Today Trimble announced that SketchUp 2014 has been released. The most obvious changes in SketchUp are the addition of two new Arc tools and a redesign of the 3D Warehouse which makes it easier to find and download components and models. There has been a ton of under-the-hood work as well but those are the sorts of things the average user isn’t supposed to see.
If you are a SketchUp Pro user, and also use LayOut, there are some new features there as well. For example you can now put in auto-text fields for page numbers and other text and labels now pick up component names like Leader Text does in SketchUp. Again, there’s more under the hood stuff, too.
Here’s a more complete list of what’s new.
You can download it here. Give it a try and see what you think.
A note for those who use plugins in SketchUp, do not copy plugins from an older installation of SketchUp to the new version. SketchUp was updated to use Ruby 2.0 and that required that many plugins get some editing. Most plugins have been updated although you might still run into some that haven’t been. The best advice is to install current versions from either the Extension Warehouse or the SCF Plugin Store.
–Dave
Comments
HI Dave, Being a Pro 2013 licensee what happens if I download 2014? Do I loose my license and get relegated to the non-licensed version? Do I need to pay for a 2014 license/upgrade?
Regards,
Alex
Alex, Installing SU2014 on your computer won't affect SU2013. You will not lose your license for the older version either. I can't answer about whether or not you'll have to pay the upgrade fee to get the SU2014 license. In the past it depended on when in the life cycle of the previous version you bought the license. Years ago I bought SketchUp 3.1. about a month later they released version 4 and I got that upgrade for free. Maybe it's similar now. You can go through the process after installing SU2014 and see what they tell you.
By the way, I added a comment, above about plugins. Make sure you install fresh copies of any plugins you might use. Don't just copy them over from an older installation.
-Dave
I'm cheap, and use the 'free' version 8. Is there any compelling reason for me to update (assuming I'm not upgrading to the Pro version)?
Jim, as with SketchUp 2013, there have been many bug fixes and performance increases with SketchUp 2014. Toolbars are handled differently now and won't get scrambled like they could in SU8 and earlier. There are some new tools that may or may not be useful to you.
If you're happy with SU8 you could stick with it.
One important thing to consider is the change in the EULA from SU8 to SU2013 and which continues with SU2014. The free version is only for personal use. If you're charging others for work you do in SketchUp, you should be using the pro version.
-Dave
Hey Jimwebb,
You "are not!" cheap... a full pro version of Sketchup 2014 costs about $550 bucks!!!
Who can pay that much for software these days? You say there is a free version 8 out there? I'm going to see it out for myself.
Carl, there's a free version of SketchUp 2013, too. If you're using it to make money, you should be using the pro version.
I noticed that version 2014 is available and have installed it. But I'm afraid my SketchUp skills are minimal and I'm curious about how to best get myself up to speed.
A few years back I purchased Tim Killen's book which I found very useful as it is aimed specifically at woodworkers. I learned just enough SketchUp to design my kitchen cabinets, skipping topics that didn't pertain to that project. I made it about half way through the book and haven't progressed past that. But in the meantime I've decided to take it further and get to know the product better and put it to productive use as my skills aren't up to the level I need for current and future projects. I've a great deal to learn.
I'd like some guidance about how best to proceed. I don't want to become a SketchUp expert, rather I want to know the product just well enough to produce working drawings that I can use in the shop. I haven't made use of any plugins, Ruby, or any of the valuable ad-ons. But I'd like rectify that without spending any more time than necessary.
I used SketchUp 8 (the free version) for various projects to date, but now it seems that most references are aimed at the Pro version, which I can't justify for my personal use. I downloaded what they now call SketchUp Make (which appears to be the equivalent, limited, free version). Would I be well-served to go back and complete my basic leaning using Tim's book as a reference, or is there a similar work I can purchase in order to work with the more recent version? I'm kind of starting over again.
In addition, what's a reasonable approach to becoming familiar with some of the various ad-ins without spending an inordinate amount of time? As I said, i don't want to become a master of SketchUp and can't justify spending a lot of time as time spent on SketchUp is time not spent in the shop. I'd love to find a basic path through tutorials and such in a streamlined fashion.
It's a great tool and I need to upgrade my skills. I'd appreciate any recommendations about how to best proceed in as time-efficient manner as possible to get from where I"m at to where I need to be
Thanks,
Gordon Mooers
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Gordon,
Good on you for wanting to learn to use SketchUp better. My view is that SketchUp is another tool for the woodworker. Time spent learning how to use it can be a good investment because it can save you time in the shop. It can also reduce wasted time and materials. I think it's like any of the other tools you have in your shop. The more you learn about using it the faster you become with it and the more efficient the process.
My suggestion would be to go back through Tim's ebook and at least do what you skipped over before. Perhaps you would find my DVD/digital download helpful, too. It takes a single project and follows from making an initial "sketch" through detailing all the parts to making shop drawings you can take out to the shop. The DVD is available here in the Store as both a disk and a download.
Although Tim and I both use the pro version of SketchUp, nearly everything we show can be accomplished with the free version as well. We rarely get into pro-only features since we know most of the audience is using the free version.
As for plugins, there are quite a few. My recommendation is to pretty much stick to the native tools and learn to use them before you start going wild on the plugins. There are a couple I would recommend as basic must-haves for the woodworker. Both can be collected through Window>Extension Warehouse in SU2014. They are Weld and CutList.
If you'd like, e-mail me directly and we can chat more on any of this.
-Dave
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