Just a heads up for anyone using an old version of Sketchup. I am still using the last free PC version (2017) of Sketchup Support has been minimal for a while now but I was still able to upload and download things to and from the 3D warehouse. When downloading, I had to specify the 2017 version but it worked just fine. When you do that now, you get this warning: Downloading versions 2017, 2018, and 2019 will no longer be supported as of Jan 31, 2023. Tell me more. Here is their end of support for active versions
| Version | End of Support date | 2019 and earlier | Unsupported | 2020 | June 30, 2023 | 2021 | Jan 31, 2024 | 2022 | Jan 31, 2025
3 years is pretty dang short for purchased software, IMO. Unless you buy it as soon as it comes out, the support life is actually less than 3 years.
I have been slowly transitioning to OnShape.com when doing more complex drawings, especially for 3D printing and CNC projects, since last year but it looks like they are finally giving me the shove to get more proficient at it so that it is my first choice, even for simple quick and dirty sketches.
Anyway, if you want to grab something or you want to access your drawings stored in the 3D warehouse in an older version, you better download them now.
BTW, I highly recommend On Shape if you are looking for a good CAD tool. It is free as long as you do not mind having your designs stored in the cloud as public (sort of l 3D warehouse). Like most CAD software there is a learning curve but their free online classes are excellent. I find it easier to use than Fusion360.
UPDATE May, 2024: Discovered an extension that allows you to manually download and convert newer versions of Sketchup Files into older versions of the software so that you do not have to download in Collada format. I've given it a try and it works well. Here is the link to the Eneroth Open Newer Version extension.
I think that you have to sign in with a Trimble account in order to download. Watch the video at the link for instructions to load and use the extensions.
--Nathan, TX. Hire the lazy man. He may not do as much work but that's because he will find a better way.
Oof, that jump from free to standard license though, $1500.
Good to know, though. I've still got SketchUp 2017 for the same reason, though I've always stored my files locally anyway. When I got my CNC around 2018 anyway, I started switching over to Fusion360 for that, though I still find SketchUp quicker for the simple drawings that aren't CNC projects.
I was quite happy with F360 until they updated their free tier, and two of my favorite features got nuked, which was rapids and bit-changes. Now I have to export a file per bit, and there's no rapids between cuts which takes longer. I get it, it's still a ton of software for free and sounded like they were finding that people were abusing the free licenses for things that shouldn't have qualified for it, so it is what it is.
I have a few models in SU 3D Warehouse (SU 2017) that are important resources to my students. Are you saying that they will no longer be accessible from the warehouse online but would be from me if I download the models now?
The early bird gets the worm but its the second mouse that gets the cheese.
All desktop versions of SketchUp operate what we call "Web Services." "Web Services" are SketchUp features that require an internet connection to work. Many of these features run within an embedded web browser in SketchUp.
The embedded web browsers in older versions of SketchUp are outdated and cannot be updated, making it hard to maintain quality of service or security when they are used. As a result, features that require web services no longer work in unsupported versions. Examples include:
3D Warehouse Extension Warehouse Add Location Generate Report Sefaira Live components Trimble Connect
I would say pull them down ASAP if you can, just in case. Should work fine if you have the actual files and share them that way, it wouldn't be much different than me saving files locally.
Are you saying that they will no longer be accessible from the warehouse online but would be from me if I download the models now?
They should still be able to access anything that is in the 3D warehouse after Jan 31st and they are using supported version (like the free online version). So far, the only place that I have seen the message is when I downloaded something from the 3D warehouse and requested it be downloaded into 2017 format. I just tried uploading a file in 2017 format to 3D warehouse and it did not give me any sort of warning about not being supported. So this may, for now anyway, just apply to downloading from 3D Warehouse into an unsupported version but I would not count on it.
UPDATE: I just tried to download something from the 3D warehouse so that I could capture the warning message and now it no longer shows the option to download into 2017 or 2018 and the warning I saw before is gone. It was there this morning right before I created this thread so they removed the ability to download into 2017 and 2018 formats in the last hour or so.
--Nathan, TX. Hire the lazy man. He may not do as much work but that's because he will find a better way.
I never trust a service with my files when I don't have to, especially a "free" one, and this is why. Though, 5-6 years after the version was released isn't so bad, in terms of software. Main thing I dislike is the lack of desktop app until you pay the $300/year for pro
OnShape does not have a desk top app. It runs in a browser but it works very well. For me, it does not really feel like it is running in a browser, at least not in my current fast computer. F360 on the other hand seems a little clunky at times when running in the browser. OnShape has an iPad app that has a very similar look and feel. I have modified a simple drawing on iPad and it was not too bad. I think that on an iPad with their pencil stylus, it might be just as easy to use. Without paying for a pro license, I am not away if there is a way to store OnShape drawings locally but you can export them to other formats.
--Nathan, TX. Hire the lazy man. He may not do as much work but that's because he will find a better way.
UPDATE: I just tried to download something from the 3D warehouse so that I could capture the warning message and now it no longer shows the option to download into 2017 or 2018 and the warning I saw before is gone. It was there this morning right before I created this thread so they removed the ability to download into 2017 and 2018 formats in the last hour or so.
