More advanced users will appreciate a broad range of support for a large variety of file formats. There’s a lot to FreeCAD if you know what you’re doing, though the learning curve can be quite steep as the app seems intimidating at first. This allows you to turn finished 3D models into 2D images for use as schematics or in user manuals. Sketching is a fundamental part of the FreeCAD workflow, with 3D models created from 2D sketches, and vice versa. Hobbyists and enthusiasts alike will find plenty to sink their teeth into here, with FreeCAD suitable for creating objects that can be sent to 3D printers and CNC machines. The app is suitable for modeling architecture, interior design, product design, and industrial engineering but with applications in arts like films and video games too.įreeCAD is aimed at users who want to create models for product design, mechanical engineering, architecture, 3D printing, and more. SketchUp promises that “all you need is your idea and room to draw” to start creating 3D models. SketchUp for iPad and desktop SketchUp Pro versions are locked behind $119/year and $349/year subscriptions. The free plan includes access to the web app and mobile viewer, with limited access to the 3D Warehouse for downloading additional pre-built 3D assets, and 10GB of cloud storage. The good news is that the app is still simple to learn, making it an attractive starting place for anyone who wants to get started with 3D modeling right in their browser. Most remember SketchUp from its Google days, where it enjoyed integration with Google Maps and could be used to create building models. in 2012, and they’ve been updating and releasing it ever since. Eventually, Google moved the project on to Trimble Inc.

SketchUp was initially released in 1999 by a small company called Software, after which it was acquired by Google in 2006.

2d house drawing software