Learning SketchUp at Home for Students & Educators

Steven Griffin

With the unprecedented number of students and educators adjusting to distance learning, the SketchUp Education team would like to share some of our favorite free educational resources available to help learners of all ages master SketchUp in their pajamas.

SketchUp for Schools
In response to COVID-19 school closures around the world, anyone with a personal Google or Microsoft account can access SketchUp for Schools through June 30th, 2020. SketchUp for Schools is a free, browser-based version of SketchUp that was developed specifically for primary and secondary schools. SketchUp for Schools is compatible with Chromebooks and includes K-12 specific lesson plans, tutorial videos, and training resources so students and teachers can quickly gain confidence and improve their 3D modeling skills. To start sketching, just sign in here.

SketchUp at Home for Students & Educators

Whether modeling your house or a tropical beachside retreat, SketchUp for Schools has the modeling tools to bring your vision to life.

SketchUp for Schools Curriculum
SketchUp for Schools features K-12 specific lesson plans that have been developed to meet ISTE and Common Core learning standards. The available lesson plans cover popular topics such as 3D printing, 3D modeling for shop class, and modeling a cell for science class. These self-paced lessons are available in both video and Google Slide format and range in difficulty from beginner to advanced.

3D printable “Custom Castle” project

The 3D printable “Custom Castle” project is one of our favorite lesson plans available in SketchUp for Schools.

SketchUp for Schools Forum
Whether you’ve hit a roadblock and need expert advice or want to celebrate a recent SketchUp modeling win, the SketchUp Forum is a great place to connect with our worldwide community of SketchUp enthusiasts. The SketchUp for Schools category is where you can have product and education specific questions addressed by the wider SketchUp educational community as well as SketchUp team members.

SketchUp for Universities
To help higher ed students and educators adjust as they continue to work from home, SketchUp Pro will be available to everyone who previously had access through their school’s networked lab. School administrators may contact the reseller they purchased their school lab license through to request laptop licenses that can be shared with individual students/educators and accessed from anywhere. These new SketchUp Pro Institutional Laptop Licenses will be good through June 30, 2020.

While the class may not be in session at the moment, the learning continues at home!

SketchUp Pro Statewide License Grant Program
The Statewide License Grant Program provides free licenses of SketchUp Pro to public K-12 schools in the US, Canada, and Australia. If your school qualifies for a grant license, please reach out to your local grant administrator for more information. Your regional Statewide License Grant Administrator can be found here.

SketchUp Campus
If you’ve made your way through the SketchUp for Schools curriculum and are looking for a deeper dive into SketchUp and LayOut, we recommend taking a look at our new learning management system, SketchUp Campus. Here you will find free self-paced courses with tutorial videos and downloadable exercise files. From beginner to professional workflows, SketchUp Campus offers detailed courses covering SketchUp modeling fundamentals, LayOut essentials, landscape design, and rendering with Photoshop.

Hone your modeling skills with the great courses available for free on SketchUp Campus.

SketchUp YouTube Channel
While the internet provides a nearly limitless source of educational opportunities, where would home learners be without YouTube? The SketchUp YouTube channel is our home base for video tutorials and provides a wealth of how-to information. From 60 second “Quick Wins” to more detailed “Skill Builders” you’ll find answers to all of your burning SketchUp questions here.