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Can blender replace sketchup? I just found out sketchup isn't free anymore.

by aynyc 4y ago

buzzerbetrayed 4y ago
I haven’t really used blender, but I doubt it would be a great replacement for most use cases. Fusion360 on the other hand is free and a great replacement!
- aynyc 4y ago
  Fusion360 has a big learning curve for me. As a once a year hobbyist, not sure if it's worth the investment to learn. I think you are right that blender is probably worse than Fusion for basic carpentry planning, etc..
  - longtimelistnr 4y ago
    Blender imo is a much larger learning curve than fusion. In my experience Fusion or solidworks are about fundamentally how to construct a model. Whereas blender is much more oriented towards someone who may be more technically minded. As well as being just for surface models not real world objects.
    - aynyc 4y ago
      I suspect that too. If I learn Blender to replace Fusion/SketchUp, I can do other stuff with Blender. But I'm sticking to basic home DIY. I might just spend some time on Fusion.
- somat 4y ago
  Blender is an artsy program and development tends to focus on the artsy side. fusion360 is an engineering program and development tends to focus on that use case. Not to say you cant use it for ether purpose. but loosely, blender is better when you only really care about what it looks like and fusion360 is better when you care not how it looks but about the details of the dimensions of your thing. personally I enjoy modeling in a parametric program like fusion360 more, I guess it appeals to my inner programmer, but nothing I make could reasonably be called "art".
kuboa 4y ago
Depends on what you're doing with it. I'm an architect who have been using SketchUp professionally for 20 years now, and I use Blender for hobby (Geometry Nodes stuff). For architecture work, Blender absolutely can NOT replace SketchUp, unfortunately (it doesn't even have a universal Section tool, for example), even though it's an incomparably more powerful program in every other area.
- aynyc 4y ago
  DIY home repair. Right now, I need some fences repair, just want sketch that out, plus a couple of small container sheds.
  - kuboa 4y ago
    In terms of ability, sure, Blender can replace SketchUp (and more), but I don't think it'd be worth the learning hassle just for that. The free SketchUp web version should suffice for small DIY stuff. You can always bring your model into Blender for further refining/rendering anyways (there's a good import addon).
    - aynyc 4y ago
      There is a free version? Link? I want a low learning curve application for home DIY stuff. I tried Fusion, just a bit more complex that I would like, I supposed Blender is ever more so.
      - kuboa 4y ago
        Free web version: https://www.sketchup.com/products/sketchup-for-web https://www.sketchup.com/products/sketchup-for-web There is a list of differences between this and their more professional versions if you scroll down. It doesn't support more advanced stuff (like plugins) but all the fundamentals are there and it is pretty performant.
- chmod775 4y ago
  > universal Section tool Can't you get the same thing with a boolean modifier? Illustration: https://i.stack.imgur.com/FlM1E.png https://i.stack.imgur.com/FlM1E.png
moffkalast 4y ago
It can do that to some extent, though the CAD side of it is still a very lacking.
q_andrew 4y ago
Sort of. It can do much more than sketchup, but the interface is not designed for quick drafting like sketchup is. Blender doesn't shield you from the more complex parts of 3D design like sketchup does, but if you learn it you will have a better grasp of the system as a whole.
DonHopkins 4y ago
You're right, it's not free any more: Burger King charges $0.50 a packet! But you can make your own using blender: https://www.food.com/recipe/blender-ketchup-89086 https://www.food.com/recipe/blender-ketchup-89086 Oh, sketchup, not ketchup. Never mind. ;)

Can blender replace sketchup? I just found out sketchup isn't free anymore.

by aynyc 4y ago

Can blender replace sketchup? I just found out sketchup isn't free anymore.

I haven’t really used blender, but I doubt it would be a great replacement for most use cases. Fusion360 on the other hand is free and a great replacement!

aynyc 4y ago
Fusion360 has a big learning curve for me. As a once a year hobbyist, not sure if it's worth the investment to learn. I think you are right that blender is probably worse than Fusion for basic carpentry planning, etc..
- longtimelistnr 4y ago
  Blender imo is a much larger learning curve than fusion. In my experience Fusion or solidworks are about fundamentally how to construct a model. Whereas blender is much more oriented towards someone who may be more technically minded. As well as being just for surface models not real world objects.
  - aynyc 4y ago
    I suspect that too. If I learn Blender to replace Fusion/SketchUp, I can do other stuff with Blender. But I'm sticking to basic home DIY. I might just spend some time on Fusion.
somat 4y ago
Blender is an artsy program and development tends to focus on the artsy side. fusion360 is an engineering program and development tends to focus on that use case. Not to say you cant use it for ether purpose. but loosely, blender is better when you only really care about what it looks like and fusion360 is better when you care not how it looks but about the details of the dimensions of your thing. personally I enjoy modeling in a parametric program like fusion360 more, I guess it appeals to my inner programmer, but nothing I make could reasonably be called "art".

kuboa 4y ago

Depends on what you're doing with it. I'm an architect who have been using SketchUp professionally for 20 years now, and I use Blender for hobby (Geometry Nodes stuff). For architecture work, Blender absolutely can NOT replace SketchUp, unfortunately (it doesn't even have a universal Section tool, for example), even though it's an incomparably more powerful program in every other area.

aynyc 4y ago
DIY home repair. Right now, I need some fences repair, just want sketch that out, plus a couple of small container sheds.
- kuboa 4y ago
  In terms of ability, sure, Blender can replace SketchUp (and more), but I don't think it'd be worth the learning hassle just for that. The free SketchUp web version should suffice for small DIY stuff. You can always bring your model into Blender for further refining/rendering anyways (there's a good import addon).
  - aynyc 4y ago
    There is a free version? Link? I want a low learning curve application for home DIY stuff. I tried Fusion, just a bit more complex that I would like, I supposed Blender is ever more so.
    - kuboa 4y ago
      Free web version: https://www.sketchup.com/products/sketchup-for-web https://www.sketchup.com/products/sketchup-for-web There is a list of differences between this and their more professional versions if you scroll down. It doesn't support more advanced stuff (like plugins) but all the fundamentals are there and it is pretty performant.
chmod775 4y ago
> universal Section tool Can't you get the same thing with a boolean modifier? Illustration: https://i.stack.imgur.com/FlM1E.png https://i.stack.imgur.com/FlM1E.png

moffkalast 4y ago

It can do that to some extent, though the CAD side of it is still a very lacking.

q_andrew 4y ago

Sort of. It can do much more than sketchup, but the interface is not designed for quick drafting like sketchup is. Blender doesn't shield you from the more complex parts of 3D design like sketchup does, but if you learn it you will have a better grasp of the system as a whole.

DonHopkins 4y ago

You're right, it's not free any more: Burger King charges $0.50 a packet! But you can make your own using blender: https://www.food.com/recipe/blender-ketchup-89086 https://www.food.com/recipe/blender-ketchup-89086 Oh, sketchup, not ketchup. Never mind. ;)