When Trimble acquired SketchUp, it forked the product into several tiers, keeping the free desktop version around as “SketchUp Make. The SketchUp web app is decent and might be good enough for many people, but for a long time, the desktop version was completely free, too. If you want the latest full desktop app, you’re looking at $300 a year for personal use. At the time of this writing, the only modern free version of SketchUp is a web app. SketchUp has changed hands a few times over the years, once having been owned by Google, and currently owned by a company called Trimble. Trimble even warns it might have security problems as it hasn’t been updated since 2017. However, as of May 2022, the official SketchUp website is no longer offering the free version (SketchUp Make 2017) for download. Update, 5/23/22: This worked when we published it in 2021. Or does it? You can still download a free desktop version if you know where to look. This is an appreciable difference from Blender, which is entirely free.Originally released as free open-source software, the popular 3D-modeling program SketchUp now comes with a premium price tag. Maya, however, can be a little expensive to switch to if you’re just getting started or are a solo artist. It reads and writes to many open file formats such as STEP. There's a lot of support for Maya in the form of tutorials thanks to its parent company Autodesk, which has even created another modeling software called 3DS Max, though knowing which 3D modeling software of the two is the right one for you can be a little tricky. FreeCAD is a multiplatform (Windows, Mac and Linux), highly customizable and extensible software. Filter by these if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of SketchUp. SketchUp alternatives are mainly 3D Modelers but may also be CAD Software or Interior Design Apps. The animation tools available with Maya often outpace what Blender can do, with faster playback and more intuitive editors being available. Other interesting free Mac alternatives to SketchUp are Blender, Sweet Home 3D, Shapr3D and Wings 3D. The UI is simple, clean, and many find it easier to use than Blender’s interface. Maya is seen as an industry-standard in many places, and though Blender is incredibly popular, there are still many situations where Maya will be the better option.Īs for the software itself, Maya is an incredibly powerful rendering, animating, modeling, and sculpting tool. Where Blender can often be esoteric or difficult to search through in big parts, Bforartists focuses its manual on the tools themselves and a structure that is more easily understandable. Moreover, Bforartists has ample documentation in the form of its manual. With just a few simple tools, you can create 3D models of houses, sheds, decks, home additions, woodworking projects - even space ships. The approach here is less on hotkeys and more on menu navigation and mouse control, which is ideal if you’re just getting started or find it more intuitive to be working largely through your mouse instead of your keyboard. SketchUp is an easy-to-learn 3D modeling program that enables you to explore the world in 3D. The available tools are identical, but Bforartists focuses on a more streamlined and simpler-to-understand interface. The main differences between the two are in their approach to UI. Any project you’re working on can be moved to Bforartists and back to Blender at any time, so there’s little reason not to give the swap a try and see how you like it. If you’re looking for the most directly comparable tool on this list, then Bforartists would be just that, since it’s actually a fork of Blender.īforartists updates as Blender does, meaning that you can freely swap between the two. Blender has a similar tool, but you might just find that you get better results with the Wings 3D AutoUV tool. You can use this tool to cut and unfold an image of a model’s surface so that you can better paint and texture it. The best thing Wings 3D has going for it, however, is its AutoUV facility. If you're just trying to learn how to get started with 3D modeling, then Wings 3D is a good choice, too. The interface is simple to grasp and full of easy-access context menus you can reach with just a right-click. If you’re looking for a powerful 3D modeler that many find easier to use than Blender, then Wings 3D is an excellent choice. With professional-grade drawing tools in a beautiful interface. If you started using Blender because you wanted to make use of its animation, rigging, or motion pathing tools, then Wings 3D likely isn’t a good alternative for you. SketchBook is sketching, painting, and illustration software for all platforms and devices. Unlike Blender, however, it has no animation or other functions. Wings 3D, much like Blender, is a free and open-source 3D modeling tool that you can use to create and animate models for just about any purpose you can imagine.
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