UbuntuHandbook

I’ve posted a tutorial about how to install Google SketchUp 2013 in Ubuntu 13.04, but it seems to be outdated. So I decide to write this how-to and hope it will help those who are trying to get Google SketchUp Make 2014 working in Ubuntu 14.04 LTS through wine.

UPDATE 2024: This tutorial is outdated! It does no longer work in current Ubuntu releases!

First of all, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open the terminal. When it opens, run the commands below one by one to install the latest development Wine 1.7 from its PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntu-wine/ppa

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install wine1.7

Once wine is installed, config it by running:

winecfg

In “Wine Configuration” window, you may:

Change Windows Version to Windows 7 in the bottom of the Applications tab.
Under Libraries tab, select ‘Riched20’ library from the drop-down list and add it

Now download the Windows package of SketchUp EXE from the official link below:

Right-click on the EXE and select open it via Wine:

Follow the install wizard and finally you’ll get SketchUp installed with shortcut icons on your desktop.

Tips:

1. On my 64 bit Ubuntu 14.04, SketchUp 2014 hangs after choosing a template. This has been reported as a bug and seemed to be fixed in Wine 1.7.19. However, I still get this error.

The workaround is disable Ruby API by launching SketchUp via:

wine "C:\Program Files (x86)\SketchUp\SketchUp 2014\SketchUp.exe" "/DisableRubyAPI"

Or, in the Properties window of the desktop shortcut, add /DisableRubyAPI to the end of command area:

2. If sketch up doesn’t work because of a problem with a graphics card

1. Run below command to bring up Registry Editor:
wine regedit
2. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER -> Software -> Google -> SketchUp version -> GLConfig -> Display

3. Change the value of HW_OK to 1 (so that it shows up as 0×00000001 (1)

Want to install and use Google Sketchup on Ubuntu 13.04 Raring? Well, this simple tutorial will show you how to do it. With the help of Wine software, you can install and use Windows software easily in Ubuntu.

Wine is a compatibility layer capable of running Windows applications on several POSIX-compliant operating systems, including Ubuntu Linux. It’s free and open-source software. Wine now is getting a lot better at handling Windows software on Linux systems.

To get started with installing Sketchup 2013 in Ubuntu, download the lastest version of wine. To do that, press Ctrl + Alt + T on your keyboard to open the terminal. When it opens, run the commands below to add its PPA.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntu-wine/ppa

Then run below command to update package lists and install wine1.5 (Now the latest wine1.7 is recommended):

sudo apt-get update; sudo apt-get install wine1.5

Once wine is installed, run below command to configure it so that Sketchup could be installed. You may need to log out and log back:

winecfg

Next, navigate to Libraries tab, then select ‘Riched20’ library from the drop-down list and add it. When done, click OK

Download Google Sketchup from http://sketchup.google.com/intl/en/download/gsu.html. Then navigate to the Downloads folder and right-click on the EXE to ‘Open with Wine Windows Program Loader’.

Follow the setup wizard and finally you’ll get the shortcut on the desktop and Unity dash.

That’s it. Enjoy!

UPDATE: If Sketchup hangs after choosing a template, try launching it with /DisableRubyAPI as a workaround. Or read the new post about install Sketchup 2014 in Ubuntu 14.04.