Overall, we feel SketchUp Pro is the best software for woodworking, as it’s simple to use and doesn’t confuse with irrelevant tools. SketchUp is not complete CNC software, since you need separate CAM software to generate g-code.

Copying and distribution of this article is not permitted.SketchUp Free version has fewer features compared to Fusion 360 free.Īlthough adequate, SketchUp’s render engine is not as impressive as Fusion 360 or PRO100. and dimensioned 2d views78 F I N E w o o d w o r k i n gPhotos: Matt Berger drawings: Tim KillenCOPYRIGHT 2007 by The Taunton Press, Inc. Both versions runon Windows or Apple computers.A half-day training course offered by the program’s developerconvinced me that SketchUp could let me renderthe necessary shapes, moldings, curves, and joinery I usewhen I design furniture (Google still offers the training).I was especially struck by the power of SketchUp’s “component”tool, which treats the 3D shapes I draw like solidA scale drawing.

SketchUp Pro,a for-pay version that I use in my business, sells for $495and includes features that I seldom use. Better yet,Google offers a free version that’s comprehensive enoughto let you design very complex furniture.

For example, they didn’t let me see a piece inperspective, the way a viewer would see it later, or createexploded views of assemblies, or design complex joints.Then, two years ago, a breakthrough-I found GoogleSketchUp, a 3D drawing program from the company thatoperates the biggest Internet search engine. The 2Dcomputer-aided drawing (CAD) systems I tried were OKbut limited. A Quick Course in SketchUpThis powerful 3D drawingprogram is easy to use-and it’s freeB y T i m K i l l e nFor years I dreamed of using the computer to designfurniture-being able to work out the proportionseasily, preview the construction and avoid mistakes,even to see how the piece would look in the room.

Sketchup free for woodworking