and Blender. It was said SketchUp is better for plans and documents. Just wondering what would be a good add-on software in Blender for plans and documents? Maybe someone reading this has an idea.

[@Farresyasser]

Your videos are just soooo informative . I now know what I need. Thank you soo much ❤

[@SketchUpSchool]

You are so welcome!

[@infobirdstudios9870]

Blender can also output obj. files, which for a 3D printing nerd like me is very good as it gives you more options. Also, I think Blender is actually easier to learn, it's just since blender can do more complicated stuff that sketchup can't, so it takes long to learn how to do that.

[@SketchUpSchool]

Thanks for sharing your experience with Blender!

[@lawrencedoliveiro9104]

Blender can also import/export .stl files, which I thought was the preferred interchange format for 3D printing.

[@katekrasnova5091]

Wow!!!! So interesting!!!! Thank you a lot !

[@SketchUpSchool]

You're very welcome!

[@RonaldoBagaRonnie]

Blender hands down and its free. Despite modeling in Sketchup is easy for sure. Normals, grouping snapping and many more annoying things in sketchup. And if you are not careful modeling in sketchup you will end up with a VERY messy model which is always a trap for beginners.

[@SketchUpSchool]

Thanks for sharing your experience - very helpful!

[@adobenumpty]

You had me at free. Blenders the way to go. Plus I still have my free version of sketchup before Trimble got their subscription hands on it.

[@SketchUpSchool]

Happy to hear that Blender looks like the right choice for you. If you're interested, we also have a Blender learning channel here on KZbin that you can find here: www.youtube.com/@BlenderAcademydotcom