Looks like Sketchup is going the way of so many software packages-

 

https://www.sketchup.com/plans-and-pricing#for-professional

 

Software as a Service seems to be the thing of the future and in this case it really sucks!

 

Download Sketchup Make 2017 while it is still free.-

 

https://help.sketchup.com/en/downloading-older-versions

Here is what Bob Lang has to say about this subject.

Danl

21 minutes ago, Danl said:

Here is what Bob Lang has to say about this subject.

Danl

Thanks! 

 

He seems to parallel what other Sketchup authors/teachers have to say about the changes. The biggest complaints I have read about Sketchup Free are the Internet speed requirements and the lack of available extensions/plugins.

Here's another view on the new Sketchup programs/pricing-

https://jeffbranchww.com/2019/02/17/changes-for-sketchup-pro-2019/

More comments-

 

https://forums.sketchup.com/t/an-open-letter-to-trimble/87510

 

https://forums.sketchup.com/t/sketchup-in-2019-where-great-ideas-get-to-work/87199

I am sadly not surprised at Trimble making SU a subscription product, even though it's really not the product's history.

I haven't used the plugins (never bought Pro - too expensive for a hobbyist), but I have been enjoying getting to grips with Sketchup Make 2017, which I'll continue to use.

My wife has been doing an interior designer course and they use SU - wonder if this will make them change product?

9 hours ago, 1fizgig said:

I am sadly not surprised at Trimble making SU a subscription product, even though it's really not the product's history.

I haven't used the plugins (never bought Pro - too expensive for a hobbyist), but I have been enjoying getting to grips with Sketchup Make 2017, which I'll continue to use.

My wife has been doing an interior designer course and they use SU - wonder if this will make them change product?

Trimble is infamous for buying something that was fantastic as it was, and restricting it or shoving it in the closet so nobody can use it.

I am a Land Surveyor, Trimble is a big name in the industry for their survey equipment, and geo positioning software and equipment, and they have done the same thing with competitors software that we loved to use, but it's no longer available or very hard to acquire because Trimble purchased it.

12 hours ago, 1fizgig said:

I haven't used the plugins

Actually, most plugins/extensions for Sketchup MAKE 2017 are free and easily downloaded from-

 https://extensions.sketchup.com/  or you can go thru https://sketchucation.com/  to get to the same place.

 

 

On 3/14/2019 at 1:44 AM, lew said:

Actually, most plugins/extensions for Sketchup MAKE 2017 are free and easily downloaded from-

 https://extensions.sketchup.com/  or you can go thru https://sketchucation.com/  to get to the same place.

 

 

 

Thanks Lew. I'll be sure to check out what might be useful. Hopefully they don't knobble any of them in favour of the newer SU version (different to authors releasing newer compatibility only versions).