Blender and SketchUp both are advanced modelling, sculpting and animation software used for creating different styles of animation, models, visual effects etc. They are used by different industries for different purposes ranging from advertisement to commercial production of animation works and marketing. They are also used in the civil and mechanical sectors to design buildings and machine components. They are used in designing assets for games and movies. Both come with robust sculpting, animation, texturing and visual effects features. There is always been confusion in choosing software for the work which would be best suited for them. So let’s understand the key differences between these softwares.
SketchUp is computer software which is used for making 3D designs and modelling 3D assets for different purposes like animated movies, games etc. It is one of the best software which comes packed with a robust toolset using which anyone can create 3D models of interiors, machinery, products etc. Initially, it was released in 2000 and its stable version was released in 2019.
Advantages of SketchUp
- It comes with pre-built doors, roofs, walls etc to ease modelling work.
- It allows putting building models on actual sites using google earth.
- It allows third-party plugins for supporting advanced features.
- It has 2D modelling functionality along with 3D modelling.
Disadvantages of SketchUp
- Realistic photo rendering is not available in this software.
- It does not have any feature to automate tasks so everything is needed to be done manually.
- Community support for this software is also low.
Blender is also an animation software developed by Blender Foundation. It is free and open-source software and it was initially released in 1994. It is written in different programming languages like C, C++, Python etc. It comes with tons of features like modelling, sculpting, UV unwrapping, rigging etc.
Advantages of Blender
- One of the main advantages of a blender is that it is completely free for everybody.
- It allows importing files from other 3D animation software like Maya, 3ds Max etc.
- It has one of the largest communities to provide support at all times.
- It supports nearly all types of operating systems like Windows, Linux, MacOS etc.
- It allows third-party plugins for enhancing its capabilities.
Disadvantages of Blender
- It requires graphic drivers above OpenGL 3.0 to run the software.
- It is not of industry standard.
Following is a table of differences between Blender and SketchUp:
| SketchUp | Blender | |
| 1. | Sketchup is also known as Google SketchUp is a 3D designing and modelling software which provides easy-to-use tools for modelling | It is an animation tool used for creating different types of animations, visual effects, motion graphics etc. |
| 2. | It was developed by Trimble Incorporation. | It was developed by Blender Foundation. |
| 3. | SketchUp Shop is available at $119 annually. | It is completely free for a lifetime. |
| 4. | Community support is small as compared to Blender. | It has large community support. |
| 5. | It has a simple interface which makes it easy for beginners. | It is a bit difficult to learn as it has a lot of tools and features. |
| 6. | It is not open-source software. | It is open-source software. |
| 7. | It has a small number of plugins. | It supports a large number of third-party plugins. |
| 8. | It is available in only two languages English and Swedish. | It is available in 36 languages. |