Who needs Vista Aero?
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I've become sufficiently confident in Ubuntu Linux that I've installed it on my personal desktop PC, dual-booting with Windows XP (and only because SketchUp, Rhino, and PS CS3 XT are not available on Linux). This PC has the horsepower to run Beryl, a window manger with a variety of peculiar 3D aspects. It's all just eyecandy, but it is fascinating...what you see below are screenshots as I rotate between virtual desktops...each desktop has a rendering of my current favorite SketchUp project applied, as does the environment/skymap behind the cube.
--Lewis
poster-Lewis Wadsworth
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Pretty cool Lewis! You are definitely on the edge!
Cheers,
- CraigD
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Eye candy maybe, but as examples of graphic design I love these images. The muted browns, greys and transparency are beautiful.
Jackson
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@unknownuser said:
Eye candy maybe, but as examples of graphic design I love these images. The muted browns, greys and transparency are beautiful.
Jackson
Thanks, Jackson. I'm about to enter the project that I'm smearing across Beryl into an unbuilt architecture competition...I'll post the images here when the thing is over...it's a minor elaboration on something I already placed on the Google SketchUp forums.
After playing around with Beryl and Linux it is really hard to go back to Windows...it it wasn't for SketchUp I think I might just junk the M$W platform. I have replacements or substitutions for almost every other piece of software I use as an architect.
--Lewis
poster-Lewis Wadsworth
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What is the CAD replacement Lewis?
Kelly
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@kdjanz said:
What is the CAD replacement Lewis?
Kelly
I've yet to try it on a real project of any size (certainly nothing like the giant projects my employers take on), but the Pro version of QCAD http://www.ribbonsoft.com/qcad.html seems quite adequate enough. (It cost me all of $30...well worth it, as the Open Source version is somewhat crippled.) There's now an autosnap feature that reminds me a little of SketchUp's approach, which is nice.
If I need something more robust, there are a few IntelliCAD variants available on Linux for about $500 or so...bricsCAD at http://www.bricscad.nl/ seems most like AutoCAD. I haven't bought it yet, but I may. Of course, one of the issues is that I don't want to use AutoCAD, or anything much like it, even on Linux.
I also have a Debian package for BRL-CAD, which is said to be a wonderful CAD program if you can get past the absolutely brutal interface (or rather, lack of interface, which is probably what you should expect of a program used originally to design tanks and military hardware): http://brlcad.org/ . There is quite a set of tutorials available.
Most of the other inexpensive or OS CAD programs seem too immature (alpha, beta, etc.) for real use, These people are testing them:
http://international.cad4linux.nl/cms/page.php?2
There are some high end commercial packages available, like GraphiteOne-CAD http://www.graphiteone-cad.com/en/product_2ddrafting.htm , but I don't feel like spending that kind of money yet. Especially if SketchUp is not going to be available on Linux. (Are you reading this, Craig?)
--Lewis
poster-Lewis Wadsworth
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