sketch up

Yes. Bill is correct. No SketchUp 2018 Make. Going forward the free version will be cloud based and called SketchUp Free. For those who want to stick with a locally installed version of SketchUp you can upgrade to SketchUp 2018 Pro or stick with 2017 Make which will remain available from the SketchUp.com site.

SketchUp Free is not yet as powerful as Make, there's no way to implement Ruby extensions in an internet browser, for example, but they are working on a way to get extensions going. There are some cool things about SketchUp Free, though. It might be useful to woodworkers even if they have Pro or Make installed on their computer. Since it runs in your browser, you could use it on a Chromebook, for example. So you could have SketchUp on your good computer in the house but access your models on a cheap Chromebook in the shop. There are other benefits so its worth taking a look at it.
 
You could do that Darren but SketchUp 2017 Make isn't being turned off. It really isn't any different than when Jet or Sawstop or any other manufacturer comes out with a new model of tablesaw. The tablesaw you already have doesn't suddenly become inoperable.
 
You could do that Darren but SketchUp 2017 Make isn't being turned off. It really isn't any different than when Jet or Sawstop or any other manufacturer comes out with a new model of tablesaw. The tablesaw you already have doesn't suddenly become inoperable.

Oh, I'm just kidding. :wave: I probably should buy the pro version for as much as I use it.
 
You could do that Darren but SketchUp 2017 Make isn't being turned off. It really isn't any different than when Jet or Sawstop or any other manufacturer comes out with a new model of tablesaw. The tablesaw you already have doesn't suddenly become inoperable.

To play it safe, should we turn off auto-updates in SU? Trimble could do an update that would disable SU2017.
 
You could do that Darren but SketchUp 2017 Make isn't being turned off. It really isn't any different than when Jet or Sawstop or any other manufacturer comes out with a new model of tablesaw. The tablesaw you already have doesn't suddenly become inoperable.

Not exactly... With a tablesaw I can keep using my old tablesaw more or less forever and if it breaks there is good odds I can fix it (a lot of the time anyway barring something catastrophic). With compiled software there is no guarantee of it running for future OS versions, or even patch releases (although sketchup isn't doing anything to weird it is possible and has happened before). A better analogy would be that your old tablesaw could suddenly become incompatible with your shop.

I can see why they're making the tradeoffs they're making here and I suspect this may be a net win (hehe net..) for user base. But it makes it uncomfortable for folks who have qualms about trusting others with their data (reliability or otherwise) or the new version unusable for at least some folks with minimal connectivity. To Darrens response... "Autodesk® Fusion 360™ - Cloud-Based 3D CAD/CAM Tool‎" so yeah.. fighting uphill in this regard.
 
Here's what I do for a new release.

1. Custom shortcuts: Those get picked up by the new version of SU so that's automatic.
2. Custom materials, styles, components: Those folders from the beginning get put in a place I can quickly access with Open or Create a local collection and Add to favorites.
3. Custom templates: I just save out a blank SketchUp file from the previous version to somewhere I can access quickly. Open that in the new version and use File>Save as template.
4. Extensions/Plugins: I always install fresh copies from their source. This helps to eliminate potential problems due to changes in Ruby or other things that might cause old extensions to fail or throw errors. For me it isn't worth the trouble dealing with the errors if I know I can head them off in the first place. It also gives me an opportunity to do some house cleaning and skip plugins./extensions I don't use anyway. With the Sketchucation Plugin Store tool, it's easy to batch install bundles at least for files available there. The EW also makes it easy to automatically install files.
5. Toolbars: I make a screen shot of the current version showing the toolbars I have active and where they are along with the custom toolbars for the native tools. I import that image into the new SketchUp version as an image and use Zoom Extents to make it fill the drawing space. Then I don't need to look back and forth between SU versions to make sure I have things where I need them.

It does take a little time to pee in all the corners but for me, the method I use makes it painless. I set up Sketchup 2018 Pro from scratch in about 5 minutes.
 
As much as I love to use sketchup, I just can't quite seem to convince myself to pony up the bucks for the pro version. I'm guessing that means I don't really need any of the pro features?

The free version works just fine for my meager skills in it. I just like the way it works.
 
FWIW, I just banged out a couple of nightstands in SketchUp Free. I didn't bother with kickers, runner, and spacers but all the rest is detailed. Even the knob was drawn in SU Free. I only missed a few tools but they are pro-only tools and wouldn't have been available to me in SU Make, either. Oh, and also a few of my custom keyboard shortcuts. Not bad. And I could go anywhere there's an internet connection and a computer and edit the file or add to it.







 
I'd agree with you Dave, I played around with it a bit myself tonight, didn't miss a lot of features. A couple noted things, I couldn't find the isometric views, the other is the lack of color in the icons, really makes it tough to find tools you want. I know others are keyboard shortcut users, but time between uses for me makes it hard to remember the keys to use.
 
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