Fewer models of American/Canadian buildings in the 3DWH?

[Dan Blather]

Hopefully, I'm posting this in the right subforum.

I'm an urban planner who uses Sketchup to make illustrations for comprehensive plans, zoning codes, and the like.

Over the past several years, I've noticed that there's fewer new models of North American-style buildings -- houses, small apartment buildings, commercial buildings, and the like. For every usable building model that looks like something I'd see in an urban or suburban setting in the US, it seems like there's a hundred reflecting architectural styles that would way out of place on this side of the Atlantic or Pacific. Lots of uber-modern concrete-and-glass "casa moderna" European houses, similar minimalist modern Indian/Malaysian/Indonesian homes, ornate Russian dachas, and the like; seemingly tens every day. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but now, only a few new models reflecting North American architecture get uploaded every month.

So, are the North American model makers disappearing? If so, why? (For what it's worth, I've got over 100 models to my name in the 3DWH, with only a couple of "remix" .skps.)

[Dave R]

@dan blather said:

I'm an urban planner who uses Sketchup to make illustrations for comprehensive plans, zoning codes, and the like.

I've noticed that there's fewer new models of North American-style buildings -- houses, small apartment buildings, commercial buildings...

So, are the North American model makers disappearing? If so, why?

Are you still using SketchUp 2016 Make as indicated in your profile? If so, how are you accessing the 3D Warehouse? The Warehouse only supports the most recent three versions and hasn't supported 2016 for a few years. If you are accessing the Warehouse via the Components panel it's not surprising you are seeing fewer models.

Also consider some authors might have withdrawn their models from the Warehouse over the years. I think there's less incentive for users to do those models and upload them to the 3DWH since Google abandoned the idea of having folks use SketchUp to create 3D content for Google Earth.

[Dan Blather]

Whoops! I’m using SU 2020.

I would imagine a lot of the hobby modelers that still rely on Make 2017 are finding it harder to use the program, especially if they can’t use anything from the 3DW (at least not without the Eneroth load newer version add on). Still, that doesn’t seem to explain the increasing ratio of European/Asian to American/Canadian models available for download.

I don’t know if there’s an active Archive Project effort at preserving older models. Did the 3DWH have a wider selection 10 years ago? (I started using SU about 5-6 years ago.)

[Dave R]

Thanks for correcting your profile.

I do know there are some hobby modelers with 2017 Make who are finding it a little more difficult to use the 3DWH now although most of the actual complaints I've seen have come from those who are using 2017 Make in their business.

It's hard to say what is driving the ratio of European/Asian to American/Canadian models available for download. Since the 3D Warehouse content is mainly driven by users (except for products uploaded by manufacturers) it might be as simple as there are more European and Asian modelers who are willing to share their models in the 3D Warehouse. I do a few architectural models in SketchUp but not one of them would be something I would be willing or even able to share in the Warehouse.

There may have been more architectural models back in the old Google days when they were using those models in Earth. Those buildings might not have carried over once Google was done. I don't know of any sort of archive other than the 3D Warehouse. As I read them the 3DWH terms of use prohibit others from aggragating content.

[Bryan K]

All pre-2019 model have been withdrawn from the 3D Warehouse by Trimble.

You can find some if you look hard enough, for instance, my old models are still there (I do not know how or why). But, as Dave R said, there is very little incentive for people to update their models, so the inventory has been reduced.

I find it odd Trimble did not just convert the inventory on their own.