The take up of 3D in architectural practices has been slow to say the least. However, one application appears to have gained broad acceptance within the AEC market - and that is SketchUp. Martyn Day reports.

What is it that makes architects so 2D-centric? It’s a question that most of the industry’s software vendors have spent many years pondering, without really coming up with any concrete solutions. Despite making nearly all CAD programs 3D capable, the industry is solidly 2D. The only 3D product to get widely adopted is SketchUp, formerly @last software and now owned by Internet Behemoth, Google. While it used to sell for around $500, the change of ownership brought a swift reduction in price to $0! However, there is still a ‘professional’ version which is available for $495, but if you paid for SketchUp Pro in the past the update is free.