SketchUp for Schools’ first day of class

November 15, 2022

Joy Tennenbaum

SketchUp for Schools is ready for the first day of class! Earlier this year we unveiled SketchUp for Schools in beta: a free 3D modeling browser application available to any primary and secondary school signed up with G Suite for Education. This is the first time SketchUp has ever offered an education-specific product, and we asked you, our EDU community, to tell us your thoughts.

Thanks to you, we are officially bringing SketchUp for Schools out of beta just in time for the school year! After an exciting Summer of sifting through your (overwhelmingly positive) feedback, we are pleased to bring you the two features you told us you need most: STL exporting for 3D printing, and SketchUp curriculum.

Say what?! There’s curriculum?

That’s right! You asked, we delivered. SketchUp for Schools now offers age-specific curriculum aligned to the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Standards. Bonus points: the curriculum is created by Teachers, just like you! Meet the faces behind the curriculum, Mike and Mike.

Mike Harmon, West Ottawa Middle Schools, Holland, MI

Mike teaches Modular Technology at West Ottawa Middle School. His course is essentially a Makerspace in an academic environment; it offers more than 30 modules focusing on subjects like electronics, aerospace engineering, application design, 3D printing, and virtual reality -- just to name a few. Mike encourages his students to explore various areas of interest and enjoys watching them learn and grow at their own pace. When Mike isn't making video tutorials in SketchUp you can find him hanging with his family, playing hockey, or exploring new technology that will improve the educational experience for his students.

Mike Hathorn, Hartford High School, White River Junction, VT

Mike is a technology and history teacher at Hartford High. He first discovered SketchUp in 2008, and by 2010, he was using SketchUp to teach history. In 2012, when a Makerbot was donated to his school, he started 3D printing historic buildings in his classes.

Mike has since transitioned to teaching technology full-time and created a statewide 3D printing competition called 3D Vermont. Mike continues to use SketchUp and 3D printing in his classes to create and fabricate prototypes, robot attachments, rockets, historical models, and many other designs using the engineering design process. When he is not creating cool things in SketchUp you can find him with his family on the golf course or on a mountain biking trail.

We’re only just getting started. As of today you’ll be able to access three SketchUp lesson plans, one each for grades K-5, 6-8, and 9-12. You will always find fresh content on the SketchUp for Schools curriculum pageand directly within the app, so keep your eyes and ears open for exciting updates throughout the year.

Find curriculum right inside the SketchUp for Schools web application.

Play step-by-step video tutorials while you model.

3D printing

You told us how important 3D printing is in your class. We get it, we love printing stuff, too! When your model is print-ready, download the .stl file and start to bring your model from the digital to physical world.

Download your print-ready file to STL format.

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That's awesome! How do I get access

Any K-12 school signed up with G Suite for Education can access SketchUp for Schools through the G Suite Marketplace. Once your school’s G Suite administrator deploys the app, you will be able to find SketchUp for Schools in your Google Navigation menu.

SketchUp for Schools will work on any machine with a mouse or trackpad, keyboard, and access to Chrome, Firefox, or Safari.

Note: if your school does not currently have access to G Suite, ask your IT administrator to consider adding it. If that’s not an option, don’t worry, we’ve still got you covered.

Get started!

Whether you’re a seasoned SketchUp veteran or a first time user, SketchUp for Schools is designed for you. It has the same familiar feel of our desktop tool, now with learning content to take you from the basics to a SketchUp wizard!

At SketchUp, we believe every student should have access to intuitive 3D modeling tools that enable creative expression and skill development from a young age. And with 70 million users on the G Suite for Education platform, that's a whole lot of young, creative minds waiting to blossom in the 3D virtual space.

I think I hear the morning bell ringing… time to get modeling!

We want to hear from you: if you have feedback or questions, let us know!