Silo (almost) dead... :(

Stinkie · 2 Jul 2009, 12:04

Black! Everything is black! We are all gonna die! Woe is us!

kwistenbiebel · 2 Jul 2009, 16:35

Maybe now is the time for sketchup to go open source (SourceForge).
With the new 'Saab' engine driven technique to automaticaly populate a virtual earth , making modeling buildings for Google Earth obsolete, not even the GE component of Sketchup would survive.

Just imagine the death of Silo, Spaceclaim and Sketchup.
Autodesk would get the absolute 3D power.
I guess they would easily wrap up a Sketchup clone within a year for 10 times the price.

dacad · 2 Jul 2009, 16:50

never heard about that kwistenbiebel. What's the Saab engine for google earth and how does it work? the only saab i know is the car manufacter...

But a open source sketchup would be great

remus · 2 Jul 2009, 21:05

mmmmm, open source goodness, now that would be good.

Aerilius · 11 Aug 2009, 18:50

I also have the open source idea in my mind for a long time now. I think Sketchup is the most untypical software that Google offers (all other software fit Google's profile).

For me, SU development seems to be a bit unprofitable for Google. They can not finance it with advertisement like in web-apps, I don't know if Google has any other software that is commercial ( 5 0 0 $).

The Sketchup team has a lack of personal. We do not know what happens with (secret) development although we regularly contribute suggestions for new features or improvements. I think the secret and closed development is the most important obstacle towards innovations. The extremely wide distribution and use of that program means also a high potential of the community. I think there are even many developers that have no possibility to contribute to this closed source app.

It is not preventable that linux operating systems will become part of the major operating systems (the windows kernel is one of the last surviving not-linux/not-bsd kernels).
The fact that SU is not yet really cross-platform (not like firefox and many others), means that Google Chrome OS will not be able to run a Sketchup version. For netbooks, that may be acceptable or not (I have none). But the new OS is also supposed to storm the desktop market (if it's not a flop).
So in near or far future, Google will have to give it up or let it free for open source.

Maybe the development of the new 3d format O3D will initiate a change when 3d graphics will be usable in the browser (-> web-apps)?

Pixero · 11 Aug 2009, 19:36

@pixero said:

@unknownuser said:

never heard about that kwistenbiebel. What's the Saab engine for google earth and how does it work? the only saab i know is the car manufacter...

But a open source sketchup would be great

SAAB also makes airplanes. The technique Kwistenbiebel talked about was developed for SAAB 39 Gripen (a fighter jet).
You can watch the technique on a swedish website called http://www.hitta.se
Under the logo click on Karta (maps) and zoom in on for example the capital of Sweden, Stockholm. Then click on "3d" above the map. In the lower right corner there is the controllers and a "Luta karta" that tilts the map.

Pixero · 11 Aug 2009, 19:36

Double post.

Aerilius · 11 Aug 2009, 21:23

What is double?

Pixero · 12 Aug 2009, 06:00

@tom2 said:

:roll: What is double?

Somehow when I edited my post above it came out twice so I erased the content from one of them and put in the words "Double post".

Dantheman · 13 Aug 2009, 02:21

FYI the "google chrome os" is just a web browser

Stinkie · 18 Aug 2009, 19:27

Back on topic for a sec.

Anyone checked out the tutorial vids on Nevercenter.com? There's a lot of them, they're good - and they're totally free. For those interested, Silo + those vids may prove a very affordable way of getting into poly/sub-d modeling.