CalqWorkflows / A SketchUp alternative for buildings
A SketchUp alternative for buildings
Calq models a building as walls, floors, roofs and rooms, not as faces, so its plans, sections, schedules and IFC file come from the model. It runs in the browser and is free to model with.
- Available
- Free account
Calq next to SketchUp
SketchUp, by Trimble, is a quick 3D modeller of faces, groups and components, used for far more than buildings. Calq is a BIM modeller: what you draw is a wall, a floor, a door or a room, and it knows what it is.
Because the model is made of building elements, a plan or a section is a view of it drawn to scale, a schedule is a count of what is in it, and the IFC file carries each element with its class.
What you get in Calq
- Walls, floors, roofs, stairs, rooms and openings as BIM elements, with their layers and types
- Plans, sections and elevations to scale from the model, with dimensions and tags
- Schedules of doors, windows, rooms and quantities read from the model
- Sheets with title blocks and PDF sheet sets
- IFC, DXF, COBie and gbXML export on the free account
Moving work between Calq and SketchUp
A SketchUp model comes into Calq as a component: export it from SketchUp as COLLADA, OBJ, STL or glTF and bring that file in. Calq does not read SKP files.
Going the other way, Calq writes IFC and DXF.
When SketchUp is the better choice
Calq is not the right tool for every job. Choose SketchUp when:
- Free-form concept modelling where nothing needs to be a building element yet
- Objects that are not buildings: furniture, joinery, products, sets
- You rely on its extensions and its library of ready-made models
About the name
SketchUp is a trademark of Trimble Inc. Calq is not affiliated with or endorsed by Trimble.
Questions
Is there a free alternative to SketchUp for architecture?
Calq Build is free in the browser and made for buildings: you model walls, floors, roofs and rooms and get the drawings and an IFC file from them.
Can Calq open a SketchUp file?
Not an SKP file. Export COLLADA, OBJ, STL or glTF from SketchUp and Calq brings it in as a component.
Can I get plans and sections from a Calq model?
Yes. Plans, sections and elevations are views of the model, drawn to scale and placed on sheets.