# IngeTrazo: a free alternative to SketchUp

- Link: https://opensourcecad.nl/en/ingetrazo-a-free-alternative-to-sketchup/
- Published: 2026-10-23T21:56:28+02:00
- Author: Marijn van den Heuvel \+ AI

_This is the English reading version of the Dutch news item [IngeTrazo: een vrij alternatief voor SketchUp](https://opensourcecad.nl/vibecoded-apps/ingetrazo-vrij-sketchup-alternatief/)._

IngeTrazo is a free 3D modeller that works like SketchUp: you draw a face and pull
it up. It is a mesh modeller, like SketchUp, with faces and edges instead of NURBS
surfaces; [what that difference means](https://opensourcecad.nl/en/what-is-the-difference-between-mesh-and-nurbs-modelling/)
is in the explainer about it. The project comes from Peru, is written in Python 
and is released under GPL-3.0. In our test it works well.

Blender 3D Architect made this video about IngeTrazo.

Beyond that it is more than a sketchpad. It does solid operations such as union,
subtract and split, section planes, groups and components, materials and textures,
dimensions and a sheet composer that produces vector PDF. Georeferencing and importing
survey points are part of it, as are BIM tags (IfcWall, IfcSlab, IfcColumn) with
IFC export of quantities, and a plugin system in which a Python file adds your own
tool. It reads .skp files with its own reader; writing back to SketchUp is not possible,
you export COLLADA, OBJ or glTF.

The project is young, it has existed since June, and work goes fast: a new version
comes out almost every week.

**My verdict:** for people who want to do simple 3D CAD without frills, SketchUp
has always been a good option. Now you can do that with this software too, without
limitations.