Co-work on a same file, possible?

[majid]

usually ,I have been working as a freelancer and alone so never needed to net or let me say co-working on the same file and same time. now adays a friend asked me : is there any way to do a co-job on a file , so that different groups could progress the different jobs , such as 3d modeling, piping , electricity , etc.... at the same time on a single file?
is this a question of sketchup or something depending on network?
it'd be great if anyone can help .

[pilou]

It's should be possible with Google Doc but alas they have not yet Google SKetchup file
Maybe a day

[mitcorb]

Someone asked a similar question just yesterday. Let me see if I can plant the link here: http://www.forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=30933.
Just info, maybe not answers.

[Krisidious]

SketchUp does allow co working on a file to an extent. if one file is open in two instances SU will tell the second program that it needs to be read-only and then it will warn that program when changes are saved in the first program. I'm not sure if this works across internet networks... as long as the two individuals knew what the other was working on... this could work.

another way to co work on a file is to use components... ie if we both worked on a development of houses and I worked on one component and you worked on another and both of these were part of a larger file... that file could be updated and reflect the changes when the components were updated.

[majid]

tahnx mates/Kristoff
it seems the nested components is a good trick to solve the question very smart, and pure su solution.

[majid]

what about desctop sharing apps? is there anyone who could prepasre a full controll over my office network pcs?

[Gaieus]

Hi Majid,

There are several desktop sharing applications (some even allow you to model on others' computers). Note hoewver that none of them are perfect and as there are sometimes performance issues on a single computer with SU as well, there are definitely lags and delays refreshing the screen while doing this.

So far I have tried two of them more in the depths: YuuGuu and CrossLoop. Both allows interaction on the other computer - as well as webconferencing (with a number of participants depending on your account but both has a free version, too).

If you only want to share your screen and let others see what's going on, you can even use Skype. In may experience that is the fastest although with awful antialiasing but one can of course live with that.

[simon le bon]

Hi guys,
I'm very interested with co-working.
But havn't yet tried no solution..
Here is one more interesting link I had bookmarked relative to this question:
sthgrau _ Multi-user collaboration
*simon

[majid]

thanx again mates, will try

[majid]

has anyone tested this?:
http://www.filehippo.com/download_ultravnc/
http://www.uvnc.com/index.html
any feedback?

[Gaieus]

Looks interesting, Majid. Have you tried it?

I have tried some other solutions yet I have never found a "perfect" one. Typical issues are.

• slow performance (even a 1-2 second delay can be confusing)
• lack of voice support
• awful antialiasing (well, one can live with that)
• lack of SU cursor display (this is a major problem however)
• security issues...

[thomthom]

@majid said:

has anyone tested this?:
http://www.filehippo.com/download_ultravnc/
http://www.uvnc.com/index.html
any feedback?

I've used UltraVNC to control my Mac Mini from my Windows computer.

[tpstigers]

Wouldn't you only need to have a file that each computer can access? If so, Dropbox should do the trick (watch the video). As an added bonus, Dropbox is cross-platform.

[honoluludesktop]

Typically, networking applications can lock or unlock access to a single file (even across the internet) in order to assure its integrity. For the sketchup model's database to be accessed by more then one person, and maintain its data integrity, an "access to entities locking system" needs to be a part of the application. It would basically lock editing access to "the set of entities" that is currently being edited by one user from another. Sketchup doesn't come with these kinds of functions built in.

Just think of the kind of problem for users this might bring. User one is editing a component, thus locking all users from that component, and its sub-components until he is done. Of course, user two, can "make unique" then gain edit access to that unique component's entities, but not its sub-components. However desirable it may be, revisions to make unique components will not affect its parent component.

Free entities have other kinds of problems. if user one accesses (thus "locks assess to") a model's edge, at a minimum the connected edge, and faces will have to be "locked". If it isn't different users can edit adjoining entities causing the model to lose its integrity.

Placing a experienced, and inexperienced model builders on the same model could result in other kinds of problems. Still, this kind of interface is a must for very complicated projects.

[dmatho]

Hi,
For what it's worth, number of years ago I saw at SIGGraph (possibly 2006, in Boston) a development from Caligary's trueSpace, a 3D modeler (http://www.caligari.com/), that allowed people to work synchronously and simultaneously yet remotely on models that lived in a shared 3D space, without recurring to any 'baton-passing'. This shared space was called truePlay and though it didn't have A/V/chat for communication, coordination and collaboration, I saw them using it with NetMeeting - http://www.letsgodigital.org/en/news/articles/story_7710.html.

Caligari was later bought by Microsoft and then... who knows but at the very least this proves a point, namely that co-working on a same file was and moreover should be today perfectly possible at least so, with the right tools and in an appropriate environment

Cheers,

. Diego .