Google Sketchup Pro 7 is out

Mike Lucey

Hi Guys,

I've read everything with great interest. I do appreciate that the overall consensus is a but that's the problem a great product often has when it comes to releasing improvements.

When SketchUp opened its doors to Independent Ruby Scripters it may not have realised that this could have been a two edged sword! I think they now realise that this was in fact the case. But at the same time it was the proper and mature action to take as it allowed for market driven Rubies to be put on the shelf and they are being loaded up there at a great rate! Maybe SGU should form tighter working relationships with the Independent Ruby Scripters at least to the extent that each party would know what the other is doing.

I am a SketchUp 'Die hard' simply because I have not as yet seen a better option that offers me the same easy of use. If and when one comes along I will give it very serious consideration but I see nothing on the horizon at present so I most definitely will continue using SketchUp even if it still has the much mentioned shadow fault and lacks the desirable speed. Both of these problems can be lived with and worked around although it would be nice to see the end of them. Google would do themselves and the general community great if they advised a date for the resolution of these problems and I feel it would be greatly welcomed by many Pro Users.

So all in all I suggest that we look at what we have in SketchUp V7 and discover new uses and ways we can leverage these features in our work flow at the same time as requesting the shadow and speed issues to be resolved. I am sure they will be sorted at some time but again it would be nice to have a date.

Mike

fakircho

Well after all this waiting, i have to say i was expecting more from the PRO version.
I think the update is fine for the free version.

I really would like to see more emphasis going towards Sketchup PRO. Like the previous posts
point out, we have been shown some amazing stuff by the ruby community and surely Google needs to better that. In this release they have not even come close to matching it.

Have say that the application feels more responsive but need to do some real work over a period of time
to be able to say fr sure.

A lot effort has gone into Layout and it shows. However that is how it should have been released in the first place.

I see a lot of people are disappointed because they were hoping to see certain features implemented, and i am one of them. However i have to say that i am glad they are still developing Sketchup coz after taking so long with version 7, i was having doubts if we were ever going to see another version.

I will reserve my final judgment for a while until i have put it through its paces, but so far feels like 6.5

silver_shadow

tadaaaaa sketchup 7.5 lol
just teasin. Listen guys, in the end, sketchup is sketchup, we do what we can and even stretch it capabilities, and in the end...its probably the community that makes sketchup a better program. If it were not for the rubie script writers, to whom i bow, this would not be so super. What is nice tho, every one can sort of customise what they need and only load that into their su. i think its awesome. alot of programs dont allow you to be that flexible.
To su 7, its not bad, even thru all the time we waited, it still turned out to be a better version of su 6, a bit faster tho,graphics was the first thing i picked up, cleaner and nicer look to the models, and maybe down the pipeline...so other needs will be filled.
From me to su 7, and yea i made some harsh comments, they made it better
and thats prob in the end... all that counts.

free agent

in the Ruby discussion forum, theres the ruby wishlist by that guy from google, can anyone confirm that ruby scriptors will be able to do more than they could with su6? or that any of the wishes were implemented>?

JuanV.Soler

Well,
after all is not that bad.
The rectangle_selection issue seems to be solved.
It is nicer and better the way you can now draw. Origin is clearer and the references to axis works better.
Moving objects keep the axis references better.
I have not yet found how it works the Dynamic Components but it must be cool.

And Layout works as it should. Pity the dimensioning, but...

So i would say that SketchUp has now stabilized.

Google, we are now ready for the new features

herodes

@juanv.soler said:

Well,
Google, we are now ready for the new features

Well said!

pichuneke

I have a doubt about the patents. The patents like the one that doesn't allow Google to fix the shadow bug... are just for the United States?

If so, there is a solution for the rest of the world. Implement the fix, and in the United States don't allow to download a version with the bug solved. Google does it very well with youtube, I can't see the italian videos of Ancient Rome by RAI

If the problem is what I say, patents are very dangerous if they can be used like this. I am going to patent the "+" symbol. See you later!

linea

Layout is still raster though isn't it? The ability to draw a 0.1 line in Layout would have been great, I cant really see how I can drop cad for Layout yet, much as I'd like to. Or am I missing something?

dacad

This must be a joke...
For the ones saying this was a good release:

New modeling tools: NO
new animation tools: NO
new uv maping tools: NO
new engine that suport more heavy scenes: NO
new engine that do better images and shadows: NO
new (even very basic) ways to simulate diferent light sources from the sun: NO

Now even photoshop with the CS4 version can handle better 3D models and do better renders that sketchup (for the ones not seeing how serious this is i remember we're talking about a 2D image software...)

