A new home for SketchUp

jeff hammond · 27 Apr 2012, 00:37

A We could wind up like a lot of software that has almost useless "freemium" and all the good stuff and functionality is reserved for paying customers.

i don't mean for this to come off as bad sounding (but if it is, maybe i need to have another look at myself?) but...

imo, all sketchup free development could cease at this moment and the free users would still be left with a great product..

years ago, i spent $500 on an app that was far inferior to what sketchup free is today.. and i was hyped when i bought it!

but they're saying that a free version will remain available and i honestly don't see them down scaling the free version to something unusable.. in fact, i really don't imagine they will downscale it all..

[and who knows, maybe trimble will start integrating ads into the free version or something? it does seem like a likely move but then again, i'd expect google would of been the more likely candidate to do such a thing]

[off:147lbot6]"Have we forgotten the off topic button?"
oops[/off:147lbot6]

pilou · 27 Apr 2012, 00:39

From the Gaieus above Link!

@unknownuser said:

A sale of the popular 3D drafting tool has been rumored for weeks, but it was widely assumed the buyer would be Dassault Systèmes.

Funny SU could be French!

chrisglasier · 27 Apr 2012, 00:42

I just think the "surprise" brings home the risk of relying on free proprietary software always being free - for example, levels of interest in forums, training, books, renderers, plugins ... other unintended consequences of "Do No Evil" perhaps?

solo · 27 Apr 2012, 00:49

Found this on Time online:

@unknownuser said:

Selling a successful — if specialized — product isn’t something that Google does often. In fact, I can’t think of any other examples that are similar to the SketchUp situation. It’s rare for large technology companies to sell anything, ever — generally speaking, the products they acquire or build either thrive or die. And when sales do happen, it’s often because a company is offloading a disaster at a fire-sale price.

When tech companies lose interest in something they own, they often abandon happy customers, even when they probably could have found a buyer. (Exhibit A: Cisco’s sudden execution of the Flip camcorder.) It’s nice to see Google moving on without leaving anyone in the lurch.

Says a lot actually!

ishboo · 27 Apr 2012, 00:52

Wow! Exciting times for the SketchUp community!

I'm hopeful this will be a positive stage in SketchUp's growth and maybe will bring some much needed improvements to the community.

Richard · 27 Apr 2012, 00:52

Wow - another late comer to this news!

For me too mixed emotions. Though in one way very excited - the "Googies" now become the "Trembles". I look at it like a share holder, one would as such have concerns if such a LARGE user base was left high and dry. User base means market base and the Trembles are surely aware of this - hence the acquistion!

The built world is all encompassing - survey and management of just doesn't stop at ground level, built works touch on this and then become part, joinery fills this space and so on! Are the Trembles looking at a picture bigger than we imagine? BIM is somewhere SU currently falls behind is this NOW where SU is headed?

I could be wrong for sure - hopefully not but the specific areas the Trembles host now seems somewhat better aligned to SU than that of Google (GE aside).

If in the least I still have SU8 - it serves near all my 3d needs and even if an underground of development continues through ruby I'm still a happy man!

My belief is that the Trembles have seen the bigger picture and are going to run with it beyond what we currently comprehend! Or is it just "christ I hope so"!

jeff hammond · 27 Apr 2012, 00:52

[off:1k6f1yvr]
@gaieus said:

@mitcorb said:

Although that Boulder is not a bad place.

new york city > boulder
[/off:1k6f1yvr]

jeff hammond · 27 Apr 2012, 00:53

[off:20gjzyfx]
@unknownuser said:

I've been to both and gotta say Boulder rocks.

if i was feeling clever right now, i'd come up with a super stupid joke about 'boulder rocks'..

but this would be one of those topics that i'd be openly hard headed and stubborn about.. it doesn't matter how logical of an argument someone may give me, nobody will ever convince me that there's a better city than nyc …

I NY

(yes tim, csaba said that.. i messed the post)[/off:20gjzyfx]

jeff hammond · 27 Apr 2012, 00:54

[off:1gu2nvyu]
@gaieus said:

@unknownuser said:

You may have Broadway Jeff, but we've got Main street

"Main Street" and "The Other Street"

haha![/off:1gu2nvyu]

jeff hammond · 27 Apr 2012, 00:55

[off:eewee5ag]oh hell yeah..

