Google SketchUp 7 review

And already the range on offer shows just what dynamic components can do. Some are little more than gimmicks - click on a door with the new Interact tool, for example, and it might swing open or change colour - but others are seriously useful. Resize a dynamic staircase, for example, and it automatically changes the number of steps. The dullest dynamism of all - choosing between preset choices in the new Component Options dialog - is likely to prove the most useful.

Apart from SketchUp 7's new component handling there really isn't too much to this latest release - but there doesn't have to be. Working with SketchUp 7 you can quickly create the outlines of your 3D models by sketching on the 2D screen and then even more quickly fill in the details using an almost limitless and ever-expanding supply of ready-to-go and easily customisable components. By enabling users to create and share content so seamlessly, Google has brought its Web 2.0 strengths fully to bear and has shown itself to be the ideal match for SketchUp.

Author: Tom Arah