About SketchUp
SketchUp is a general purpose 3D modeling program first released in November, 2000. SketchUp is the core 3D modeling program in the Trimble Buildings software platform. SketchUp has over 30 million users including architects, engineers, industrial designers, interior designers, contractors, makers and students. It is quite possibly the most-used 3D modeling software in the world.
SketchUp is offered in two versions: SketchUp Pro and SketchUp Make. You must have SketchUp Pro to use MAKE. MAKE uses a Pro-only feature called Dynamic Components. DC's let you attach parametric behaviors to SketchUp 3D models.
SketchUp Pro includes a companion program called LayOut for creating multi-view annotated shop and assembly drawings from SketchUp models, similar to AutoCAD 'paper space'. You can insert multiple viewports of your SketchUp model into a LayOut sheet, annotate it with dimensions and notes and print it to scale and export PDFs.
SketchUp has an online SketchUp model repository called '3D Warehouse' where you can find and download models shared by other users, including various hardware and material manufacturers. The quality of the models depends on the source, so be sure to check the accuracy of what you download. You can also upload models and share them privately or publicly. To learn more about 3D Warehouse there's a good YouTube video here.
Add-on programs that extend the functionality of SketchUp are called 'Extensions'. You can find many useful extensions by using the Extension Warehouse browser built into SketchUp.
SketchUp Resources
The SketchUp website http://www.sketchup.com
Online SketchUp Documentation: http://help.sketchup.com/en
3D Warehouse: https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/
Extension Warehouse: https://extensions.sketchup.com/
SketchUp Forums: http://forums.sketchup.com/
SketchUcation: http://sketchucation.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/SketchUpVideo
SketchUp for Dummies on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aidanchopra
SketchUp for Dummies book: https://www.amazon.com/SketchUp-2014-Dummies-Aidan-Chopra/dp/1118822668
SketchUp to LayOut book: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0996539301