We all know about how to draw in SketchUp. But do you know the background history of SketchUp? Who did invent this wonderful tool? How did Google come to know about it? Here I am with all these answers. In this edition of blog, I will discuss about the history of SketchUp. Hope that it will be interesting for the SketchUp lovers to know the history of their favorite tool.

There was a small company named @Last Software at Boulder, Colorado. The company was co-founded by Brad Schell and Joe Esch. Seeing the complexity of the available 3D programs of the market they thought to make a 3D program which is not only for techno geek. Anyone from a video jockey to school children can use the software. Though they didn’t want the complexity, they want the perfection of the other 3D tools. To meet all the requirements they have to create something fantastic. And then they create SketchUp in August 2000. The tagline was ‘3D for everyone’. And we know that it is really 3D for everyone.

According to them SketchUp "that would allow design professionals to draw the way they want by emulating the feel and freedom of working with pen and paper in a simple and elegant interface, that would be fun to use and easy to learn, and that would be used by designers to play with their designs in a way that is not possible with traditional design software. It also has user friendly buttons to make it easier to use."

SketchUp first came in focus light after winning the DigitalCAD Community Choice Award by Digital Media Net at its first tradeshow. Its unmatched simplicity as well as super fine quality and short learning time attracted both the viewers and judges.  According to the Digital Media Net SketchUp “from @Last Software has been driven by the growing need among design professionals for a more intuitive and accessible 3D modeling program.

The core of SketchUp is an interface in which the user simply draws the edges of the desired model in 3D space and the software automatically "fills" the shapes to create 3D geometry.”

@Last Software then developed a plug in for Google Earth and SketchUp. Attracted by this integration of SketchUp with Google Earth, Google decided to acquire this company on 14 March, 2006. "'What's New? Well, about the biggest thing ever: we've been Googled,'" wrote Brad Schell. January 9, 2007 saw the release of SketchUp 6 featuring some new tools along with a Beta version of Google SketchUp LayOut.

On September 1, 2010 the latest version of SketchUp 8 was released. It has the improvements like geo location, match photo, color imagery and building maker integration.