The software is included in several different levels of SketchUp subscription. Unlike many AECfocused iPad apps that have previously made the move from desktop to Apple iOS, SketchUp for iPad features nearly all the functionality of its Windows and Mac OSX counterparts, but through a brand new user interface that has been optimised for touch and the Apple Pencil. Last month, Trimble introduced a brand-new version written specifically for the Apple iPad. The SketchUp for iPad interface is minimal and clutter free For professional use, and access to the desktop app on Windows or Mac OSX, you’ll need a ‘Pro’ subscription. While a free version still exists today, it runs in a browser, and has limited interoperability with CAD / BIM software. For many years, the beauty of SketchUp was that the capable base product was free. Launched in 2000 by Software, it was acquired by Google in 2006, then sold to Trimble in 2012.

SketchUp has gone through many owners over the years. And without the parametric constraints of BIM, it’s ideal for the conceptual phase where the design is still fluid. With its simple push / pull approach to modelling you can knock up a simple design in minutes. You’ll find it on the desktop of most architects, especially those that don’t feel the need for BIM authoring tools like Revit and Archicad, or want to learn how to use them. SketchUp has legendary status in the AEC sector. Trimble’s popular conceptual design tool gets an impressive port to the Apple iPad, plus potential to dramatically change the way AEC firms bring site data into the design process, writes Greg Corke

Sketchup for ipad 2020