@Last Software SketchUp 4 review

The power is impressive and again opens up whole new areas of potential - typical of the release as a whole. With its new modelling capabilities, texture wrapping and projection, SketchUp 4 is increasingly encroaching on traditional high-end 3D territory. It's a feeling reinforced by other new professional features, such as the option to check your model for invalid geometry, to purge materials and layers as well as improved AutoCAD import, including support for solids and splines. There's also the new Ruby API that allows users to automate their work.

The downside to version 4's new power is that you need to be an expert user to fully benefit, and we can't help feeling that some of the spontaneity and sheer fun of working in SketchUp has been sacrificed. But at least version 4 adds one new feature for the rest of us. A new Face Me option has been added to components, which makes them always face the camera - ideal for making the most of 2D elements by ensuring that they look as contextualised as possible. It's a useful reminder of SketchUp at its best: easily and effectively bridging the 2D to 3D divide.

Author: Tom Arah