Reviews of SU 8?
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So SU 8 has been out for awhile now. I played with it briefly but found nothing terribly compelling about it. Decided to uninstal it and wait on upgrading until I'd heard some reviews from people after using it for awhile. Mostly I was hoping for something akin to 7.1 when there was a big performance increase (maybe I'll need to wait for 8.1), but as of yet haven't heard anything.
So for those of you who have been using it for awhile, have you found anything terribly compelling about it? Is there anything that, after using for awhile now, you don't know how you ever lived without? Or do you feel like you could pretty much jump back to v7 without missing a beat?
I'm not looking to beat up on v8 (Lord knows we've had plenty of that). I'm basically just curious if arch-viz people have found some use in the boolean tools or perhaps if renderers have found the link with Google earth a much welcomed feature, or if there were some minor things like the toolbar restore that you have grown attached to.
-Brodie
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Hi Brodie,
I may be wrong, but I feel pretty much the same way about that.
Didn´t even bother installing SU8, although it´s kinda frustrating to not be able to open attachments
Personally, I have no interest in modeling for GE, so yes, I can live without it.
As for the new Solid tools in SketchUp Pro...BoolTools costs about $10.00, so...I don´t know
I completely agree with you on " I'm not looking to beat up on v8 " part, and indeed I am curious about " anything terribly compelling " about SU8.
Cheers! -
@unknownuser said:
Or do you feel like you could pretty much jump back to v7 without missing a beat?
i guess in all reality, i could easily go back to 7 with no problems at all.
i have found myself using the solid tools for general drawing in more ways than i initially imagined (and i use them more often and differently than what's possible with BoolTools) but i wouldn't say it's a must have for me.
[edit] mostly meaning, i can split a group into two groups which are still solids. i barely use 'intersect with model' anymore and instead of using cutting planes, i now use cutting blocks(?) when the situation allows.. it'd be sweet if google took the split and other boolean operation further and allowed them to work on non solids..
volume calculations are great though.. especially for project estimating.. the calculations are more accurate and way quicker than the volume calculator ruby (ie- i can see volume instantly for any given solid with no other steps required than simply checking entity info)
3-4 times a year, i bring in google earth terrain and there's certainly an improvement regarding that (ie- it's actually usable terrain now.. but i do hope it improves even further accuracy wise).. that said, i have seen some complaints about the actual images of the views being lower quality but personally, it doesn't affect me because i don't use the satellite views in presentations.. i just need a feel for the land and su8 gives me that much better than v7.
i've also started using layout a lot more the past few months but unfortunately, i never really got into v1&2 so i can't make an actual comparison but from what i hear/read, much of the v8 upgrades occurred there..
from what i gather though, if i were constantly using LOv2 then i'd be super happy with the v3 improvements and possibly/probably enough to justify the hundred bucks..assuming you don't use layout and from what i've seen of your (you brodie personally) work and how i assume you use sketchup, i can't really say that you'll be happy with (or even really notice anything) an upgrade from 7.1
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Jeff, thanks for the info. That was pretty much what I was expecting. You're right, I don't use Layout at all. I tried to learn it just enough to see if it would give me an alternative when I just want to do a quick print of my screen without guessing what my lineweights will look like at a given resolution, but in the end decided I was just better off guessing than having to go through LO every time.
I guess we can always hope that there will be a nice easter egg when 8.1 comes out, as happened with 7.1. That could start an interesting tradition if the x.1 releases continue to be bigger than the x.0 releases
-Brodie
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Can't deny that I'm a big "basher" of the route sketchup is taking but that's just because i'm really a sketchup concept "lover"
.Saying that, I have to say that the new "solid tools" seem pretty solid and that Layout is looking more than usable. The problem is I don't have a use to layout (and before anything I'm an architect) and there's booltools as a plugin.
I just finished a big (at least for me) international illustration non-architectural work for a renown agency for a big multinational (I'll post here once is public and I get authorisation), completely modelled in Sketchup with render and post-production done elsewhere. I've used Sk7.1 free (8 was out but was to soon to risk it in a real work) and in that type of work you really see clearly the things that fail.
