sketchucation logo sketchucation
    • Login
    ℹ️ Licensed Extensions | FredoBatch, ElevationProfile, FredoSketch, LayOps, MatSim and Pic2Shape will require license from Sept 1st More Info

    SketchUp Vs Chief Architect

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved SketchUp Discussions
    sketchup
    6 Posts 5 Posters 6.3k Views 5 Watching
    Loading More Posts
    • Oldest to Newest
    • Newest to Oldest
    • Most Votes
    Reply
    • Reply as topic
    Log in to reply
    This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
    • D Offline
      Dhet87
      last edited by

      Can anyone with experience in SketchUp Pro and Chief Architect Premier share your opinions on which is superior for a professional architectural drafting/design/BIM service (mostly residential, but occasional commercial)?

      Chief Architect seems really great, and SketchUp seems really great as well. I see some people using SketchUP to create house plans with 3D modeling, but it seems it is really not made for architecture specifically, whereas Chief Architect is. In SketchUP, it seems a lot of things are manual by placing "dumb" annotations in layout of sections, tags, and electrical symbols. I don't want to go backwards from Revit! I just want something mainly faster!

      I have PlusSpec Pro for SketchUp and it has some nifty things for residential BIM, but is fairly new and in my opinion needs about 10 years to have everything I would need. It's an Australian company and their building methods differ slightly from here in the US. I like that SketchUP is great for free-form modeling, but I don't want to be left modeling everything from scratch, especially when the design changes!

      As a last note, I'm a current Revit expert and am looking to move over to a more efficient software for modeling and documenting residential projects. Revit takes way too long for almost everything, costing me significant lost revenue.

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • A Offline
        agrazdi
        last edited by

        Which is the difference in price between both of them ?? That could be the main difference

        Link Preview Image
        Compare Chief Architect vs SketchUp 2025 | FinancesOnline

        Unsure which solution is best for your company? Find out which tool is better with a detailed comparison of Chief Architect & SketchUp. Use an easy side-by-side layout to quickly compare their features, pricing and integrations.

        favicon

        Financesonline.com (comparisons.financesonline.com)

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • pbacotP Offline
          pbacot
          last edited by

          Well there is a big difference other than price. I would say they are completely different sorts of programs. Chief Architect is a whole framework that develops your model towards working drawings, and built-in parametric function. SketchUp is more open in format, requiring you to figure out a way of working and add plugins to do whatever it is you are after, and with plugins has little non-destructive parametric ability. The question is has anyone tried both for their work? I know a small firm that has used Chief Architect (hate the name) for years successfully doing just the sort of work OP describes. They still use AutoCAD for details (they have a huge library from before, of course). I've never tried it personally.

          I am not 100% sure but it seems in CA you tend to work in built-in 2d views more, and in SU you work in perspective most of the time.

          MacOSX MojaveSketchUp Pro v19 Twilight v2 Thea v3 PowerCADD

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • D Offline
            Dhet87
            last edited by

            While I'm very thrifty and smart with my money, the difference in price between Chief Architect and SketchUp is not a concern. Simply because my time is valuable, and if I can finish my flat-rate projects faster, I will earn more money over a given time.

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • G Offline
              Glenn at home
              last edited by

              Apple to an Orange. One should not compare the 2 as they are 2 different types of programs. CA is a BIM program geared for houses, SU is NOT a BIM program at all. Sure there are LOTS of 3rd party add-ons that get SU really close but it is not BIM. Last time I tried CA is was no where as easy to use as SU either. imho

              SketchUp Pro 2024/2025 Dell XPS 8950 i9-12900K 64GB Ram RTX 3080

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • D Offline
                dindol Newcomers
                last edited by

                The Grammarly Free Trial 2023is a great way to try out this program because, unlike other free programs, it offers the basics you need to improve grammar. Almost all services offer a free trial period during which they are allowed to access all premium tools and features.

                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • 1 / 1
                • First post
                  Last post
                Buy SketchPlus
                Buy SUbD
                Buy WrapR
                Buy eBook
                Buy Modelur
                Buy Vertex Tools
                Buy SketchCuisine
                Buy FormFonts

                Advertisement