Using Sketchup on a Mac

I do woodworking as a hobby and want to use an App/Program called Sketchup. It's a free program that you can either download or use online. My current Mac is not very happy with Sketchup as a lot of the features are erratic or simply won't work.

Here's a snapshot of the computer requirements. I'm not aware of any of the new Apple devices that will meet these requirements. Man, I would hate to have to buy a Windows laptop. So, any of you folks using this program with a newer machine than mine? Any advise is appreciated.

Do you know what vram (video ram) you have? I believe this is where the bottleneck is? You may need to turn some of the rendering affects off. If you have one of the models that only has 512MB, or 1GB, this will affect performance.

According to his specs, he's running a Mid 2011 iMac 21.5" model. I used to have one of those and the graphics video ram was only 512MB which by today's standards is weak. I doubt "SketchUp 2018" will run right with that model iMac. Newer model iMacs are better equipped with more powerful graphic cards and vram. By the way, that's an expensive program even for the basic version.

Sorry about the lag in response time, I was away from the computer all day.

Here are my stats.

I wouldn't mind buying a new laptop so I can take it out to my wood shop. I don't need blazing fast, just a machine that will work with the program. Any recommendations on which Apple laptop that would run this program and not break my bank?

Anything that can run SketchUP decently, is going to break your bank. That program needs dedicated graphics with plenty of vram and that means buying a top of the line MacBook Pro or a new iMac 27" 5K model. Count on spending anywhere from $2000 to $3000 depending on configuration.

You can probably get away with less but then SketchUP is not going to run the way it should.

By the way, that's an expensive program even for the basic version.
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You can probably get away with less but then SketchUP is not going to run the way it should.

Click to expand...

That two strikes….

Man, I think I'd be doing some googling for some alternative like:
What is the best free 3D modeling app for Mac?

or just:

https://www.google.ca/search?client...F-8&gfe_rd=cr&dcr=0&ei=iyeKWtXFNsre8Ae28buYDQ

https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-best-free-3D-modelling-app-for-Mac





- Patrick
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Most woodworkers use Sketchup for their projects so I really don't want to use a different one. BTW, I don't plan to purchase the PRO version. For personal use, they have the free program that will suit my needs just fine.

I downloaded the free version to this iMac and also to my old Windows desktop machine (located in a spare room that's inconvenient) that was updated a couple years ago with a NVIDA gaming graphics card. Don't remember all the specs with it, but it was bought to run an R/C simulator program. The Windows machine is running Sketchup flawlessly. I was just hoping to use an Apple device because I hardly turn on the Windows machine because,,,,,, well,,,, just because I don't like Windows. It's also used for stuff from work, since all their stuff is Windows based. Bummer.

Last question. Think the people at an Apple store would load this App to prove the unit will run the App before I purchased a machine? I've never dealt with an Apple store since they are not very close to me.
Just your thoughts before I call them tomorrow.

Last question. Think the people at an Apple store would load this App to prove the unit will run the App before I purchased a machine? I've never dealt with an Apple store since they are not very close to me.

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Yes, they should be able to do that for you. However, I can tell you with some confidence that SketchUP should run well on the machines I mentioned above. Unless you need something portable to move around with, the best bang for your buck will be the iMac.

chscag said:

Yes, they should be able to do that for you. However, I can tell you with some confidence that SketchUP should run well on the machines I mentioned above. Unless you need something portable to move around with, the best bang for your buck will be the iMac.

Click to expand...

I found a fellow woodworker who had a link to the 2017 version and I downloaded it and am now using it with success.....at least so far. So, it appears that by using a slightly older version, I'm good to go. If I was to make a living with woodworking, I'd probably go for all the gusto.

Thanks to all for the advise.

I found a fellow woodworker who had a link to the 2017 version and I downloaded it and am now using it with success.....at least so far.

Click to expand...

That's good news and good thinking to try, and isn't it amazing that oftentimes, older software will work when the "new and improved" versions don't, and I'm looking at you too Apple.




- Patrick
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