@unknownuser said:

HAMMOND
Gender: Masculine

Usage: English (Rare)

Pronounced: HAM-ənd [key]

From an English surname which was derived from either the Germanic given name Haimund which meant "home protection" or else from the Old Norse given name Hámundr which meant "high protection".

anyone need to buy a little protection? [/off:eewee5ag]

jeff hammond · 27 Apr 2012, 01:07

i guess at first glance at trimble as a company (today is the first day i've ever heard the name), there's a sort of wishy washy taste left behind..

meaning, their website was the first impression for me and it just feels.. i don't know.. stuffy?

like a website that a bunch of engineers instead of a bunch of architects might put together? if that makes any sense..

or maybe something along the lines of how i'd expect a global shipping & logistics type corporation to present themselves..
like i said.. i don't know exactly.. just something..

hopefully the new boulder offices will still be populated with those mac boys, in which case, everything should be ok

ishboo · 27 Apr 2012, 01:19

@unknownuser said:

i guess at first glance at trimble as a company (today is the first day i've ever heard the name), there's a sort of wishy washy taste left behind..

meaning, their website was the first impression for me and it just feels.. i don't know.. stuffy?

like a website that a bunch of engineers instead of a bunch of architects might put together? if that makes any sense..

or maybe something along the lines of how i'd expect a global shipping & logistics type corporation to present themselves..
like i said.. i don't know exactly.. just something..

hopefully the new boulder offices will still be populated with those mac boys, in which case, everything should be ok

I agree their site could use a fair bit of makeup...

pbacot · 27 Apr 2012, 01:26

Surprised more aren't familiar with the name. They make serious survey and GPS equipment and are in the GIS and remote sensing fields.

But I gather that many other "products" are run by subsidiaries and not necessarily connected. They talk about integration but it doesn't look like the different products they have are so closely and centrally controlled, at least for now.

jeff hammond · 27 Apr 2012, 01:41

@pbacot said:

Surprised more aren't familiar with the name. They make serious survey and GPS equipment

they're probably just out of my league.. i'm more smalltime.. i mean, i own/use a basic transit and i can see where i'm at on my phone but besides that…

@unknownuser said:

and are in the GIS

when i see GIS, i'm automatically thinking 'these are the people that need to be converting us hard headed americans to metric!'.. a global measurement standard.. but maybe i'm just weird

jeff hammond · 27 Apr 2012, 01:54

@hieru said:

@solo said:

Found this on Time online....
@unknownuser said:

......It’s nice to see Google moving on without leaving anyone in the lurch.

Anyone else really annoyed about this comment from Time?

nah.. the writer is just saying that he's glad google didn't just leave sketchup to die.. they at least had the decency to sell it to someone else that is interested in continuing development

(ie- the product, if left in the hands of google, was dead (and it must of been the vibe around the sketchup offices the past year or two although the users were basically unaware.. though some have speculated as much))

Hieru · 27 Apr 2012, 01:58

@solo said:

Found this on Time online....
@unknownuser said:

......It’s nice to see Google moving on without leaving anyone in the lurch.

Anyone else really annoyed about this comment from Time?

Edit: I might have misread that. I assumed they were saying that 'real' modellers wouldn't use SU in the first place. Putting my paranoid tendencies in check, they could be saying that SU looks to be moving on without neglecting its user base.

I suppose we will just have to wait until the handover has been finalised.

mitcorb · 27 Apr 2012, 01:59

Well, it does seem a bit slanted. But maybe the journalist(?)is unaware of the whole spectrum?

utiler · 27 Apr 2012, 02:28

@al hart said:

@unknownuser said:

No, but I just registered trimbucation.com

How about TrimbleUp and SketchUTrimble?

It sounds like 'SketchUTremble' for the moment....

wyatt · 27 Apr 2012, 02:41

I don't personally use it, but we use Trimble software and survey equipment in our office. I haven't heard any big complaints in that regard. I'm interested to see how SU is integrated with/into Trimble's other software packages.

Ecuadorian · 27 Apr 2012, 02:57

"The friendly place for your Trimble SketchUp needs" sounds odd. Better make it
"The friendly place for you SketchUp nerds"