Google SketchUp, released as a beta product, is “not stripped,” says Schell, but offers the most important tools for creating 3D content. It includes tools for creating, modifying, and viewing 3D geometry, plus the ability to export 3D content to Google Earth. The product is licensed for personal use only. Google will still sell and support the pre-existing version of SketchUp, now renamed Google SketchUp Pro. The main difference between the two versions is that the professional version offers file export to various CAD and image formats, animation, support for large-format printers, the Sandbox environment for organic terrain modeling, the film and stage tools, access to free technical support, and the right to use the program for commercial purposes.