Is this the warning you mean? I didn't get this from the warehouse. It is from my saved docs.
The early bird gets the worm but its the second mouse that gets the cheese.
Correction: It was when you are using the Online version of SU that you get the message when you try to download it. I am still able to browse the 3DW from there, open it into the web version of SU and click download and select the older version. I guess that I mistakenly thought it was when simply browsing the 3DW website (without starting from SU in the browser) that I got this message. So if you want to save to the a version older than 2019, you have to use the web version of SU to do it.
BTW Paul, I found a couple of your topics or blogs about your chevalet designs in lumberjocks and it looks like at least on the couple of the ones I looked at , the 3DW links are broken. Not sure if that is something that Trimble did, lumberjocks broke the links during the conversion or what. Not sure if you care if you plan to migrate things to here but I thought I would just let you know in case you refer your students there for any reason.
--Nathan, TX. Hire the lazy man. He may not do as much work but that's because he will find a better way.
Thanks Nathan , The important ones are the ones on my website and the ones in the blogs and posts here. I think I checked when I migrated them here and they worked then.
The early bird gets the worm but its the second mouse that gets the cheese.
I figured but it might not be a bad idea to load them into the current free version and save a new copy to make sure at some future date, they do not somehow make it so that they cannot be opened in the current version at least. I didn't see anything specifically saying that you will not be able to open older versions but I would not risk it. Just a thought.
--Nathan, TX. Hire the lazy man. He may not do as much work but that's because he will find a better way.
Boys and Girls, don't know if anybody has addressed this solution, but if nobody has, let this nobody do it...
Go to the 3D warehouse on the WEB (not through SketchUp), sign on with you Uid/password, select download and choose Collada File, You will download a zip file, pull down the fly, and then import it into SketchUp as a COLLADA file selecting the .dae extension, if a sub-directory was unzipped, all requirements will be imported.
Now you can't say (or maybe you can), nobody mentioned it.
If your first cut is too short... Take the second cut from the longer end... LBD
Nathan have you done anything with onshape with cam? They show some other app to use for cam and am wondering about it. I will have to look at onshape for my cnc. Of course I sat waiting on a load for over 36hrs last week and only tyrned on my phone and nintendo switch. Didnt do any of the stuff on the computer I should have
Keebler, I looked briefly into CAM with OnShape right when I first started looking at it last year and IIRC, it required a 3rd party add-in or application. Seems like it was a little pricey and might only work with a paid subscription to OnShape (?), which is more expensive than a F360 subscription.
For most CNC work, you really do not need 3D drawings unless you want to create contours or relief carvings. For the most part, simple 2D drawings are all you need. Let me know what want to do and I can see if I can help you get headed in the right direction. Feel free to call me if you want.
--Nathan, TX. Hire the lazy man. He may not do as much work but that's because he will find a better way.
I switched to Blender. It's free. It's ridiculously powerful. Models can look extremely realistic.
I tried a few different free 3D program and liked Blender the best. It wasn't exactly made for CAD drawing, yet it works very well as such, in my opinion.
What's also great is, that there are countless tutorials on YouTube, including some that are specifically for those that want to use Blender like a CAD program.
I have realized my first project with it now, and can only say I'm in love... it was a bit of a steep learning curve, but once you get the basics down it all makes sense, and I find working with it a lot better than with SketchUp.
Last but not least, it works on any platform; it's not a browser based program though, no, you get a properly compiled download for your system (Linux, Mac, or Windows). And it runs super smooth, even on somewhat older computers.
I may sound like I am advertising for it, but it's a free program... so believe me, it's just pure excitement for having found a replacement for SketchUp, and one that turns out to be better in many ways.
DrTebi: Thanks for your post. I knew people used Blender for things like character design/modeling and animation, but I didn’t know people used it to design furniture, and I would never have thought of it as a potential SketchUp replacement.
I think I’ll take a crack at learning it, even if I don’t end up using it right away. One day SketchUp Make 2017 is going to stop working, and I want to be at least a bit prepared. It’ll also be nice to create realistic renderings like the ones I used to create in MicroStation. I don’t really need them, but they’re fun to make.
I do have some questions… do you use it only for conceptual design, or do you actually model individual parts? Do you create more conventional shop drawings (with dimensions and notes) with it?
I don’t need automatic cut list generation or anything like that, but I do use SU to create manual cut sheets, where I lay out which parts I’m going to cut from which boards or sheet goods. I use those to buy lumber and to actually build my projects.
One of the comments on the linked blog post mentions an AddOn called Construction Lines. Do you any AddOns for your projects?
FAIW... (hope I have my facts straight)... there are many people turning away from SketchUp since their changing to the subscription system and basing the free version through the internet, however, if there are any out there that want to get their hands on the freebie PC version, I may be able to point them in the right direction... even though it is free, Trimble have stopped distributing older versions to -2.
I may be able to help with:- 2016 - last free version PC based, supporting 32 or 64 bit. 2017 - last free version PC based, supporting 64bit only. 2017-2021 - Sorry, only Pro versions (unless you have a license).
Cheap and woodwortking in the same sentenc is an oxymoron!
