We’ll also share with you some useful tips like how to mirror geometry in SketchUp without losing its original position, how to mirror a group of objects, and more. In this article, we’ll discuss how to mirror in SketchUp using several methods, including the Scale Tool, the Flip Along command, and various extensions. It’s also an excellent way to check for errors in your design since any mistakes will be immediately obvious when viewed in reverse. When Trimble acquired SketchUp, it forked the product into several tiers, keeping the free desktop version around as “SketchUp Make.Mirroring and flipping objects in Sketchup is a quick way to create variation in your CAD design and make it stand out. The SketchUp web app is decent and might be good enough for many people, but for a long time, the desktop version was completely free, too.

If you want the latest full desktop app, you’re looking at $300 a year for personal use. At the time of this writing, the only modern free version of SketchUp is a web app. SketchUp has changed hands a few times over the years, once having been owned by Google, and currently owned by a company called Trimble. Trimble even warns it might have security problems as it hasn’t been updated since 2017.

However, as of May 2022, the official SketchUp website is no longer offering the free version (SketchUp Make 2017) for download. Update, 5/23/22: This worked when we published it in 2021. Or does it? You can still download a free desktop version if you know where to look. Originally released as free open-source software, the popular 3D-modeling program SketchUp now comes with a premium price tag.

Sketch up web app