In the end it's not the performance issues (that if I didn't use other software wouldn't bug me, but won't comment on that now), it's the basic stuff like loop selects, texture mapping tools, basic tools for modeling/editing organic/freeform, bevels, stupid bugs that completely shut down a work pipeline (like when sk out of nowhere smooths or unsmooths everything after copy/paste, exports, windows resizes, ruining already built renders when I didn't notice), the extremely limited and bad 3D imports/exports (I think some people don't realize just how important this is for professional work), that really makes SK Professional feel very UNprofessional. This type of work would be completely impossible in the time given with SK without plugins for basic functions. I really miss the simple and clever innovations like pushpull and face me components were (easy to use and understand and with fewer clicks to work compared to others)
So to sum things up, for me (as you can already imagine) SK8 without a layout use, it's not really an update than can justify the price or the number 8.
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The thing is - if you are a Free user - and you don't rely on the DWG import feature, just upgrade.
If you are a Pro user - deciding if you should spend the money, only you can tell if SU8 fits your need. Other people use SU differently. Install the trial and test it out.
For me, the BoolTools where neat and I really liked the modification to the axis system where the working axis match that of the active group/component.
As a scripter I enjoyed that they addressed any observer issue.
But as a user I didn't experience any features in SU8 as any wow features. Mostly because SU8 seemed to focus on the Google Earth/maps integration and Google hasn't got any good data for my area.
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I still use 7.1 for everything but I do have 8 installed soley for the improved google earth connectivity.
I use this very occasionally for bringing in terrains and for texturing surrounding buildings using the street view textures for aerial shots.
The reason im sticking with 7.1 is lazyness really, its not worth the effort of transfering my rubys and render engines across which i guess doesn't say much for v8.
On the whole its a
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@viztecture said:
The reason im sticking with 7.1 is lazyness really, its not worth the effort of transfering my rubys and render engines across
that takes about 16 seconds really. -
time is money
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@unknownuser said:
@viztecture said:
The reason im sticking with 7.1 is lazyness really, its not worth the effort of transfering my rubys and render engines across
that takes about 16 seconds really.haha, I'm kinda in the same place really. Only the Pro version works with my renderer (Maxwell) so I'd have to upgrade which would consist of my making a phone call and having them spend the $99, but I just can't find one mediocre reason to make the call.
-Brodie
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@unknownuser said:
@viztecture said:
The reason im sticking with 7.1 is lazyness really, its not worth the effort of transfering my rubys and render engines across
that takes about 16 seconds really.Then that is really a statement about V8. If 16 seconds is to much effort for the benefits of V8, then Viztecture may see the benefits as negligible.
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10 Questions regarding version 8 if any can answer -
- Does it work with vray 1.5 and/or the newest vray version?
- Does it work flawlessly with productivity enhancing plugins like Smustard SDS, fredo’s scale, extrusion tool, tgi amorph, etc…
- Can you import .obj files
- Do your hot bars disappear like su7 ?
- Does it allow for smoother Frame rates when high poly scenes are loaded, or is it still welcome to the “Sketchup slide-show” ?
- Is the UI improved?
- Are complex plugin calculations like SDS faster on SU8 than on SU7.1?
- Is Smusartd’s Booltool better than the SU8 sort ?
- Does SU8 have the function to make rendered drawings look like patent drawings that mimic accepting drawing standards of the USPTO ? i.e, ability to assign individual line thickness through SU render engine.
- What are the chances that a ver 8.1 comes out in the next 12 months?
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@fuzzion said:
- Does it work with vray 1.5 and/or the newest vray version?
Yes and No. 1.48 isn't working well under OSX. But it does under Windows.
@fuzzion said:
- Does it work flawlessly with productivity enhancing plugins like Smustard SDS, fredo’s scale, extrusion tool, tgi amorph, etc…
There was an update to the Ruby engine in SU8 - but most plugins worked. The few that didn't has pretty much all been updated by now.
@fuzzion said:
- Can you import .obj files
With any of the OBJ importer plugins which you always had yes. But not as a native import option.
@fuzzion said:
- Do your hot bars disappear like su7 ?
"hot bars"?
@fuzzion said:
- Does it allow for smoother Frame rates when high poly scenes are loaded, or is it still welcome to the “Sketchup slide-show” ?
Haven't tested any numbers... but since 7.1 SketchUp has allowed me to work with models up to 1 million faces...
(are you talking about animation - transition between scenes?)@fuzzion said:
- Is the UI improved?
No real change. There was the Save/Restore toolbars feature that was added - but not working 100%.
@fuzzion said:
- Are complex plugin calculations like SDS faster on SU8 than on SU7.1?
hmm... good question. Haven't run any performance tests, but it's possible the new ruby core provided some speed increase. I imagine I remember someone talking about this. (but don't expect times to drop by ten or hundreds or anything like that...)
