10 Best Free Sketchup Alternatives

Sketchup is an ideal 3D design software that is mainly used for architectural rendering. This tool brings ample features to visualize your ideas. Unfortunately, you might find Sketchup doesn’t precisely meet your requirements. You need to find the top-notch and free Sketchup alternatives that offer various features & distinct experiences.

Finding alternative tools for Sketchup is not that hard. Most of them provide a handful of features to support 3D modeling & other capabilities. Check the following list of Sketchup alternatives and make your decision right away!

Sketchup is renowned for its built-in rendering capability, user-friendly interface, & free cost. Fortunately, many other applications offer such convenience. If you’re bored with Sketchup or require to upgrade your 3D design skills, the following alternatives are worth trying.

 

1. Tinkercad

Tinkercad is a perfect choice if you need a 3D modeling program without downloading it to your PC. The online-based program is free & runs in any web browser, offering convenience to do the project from almost anywhere. Founded in 2010, it’s become among the foremost famous 3D modeling programs recently. Tinkercad is taken into account more accessible to any users, even those that are less technical. Because of the user-friendly interface and ease-of-use features, more beginners can upgrade their 3D drawing skills. For this reason, Tinkercad is one of the most straightforward programs for beginners.

Moreover, the web-based program adopts primitive modeling techniques that are suitable to introduce CAD modeling to newbies. Users can reshape or just add primitive shapes like cubes, pyramids, or spheres to create a posh 3D object. Among other features, the public 3D model repository and user-friendly interface are the free program’s strengths.

Additionally, Tinkercad allows you to export 3D models to Minecraft Java Edition. For a distinct experience, it enables you to design 3D structures using Lego.

 

2. Art of Illusion

Open-source software dubbed Art of Illusion is an excellent alternative to Sketchup. This free software is dependable for 3D graphics because of a couple of tools and features to create 3D objects from your computer. Released in 1999, the software is now top-rated among 3D designers starting from beginners to pros.

Art of Illusion boasts an intuitive & user-friendly interface, allowing new designers to quickly find out and use the program. The free program comes with essential tools like creating and mapping textures and animation. Whenever you’re through with the project, it is often transferred for 3D printing. Whenever you would like to render 3D objects, this software can easily tackle it with plenty of lighting options. Apart from basic features, Art of Illusion comes with extension features like scripting, plugins, and translator. It also provides Plug-in Manager that permits the program to be compatible with myriad scripts and plug-ins.

There’re numerous things to love about the Art of Illusion. Apart from user-friendliness, free software supports primitive and sculpting modeling techniques. Overall, this program is often a beginners’ ally.

 

3. Fusion 360

Developed under the significant name of Autodesk, Fusion 360 is often opted to exchange your Sketchup. The cloud-based program integrates CAD, CAM, & CAE software for more comfortable use, making it a unified platform to enhance work efficiency. Now you’ll enjoy 3D modeling during a single platform. All of your projects are saved in your Autodesk account, allowing you to access any project from any PC.

As compared to other programs, Fusion 360 adopts a somewhat challenging interface, especially for newbies. If it’s your first time, you’ll need longer to be conversant in the interface. But behind that, you’ll enjoy impressive modeling capabilities. Compared to Sketchup, Fusion 360 boasts more features like post-modeling and CAM tools. You’ll also find simulation, animation, and 3D rendering.

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What you can’t find in Sketchup is that the built-in 3D slicer. This feature enables the program to style and slice using an equivalent program. Overall, Fusion 360 is suitable for precise & bulky modeling. Using parametric and sculpting techniques, it’s ideal for designers with intermediate to expert skill levels.

 

4. Shapr3D

If you’re a user of Apple Pencil and iPad, Shapr3D is an ideal Sketchup alternative. This CAD software was specially developed for iPads in 2016 as iPad Pro was released at that time. It enables 3D designers to work professionally from almost anywhere.

This incredible free Sketchup alternative boasts a clean and intuitive interface that meets the portability of iPads. However, beginners may find the software quite sophisticated because it uses Siemens engines, so you would like longer to find out how to use it properly. When it involves 3D designing, all you would like is an Apple Pencil. With this tool, you’ll enjoy all the features provided by this software.

Who is that the software made for? Shapr3D is perfect for iPad Pro users who need CAD software. It uses direct & parametric modeling, so it works great for professional designers. The simplest things to enjoy from this program is intuitive experience and straightforward integration. Shapr3D is free, but you can upgrade to the Pro version that costs $240 per year.

