You modelled it in SketchUp. Now price it.
SketchUp shows the customer what the piece looks like. It does not tell you what to charge for it. PlankCAD turns your materials, labour, waste and overhead into a quote with the margin still intact.
SketchUp is a general-purpose 3D modeller, and a large share of woodworkers use it happily. It is genuinely good at showing form, fit and finish — to yourself and to a client.
What it does not do is cost the job. The pricing usually ends up in a spreadsheet beside it, rebuilt per job, with the margin worked out by markup rather than gross margin. That is the part PlankCAD replaces.
SketchUp: you model it
A manual modelling tool. Every face, dimension and joint is something you draw. It answers "what does this look like", not "what does this cost".
PlankCAD: it prices it
Four tools in one workspace. A deterministic estimator: you enter the costs your shop actually pays — materials, hardware, labour hours and rates — then apply waste, overhead and a true gross-margin target. A quote builder that issues that estimate as a customer-ready PDF, freezes the payment terms it was sent under, and keeps a revision history of what each customer was actually told. A cut list and sheet optimizer that nests those same parts onto your real sheet sizes with kerf and grain respected. And an offcut rack, so what one job leaves over is stock on the next.
Where the two differ.
| Dimension | SketchUp | PlankCAD |
|---|---|---|
| What it produces | A 3D model and drawings | A priced estimate, a customer PDF quote, and a cutting plan |
| Cost lines | Not its job | Materials, hardware and other costs, each with quantity, unit and unit price |
| Labour | Not its job | Entered as hours against an hourly rate, shown separately |
| Waste & overhead | Tracked by hand, if at all | Applied as explicit percentages you can see and change |
| Margin | Spreadsheet, usually | True gross margin — profit over selling price, not markup over cost |
| Output for the customer | A drawing or model | A PDF quote with scope, line items, tax, total and terms |
| Runs in | Desktop application | Any browser |
When SketchUp is the right tool
- You need to show a client what the piece will look like before they commit.
- The design is unusual enough that you have to work the form out visually.
- You want shop drawings, sections or assembly views to build from.
Using both
They do not overlap, so there is nothing to migrate. Model the piece wherever you already do, then enter its real costs here and send the quote from PlankCAD.
PlankCAD and SketchUp.
No, and it does not try to be. SketchUp models the piece; PlankCAD prices it. They answer different questions and most people who use both keep using both.
Not to price a job here. You enter the costs your shop actually pays — materials, hardware, labour hours and rates — and PlankCAD applies waste, overhead and your target margin.
Yes. The cut list is generated from the model itself, in metric or imperial, alongside a nested sheet layout and a CSV export — no extension required.
Build your first estimate free.
No credit card required. Price the job, save the draft, and export the customer quote.
Deterministic Estimate Math · Your Quotes On Your Account · No Hidden Fees