Appendix A. Installing SketchUp and Getting Help

As long as you’re connected to the Internet with a Windows or Mac computer, it’s easy to get a copy of SketchUp and to install it. This appendix explains how. It also shows you how to find help in SketchUp and from some outside sources.

Installing SketchUp

SketchUp is available in two versions: SketchUp (free) and SketchUp Pro ($495). For the differences between the two versions, see SketchUp vs. SketchUp Pro. You can install either version of SketchUp on Windows or on Mac OS X. Installing SketchUp is a two-step process: First, download the program from Google’s website. Then run the installation program on your system. Once it’s installed, you start SketchUp like any program—from an icon on your desktop, from Windows’ Start menu or Quick Launch toolbar, or from the Mac’s Dock.

Downloading SketchUp

In your web browser, go to http://sketchup.google.com/. On the right side of the page, you see a big blue button that says “Download Google SketchUp”. Click that to go to the downloads page. On the right side of the downloads page, you see another big blue button that reads “Download Google SketchUp Pro” (Figure A-1). Below it you see a much less conspicuous link, “Download Google SketchUp 7”.

When you download the free version of SketchUp, a web page asks you to provide an email address if you want to receive the Google SketchUp newsletter. When you download the Pro version, SketchUp asks you to provide a mailing address and other details. ...

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