Alternative to SketchUp?

[Crofter]

Last time round I made extensive use of Google SketchUp, which at that time was completely free and worked just fine. I got it handy with it and could knock up 3D models in a few minutes. It really was invaluable in figuring out not just the basic layout but also many of the fine details of the build.

 

Unfortunately things seem to have moved on, and my laptop no longer seems to run it- it also appears to be an online only program these days. 

 

Is there anything else out there that I should consider? I just need to build simple models, I don't need loads of textures or the ability to export to a 3D printer or anything like that. And the closer the UI is to SketchUp, the better, as I don't want to have to start from scratch...

[MikeSharp01]

onshape is very good, free - as long as you don't mind your drawings being public. and although a bit more complex than sketchup it is full featured.

[elite]

Sketchup Make 2017 was the last free non-web version, it is no longer available from the developer, but I beleive it can still be found on CNET and the internet archive (I'd check the file hashes to make sure it hasn't been tampered with).

 

Drop me a PM if you need it and can't find it

[torre]

The free online version of Sketchup is still quite capable and definitely worth giving a spin as you'll already be familiar with the UI. For basic modelling it does quite a lot but is missing third party plugins, the render quality is limited, but that doesn't sound like a deal breaker for you. You can import any existing models produced on desktop. I found the old free desktop app crashes a lot on modern Macs.

[Crofter]

2 hours ago, torre said:

The free online version of Sketchup is still quite capable and definitely worth giving a spin as you'll already be familiar with the UI. For basic modelling it does quite a lot but is missing third party plugins, the render quality is limited, but that doesn't sound like a deal breaker for you. You can import any existing models produced on desktop. I found the old free desktop app crashes a lot on modern Macs.

I can't get it to run on my ancient Lenovo X220. Which is a shame, because the old version used to run just fine on this exact laptop.

[SteamyTea]

Have a look on n here, maybe something useful, they generally run on lower spec machines and you don't actually install them, just expand them to a local directory.

 

https://portableapps.com/apps/graphics_pictures/