 

5. Inventor

An inventor by Autodesk is an excellent 3D CAD program to replace Sketchup. As with Fusion 360, the software is specially developed for professional use, though students & educators can use it. It has been around for over 20 years & still becomes a major competitor to SolidWorks.

Engineers and designers can enjoy plenty of features like 2D and 3D mechanical design, visualization, simulation, and documentation. It makes Inventor a robust 3D CAD modeling tool that helps create great products for industrial applications. The program is dependable to scale back development costs also as get into the market faster. If you’re trying to find a CAD modeling software for professionals, Inventor should be included. The program uses free-form, parametric, & direct modeling that meets professional designers’ and engineers’ demand. Good news, the Inventor is free for college kids and academic purposes.

 

6. Sweet Home 3D

Another great alternative to Sketchup is Sweet Home 3D that assists in visualizing your dream house. The software is specially developed for interior design, starting from house plan to furniture arrangement. Once you are done, visit the results in 3D.

Compared to Sketchup, Sweet Home 3D is way more specific because it focuses on home interior applications. It enables you to draw walls, insert doors and walls, also as add furniture. You’ll simultaneously check the end in 3D while designing in 2D. When the project is finished, the print & export feature saves the project in standard file formats. Sweet Home 3D is perfect for beginners and hobbyists. The user-friendly UI makes it easy to use, not to mention ease-of-use features that improve your 3D designing skills. The software is downloadable, so you’ll work right from the PC. But it also provides a web program that allows you to work from any computer device.

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7. LibreCAD

LibreCAD may be a 2D CAD software that works well for beginners. It’s open-sourced and completely free, allowing you to require the software’s advantage without spending a dime. The appliance supports various OS starting from Linux, Windows, & Apple.

LibreCAD is featured-rich software to support your modeling hobby or job. You don’t get to worry about the barrier because it provides 30 different languages worldwide. Interestingly, the open-source app is developed by an experienced team, and therefore the dedicated community, including you, can become involved. The software is right for beginners who start to find out 2D modeling. It’s a superb alternative to Sketchup, albeit it doesn’t support 3D modeling. Overall, LibreCAD is an excellent option to get used to graphic design and modeling. You’ve got nothing to lose when using this free software.

 

8. Sculptris

If you’re more into clay modeling, Sculptris is often an excellent alternative to Sketchup. This free software enables you to model 3D clays and visualize your ideas. You’ll push, pinch, pull, and twist the clay to make a 3D object as desired. It’s commonly wont to sculpt a personality and organic models. A bit like Sweet Home 3D, Sculptris is more specific than Sketchup.

It comes with attractive features like dynamic tessellation that helps divide the world under the comb when there aren’t enough triangles to satisfy your details. It also supports symmetry mode that permits you to sculpt the clay symmetrically only from one side. The fabric feature allows you to choose from available materials for the sculpting simulation. Sculptris may be a free application that’s ideal for all skill levels. Easy user-interface makes newbies get conversant in this software without an excessive amount of effort. But if you would like to travel beyond the essential features, you’ll upgrade to ZBrush, which gives more advanced features for knowledgeable designers.

 

9. Wings 3D

Another free & open-source 3D modeling software is Wings 3D. Developed since 2001, this program is powerful yet easy-to-use. Nendo and Mirai inspire the software, making sense if you discover some similarities between the programs. Currently, Wings 3D is maintained by Dan, & there’s an outsized community that helps with the upkeep.

The free software works well to model also as texture polygon models starting from low to mid-range. It does not support animation and comes only with OpenGL rendering. However, you’ll export the result to other rendering software. Wings 3D is developed for advanced modelers, & it brings context-sensitive menus. It’s four different modeling modes, including Edge, Face, Vertex, and Body. Users can currently add textures and materials to their 3D models, which help upgrade the user’s experience.

 

10. BRL-CAD

Last but not least free Sketchup alternative is BRL-CAD that works best for geometry modeling. The open-source software has been around for over 20 years, & it remains a dependable program for 3D modeling. Delivering a reliable and robust system, the program is suitable for advanced users.

BRL-CAD delivers myriad capabilities like ray tracing support, interactive geometry editor, and scripting. The program primarily uses constructive geometry instead of boundary representation. However, BRL-CAD is taken into account more applicable to ballistic and electromagnetic analysis instead of a graphic app. The cross-platform software works great on Mac, Windows, and Linux. If you’re a geometrical modeler who needs a selected tool with specific purposes like ray tracing geometry, creating, editing, and image handling, BRL-CAD is often the most straightforward free Sketchup alternative.

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