The idea was that if architects, designers, builders, makers and engineers were not unnecessarily bogged down by figuring out how to work the interface, they could focus on what they could create with it.Īttracted to its Google Maps plugin, Google bought the program in 2006. SketchUp was originally developed by startup company Software in 1999 as a general-purpose 3D content creation tool, envisioned as a program that would allow design professionals to emulate the feel and freedom of working with pen and paper.

So where does SketchUp, a 3D modelling software that claims to be the “antidote to complicated, expensive CAD software”, fit in? Synonymous with computer-aided design (CAD) and Building Information Modelling (BIM), which is the digital representation of the physical and functional characteristics of a project, these systems are the virtual cornerstone of buildings a shared knowledge resource for information about a facility. Have a quick browse through the computers at any architecture practice today (without getting thrown out) and you’ll surely come across the programs Autodesk Revit, AutoCAD or ArchiCAD.

Exhibitions, Associations & Information.Ceilings, Internal Wall Materials & Partitioning.

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