I was roaming around the Internet this morning and was actually looking at Google for the enterprise, when I saw a link to another Google product called Sketch Up. I hadn’t heard about this software being available, so I stopped by the Web site to take a look at it.

Available was a free download of the software, a trial package only for the Pro package or a free version with no registration. So I figured I’d download the Pro software to give it a try. Downloading requires registration of the product plus some personal information. If you are not comfortable giving out private information, then opt for the free version.

After installing the Pro software, a startup screen appears stating the evaluation version is for only 480 minutes. Only eight hours to take a look at 3D rendering software doesn’t seem like much time. But after going through a quick tutorial and playing with the software for about an hour or so, I was up and running.

One of the nice features of this product is that it offers templates to play with. I downloaded a template of the Golden Gate Bridge and was able to change the rendering very quickly. Actually I was pleasantly surprised how easy the software was to use. But then I clicked on the Buy button and found the software was being sold for $495.00. I’m not an expert in 3D software and have limited exposure in using this type of software, so I am not sure if this price is typical of other programs or not.

Maybe someone can comment and give us all some insight to what they think.

If you would like to test drive this software, check out Google’s Sketch Up Web site.

[tags]google, sketch up, software, trial, free, download[/tags]