A new home for SketchUp
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The announcement talks about SketchUp as a platform - will the Ruby API get more features, maintenance?
Will the same SketchUp developers continue at Trimble?
@dale said:
And does this mean no more Basecamps
?Ditto! I was hoping to finally get to catch the next Basecamp - as I missed the opportunity last time.
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@gaieus said:
and will there still be a free version?
@unknownuser said:
The free version of SketchUp is an important part of our world as well, and that isn’t changing in the least.
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This is what it says on the blog.
@unknownuser said:
For those of you in the architecture, engineering and construction industries, the knowledge and experience Trimble will add to the SketchUp effort are obvious. Together with our new colleagues at Trimble, we plan to continue making our tools for the building professions as innovative, intuitive and (dare I say) fun to use as we always have.
If you’re one of the many, many people who use SketchUp for something else—from education to woodworking, geo-modeling to movie-making—rest assured that there will be a SketchUp for you, too. Our mission has always been to make 3D modeling tools that anyone can use. The free version of SketchUp is an important part of our world as well, and that isn’t changing in the least.
So SU free will still exist.
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Still don't know what to think of this... I don't understand what this means for the future and shape of SketchUp.
As a plugin developer who was starting to build commerical plugins I don't know what to make of it any more. Will it still be the platform I started with? Will the base base change?
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Yeah, I'm worried too.
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Hi all,
For some additional info beyond the blog, you can also check out Trimble's FAQ for this announcement.
Mark
PS @ Paul: Just so you know, on our end it's
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Perhaps Trimble could consider putting some of the top plugin developers on lucrative salaries, and cutting them loose.
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From Trimble:
@unknownuser said:SketchUp and the 3D Warehouse, together with other Trimble Tools from Accubid, HHK, Meridian, Plancal, QuickPen, Tekla, Trimble Business Center and the Trimble Connected Community will provide a stand-alone and enterprise solution that will enable an integrated and seamless workflow to reduce rework and improve productivity for the customer.
That explains... ?
Maybe we'll finally get full topographic tools.
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Full speed ahead to wherever it takes us.
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I'm going with worried...
Looks to me that this will make Sketchup too specific. Also, as this company is clearly invested with integrating its own software into Sketchup, what will happen to ruby scripts? Do they need to be 'checked' first?
A good time to start practicing with other software, just to be sure...
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Mark
I think my only knowledge of Trimble, is Trimble Oil, and I am not at all aware of any other mainstream software tools developed by Trimble, so in that sense, this is quite a surprise.
I do hope as is mentioned that the core SketchUp team is kept on and encouraged. -
@dale said:
Mark
I think my only knowledge of Trimble, is Trimble Oil, and I am not at all aware of any other mainstream software tools developed by Trimble, so in that sense, this is quite a surprise.
I do hope as is mentioned that the core SketchUp team is kept on and encouraged.Yea - their description of their plans and what they do didn't make it clear to me of anything really. Felt a wee bit much corporate-speak in the announcements.
Trimble isn't a name I've heard of at all - not within any of the 3D modelling communities I've experiences. Therefor this all feels and sound very alien.
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"Trimble" is well known in the states for surveying equipment.
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From the wiki page, Trible bought the following 3d related companies:
Acquisitions2003 MENSI S.A. Terrestrial 3D scanning technology
2006 BitWyse Solutions, Inc 2D and 3D software applications for engineering and construction plant design
2006 XYZ Solutions, Inc Real-time, interactive 3D intelligence software
2009 Assets of Callidus Precision Systems GmbH 3D laser scanning for industrial market
2011 Tekla Corporation BIM Software
2012 StruCad and StruEngineer business from AceCad Software Software to extend BIM solutions
2012 Plancal of Horgen 3D CAD/CAE and ERP software providerSo at least they do have some 3d related expertise....how are those going to relate to SU's developement...who knows.
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Looking at their products they don't even seem to be a software developer as their primary focus. Why would they want to acquire sketchup? To me its like some random company acquires a product in another completely random category. Wal-mart buys Lumion. Ford buys word perfect.
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What worries me here is that I don't see the relevance of what they do with what I'm used with for SketchUp.
Will SU transform into a different type of solution? Will it fragment into specialized editions? -
Does this hiccup affect "#9"?
One Google tie-in that I have really liked is "Add Location" inside SU. Hoping that continues to develop.
At least now people can't opine about Google holding SU development hostage for purposes of populating Google Earth.
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@thomthom said:
What worries me here is that I don't see the relevance of what they do with what I'm used with for SketchUp.
Will SU transform into a different type of solution? Will it fragment into specialized editions?+1
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I think developing sketchup in different directions might be interesting!
The fact that sketchup is still the 3D modeller of choice for many experienced modellers probably has more to do with all the great plugins around here than with the last upgrades we've seen.
The evolution of sketchup in the last years has been slow and not always successful (dynamic components anyone?)My enthousiasm for this acquisition might have to do with Trimble's expertise in laserscanning as well. The holy grail of surveying in architecture would be an automated process from laserscan to a textured 3D model. If this would be possible with sketchup, I'ld be delighted!
So good luck guys, I hope you get all the freedom and support you need to take sketchup in new directions!
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