SketchUp Pro
3D modelling software widely used by architects, interior designers, and urban planners. Runs on OpenGL via GPU for viewport rendering. Consumer GPUs fully supported — no certified drivers needed.
SketchUp Pro is an intuitive 3D modelling platform popular in architecture, interior design, landscape, and urban planning. Its OpenGL-based viewport makes GPU a critical factor for smooth navigation in complex scenes. Commonly paired with rendering plugins like Enscape, V-Ray, or Lumion.
Category: Architecture / 3D | Developer: Trimble | Platform: Windows, macOS
- GPU: 4–8 GB VRAM, OpenGL 3.1+. RTX 3060+ recommended. Consumer cards fully supported.
- CPU: Fast single-core for viewport. High core count helps V-Ray CPU rendering.
- RAM: 16 GB for standard models; 32 GB+ when running Enscape or V-Ray simultaneously.
- Storage: 512 GB NVMe SSD for projects and texture libraries.
Does SketchUp need a powerful GPU? +
For standard architectural modelling, a mid-range consumer GPU is fine. GPU demands increase significantly with rendering plugins — Enscape requires an RTX card for real-time ray tracing, and V-Ray GPU mode needs 8+ GB VRAM for complex scenes.
SketchUp vs Revit — which should I use? +
SketchUp is faster to learn and better for design exploration. Revit is a full BIM platform used for construction documentation. Many practices use both.
We build workstations with RTX GPUs, fast single-core CPUs, and 32 GB RAM — ready for SketchUp + Enscape real-time rendering.