But hey at least we have something that could be done with a ruby script called dynamic components...oh and we can link textures to a 2D software because in version 6 we just didn´t already did that in one way or another...and layout now doesn't has beta in the name, still it won't do much (with heavier stuff specially) but hey at least now after 2 years it's not beta...

They just didn't listen to the users because they think they know better what we need...they could be a litle bit more humble...

Don't update and make them see this is wrong or we're never gonna be heard...

lewiswadsworth

I was actually thinking of applying the upgrade fee to a full license to MOI instead.

thomthom

@unknownuser said:

This must be a joke...
For the ones saying this was a good release:

New modeling tools: NO
new animation tools: NO
new uv maping tools: NO
new engine that suport more heavy scenes: NO
new engine that do better images and shadows: NO
new (even very basic) ways to simulate diferent light sources from the sun: NO

Now even photoshop with the CS4 version can handle better 3D models and do better renders that sketchup (for the ones not seeing how serious this is i remember we're talking about a 2D image software...)

But hey at least we have something that could be done with a ruby script called dynamic components...oh and we can link textures to a 2D software because in version 6 we just didn´t already did that in one way or another...and layout now doesn't has beta in the name, still it won't do much (with heavier stuff specially) but hey at least now after 2 years it's not beta...

They just didn't listen to the users because they think they know better what we need...they could be a litle bit more humble...

Don't update and make them see this is wrong or we're never gonna be heard...

That's a nice breakdown. UV mapping was one of my top wish-for features.

Gaieus

Now it's officilly out and announced:
http://sketchupdate.blogspot.com/

jstanton8869

I share the disappointment that's been expressed here about v7. There are some nice features and to me it appears marginally faster but nothing amazing considering the wealth of ideas out there that could have been included.

It does seem however that I'm unusual in that I do use Layout and the improvements here have been great - the frustration is now that the arc tool, line tool and editing functions in Layout are BETTER than that in Sketchup. This seems ridiculous.

Have a look at the Line tool and Editing, Scaling and Rotating in Layout - you'll see what I mean.

After all this time this looks like a point release rather than a full new version. Sorry Google - Try Harder

solo

[flash=425,344:3e3iif7n]http://www.youtube.com/v/azFbj5hK9o4[/flash:3e3iif7n]

ilay7k

@unknownuser said:

Once to learn about what's new, and once more to see what programmers do when they're told to "just stand there" in front of a video camera.

7 developers played with ruby-games or gems, and we have? ... many answers

i liked previous sketchup-update changelog i think they don't show( ) that small 2-years list.
Csaba i don't like this presentation, sorry Aidan

remus

Dacad, id say DCs count as a modelling enhancement and an animation enhancement.

Burkhard

@jstanton8869 said:

.....
After all this time this looks like a point release rather than a full new version. Sorry Google - Try Harder

this is from the blog and you want more?

Two years in the making and the result of many, many people's hard work, Google SketchUp 7 has arrived. You are cordially invited to visit our website to download a copy for yourself. We can't wait to see what you think.

solo

Guys, lets not under estimate the power of dynamic components, I believe it's an awesome addition that deserves a loud cheer, the endless opertunities it presents to not only our workflow and the way we model but to the ruby guru's that will be able to take this to another level.
The texturing advances (by using an image editor to alter a texture live) are also very welcome and one feature I will be using a lot.

When I first got the beta I thought the same as many here that this is just not enough, but after playing around I found this to be a very stable release (I had less splats and problems with the beta than my SU6 pro, and yet they made it even more stable)and it has many tiny tweaks that one will only notice during normal day to day work. I too wanted higher poly support, UV mapping and 64 bit support but after having a chat with Mr. Bacus at base camp I realised this would take a lot more than just an upgrade and we need to be patient, they are aware of what we want and not ignoring us (but also not talking to us on open forum).
Having used SU7 for several weeks I must say I like it a lot, however the one thing I hope they would fix maybe with a patch or update is the friggin toolbar migration issue ... that still kills me, especially when you have many plugin icons.

ilay7k

@ilay7k said:

i liked previous sketchup-update changelog i think they don't show( ) that small 2-years list.

As
@unknownuser said:

Tasha Danko said...
Thanks for your comment and letting us know about the blank page. This page is part of our new Help Center for SketchUp 7, which will be live by 12pm MT today. Please check back later today and thanks for your patience.

at blog, we can see all list of features. Good...

lewiswadsworth

Ah, the receipt arrived and now I have my license to MOI...