@fuzzion said:
- Is Smusartd’s Booltool better than the SU8 sort ?
Dunno - never tried it myself.
@fuzzion said:
i.e, ability to assign individual line thickness through SU render engine.
No
@fuzzion said:
- What are the chances that a ver 8.1 comes out in the next 12 months?
If you look at the previous .1 releases - quite probable. Though this is something only Google can tell - and they never announce anything until it's released.
- Does it work with vray 1.5 and/or the newest vray version?
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@thomthom said:
@fuzzion said:
- What are the chances that a ver 8.1 comes out in the next 12 months?
If you look at the previous .1 releases - quite probable. Though this is something only Google can tell - and they never announce anything until it's released.
At least maintenance releases - not sure how they define .1 releases...
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Maintenance releases are generally not numbered with the .1 way but of course, who knows...
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looking at the release dates for SU7...
7.0 - November 17, 2008 - http://sketchupdate.blogspot.com/2008/11/drum-roll-please-introducing-sketchup-7.html
7.1 - September 22, 2009 - http://sketchupdate.blogspot.com/2009/09/sketchup-71-is-here.htmlBut in addition to these there was service releases.
No sure how the pattern is from SU6 ...
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@thomthom said:
@fuzzion said:
- Does it work with vray 1.5 and/or the newest vray version?
Yes and No. 1.48 isn't working well under OSX. But it does under Windows.
--> So both new and old Vray works with SU8 for windows.
@fuzzion said:
- Does it work flawlessly with productivity enhancing plugins like Smustard SDS, fredo’s scale, extrusion tool, tgi amorph, etc…
There was an update to the Ruby engine in SU8 - but most plugins worked. The few that didn't has pretty much all been updated by now.
--> Sweet
@fuzzion said:
- Can you import .obj files
With any of the OBJ importer plugins which you always had yes. But not as a native import option.
--> So nothing has changed
@fuzzion said:
- Do your hot bars disappear like su7 ?
"hot bars"?
--> I meant toolbards. I think your answer in question 6 answered this with the new save and restore feature.
@fuzzion said:
- Does it allow for smoother Frame rates when high poly scenes are loaded, or is it still welcome to the “Sketchup slide-show” ?
Haven't tested any numbers... but since 7.1 SketchUp has allowed me to work with models up to 1 million faces...
(are you talking about animation - transition between scenes?)---> So SU8 did not increase this aspect of its program.
@fuzzion said:
- Is the UI improved?
No real change. There was the Save/Restore toolbars feature that was added - but not working 100%.
---> Sweet
@fuzzion said:
- Are complex plugin calculations like SDS faster on SU8 than on SU7.1?
hmm... good question. Haven't run any performance tests, but it's possible the new ruby core provided some speed increase. I imagine I remember someone talking about this. (but don't expect times to drop by ten or hundreds or anything like that...)
----> So no major upgrades.
@fuzzion said:
- Is Smusartd’s Booltool better than the SU8 sort ?
Dunno - never tried it myself.
--> ANyone ????
@fuzzion said:
i.e, ability to assign individual line thickness through SU render engine.
No
--->
P.s. Is there a program that allows SU models to output like USPTO accepted patent drawings? That would be radical!
@fuzzion said:
- What are the chances that a ver 8.1 comes out in the next 12 months?
If you look at the previous .1 releases - quite probable. Though this is something only Google can tell - and they never announce anything until it's released.
-->I wonder if we will see a real performance bump in SU8.1 ,just like what 7.1 did over 7.0 or maybe this is a pipe dream.....
- Does it work with vray 1.5 and/or the newest vray version?
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Are you having problems with the OBJ importer plugins?
Why is it so important for you that it's native? -
Not that it was directed towards me, but I've pretty much given up on getting anything textured from 3ds Max into SU. OBJ seems to be my only hope but anything reasonably complicated (which it always is in my case) seems to fail. Don't have the specifics at the moment but as I recall between the 2 different importers I have it will either bring the object in without textures or else when I select the object to import it won't do anything (no import, no thinking, just lets me go on using SU as if nothing happened.
-Brodie
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Solid Tools seem to be faster and less prone to error than the Smustard Bool Tools plugin... I have Bool Tools but didn't bother loading them for V.8 because Solid Tools seems superior.
It is worth noting that they added the bool functions to the Ruby API and that is being used by the free OSCoolean http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=323&t=14773 Plugin.
I have no idea if there is a performance hit going through the Ruby API versus the Solid Tools.
Best,
Jason.
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